NIGHT LIFE : THE CLUB SCENE : Eclectic Cowboy : Chris Isaak plays rockabilly with a Roy Orbison voice and a Liberace wardrobe.

He’s got a voice that’ll make those little hairs on the back of your neck stand at parade rest, like Roy Orbison used to do. He’s got James Dean’s hair, and when he plays, he wears a suit loud enough to demand earplugs or make Liberace come back and begin repossession proceedings. Gorgeous women from the crowd join him on stage. He’s Chris Isaak, and he’ll be at the Ventura Theatre on Tuesday. The Northern California rockabilly/rocker had this to say during a recent phone interview:

Are you really Roy Orbison reborn wearing Liberace’s clothes?

“I started that rumor. No really, I don’t have Roy Orbison’s voice or Liberace’s clothes, but I’d settle for either one.”

Anyway, how often do you play?

“When we’re working on an album, like we are now, we try to play about four times a week. We play a lot up here, and we try to make it to Southern California every few months. We love Southern California. The women are beautiful.”

The last time you played Ventura, all these gorgeous women were dancing on the stage; has that happened before?

“Oh yeah, we try to do it all the time now. At a show, there’s all these beautiful women all dressed up and looking fine. I know they’re beautiful; they know they’re beautiful. And when I invite them on stage to dance, they do. They like to show off, and we like it.”

Where do all the Chris Isaak fans live?

“Most of them live in San Francisco--so do we--plus we play there so often. Also France, don’t ask me why. And Kansas. One time, I got this fan letter from this girl in some little town in Kansas. Then in a couple of days, I got another one from another girl with almost the same address; obviously, a couple of neighbors who got a copy of one of our records. I wrote back and told them it was not a good idea for both of my fans in Kansas to live so close because a tornado or something could wipe out my entire fan club.”

Describe the average Chris Isaak fan.

“That would be a person who’s intelligent, who’s caring, and who is a heavy drinker.”

So you’re only in it for the beer?

“No, not exactly. I don’t drink at all.”

Then you are a cheap date?

“Yes, I am a cheap date, but I have other vices.”

Who are some of your musical influences?

“The thing that blew me away the most was Elvis’ Sun Sessions. In Stockton, there’s a lot of country music, and I used to sing country stuff. My older brother was always playing old, classic country stuff like Hank Williams and Hank Snow. That’s where rockabilly came from--it’s got the same chords and melodies as country, except with electric guitars. Then I heard Elvis and just said ‘Wow.”’

Who are some of the musicians you like now?

“The new Jeff Lynne tape has got a great cut on it called ‘September Song.’ And I love Nick Lowe.”

What was your strangest gig?

“It was in Modesto or Fresno or somewhere in the Central Valley, and the audience wasn’t even facing us--we were sort of off to one side. And there was this fat lady in the front row with a fly swatter. It was real hot. Anyway, there was this 50-foot shaft right over me--they were redoing this place or something--and it just held the sound, like an echo, for a second or two. The bass was booming so much we couldn’t hear ourselves, so we just decided, ‘Well, we may as well just have some fun.’ So we just played real loud. Anyway, after the gig, this guy comes up to us and says, ‘Hey, you guys sounded good, and no one ever sounds good here.’ I think the place is closed now.”

Who are some of the bands you’ve played with?

“A lot of people. For weird, we opened for The Thompson Twins once in Santa Barbara. Some of my favorites were The Blasters and Los Lobos. Those guys can play.”

What’s happening with the new album?

“We’ve been practicing a lot; I just wrote a couple of new songs. We should have it done by October or so; then it’ll probably come out a few months after that. We’ll definitely play a few new ones in Ventura.”

So this will be your fourth album; are you rich yet?

“No, we’re not rich yet. I drive a ’64 Plymouth, and I do feel free now to have it tuned up now and then.”