Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joe Walsh [ tickets ] has lost more than a few friends, most notably John Belushi, to the temptations of alcohol and drugs. And anyone who knows anything about this hook-inventing guru of classic rock is well aware he's seen more than his fair share of bleary-eyed wakeup calls as well.

In fact, he's even immortalized the chemically enhanced lifestyle in '70s-era staples like "Life in the Fast Lane," "All Night Long" and "Life's Been Good," to name a few. But these days, Walsh says his spirit is solidly on track, thanks to 13 years of sobriety and his renewed collaborations with his fellow Eagles [ tickets ], as well as longtime James Gang bandmates Jim Fox and Dale Peters.

During a recent chat with LiveDaily, Walsh talked about how the unique chemistry among his James Gang partners yielded a highly enjoyable anniversary tour in 2006, where after just a few gigs there was no need for a setlist. He is also pleased with his contributions on the Eagles' first new album in more than a quarter century, tentatively titled "The Long Road to Eden."

Walsh admitted that, while he is showcasing a career-spanning set of tunes on his current tour, and he certainly has enough material for a couple of new albums, he is nowhere near the planning stages for a solo recording project at this point.

When he sat down for a chat last week, after just two nights out on the road, Walsh said his touring ensemble is already hitting stride--even contributing ideas to the setlist, without even as much as a consultation with the boss.

And off the road, Walsh is still following the current political scene carefully, even though he has not thrown his hat into the presidential pool … yet.

LiveDaily: It seems like you have almost done it all--successful collaborations with the Eagles and James Gang, scoring and acting in films and TV, loads of radio exposure as a drive-time DJ, a great solo catalog … Is actually becoming President of the United States all there is left for Joe Walsh before you can finally relax?

Joe Walsh: [laughing] Not really. I'm so mad that Drew Carey got [the job hosting] "The Price is Right" and not me. But that does open up a couple of spots for me hosting other game shows.

But if you suddenly woke up tomorrow with the keys to the Oval Office, what would you do?

Well, we'd just have to start over, wouldn't we? What a big mess we're in … we'll just have to start over....

Start over in Iraq, or are we going back to the war with England?

Yeah, just declare independence and start all over again. I think we've completely lost our perspective. And this time we would know what not to do. We could all buy Google at $18 a share.

So you are two nights into a month-long tour that will see you playing a variety of venues from state fairs, to clubs, to arenas. How are things coming together with the band?

The first two nights were really good. I have eight people in the band: three singers, two drummers, keyboard, guitar and bass. Remember "At the Station"? Well, the guys said they thought I should do that, so they went ahead and learned it. I never thought of doing it live on this tour, but there are a couple of surprises like that, and they're really fun. I'm opening the shows with about four acoustic songs before we go electric.

This tour will see you back at the Beacon in New York, and you were just there last fall with the James Gang. How was it touring with Jim Fox and Dale Peters after all this time?

It was really fun. I forgot how much fun it was. Eventually, we got really close to being back where we were, which was not knowing what we were going to play next. It was always an improvised group--sing a couple verses and just take off. You need some confidence to do that, and you need to know the other musicians really well and that only happens when you play a long time with each other. You know, in a three-piece format, there is a lot of room for everyone to play freely. It's a lot of work, and when you have a bad night, it's really bad. But when you have a good night, there's nothing like it.

But even on a bad night with a three-piece, one guy on each wing, it's got to be satisfying making that happen.

Yeah, it's great when you're going for it. I think, from the audience, it's not as bad. They are not as critical as I might be. I'm always overly critical--stuff I played wrong always bothers me, but the audience doesn't even hear it. I've got to lighten up on myself because I get depressed.

I imagine that certain songs of yours, like "Funk 49" you've done with the James Gang, The Eagles, and on your own--even with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. Do you always play it the same, or do you make changes in the way you play it in every different situation?

I pretty much have to play it the same. Actually, the more players you add, the less space there is to play it like the original James Gang version. Jimmy made it easy because he sounded like two drummers and a percussionist--I mean, he always had that "Funk 49" beat. A lot of drummers have trouble finding that groove. I mean, you just don't play the drums and then sometimes play the tom, you have to play it all at the same time. The James Gang version is the best. It's harder with a larger band, so I may change the tempo or the feel, but there is nothing like the real thing with Jimmy and Dale.

You've worked recently with Eric Clapton on the Crossroads benefit, and lately he's been as much an advocate for recovery as he has been promoting his music. You've been clean and sober for 13 years. In that time, have you played a role in helping lead others out of the woods like Clapton has been trying to do?

Yes, I have. Some of them don't want to hear it, and some I've helped. It has really made a difference. You know, it's a task to get someone to go in and get the help they need. Where I can really help is after they've stopped. The most challenging thing is, how do you keep them positive so they have enough time sober to get used to it? People are pretty lost when you take that all away from them. All they were doing was filling all their spare time with that stuff, and they feel lost without it. I'm taking part in not only helping people I know in the business, but regular people, too, because that's what the program is all about. I have a home group, and every once in awhile I'll participate by sponsoring somebody.

It must be a heck of an intervention when Joe Walsh comes knocking on the door. You can speak to them out of your own experience, and after 13 years sober, you are certainly leading by example.

They sure have trouble coming up with excuses I'm going to go for. I've heard it all and I used to know them all--all the reasons why it was OK for me to be like that. When somebody tries to tell me they are different, and they can handle it, it can be challenging. Much to my amazement, I'm still alive. And much to my amazement, you can be funny, and you can be quite creative, and you can do a lot of things sober that I didn't think you could. I just had never been sober--but there's life after addiction and it is good!

There's talk of a new Eagles Album. Where do you stand with that project, or new solo material?

Joe Walsh: Yes, there will be a new Eagles album [soon]. We're laying down vocal tracks and mixing it now. I've got a couple new songs on that new Eagles album and a lotta, lotta new ideas in my heart. I'll get those out of me soon, to see what we've got. I'd love to do a new solo album, I haven't done one in a long time. I have a bunch of new ideas that don't sound like the old stuff, so I think that's in the cards. But first and foremost, I'm an Eagle.

Much like your Eagle band mates, you have a close place in your heart for a couple of important philanthropic causes, including one for the environment, right?

I support the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. I've been working for years protecting this group of islands off the coast of Southern California. We're trying to keep people off there. You know, they'd love to develop it, put a casino out there, put a theme park out there, or a deep water liquid natural gas terminal. We've been successful in making them a national park, but they still need funds to help protect these islands.

The other thing I'm involved with is the California Innocence Project. This is a group of lawyers who review cases and use new technology and science like DNA testing for people who have been in prison for a long, long time--even lifers. These are predominantly African-American guys--something bad happened and they were the only ones within half a mile from the crime scene, so they got taken in and never walked out of the police station. It's amazing that after doing 20 years, they get out and they are not bitter, they always said they didn't do it, and the feeling you get helping them is really good.

Photo: John Voket