Podcast: “Staring at the World” with guest Paul Gilbert (Q&A with BoDeans’ Kurt Neumann)

Paul Gilbert — the subject and guest of this week’s podcast by Kurt Newmann.

This week on Staring at the World podcast we sat down virtually with Paul Gilbert, one of the world’s fastest guitar shredders and founder of bands Racer X and Mr Big, to discuss his life, career, and new holiday album TWAS, due out November 26th 2021.

We are happy to be going behind the scenes another week with Americana Highways, to discuss the podcast interview, from Kurt’s point of view!

Q&A with BoDeans’ Kurt Neumann and podcast producer, T Torrence Productions.

T Torrence Productions: Kurt, share with us a highlight from your interview with Paul Gilbert. What can people expect to hear?

Kurt Neumann: We talked a lot about his childhood and learning to first play guitar. And a lot about what’s going on in the brain when we’re playing guitar or music in general. Was a little more philosophical than just technique. I feel like Paul is more schooled then I was as a guitar player. So I was really interested in what’s going on upstairs in his mind while he’s playing. (Notes, patterns, scales…all of the above) As well as his ability to retain so many songs and play them at a moments notice without really thinking about it.

TTP: Paul has a soon to be released holiday album coming out entitled, TWAS! Did he share at all about the inspiration behind doing a holiday album or any exclusive details about the release?

KN: Well he told me that he hired a jazz drummer and bass player for his rhythm section. Because they were more well versed at plain traditional Christmas songs than he was. He played only green and red guitars (laughs). He also said he’s been working on voicing his guitar parts. And what I mean is, for the guitar lines to sing more like a voice sings the song. Which is very much how I approach lead guitar lines. (And my Christmas record The Night Devine). Simply because I didn’t have the chops to play all the scale type lines.

TTP: Anything else you want to share with Americana Highways’ readers about Staring at the World podcast?

KN: Well strangely, I really enjoyed talking to all these different people. Trying to dig out the “creative element” in them all. How they use creativity in their every day lives. It’s easy to see how a musician is being creative when they’re playing or singing their song. But I’m even more interested in people who aren’t musicians and how they still incorporate creativity into their every day life. Or how the musicians themselves use creativity in their every day lives or to flush out different strange ideas in the art that they create. This podcast gives me a reason to talk to many people that I would’ve never had a chance to speak to otherwise. So I feel like it’s helping me grow by hearing their stories. And hopefully it helps listeners as well. Or at least they find it entertaining.