by: Dylan Jones (page 4D)

WASHINGTON - Of the 10,000 Maniacs, fans seem interested in just one.

Natalie Merchant, the intriguingly named pop band's lead singer, has dominated the quintet's image since their major label debut in 1985. Her sad, gliding voice and thoughtful lyrics (she has written or co-written every song for the band) have fascinated fans as much as her anti-fashion image and eccentric, sometimes indecipherable, stage persona.

Offstage, the low-profile Merchant - she hates media hype so much, she has decided not to see "Batman" - whispers her way through an interview before a recent show at Constitution Hall. "I keep to myself most of the time," she admits.

In other words, Natalie Merchant is an "artist."

"Maybe it's because I deified artists when I was growing up," says the 25-year-old, dressed in a plain, blue-and-white print dress and a loose brown cardigan. "I always thought Leonardo da Vinci was God's son - he must be, to paint like that." And Michelangelo?

"To be honest with you, I'm more impressed with the murals at the RCA Building."

Merchant has learned to trust her opinions. The Maniacs have won mainstream and alternative listeners alike with their brand of folk-pop and social commentary. Blind Man's Zoo (Elektra), the band's current and third album, targets subjects from political shenanigans (Please Forgive Us) to religious extremism (Jubilee) and is considered the band's strongest work.

At No. 16 on Billboard's pop charts, it may be their most successful. Their new single, Trouble Me, is rising on the charts.

And Merchant, mirroring the success of other popular folk oracles such as R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, has found her own niche as an unlikely pop diva.

"We've grown up quite a bit," says Merchant, who began her singing and writing career with the Maniacs when she was 16. "The music I'm writing is a little more complicated. Some of the lyrics I'm writing now mirror sentiments of the music more than they used to."

She also says the band's sound, allowed to flourish in the isolated atmosphere of Jamestown, N.Y., became better defined under the direction of producer Peter Asher, who guided their breakthrough 1987 album, In My Tribe.

"His interpretation of what modern pop music should sound like was a bit more synthetic at times than mine," says Merchant. "There are so many devices available, and I think (Peter) was being seduced by them."

Still, Merchant is pleased with the final product, which marries her sometimes heady, dark messages with accessible sounds.

Things are a little crazy for the Maniacs now. Once the summer and fall touring is over, Merchant says she may work on getting a children's book published. A solo album may also be in the future.

But her plans aren't all that "artistic."

"I'm thinking about the essential things like medical insurance and a pension plan. And a house. And car."