The dark story behind the Third Eye Blind song Semi-Charmed Life

0:00- Early Band history
4:21 - Semi-Charmed Life Writing/Success
9:30 - Who Wrote Semi-Charmed Life?


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Third Eye Blind would be formed in 1993 in San Francisco by frontman Stephan Jenkins. His parents would divorce when he was 7 and as a kid he struggled with dyslexia. In the sixth grade, his teacher told him he would never graduate high school and instead, would likely end up in juvie. He would graduate high school and ended up becoming a straight A student at UC Berkley getting an english literature degree in 1987. Jenkins would start playing in bands in high school first starting out as a drummer.

By 1990 he was living in lower haight in san francisco and had rented out his room so he could live in a closet. Jenkins would survive on a steady diet of ramen and coffee that was financed by money he had stolen from his roomates. He’d of course also write music during this time as well. He would refer to this period in his life as “my 1967, my summer of love.”Prior to third eye blind, Jenkins was part of a rap duo group called Puck and Natty who believe it or not in 1992 got a song called just wanna be your friend on the soundtrack of beverly hills 90210.

Jenkins would receive a payment of about $7,800 for the song appearing on the show. He’d later admit he had never seen the show and used the money to buy groceries..Puck and Natty’s demo tape soon found it’s way to several industry heavyweights including irving azoff and At one point capitol records nearly signed the rapping group. But when questions over who should produce the group got raised in a meeting, Jenkins walked, wanting to take on production duties himself.

It was in 1990 he met another resident who lived on lower Haight area, Eric Godtland. Gotland was working as a management consultant by day and a pretty unsuccessful club DJ by night. He would take jenkins under his wing.

Jenkins would tell Gotland a vision he had of starting a new rock band. He already had a name -- Third Eye Blind. And he already had a handful of songs including the track semi charmed life. Some of the music for the song came from his partner in puck and natty who Jenkins ultimately paid $10K to so he could have 100% ownership over the song. I’m sure that guy is kicking himself for doing such a deal.
Also around this time, Jenkins befriended a waitress who worked down the street who was also writing songs and they would play each other their compositions. He would play her semicharmed life and she would play him a song called what’s going on. That waitress was Linda Perry of the group 4 non blondes. What’s going on would later be renamed what’s up? And she would go on to have an enormous amount of success.

Semi Charmed Life eventually made its way to Randy jackson of american idol fame who liked it, and he took it to don ienner of Sony music who didn’t. He thought jenkins was rambling on the song, and thought, it was too different. Initially Third Eye Blind started out as a songwriting exercise with producers and engineers Jenkins knew, but ultimately he wanted to establish a band.

Jenkins goal from the start was to break free of the constraints of indie rock according to the la times. Jenkins would tell the paper “I didn’t feel like i fit into that whole post grunge-noise pop scene that movement to democratize the form by playing badly.” Third Eye blind’s early inspirations included groups like the beatles and college rockers camper van beethoven in addition to the hip hop group The Sugar Hill Gang,

Jenkins woulplayed with a lot of guitarists before finding Kevin Cadogan who he’d do some two man acoustic shows with around the bay area. They’d eventually add bassist Arion Salazar from East Bay group Fungo Mungo and the band went through nearly half a dozen drummers before finding Brad Hargreaves. Salazar would credit Cadogan as being the missing piece for third eye blind. He’d recall to billboard hearing semi charmed life for the first time revealing He had it with a stripped-down drum machine and electronic bass on the first non-band demo. It was kind of one-dimensional, acoustic guitar troubadour-y first position thing with basic guitar