The Beat

LET'S GET ROCKED: For Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins, getting into character for his role as Mark Wahlberg's nemesis in the upcoming flick Rock Star was simply a matter of channeling. "I'm playing the guy I hated in high school," Jenkins says. "I hated that '80s pop-metal shit. I'm basically playing a wanna-be Kip Winger."

The movie, which opens Friday (7), takes place in the mid-'80s and features Wahlberg as the lead singer in Blood Pollution (the fictional tribute band that honors fellow fictional act Steel Dragon), who is plucked to replace the frontman of Steel Dragon.

With a long, poufy hairdo that would make Winger proud, Jenkins plays Bradley, a singer who succeeds Wahlberg in Blood Pollution. Jenkins filmed his scenes in between tour dates. "Basically, I come in, Mark and I have a fight in the parking lot, I attack and molest his girlfriend—played by Jennifer Aniston—I kick him out of his band, and I got back on the plane to go back on tour," Jenkins says. He also relished the chance to sing "very badly" as Bradley.

It was the first acting role for Jenkins, who didn't have any trepidation about taking the part. "I think people are either actors or they aren't," he says. "You have a sense of poetry and animation about you or you don't. There's something musical about listening and reacting, and that's what being in a band is all about." He has since landed the lead in the indie film Angelic Tuesday.

Among the other real-life musicians in the movie are the Verve Pipe's Brian Vander Ark, guitarist Zakk Wylde, drummer Jason Bonham, Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, and Slaughter drummer Blas Elias.

The soundtrack to Rock Star was released Aug. 28 on Priority Records-distributed Posthuman Records. If the soundtrack and movie don't provide enough bad mall hairdos, ear-bleed-inducing vocals, and screeching guitars, Sony Legacy comes to the rescue with its new "Metal Masters" series. The first batch of titles arrived in stores Aug. 28, led by Quiet Riot's Metal Health and Accept's Balls to the Wall.



COMING SOON: Two albums that have been logging time in our CD player will be hitting stores soon: the Verve Pipe's Underneath (RCA), out Sept. 11, and John Mayer's Room for Squares (Aware/Columbia), out Sept. 18.

"Never Let You Down," the first single from Underneath, is slowly chugging up the AC charts; and there's more for radio to dive into, including "Only Words" or "Happiness Is." After slipping with its self-titled 1999 release, the Verve Pipe veers sharply into power-pop territory with the help of producer Adam Schlesinger (from Fountains of Wayne and Ivy). Lead singer Brian Vander Ark has never sounded more like Peter Gabriel, and we mean that in a good way.

Mayer's album first came out quietly in June through Aware Records. Now, Columbia, which markets and distributes Aware's releases, is putting out a new-and-improved remixed version with one new song. Singer/songwriter Mayer, who manages to sound a little weatherbeaten yet smooth at the same time, has a little Dave Matthews and Ben Folds in him, yet he is still his own creation.



STUFF: After six years with Nasty Little Man public relations, Shelby Meade has opened her own shop, Venice, Calif.-based Fresh and Clean Media. Clients include Robbie Williams and Moby . . . Live and Mos Def have been tapped as support on Jane's Addiction's tour, which opens Oct. 2 in Worchester, Mass. . . . Jive will release Chapter 1, a Backstreet Boys greatest-hits set, Oct. 23. There will be eight different versions of the album, in order to serve territories with the appropriate track listings . . . Rounder Records has signed Bruce Cockburn. The artist, who was formerly on Columbia and Rykodisc, will release his first album for the label next year. The deal also includes a distribution agreement with Cockburn's True North Records. In addition to his album of new material, Rounder will also reissue 18 of Cockburn's albums, as well as package a U.S. greatest-hits collection . . . Moby, Stone Temple Pilots, Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, Lou Reed, Seal, Beck, Marc Anthony, Nelly Furtado, and Shelby Lynne are among the acts that will perform at TNT's Come Together: A Night for John Lennon concert. The show, which tapes Sept. 20 at New York's Radio City Music Hall, will be hosted by Kevin Spacey. The event will air Oct. 9 and is being co-executive-produced by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.