by JOHNSON CUMMINS

When Jon Spencer takes a stage, he owns it, and if you aren't in the palm of his hand with the first couple of notes, you'd have to be deaf and blind. Whether he's screaming "blues explosion!" every few seconds, doing the splits like a discount Diamond Dave or sweating harder than Barry White on the fourth of July, this man - singer/guitarist in his Jon Spencer Blues Explosion trio - knows how to work hard.

If he comes across in performance as an Ike Turner who traded in his PCP for bathtub biker crank, he can just as easily shed his on-stage persona like a dirty shirt. When I call in for our interview, the Jon Spencer on the other end of the phone is extremely polite, very humble about his influence on alternative rock and patient about our horrible phone connection - if not the most verbose of interview subjects.

"I'm an entertainer," says Spencer, "and when I'm on stage, I'm performing. I guess a lot people have talked about how different I am when I'm not on stage, but it's not like it's something that tears at the very core of my being or something I lose sleep over. Both sides are me, just different parts of me."

When the JSBX started out in 1990 (springing from the ashes of noisy junk-punk unit Pussy Galore), there were only a handful of bands that bore the love of rock 'n' roll, old-school hip hop and Delta blues on their sleeves. Sure, there were a couple of bands in the trenches - the Make Up, Delta 72 - that were beginning to make the connection between raw soul and punk rock. It was, however, without question Mr. Spencer and company (guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simmins) that paved the way for bands like the Bellrays, Detroit Cobras, White Stripes, Black Keys, Soledad Brothers ad infinitum.

"I guess some of the credit, and blame, for some bands playing blues could be placed on the Blues Explosion. I don't find it that overwhelming or call it a huge trend or anything. When blues and rock are at their best, they can be the most direct, honest and raw forms of music there are."

With Bob Log III at Metropolis on Wednesday, June 30, 9pm, $29.50

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