In February of 1999, I was a sophomore in high school listening to bands like Rancid, Kid Dynamite and Avail - basically swearing off any band that used more than three chords and dared to pick up an acoustic guitar. Being from Phoenix, the name Jimmy Eat World came up a lot, but I really wasn't familiar with their work until I recieved a tape (that's right, a tape) that had Weezer's masterpiece "Pinkerton" on one side and "Clarity" on the other. I remember listening to both sides of that tape every single day for at least six months. It was a whole new sound for me and it provided the soundtrack to high school for me. Jimmy Eat World was also the first "huge" band that was really accesible to me as a fan. I remember talking to Jim outside Nita's Hideaway and a strange thing happened - he actually talked to me like a person - not just a fan.
I've spent the last 8 years following the band through their massive mainstream success of "Bleed American", to the underappreciated masterpiece "Futures," as well as huge tours with Green Day and Weezer. At no point did I lose that personal connection that I felt with band back in high school. They have consistantly been my favorite band throughout the last 8 years and I am sure that as long as they are playing music I will be there.
This is an interview with singer Jim Adkins, and we talked a little about the life of a musician and what it means to play music. Be sure to check out Jimmy Eat World's new record "Chase This Light," on October 28th, 2007.
"I wanna always feel like part of this was mine..."
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