“To me, it was like being asked to tour with the Beatles”: Paul Gilbert on why he turned down the gig of a lifetime – and why not maintaining his “Whitesnake haircut” was a barrier to career progression

A press shot of Paul Gilbert [left] wearing a tricorn hat and playing a pink Ibanez; Todd Rundgren wears dark shades and performs live in 2021.

Music history is full of sliding doors moments, when opportunity knocks for an artist at the most inopportune moment, an audition is flubbed, or someone has a last-minute change of heart.

And these paths not taken make for a great counterfactual – a “what if” conversation best discussed over a few cold ones. Like when George Lynch was up for the Ozzy Osbourne gig back in the day; what would Mr Scary and the Prince of Darkness have came up with? It would have been box-office. Lynch’s chops – his entire sensibility – would have been perfect for Ozzy.