Paul Gilbert has released the official video for his latest song, taken from his ambitious new conceptual album, WROC, which will be released on 27 February via Music Theories Recordings. You can watch the official video for “Show Not Yourself Glad (At The Misfortune of Another)” HERE.
WROC, which stands for “Washington’s Rules of Civility,” could very well be the guitar superstar’s most outlandish offering to date. Using George Washington’s Rules of Civility as a conceptual homing beacon, Gilbert has dared himself to think outside the box and use an etiquette guide dating back to the late 1500s as his main source of inspiration.
The first track to be born from the rule was “Show Not Yourself Glad (At The Misfortune Of Another).” For Gilbert, there was a palpable excitement in resurrecting these 16th Century guidelines for the hyper advanced social order of today’s world. “I’ve never in my life had such a good time writing songs,” he admits. “I would look through the rules, sing them out loud and see which ones worked. Sometimes I’d have to flip something around or grab another rule for a bridge, but a lot of these songs are word for word.”
As we launch into a new year, Paul talks about the new song, saying, “Happy 2026! In case you haven’t found a worthy New Year’s resolution, how about: “Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another”? This Washington rule is easier than it looks, as it doesn’t forbid you from feeling glad at an enemy’s misfortune. It just tells you not to show it!”
Continuing, he adds, “If you listen to this new song and my older song, ‘Enemies (In Jail),’ next to each other, they’ll likely cancel each other out, as their messages are pretty much the opposite of one another. In any case, enjoy the crazy chords, the sweeps in the slide solo, and the layered vocal harmonies. This song also contains a second possible New Year’s resolution: “Spit not in the fire.” I predict 2026 will have much less spitting in fires. Happy New Year!”
This follows the previous singles, “Go Not Thither” and “If You Soak Bread In The Sauce.”
Paul Gilbert knows a thing or two about which rules to follow — and when to break them. In Mr. Big, he was responsible for pioneering pop rock anthems. In Racer X, he pushed the electric guitar to its furthest limits, in a more metallic direction, and as a solo artist, he’s traversed both instrumental and vocal-led sonic landscapes that have crossed over from blues, classical and jazz to straight-up rock.
