WITH THEIR MULTIPLATIUM DEBUT ALBUM AND A HIT FOLLOW-UP--NOT TO MENTION ONE OF THE MOST CHARISMATIC FRONTMEN AROUND--THIRD EYE BLIND HAVE ALL THE EARMARKS OF ROCK ROYALTY. SO WHAT'S THE SECRET TO THEIR SUCCESS? BEATS THEM...

"This is my hood," says Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins as he and his band mates--drummer Brad Hargreaves, bassist Arion Salazar and guitarist Kevin Cadogan (at press time, Kevin had left the group)--dive into a midafternoon brunch at Zazie, a homey eatery and a favorite haunt in their hometown, San Francisco. Stephan's stomping ground is a quiet, quaint pocket that's just a short walk from the city's fabulously funky Haight Ashbury district, current home of vintage-clothing stores, piercing parlors and alternative-rock clubs as well as the capital of 1967's hippie happening, the Summer of Love. It is a low- key area where Stephan can conduct his business anonymously and efficiently.

This is, in fact, one of the few places where the 35-year-old singer-songwriter has been able to roam relatively incognito since his band's 1997 debut album, Third Eye Blind, sold more than 4 million copies and spawned a trio of top 10 singles: "Semi-Charmed Life," "How's It Going To Be" and "Jumper." Now the hit machine in pumping again with the group's second album, Blue, which has already produced the revved-up rock radio hits "Anything" and "Never Let You Go."

At a time when pop thrives and rock and roll gradually builds back its old multiplatinum-caliber following, Third Eye Blind combines the best of each world. The band's debut was rife with hooks sharp enough to permanently lodge in your cranial hard drive and melodies sweet enough to give you a sugar rush. Blue is even more adventurous musically, thanks to the creative bond the guys formed while playing more than 400 shows in less than two years after the release of the first album.

"When you're touring, you feel like you're in this bubble together," says Brad, who embarked on Third Eye Blind's 12-month world tour on March 2. "You have to go up there every night in front of people who have paid a lot of money to see you, and you have to come together and deliver. In a lot of ways, the harsh touring schedule that we endured together made us stronger."

But in some ways, not strong enough. Kevin recently left the group because of musical differences and has been replaced by Tony Fredianelli, 30, a long-time friend of the band's who played on "Semi- Charmed Life." Stephan is optimistic about the switch. "I think all these things sort of work themselves out in the [end]," he says. "Ten years from now when we do our Legends thing on VH1, this will be a footnote in it."

Tony, for his part, is glad to be on board. "The night it happened, I just kind of curled up and went to sleep," he says of Stephan's invitation to join. "But I have definitely awoken now, and I intend to rock this thing up to the next level."

group effort Although at brunch today Stephan is suffering from a little bleary-eyed exhaustion after a late-night photo shoot, the handsome frontman's quicksilver intelligence hasn't abandoned him. He is one of the few rock stars who can slip words like "ineffable" and "ecosystem" into casual conversation or discuss the changing economic face of San Francisco with a fair degree of insight. Ask him about music, though, and he's likely to defer to his bandmates.

"The emergence of Brad and Arion on this record is really a significant thing," say Stephan, who wrote most of Third Eye Blind with Kevin. "Brad set the framework for the whole record. He'd just play something and you could hear songs come together. And Arion cowrote two songs."

The increased creative interaction might explain the renewed sense of purpose and depth in the songwriting. Consider songs like "Wounded," a lament for a date-rape victim, or "10 Days Late," in which Stephan probes the mind of a teenager whose girlfriend has discovered she's pregnant.

"In '10 Days Late,' I was just trying to amplify a situation of being faced with a radical change, and how do you keep your bearing in life when faced with radical change," says Stephan. "It's based on a universal sensation, as opposed to somebody specific." That's his way of saying the songs on Blue aren't necessarily autobiographical. "They're stories that come from real impulse," he says. But, he adds, "'10 Days Late' is not about someone's specific pregnancy, although people are probably going to think that Charlize [Theron, his girlfriend] is pregnant now or something."

road scholar Reared in an academic household, Third Eye Blind's lead singer hasn't always planned on pursuing rock stardom. His father, George, is a retired political science and African studies professor, and at one point, Stephan seemed destined to follow him into academia. "I actually started in marine biology because I wanted to be an environmental lawyer," says Stephan, who studied English at the University of California at Berkeley. "I just wasn't that good. I always wanted to rock but was discouraged by my parents, who didn't really see it as a vocation."

Meanwhile, the rest of Third Eye Blind were biding their time. Brad played drums in various bands on the Bay Area's bar circuit; Arion explored San Francisco's punk scene; and Kevin wrote songs and searched for a kindred spirit. The group coalesced in 1995 when Stephan, who has been toiling in a hip-hop outfit called Puck and Zen, recruited the others to breathe life into his songs.

At the time, Stephan recalls, "We lived with a bunch of people in the Lower Haight, and we were all working in coffee shops and restaurants. That was a time when you could take a vow of poverty in order to go after what you wanted."

The following year, their demo tape piqued the interest of several labels. Elektra Records eventually emerged victorious after promising the band complete creative control. Released in early 1997, Third Eye Blind finally took off that summer, fueled by the massive radio and MTV hit "Semi- Charmed Life" as well as the group's relentless touring. The latter paid off in another big way. "We're very aware of who our audience is because we spent two years on the road," says Stephan. "We're lucky to have a direct conduit to our fans." Staying connected is a high priority. Stephan even occasionally checks out the numerous Web sites devoted to Third Eye Blind and sometimes chats with fans. "We try to make some community for ninety minutes at our concerts, and it's pleasing to see people talking about their experiences at shows, and what it meant to them."

Brad, who designed Third Eye Blind's official Web site, 3eb.com, also occasionally logs on to find out what's on fans' minds. "It's amazing to see how a song like 'Jumper' [a plea to a friend not to consider suicide] really affected someone's life," he says. "I'm always shocked at how profound an effect our songs can have, even to the point of saving someone's life. It's just a humbling experience for us."

long-distance love Starstruck female fans might hang on to Stephan's every word during the band's live shows, but for the past two years, his heart has belonged to actress Charlize Theron (The Cider House Rules), 24. The pair met backstage after a December 1997 Third Eye Blind concert in Hawaii, where Charlize was celebrating Christmas with her family. Tabloid coverage immediately spun out of control with the couple becoming paparazzi favorites and Stephan struggling to keep his very public life private.

"I'm very aware that what is said is not [what end up being] written, and that the stories usually aren't concerned with the truth," he says. "It concerted me for a while, but it doesn't matter to me now." Lately, though, there hasn't been much to write about. The couple have been working on their respective projects and connect mostly by phone. "It's difficult," says Stephan of his long-distance relationship with Charlize, who lives in L.A. and often spends months on location in far-away cities, while he has set up house in San Francisco. "I'm working all the time, and she works hard."

Asked to describe Charlize, Stephan quickly clears up some popular misconceptions. She may be a budding movie queen, but she's no glamour-puss. "She's really a wholesome, down-to-earth person," he says. "Big Britpop fan too. You should see her car. It's all the Verve, Pulp, Radiohead and Supergrass."