JOHN MAYER CHOOSES MUSIC OVER GROUPIES.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

In conversation, John Mayer is more serious than jocular, and if you'd just spent the last three years as the No. 1 object of desire for females in their 20s, you might be the same way.

In contrast with the self-portrait his lyrics paint, Mayer isn't shy, he's rarely self-deprecating, and he'd much rather talk guitars than girls. The 26-year-old singer and songwriter, whose sincere, playful music is similar to that of Norah Jones' in the deeply felt connection it makes with listeners, is plainly dedicated to his craft. He has no desire to leap onto the big screen, appear in a sitcom, put his name on a best-selling confessional or get hauled into court to bolster his street credibility. And don't think he hooks up with his fans, either - even though they regularly wave hand-scrawled ``Marry me, John!'' signs at his concerts and wait around the stage door afterward.

Instead, Mayer is simply looking forward to many more years of doing what he loves - writing, recording and performing his songs - with a few honest guitar solos thrown in.

``Really, I'm not that hot a commodity,'' Mayer said moments before taping his appearance Thursday on ``The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.'' ``I see my career as, like, robbing the till $1 at a time so nobody notices it's short. I know how lucky I am. I have fans who are into everything I do, who meet everything I do with genuine enthusiasm and interest. They come to the shows and put their hearts on the edge of the stage and accept whatever I play. That's where the pressure comes from. My shows aren't cultural umbrellas where people come to hang out and talk while I play. They really key into what I'm doing.''

That fervent following will get another chance to soak up songs in the key of John tonight at the Universal Amphitheatre. It promises to be a gig long on solidly built tunes that recall Sting, Coldplay and Dave Matthews without any over-the-top rock shenanigans. With a smile in his voice, Mayer promises he won't be adding any midget go-go dancers to the show in the foreseeable future.

``I think the worst thing anyone could say to me is, 'That doesn't suit you; that's not really you,' '' Mayer said. ``I'm not doing an especially bombastic style of music, so the lasers and everything wouldn't fit. The rooms we're playing now - they're not stadiums - are still very musical places. I'm not going to stand there and shout and bring on a conga line. What I'm focusing on now are the subtle points of performing.''

A national audience discovered Mayer at the end of 2001 when his platinum-selling Columbia Records debut, ``Room for Squares,'' spawned the breathy Grammy-winning anthem ``Your Body Is a Wonderland,'' while the tracks ``Why Georgia'' and ``My Stupid Mouth'' became staples of adult contemporary and album alternative radio formats. His latest record, ``Heavier Things,'' has been nearly as ardently received, with the songs ``Clarity'' and ``Bigger Than My Body'' earning out-of-the-box airplay.

``John is easily one of the most requested artists on the station,'' said Chris Patyk, music director at Los Angeles' popular KYSR-FM (98.7) - Star 98. ``He has an amazing fan base that's - dare I say? - religious about him, which is something we radio people like in a performer. Passion breeds success. The other thing is, he not only connects with young females, but with couples, too. There's just not a lot of music 18- to 34-year-olds can feel emotional about right now.''

Years before Columbia got wind of him, Mayer developed a cult of devotees in his adopted hometown of Atlanta, where he moved in 1998 after a brief stint at Boston's Berklee College of Music. The Atlanta Journal Constitution paid attention early, describing Mayer's music as a ``sophisticated, accessible folk-rock sound dominated by striking acoustic guitar playing, video-ready looks and a sizable grass-roots following born in clubs across the South.''

Raised in Connecticut, Mayer listened to pop radio until, just out of his teens, he came across a tape of blues man Stevie Ray Vaughan. Inspired, he took up guitar and started working on vocals and composing.

``I knew I'd never be a guitar virtuoso but I also believed not all the greatest music had already been made,'' Mayer said. ``I felt someone could pay attention to their influences and also create something new from their heart. I'm a child of the '80s, when the music was some of the most overproduced, synthetic stuff ever. I thought it could all be done simpler and more honestly and also have an effect.''

To his chagrin, Mayer realized he'd made a kind of cultural impact recently when comic Jimmy Fallon parodied him on ``Saturday Night Live,'' playing the singer as a whining, marble-mouthed pretty boy.

``I know my place in the world,'' Mayer said. ``Those magazines that tell guys the whole world is about boobs, tubes and beer, they think I'm just a sissy boy. I know that. Getting parodied on 'SNL' is a great pop touchstone. It tells a performer he's hit a pinnacle.

``When I saw that, I just went, `Whew, here we go. I've made it.' ''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

JOHN MAYER

Where: Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City.

When: 8:15 tonight.

Tickets: $40. Call [phone] or go to www.ticketmaster.com.

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Photo:

John Mayer's dedication to substance over style has resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a fervent fan base. The fans will be out in force tonight at Universal Amphitheatre.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com