Ordinarily, Don Henley hates to talk about his songs

"I'd rather the material would just speak for itself. I think that songs and motivation can be overexplained. It takes some of the mystery out of the work, and does the same things that videos do - denying the listener the use of his own imagination," suggests the highest flier (and solo artist) from the Eagles.

And yet, viewers tuning to VH1 tonight at 10 will see Henley spilling his guts about his music. He describes the circumstances of growing up in a rural Texas town that inspired "Age of the Innocence," grouses about the showbiz-nifaction of the news media that sparked "Dirty Laundry" and celebrates the birth of a child that's inspired a charming new song "Taking You Home" (from his super "Inside Job" album, due out May 23. )

What's persuaded Henley to tell-all is the VH1 series "Storytellers," this week celebrating the start of its fifth season and 50th show with a week-long series of new episodes each night. Others focus on Steely Dan, Stone Temple Pilots and Pete Townshend. There's also a new "best of" episode. Then on Sunday from noon to 8 p.m., VH1 re-runs these episodes in a marathon, along with past episodes starring C,S,N&Y, Dave Matthews and Stevie Nicks.

Also just out - the first Interscope CD compilation of great performances from the show called (what else? ) "VH1 Storytellers," displaying its depth and breadth with edgy re-thinks by David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Counting Crows, Jewel, The Bee Gees and more.

(Several performers have already translated their entire "Storyteller" shows onto dedicated discs - including the Crows, Culture Club, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, Meat Loaf and Ringo Starr. )

Musicians love to do "Storytellers," suggests executive producer Bill Flanagan, because it allows them to connect with their audience in a different, more intimate way than any other TV program provides.

"It all came out of our discussions on why don't people want to watch concerts on TV," notes Flanagan, formerly editor-in-chief of Musician magazine. "We decided it's because concerts tend to lose what's great when you squeeze it down to the small screen. Shooting a show at Madison Square Garden, you lose all the sense of eventfulness. The smoke bombs and laser beams, the big grand gestures that look amazing when you see them in person, don't look like anything on TV. So our focus became what can TV do better, and the whole notion boiled down to intimacy. Musicians talking to you at eye level and with no pretenses, none of that "Hey Cleveland let's rock, bull. "

"Storytellers" takes some cues from one-man song and schmooze events like Ray Davies "21st Century Man" and Billy Joel's college lectures. "Ultimately, this whole thing began with the workshops I used to see at the Newport Folk Festival, where artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson sat around and talked about the process," recalls Flanagan.

The VH1 show literally puts the musician on the same level as the audience, and separates them by just inches. The better to connect and interact, with the musicians sharing stories about the creative process and, if they want, taking questions from the audience.

"We also ask them to cut down the band. Not to go acoustic like 'MTV Unplugged,' but to minimize the players and the backline of amplifiers, and perform the songs differently," says Flanagan. Shooting on film - with Steadicams and cameras rolling around on tracks - also lends the show a distinctive look.

Perfectionist Henley "probably did too much homework, in retrospect" for his appearance, he now says - researching what it means to be a storyteller and coming up with a lot more material than the show could use.

(Artists usually tape two hours of music and conversation, though the finished program, including commercials, runs just one. Flanagan particularly bemoans that he couldn't include Henley's 20-minute theatrical discourse on the death of "ma and pa busineses" that was the inspiration for "Sunset Grill. " However, that segment could show up, as "Storyteller" over-runs often do, as a streaming video accessible on-line at vh1.com, or in a revised version of the program "which we like to do after we've run it a bunch of times. ")

Henley also found it strangely disconcerting to be staring into the eyes of his audience. "I'm used to seeing just the spotlights, and with the Eagles, just a mass of people way out there," he chortled. Also stressful - the man hasn't played out (or recorded) as a solo for 11 years, due in large measure to a record company deal he felt had gone sour.

"But after three or four songs, I got into it and had a good time. Having Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks in the audience to cheer me on was a help. "

Why, Crow even pops up to ask an inside question - how much Henley is paying backup singers these days. You should know that she used to fill that role in his band, "but in fact, we're not taking singers out this year," Henley allows. (FYI - he'll be playing the Tower on June 3. Seats go on sale May 1. )

No two "Storytellers" shows are exactly alike, stresses Flanagan. At the whim of the artists, the Steely Dan show which debuted last night was staged like an episode of "You Bet Your Life" - with lots of audience interaction, goofy props and sarcastic quips by musicians Fagen and Becker.

Friday night's Stone Temple Pilots comeback follows their suggestion of performing in a "giant doll house" decorated with mannequins "who look like Ward and June Cleaver, until that is, they get in the bedroom at the end and are seen wearing S&M gear." chortles Flanagan.

Yes, we could take the whole thing as a surreal "welcome home" to front man Scott Weiland, who speaks with some frankness of his past crimes and recent incarceration for heroin use.

"Being a 'storyteller' used to mean you were fibbing, telling a lie," notes Henley. On this TV show it means sharing the truth.