Paul Gilbert

Being in a band is hard. Even if you like somebody, you start to argue over silly things.

When I look back at the span that Mr. Big lasted, we had some unbelievable times. But there were grueling times, too.

There's nothing like sitting down and playing music with somebody. It breaks down all the barriers in life.

I'm not a reader myself, so I don't expect anyone else to be.

Music and guitar are my favorite things, so it's fun to get together with other people who share the passion and talk about the details.

In the morning, I know everyone has two things: an empty stomach and a fresh brain.

Andy Timmons is someone I've jammed with many times over the years, and we always have a great chemistry when playing together.

To me, the secret of Eddie Van Halen was Alex Van Halen, because the way Alex played was so loose and the way the two of them locked together... Those two are connected so thoroughly they might as well be one person.

At the time, it all seemed pretty normal. It was okay to have a pink guitar and glow-in-the-dark pants, and play with a drill. 1987, that was the worst year. I think that was the worst year for capes and for hair!

To me, you had to have a least a couple of ugly guys in the band. That's why Saxon was great.

With Racer X, whenever we have time, we try to put a record together. And that's always fun because the guys in the band are great friends and I don't think I ever laugh as hard as I do when I'm with the Racer X guys.

I grew up in the '70s, so I even love the music that I didn't like from that era.

In my daily life, I tend to be very literal and unsuperstitious. But music gives me an outlet to be very emotional.

Writing is a chore.

After 35 years of bone-crushing rock guitar playing, I'm finally starting to get my head out of the harmonic sand and learning how to play over chord changes.

From the start, I held the pick in an unusual way. I used to bend my thumb way back in order to get a good angle for fast playing. I played that way for 10 years.

I am trying to build the biggest callus possible on my first finger so I can do one-finger bends and vibrato like B.B. King.

Life's too short, you know? If you find something you love and that other people love, why not do it?

Just about every rock band and every guitar player from 1964 to 1984. To me, that's the golden period of rock. From the first Beatles album hitting America to the last Van Halen album with David Lee Roth. That's where all my favorite rock exists.

Of course, I'm a guitar player, so I'm thinking as a guitarist. I have to work within my physical limitations as to what my hands will do, and also the patterns I'm familiar with, and the places that my fingers are used to going.