NEW YORK - Rocker Courtney Love was arraigned Thursday on assault charges stemming from a nightclub incident two months ago when she was accused of hitting a man on the head with a microphone stand.

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Love, widow of late grunge rocker Kurt Cobain, followed her brief appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court with a rambling interview in a bathroom with a crowd of female reporters.

The singer and actress covered a wide range of topics in her diatribe, touching on her lifestyle and her image.

“I’m exactly the same as I’ve always been,” said Love, who stopped on her way out to touch up a court artist’s rendition of her. “I’m not a demure housewife. Why should I start acting like one?”

“I was a junkie. I’m not now,” she added, clad in a pink paisley tunic and pants.

Love, 39, was arrested on March 18 after throwing a microphone stand into the audience at the Plaid nightclub and hitting Greg Burgett, 23, of London, Kentucky.

She faces two misdemeanor counts of assault and reckless endangerment and faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

The troubled entertainer recently lost custody of Frances Bean, 11, her daughter with Cobain, after her arrest in Los Angeles on cocaine and illegal-prescription drug charges.

In court documents, Love claimed her New York arrest was a case of being victimized.

“You’re arresting me because of what happened in L.A. You just want to be famous. The police have a conspiracy against rocker chicks,” she told police.

She later pleaded with them not to arrest her, saying: ”Please don’t do this to me.... I’m not the greatest mother in the world but I’m her mother. This incident will affect my custody case with my daughter. I’m not going to be able to get my kid.”

Love is scheduled back in court on June 28.

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