Rocker John Mellencamp all fired up for 'Freedom'

LOS ANGELES, Jan 20 (Reuters) In rock singer John Mellencamp's latest musical epistle from the heartland, Americans are vengeful, unforgiving, ignorant of other cultures and led by a president he describes as a ''rodeo clown.'' Yet it's an unusually mild outburst from the self-styled ''outsider,'' whose state-of-the-nation observations are contained in his first album in three years, ''Freedom's Road'' (Universal Republic), due in US stores on Tuesday.

Mellencamp, 55, has sung often about the flawed American dream throughout a career spanning 30 years, 19 albums and 10 Top 10 singles.

Famous for his short temper, the chain-smoking Indiana firebrand has also pilloried politicians, label executives and any other hapless souls who crossed him.

In a recent interview from the lakeside home in Bloomington, Indiana, that he shares with his 37-year-old wife and their two boys, an eerily calm Mellencamp recalled that his 1983 hit ''Pink Houses'' was ''the biggest slam on America that you could ever write.'' But people never dug deeper than the catchy chorus line, ''Ain't that America, home of the free,'' and interpreted the song as a patriotic ditty.

BUSH LASSOED There's no misinterpreting ''Rodeo Clown,'' which appears as a hidden track, a few minutes after the main selection has ended. President George W. Bush is the title character with ''bloody red eyes,'' while the United States is an ''arrogant nation'' with ''blood on her face'' after the Sept. 11 attacks.

While he considers himself ''a very liberal person,'' he's also skeptical about politicians in general. ''When you take their pants down they all have the same underwear on.'' He describes his album as more social than political, and says his songs offer a positive experience, as long as fans listen between the lines.

At face value, the song titled ''The Americans'' seems like a heartwarming almost cringe-inducing boast about the worldliness, honesty and hospitality found throughout the ''land of opportunity.'' But then it becomes obvious that Mellencamp views his compatriots as hopelessly deluded.

''It's who we would like to be. It's who we say we are. But it's not really who we are now, is it?'' CHEVY PITCHMAN Mellencamp has taken aim at plenty of people, but he has also taken some fire after allowing General Motors Corp. to use the album's first single, ''Our Country,'' in a commercial for a Chevrolet truck.

Such deals are commonplace these days, but Mellencamp had always opposed the practice and sniped at those who did sell their songs. He is still philosophically averse to the idea.

On the other hand, he realized that artists of his generation struggle to get radio airplay for fresh material, and he was shocked that a new Tom Petty song he thought would be a big hit fell between the cracks last year.

''There's just no place for our music to be heard,'' he said.

''These records take too long. They're too hard to make, and they're too hard to do, and why would you want to do 'em unless people are going to hear 'em?'' Along came Chevrolet, which liked ''Our Country,'' a 3-year-old tune with which he had opened his concerts. Edgy spots depict the good and bad sides of America.

''I wanted people to hear the song. They've heard it. I don't know if it was the best way to present the song to them, but at least they heard it,'' he said.

For the record, while his wife drives an Audi, Mellencamp's current favorite ride is a decrepit 1956 Chevy Nomad station wagon.'' Even with the innovative exposure for ''Our Country,'' Mellencamp has no great sales expectations for the album.

His last album, 2003's covers set ''Trouble in Mind,'' sold just 180,000 copies in the United States. Most of the fans who bought his big 1980s albums, like ''American Fool'' and ''Scarecrow,'' probably figure they have his best stuff. It's an issue he says many veteran acts face.

''I'm not even sure that we should be writing songs other than for ourselves at this point in our career,'' he said.

REUTERS SY DS1618