by: Jae-Ha Kim

Natalie Merchant may project the image of a shy waif when she sings onstage with her pop-rock group, 10,000 Maniacs. But offstage, she is a forceful woman whose opinions come through loud and clear.

"I never thought there was a point in saying something just to fill a sound void," said Merchant, phoning from her parents' home in Jamestown, N.Y. "I think there are a lot of important issues occurring in the world today. I'm not saying that I'm the person to make everyone aware of all these things, because I'm definitely not knowledgeable enough to do so.

"But I have a willingness to learn, and I guess that's why it never was important to me to talk about why I'm in a band or whatever. In the big scheme of things, what I do for a living seems almost frivolous to what's happening everywhere else."

Merchant and the other Maniacs will perform in Chicago at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Riviera, 4746 N. Broadway. The concert is sold out.

The group, which also includes drummer Jerome Augustyniak, guitarist Rob Buck, keyboardist Dennis Drew and bassist Steven Gustafson, can be expected to play cuts from their breakthrough 1987 album, In My Tribe, as well as songs from their current album, Hope Chest.

Hope Chest is a compilation of music from the group's independent releases from the early 1980s. Like the Maniacs' later songs, their earliest recordings have a brooding quality that leaves listeners feeling slightly depressed and enlightened.

Don't mistake Merchant's attitude for apathy. She said her regard for the band and its music is so strong that it "borders on insanty." But with so many entertainers exuding self-importance, Merchant said she almost feels embarrassed to be associated with them.

She cited George Michael as a prime example of a singer who made it to the top of the music charts by cultivating a sexy, carefree image, and now is longing to be taken seriously as an artist.

"We're talking about a man here who puts his rear end in front of a camera and shakes it around," said Merchant, 26. "When he was in that incredibly hard-to-take-seriously group (Wham!), I remember seeing a picture of him walking on the Great Wall of China and thinking something wasn't quite right.

"He's trying to change his image now because it doesn't suit him anymore. Well, you can't change your philosophy midstream and then expect people to take you seriously. It just doesn't work that way."

While everyone in the 10,000 Maniacs organization insists that the group really is a group, rather than a back-up band for Merchant, many people would have a hard time naming one other member besides her.

When told that it seems just a matter of time before the group follows the likes of New Bohemians, who bowed to record-company pressure and put the name of comely singer Edie Brickell up front, Merchant protested. Her band, she said, will never, ever become Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs.

"About four years ago, Elektra (Records) did try to put my name up front," Merchant said. "But I think that was their attempt at softening the blow of our name, rather than trying to make me the center of attention.

"Some people have accused me of enjoying being the focal point. By virtue of being the only woman in the group and the singer, I guess I am quite obvious in the group.

"We've always had an understanding within the group that everybody makes an equal contribution. I definitely am not a solo artist, and I think that it is insulting to the band when people refer to me as such.

Whether you like 10,000 Maniacs or not, the credit or blame is shared among all of us, and that's how it should be."

Although the popularity of the group has enabled Merchant totravel all over the world, she said her most enlightening trip occurred last summer when she traveled around Eastern Europe for a month, cloaked in anonymity. The people she met in Czechoslovakiadidn't know she was a big-deal rock star, Merchant said, and yet they went out of their way to help her find fresh vegetables for her vegetarian diet, even if it meant they didn't get any for their dinner.