Paul Gilbert about Stone Pushing Uphill Man:
The Stone Pushing Uphill Man is me. Of course, the image is inspired by the Greek myth of Sisyphus… a story about a man who spent every day rolling a heavy stone up a mountain, only to have to roll back down once he reached the top. This seems like a very frustrating fate. But there is a philosopher (Albert Camus) who wrote, 'One must imagine Sisyphus happy.' I agree. I am happy. And the reason is… I love my 'stone.' My stone is many things. One of them is music. I have played guitar for many years.

But recently, I have realized that I am not satisfied with much of what I have done. This felt like my stone rolling down the mountain. But I am happy. The stone is mine. I love pushing it back up. It takes effort. But I am in control. I have a goal. I can do it. It feels great. And when I get to the top, I don’t mind that it rolls back down again. Because by that time, I have spent enough time with that stone. And I’m ready for a new one. This album is my newest stone… and it rocks!

With the Stone Pushing Uphill Man album, I decided that I am ready to bring my guitar to the center of the stage and let it sing. To do this, I wanted to use the inspiration of my favorite singers. Paul McCartney, Steven Tyler, Elton John, James Brown, Sting, k.d. lang… These are the voices that I wish I had. With my guitar I can reach their notes. The challenge is to match their emotion and expression. This is my goal as a guitar player. It requires many new techniques. I have to look at the guitar differently than I have in the past.