Bad Bad Bobby Brown -- R&B Star Comes To Tacoma With Reputation Intact

Bobby Brown is a hip-hoppin', smooth-talkin' contradiction.

Married to superstar Whitney Houston, the one-time womanizer talks about the joys of marriage and settling down after fathering three children out of wedlock. On the other hand, wedded bliss has done little to temper his sexually provocative antics on stage. Brown was cited for simulating sex acts with one of his dancers during a concert last month in Georgia.

Like many artists, he separates himself from his stage persona.

"I don't know where that (bad boy reputation) comes from. People just not knowing me I think. And once they see my stage performance they immediately think I'm a bad guy," he said, pausing for a moment and conceding: "I am kind of wild on stage, just a tad bit wild."

Wild or not, his new album "Bobby" and nationwide tour - which brings him to the Tacoma Dome Wednesday (628-0888) - are getting mixed reviews.

One of his opening acts, reggae star Shabba Ranks, left the tour about a week ago. Taking credit for his departure is the national Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD), who wrote to the tour's sponsor, Anheuser-Busch, asking them to drop Ranks because of his anti-gay comments.

The group's complaint, GLAAD spokesman Donald Suggs, said yesterday, stemmed specifically from a recent British TV show on which Ranks was asked about "Boom Bye Bye," a tune by fellow reggae artist Buju Banton that talks about shooting gay men.

Ranks' reply, says Suggs, was that Banton is "most definitely right . . . If you forfeit the laws of God Almighty, you deserve to be crucified."

"This is an artist shooting for mainstream respectability," says Suggs, "and he's saying these irresponsible and repellent things on a show aimed at teens - the group most likely to engage in anti-gay violence."

Two weeks after the letter was written, Ranks was gone, Suggs says.

Budweiser says there's no connection, but Suggs says the circumstances speak for themselves. "This is a great victory for us," he says. "It's obvious what happened. As we pointed out to Anheuser-Busch, the point of sponsoring a tour is to generate good publicity for your product." . Meanwhile, while Brown is touring, Whitney Houston is flying high with her recent role in "The Bodyguard" and its soundtrack.

The couple were married last June and are expecting their first child next month. Brown says he hopes it will be a girl that they'll name Bobbi.

The pairing of R&B's nasty boy and pop's sweetheart, five years his senior, left many wondering what brought the couple together. Brown won't elaborate, saying, "Our personal life is our personal life. We don't like talking about it."

"Bobby" is his first venture since 1988's highly successful "Don't Be Cruel," which established him as a front-runner in the R&B-rap hybrid called new jack swing and spawned five Top 10 pop hits, including "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step."

Although "Bobby" hasn't received the same critical success, it has gone double platinum and received a Grammy nomination in the category of best male rhythm and blues vocal for the funky single "Humpin' Around."

Between albums, Brown said he received a little help on his voice from his wife.

But it wasn't his voice that got him noticed at a January concert in Augusta, Ga. He was cited by police for simulating a sex act with a female member of his group in front of an underage audience.

It was the second time he knocked heads with the law. He was arrested for a similar display at a 1989 concert in Columbus, Ga.

His naughty behavior, however, hasn't done much to derail his career. Now he hopes his act will make the jump to television. --------------------------------------------------------------- KID TALK

-- Now that you know Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston plan to name their child Bobbi, our question is: What would YOU name their baby? Call The Seattle Times at 464-8463 and tell us. We'll publish your ideas in Thursday's Times.