Older and wiser, and with less emotional baggage now, The Eagles — heading for Honolulu for an unprecedented four concerts — balance their public and personal lives with precision. Their songs ("Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman," "Tequila Sunrise," "Hotel California" and too many more to list) are legendary, their private lives private, and that's how they like it.

They're flying high, turning a career necessity — the rigorous road tour — into a science, says drummer Don Henley, the lone Texan in the group known for its quintessential California sound, in an exclusive Advertiser interview from his Dallas home.

Perhaps the hottest American band on the road, the group — also featuring Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit — commands high ticket prices ($250 top, $65 low), a reflection of their legacy in pop music. They fetched an $85 top in their last Island performance at Aloha Stadium in November 1995.

We asked about the hardships of touring, the changing ways of rock and creating new music, and Henley offered some insightful responses.

Listen up:

Q: You've been on the road long enough to have a sense of touring with The Eagles now. How would you characterize this tour, compared to the last. Easier? More fulfilling? Problematic?

A: "This tour is easier in the sense that there has been little or no emotional turmoil within the band. It has also been very fulfilling, this time in terms of audience response, partially because we're the 'home team' here in the Southwest, and also because we seem to be enjoying a renewed surge in popularity.

"The difficulties on the tour are, more or less, the normal ones — the psychological and emotional drain that lengthy touring precipitates. We have been on the road, basically, since May of 2003, performing, not only in the United States, but in Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Singapore, China, Japan and Australia.

"That kind of schedule is not an easy feat for men half our age. But we've got it down to a science. Our touring entourage is composed of approximately 100 people, including crew, management, support staff, etc., and it runs like a Swiss watch."

Q: The group has had a legacy and a franchise on country-folk-rock. Is it satisfying to revisit your past with songs from the earlier song bag, considering you have had a busy solo career yourself? Have you had to put your personal agenda and life on hold to tend to the demands of this tour?

A: "The Eagles take precedence over my solo career. I owe Warner Records two more solo albums under my contract, but as long as I'm working with The Eagles, they don't mind waiting, and neither do I.

"Since we play both Eagles hits and hits from our respective solo careers in the show, it's a satisfying experience for us and the fans. As far as my personal agenda is concerned, I do have to put my personal life on hold, as do the other members of the band. The hardest part is being away from my family. Most of the guys in the group have young children, but (the kids) understand what their dads do."

Q: The ongoing tour is called the "Farewell Tour I." This suggests that a "Farewell II" or even "III" is in the distant future. Yes? No?

A: " 'Farewell I' was a tongue-in-cheek title that we came up with for two reasons: 1) It spoofs many of our contemporaries who have done big farewell tours and subsequently came back to tour again and again, and 2) It gives us the leeway to return in future years and do 'Farewell II,' 'Farewell III,' etc.

"Ever since "Hell Freezes Over," we've tried to add an element of humor to the naming of our tours. Having said all that, there is certainly no guarantee that there will be any more Eagles tours after 'Farewell I.' This band exists on a year-by-year basis, and so after our European tour in May and June of 2006, the band will decide if it collectively wishes to continue or not."

Q: The tour DVD certainly has sparked a hit single. What are the prospects of a new studio album by the Eagles? Possible ... or unlikely?

A: "We have been working on new material for three or four years now, but given the demands of constant touring, coupled with the demands of family, it has been very difficult to find the time and the energy required to finish a new studio album.

"This is further complicated by the fact that I reside 1,200 miles away from the other band members. It's just not like the old days when we were all young and single and our time was ours to spend as we pleased. We have many other obligations now — to our families, our communities, our children's schools, etc.

"Still, I think that a new studio album is possible and we are going to continue to work on one after the holidays are over. We leave for a European tour in May, so that gives us approximately the first four months of 2006 to do some writing and recording. We will work on it some more when we return from overseas."

Q: The Eagles are often considered the quintessential California band (you lived in California previously). ... Are you offended that your Texas roots are often blurred in most people's minds?

A: "The Eagles are often considered the 'quintessential California band' because that's the box the media put us in a long time ago. We also got stuck with the label 'country rock,' when, in fact, our music also contains elements of R&B, soul, blues, bluegrass, and even a little jazz.

"As I've said before, we are a musical mutt, and mutts, as everybody knows, are more resilient and adaptable than purebreds. I think that at this stage of the game, the fans are familiar with the roots of everybody in the band. My solo work, as well as my contributions to The Eagles, contains many lyrical and musical references to my Texas roots, so I'm not offended or frustrated about how we are perceived.

"I think we remain popular because of all the diverse elements in our music, and I don't really care if the fans are able to dissect and pinpoint those elements or not. What's important and gratifying is that they enjoy the sum of the parts."

Q: What's the status of your personal music — are you in the midst of working on new material? Are you writing alone, or in collaboration with someone else?

A: "I write a little bit every day, whether it be music, lyrics or just random thoughts. I am working on new material, both for The Eagles and for myself. Usually I write alone in my room, but sometimes I collaborate with other guys in the group. This usually happens in the late afternoons at sound check, because that's the only chance we really get."

Q: As an entertainer, which came first for you: drumming, songwriting or singing?

A: "Drumming came first for me. Then singing. Songwriting came last and was — and is — the most difficult."

Q: Is there pressure whenever you go to bat with a new solo album? Do you fear that it may not be as popular as the previous one, or do you create material to please yourself first, giving it your best shot?

A: "I would always want a new solo effort to do well, but at this point in my career I don't have that fear of failure that I had when I was younger. I have always created material to please myself first and I've been able to tap into universal themes that appealed to a great many people. ... If I sell millions of albums, that's great, but if I don't, then that's fine, too.

"A lot of the music these days is so shallow and stupid. I don't think anybody in this group wants to come down to that level, just for the sake of selling records. At this stage of the game, we're more concerned with quality than quantity. We always have been and that's why we've survived."

Q: In a career of many highs, what are you happiest about?

A: "The Grammys, the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and all the other accolades are nice, but I'm really happiest about the fact that we have outlasted so many fads and trends, and that we are still breaking box-office records all over the world 34 years after the group was formed. That tells me that we have done something right, not only in terms of songwriting, recording and performing, but in terms of the way that we have presented ourselves to the public.

"We have never pandered to the culture of celebrity that is so pervasive now, both in the media and outside it. We have always tried to treat our fans with respect and present them with the best possible recordings and live performances that we could do. We didn't take our fame seriously, but we did take our craft very seriously.

"We still rehearse relentlessly, even though we know the material in our sleep, and we do a very thorough sound check before every performance. This band has a real work ethic, and I'm proud of that."

Q: The Eagles are to America as The Rolling Stones are to Britain. Enduring, still endearing to diehard fans. How has the culture of rock and pop music improved or worsened since you were neophytes? Does maturity bring wisdom, and if so, what?

A: "Well, thank you for the comparison. That's very flattering. I certainly admire the Stones for their endurance. Mick Jagger has always been very kind and supportive to us, going all the way back to when we were first starting out.

"I think the culture of rock and pop music has definitely changed since we started out — and not for the better. When we started — and when the Stones started — it was all about the music. We were all students of musical history, and we revered what came before. Fame and money were simply a by-product of doing good musical work.

"Now, it's all about celebrity. It's the cult of personality. It's all about the bling-bling and the bellybuttons and the choreography. It's about the flash and the gossip and who's sleeping with who; who's getting married and who's getting divorced, and who's in trouble. The music is trite, sophomoric and has little to do with the important issues of the day, but is rather all about self, self, self — or, as George Harrison so eloquently put it, 'I, Me, Mine.'

"This is not to say that there isn't some good, young talent out there. There is, but thoughtful artists often get overshadowed. If a female artist isn't pretty, doesn't have a great body and isn't willing to get half naked, then she hardly stands a chance. If a male artist isn't handsome, obnoxious or outrageous in some way, then he hardly gets noticed. I watched the Country Music Awards a couple of nights ago, and I just wanted to puke."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.