Not Caught With Their Pants Down Barenaked Ladies Taking Off With Mix Of Music, Comedy

With a name like Barenaked Ladies, it should come as no surprise that this troupe of Canadian musicians recently found themselves in only their birthday suits.

It was during a stop in Las Vegas when they decided to take a late-night jaunt through the nearby university’s sprinklers - sans clothing.

An international incident was narrowly averted.

“Just as we got our clothes back on and were walking back to the road a cop car drove onto the campus,” says Ed Robertson, one of the band’s two lead singers.

Quick thinking on the part of drummer Tyler Stewart saved the evening.

“The naked guys went that way,” he shouted to the officers.

This episode is retold here only as an example of the band’s tendency to be a bit on the wacky side - both on stage and off.

In truth, the Barenaked Ladies have very little to do with nudity and there’s not a single woman among their ranks.

“We didn’t actually think we were going to be a band when we made up the name,” says Robertson, who, along with Stewart, is joined by fellow lead singer Steven Page, keyboardist Kevin Hearn and bassist Jim Creeggan. “It was just us being idiots.”

A full-blown sensation in Canada, the Barenaked Ladies and their folk-flecked rock have cruised beneath the American mainstream radar until recently.

After a dogged touring schedule, these five guys from Toronto have become one of the more popular acts on the lower half of the continent, too, with a show that combines music with a good deal of off-the-cuff antics and irreverent comedy.

When asked about how he and Page formed the Barenaked Ladies, Robertson says in typical Ladies style: “I mailed in three boxtops from a cereal box and they mailed me Steve.”

The truth is that he and Page had been schoolmates since the fourth grade. They formed a band in 1988 after spending time as counselors at a music camp together.

Their 1992 major label debut, “Gordon,” became an record-breaking seller in Canada.

“‘Gordon’ was nine-time platinum at home and eight times linoleum down here,” Robertson says. (Platinum status in Canada is reached after selling 100,000 albums).

“Maybe You Should Drive” and “Born on a Pirate Ship” followed, doling out charming tunes like “If I Had $1,000,000” and “The Old Apartment” to increasing - and well-deserved - state-side attention.

Their latest CD, “Rock Spectacle,” is a live compilation of some of their most popular songs, along with an multimedia portion for a computer.

Those with the appropriate technology can catch the band performing 20 minutes of comedy that includes spoofs on psychic hotlines, home shopping programs and workout videos.

It is a taste of their on-stage antics.

“I think the live show has always been a real strength of the band,” Robertson says. “We have a lot of fun on stage and we try to really engage the audience.”

To that end, he says they have developed a following of folks who travel from show to show to see them.

“It’s not like a Dead thing,” Robertson insists. “We’re not selling falafels and handing out drums.

And we’re not a jam band. We’re more of a peanut butter band.”

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MEMO: The Barenaked Ladies perform at The Met Friday at 8 p.m. Tara MacLean opens. Tickets are $15, available through G&B Select-A-Seat outlets or by calling 325-SEAT or (800) 325-SEAT.