A Bit About The Man Behind The Golden Sparkle

Irish-born (ex)lead guitarist for Third Eye Blind, Kevin Rene Cadogan, has been playing in bands since the age of 14. He recalls watching his sister's boyfriend's band and admiring the camaraderie and ease with which they could all just hang out and still accomplish something great. Kevin began playing when he was 13 and by the next year was a key member of the hard-core punk band Cult of Bigness. Kevin easily adopted the aggressive, loud sound of his fellow bandmates, however recalls with a laugh the taped square he was confined to at one local dive bar due to his drastically under aged status. Later, in a different band (and still under aged) Kevin played gigs throughout the Irish countryside at village fairs from the back of a flatbed fish truck. Lacking amps, the group employed an enormous bullhorn to broadcast their sounds to the small crowds. After listening to Third Eye Blind's debut album, one might be surprised to learn that Kevin composes songs on an acoustic guitar. "The big distortion sounds that are key in my playing I try to keep secondary to the music," he says. "I think the songs should be able to translate over in their barest form." Kevin's guitars hang on the wall of his house, easily accessible for trying out new ideas in various tunings, one way the he stays creative and excited about the music. "It's kind of a pain in the ass live," he says, "because I have five different tunings and I have to switch guitars. So, I have guys throwing guitars at me all the time." In the studio, however, it's fun. "It's like solving a puzzle," Kevin explains. "It's fun to just turn things upside down and to challenge yourself. Just take the bloody tuners and turn 'em and twist 'em and see what you come up with. When things aren't happening and your not creating anything, that's one way to shake it up and try something different. Although sometimes I also feel like a piece of graffiti scrawled on the side of a liquor store."

          When at one time asked about Third Eye Blind's success, Kevin admited, "I feel like I'm in a Magritte painting, falling from the sky with my top hat and guitar. It's something that very few people get to experience." Kevin was excited about Blue and the way the band came together to create new, innovative sounds. "That is, to me, the whole thing of being in a band, experiencing the creation of something with friends of yours and hearing something for the first time." The two songs Kevin is especially proud of are "Camouflage" and "Wounded." About his own style, Kevin replies, "I like to create arts that are both melancholic and aggressive at the same time. That fits the attitude of the band. Our songs might be somewhat dark, but we don't wallow in despair."

          Third Eye Blind is (was?) known for having a special flair for live performances and a close relationship with their fans. "We like(d) to go out and meet people. We definitely don't take it for granted. Every dime that I make can be traced back to some kid buying the records of ours," Kevin says. "I think it's important to go out and meet people. For me, it's good because I've always been very trustful. It's been a nice experience for me meeting so many really cool people who have great stories to tell about how the music affected them. It keeps us inspired and who wouldn't want to hear that?" Cadogan was a guitar prodigy at age 13 with Joe Satriani. When he was younger he was into punk and ska bands. He says really doesn't listen to music, "I get things stuck in my head, and its hard for me to get them out... Music comes in but it don't come out." Kevin co-wrote 10 of the 14 tracks on the debut album and his favourites off of the album are God Of Wine, The Background and Graduate.

Quotes:

"I'm doomed to be Ebert." [He was thrilled with the award.] "It means a lot." -After the 1999 Bammies, when Stephan Jenkins was done talking. From the San Francisco Examiner.

"Touring is not a merry go round, let me just tell you that. It's not a merry go round, It's a sit and spin."

"I just wanted to play the most prominent sounding instrument in rock music and I figured that was the guitar. It's a way for me to become someone else on stage. It's like my second voice, you know."

"The big distortion sounds that are key in my playing I try to keep secondary to the music, I think the songs should be able to translate over in their barest form."

(At Radford Uni) "I had soup at BT's aswell......and I liked it!"

"...I look around and I notice that there's, like, 25 exits in this hall. Most other places we play, there's only three or four. Maybe it's because this is a concert hall for classical music and old people have to pee a lot."

"When he tried to teach me solos, I had to quit." [admits with a laugh about lessons with Joe Satriani]

[about his 80's playing] "A lot of my playing at that time had the little triplets stuff, the rhythm thing with the delay - I liked to do volume swells and create those lush sort of sounds. That was a big part of my playing, but I was a real rhythm player. It was more groove-oriented playing. Even though the effects add to the music, I want them to remain secondary. I don't want to completely rely on them, or have effect-oriented guitar sounds."

"Be careful with the people, they're fragile." ~July 25th, Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

[on the open tuning he uses] "It's kind of a pain in the ass live because I have, like, five different tunings and I have to switch guitars. So, I have guys throwing guitars at me all the time."

[same topic as previous] "It's like solving a puzzle - It's fun to turn things upside down and to challenge yourself. Just take the bloody tuners and turn 'em and twist 'em and see what you come up with. When things aren't happening and you're not creating anything, that's one way to shake it up and try something different. Maybe something will come out of it."

"In my early 20's, I just felt like I was on my deathbed...I went through practically every anti-depressant there was on the market. I know what it feels like to wake up and want to go right back to bed. So anyone who's feeling that way now, I'm down with you. You've got to have faith that it will end, you know."

"The songs are about whatever moods we're in. When I'm playing guitar, I'm expressing the mood I'm in-- whether it's anxiety, depression, or joy. It's kind of a release for me."

"I get sick of hearing the same chords. I do a lot of alternate tuning. On a song like 'Narcolepsy' I use open tuning."

"Stephan and I always like to surprise each other. We work fast. I've been in a lot of bands, and believe me it's rare when you have a chemistry in a group where you can just feed off each other and the song forms out of that." (Well I guess this chemistry is now gone!!! - Clint)

"I get things stuck in my head, and it's hard for me to get them out... Music comes in but it don't come out."

"This is my favourite thing to do in the whole world and I recommend it highly. You should do this right now...CAN I GRADUATE?" [on vh1 hard rock live]

"If I wasn't in Third Eye Blind, I'd be wandering around Golden Gate Park muttering profanities, so thanks." - Acceptance speech for 'Best Song Writer' at the 1999 Bammies. (Someone around wanna go check the park? Listen for a man cursing, or mumbling "Thanks A Lot." He is in his late twenties, about 6 feet tall, has dark hair, and blue eyes. It's Kevin.)

Facts: