Appetite For Destruction

As the virtuoso returns with a raw new album, he talks teaching, saxophones and why playing fast is just filling space…

- Jamie Hunt

Veteran TG readers will know Paul Gilbert well as the longest serving guest tutor our magazine has ever had. He’s still teaching guitarists with his online guitar school, and as we’ll find out, that experience very much informs his own approaches as a creative maverick now. Paul’s always got surprises in store and latest solo album, I Can Destroy is no exception. Getting veteran producer Kevin Shirley behind the desk necessitated some changes, and this led to some creative moments as the gap between writing and recording narrowed dramatically. Combined with extra musicians and three guitar harmonies, it makes for a guitar feast and plenty to talk about as we meet him on tour…

How did the process of making I Can Destroy begin for you?

“I began with self-doubt and worry. The things that erased that and turned it into confidence was meeting with Kevin Shirley, getting [past PG collaborators] Freddie Nelson and Tony Spinner to work on it with me and getting a vision of what the band would be. I started with the lyrics and that gave me a general structure. Around that you can build anything, so it was helpful to have a specific band in mind. I knew I could do a lot of guitar and vocal harmonies and it’s interesting trying to tour the music with a three-piece, because then it’s just one guitar.