Jumper Tee

PRINTED ON GD1801 WHITE TEES. 

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If timing is everything, then Stephan Jenkins was the atomic clock of the late 1990s. The Third Eye Blind founder/mastermind spent years honing his craft in the Bay Area during the early and mid 90s before finally unleashing his band’s hit-packed self-titled debut on April 8, 1997. The journey was long, but the fruits of 3EB’s labors were worth it, as the album spawned three instant classic top 10 singles with “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Graduate” and “How’s it Going to Be” and two other hits in “Jumper” and “Losing a Whole Year” on its way to 6x platinum certification.

The album’s long gestation and circuitous path to release was filled with as much drama as its dark lyrics about suicide, crystal meth addiction and sexual abuse, wrapped in instantly grabby arrangements that helped propel 3EB into seemingly overnight stardom after years of struggle. That combination of songwriting savvy and a Velvet Underground-like fascination with life’s dimmer side served as an unofficial bridge between the grim grunge years and the soon-to-explode pure pop explosion of acts such as Hanson, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and Britney Spears.

The album sold more than 6 million copies in the U.S. and was well-received at the time, gaining stature over the last 30 years to become a notable album of the '90s. While some retrospective reviews have criticized parts of the album for being repetitive, its strongest tracks still hold up today, with a lasting influence that benefited from its timely release just before the teen pop wave broke and while radio still had room for guitar-based acts.

Third Eye Blind is front to back with heavy hitters. Album opener “Losing a Whole Year” crashes in like a desperate mission statement. Cadogan’s reverb swirls around Jenkins’s coarse shout, “I remember you and me used to spend the whole goddamn day in bed.” Contagious riffs equalize Jenkins’s charming melodrama throughout. The band operates in measured extremes, alternating between scenes of suicidal ideation and snorting coke under golden skies. It was a perfect transition piece, between the garage grunge that came before it and the radio pop rock that would come after. Not only did the album showcase each members’ distinct strengths, the sound happened to be exactly what the industry was looking for at the time—vibrant, melodic pop rock à la Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows. 

Rather than a rock star, Jenkins thinks of himself as a chef. I asked, “How so?” which was met with a moment of silence and then a five-minute monologue that did not involve food until the very end. “I’m taking these ingredients on stage and we’re having this exchange. What I want is to make this beautiful meal. And what I’m trying to do is make everybody feel lifted,” he said. “If I feel good about the offering that I’m making, then that’s pretty much all I need.”