VENTURA COUNTY WEEKEND : Cockburn Still Quick to Pursue a Good Cause : The Canadian musician will perform at Voters for Choice benefit. On the global front, he’s been crusading against use of land mines.

A couple of musical heavyweights, Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Cockburn, will entertain in the name of a cause at the Voters for Choice benefit next weekend in Santa Barbara. There are other choices as well--either Friday the 26th or Saturday the 27th (only single seats are available).

This gala wingding will celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. Between them, the two stars have plenty to celebrate, namely, enough awards to start their own hardware store.

Raitt is, of course, a multi-Grammy Award winner, and the Toronto-based Cockburn has won 10 Juno Awards and has 13 Canadian gold and three platinum records to show for his 22 albums.

Cockburn began his career playing ragtime music on the streets of Paris, and recorded his first album in 1970. Through the remainder of that decade, he built up his fan base in Canada, and when he had a hit in 1984 with “If I Had a Rocket Launcher,” expanded his horizons southward, then to the international market. Cockburn even played at President Clinton’s inauguration party.

Always involved with a cause, Cockburn has spent time in war-torn Central America. But his most recent crusade involves the use of land mines in Third World nations, which kill over 20,000 people and maim even more annually.

A few months ago, Cockburn toured Mozambique in hopes of drumming up worldwide support for a ban on land mines. The singer/songwriter/guitarist discussed what’s up during a recent phone interview.

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* Do you get asked to play benefits often?

I do get asked to do a lot of them, but I turn down most of them because of prior commitments.

* Do Canadian artists have to try harder to succeed in the music biz?

Well it’s a question of what you think success is and what trying harder is; but I’m not sure it’s any different for someone from Canada or Kansas. Your point of origin doesn’t matter but your nearness to media centers can be important.

Traveling in Canada, I know, can be a problem for a band, but I started out as a solo artist and that never was a problem. After “Rocket Launcher” hit, I started looking to other countries, and of course, to the States.

* Also a solo artist can’t break up.

Well, sometimes they do, but I haven’t yet. I’m 30 years older now than when I started, and as you say, I haven’t broken up yet. As it turned out, a lot of people liked my first album, and I’ve continued to build slowly on that ever since, a slow but steady expansion.

* You played at President Bill’s inauguration. What was that like? Did they dance, just hang out, or what?

They didn’t dance, but they showed up, and the Gores came a little later. There were dozens of balls going on that night--we played “The Tennessee Ball.” The President gave a short speech--he was pretty busy that night--then they left. They probably had a ceremonial dance at “The Arkansas Ball,” but I’m not sure.

* How did you get involved with Mozambique?

I was first asked to go there in 1988 as a guest of a consortium of Canadian development agencies. At that time, there was air travel between the cities, and everything else was a free-fire zone. I was there in September, and even though the war is over, the threat of land mines remains.

As of today, 62 countries in the world have significant land mine problems. The reason for my recent trip was to try to get the international community involved in solving this land mine problem. A lot needs to be done, but almost nothing got done.

Countries such as England and the United States flat refused to quit making land mines, but Belgium, one of the larger producers of land mines, has quit making them entirely. In most countries, an individual can get involved with groups that are dealing with this issue.

* Do you hit the road as often as those blues guys on that endless tour?

Those blues guys never get any airplay, so they don’t have a social safety net, and they have to stay on the road to make a living. After I do an album, I usually do about 100 shows, and usually, I don’t go back to the same place right away because you tend to lose the element of the exotic.

I’ve always liked to travel and play for people, but sometimes when you’re six months out on a long tour, things can get a little boring. But no more so than just sitting at home or going to your basic 9-to-5 job.

* What do you think your music sounds like?

I don’t really have a convenient phrase to describe what I do. It invites the listener to think about it, and it will only appeal to those who are willing to do that; and I know, some people are unwilling to do that. But enough [people] do to keep me fed. Is it rock? Is it jazz? Is it folk? I don’t know.

* One final hockey question: Why is it the Toronto Maple Leafs and not the Maple Leaves?

Good question. Maybe they want to be known as individuals and not as a team. I don’t know . . .

DETAILS

* WHAT: Voters for Choice Benefit featuring Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Cockburn.

* WHERE: Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara.

* WHEN: 8 p.m. Jan. 26 and 27.

* HOW MUCH: $26.50 or $36.50.

* CALL: 963-4408.