West Side Story meets the TV show Firefly. We’re digging into fake gallantry, a duel with swords, and fighting back against those who feel the need to control others. It’s all on Pub Songs & Stories #257. WELCOME TO PUB SONGS & STORIES I am Marc Gunn. This is the audio liner notes for the songs I record and play. The show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. If you enjoy this podcast and my music, please join the Club. You’ll get 2-4 podcasts per month. You’ll be able to download songs featured in this show, get occasional sheet music, and access to Coffee with The Celtfather video concerts. You get a lot for just a little, just $5 per month. And you can save 15% with an annual membership. Thanks to my newest Gunn Runners on Patreon: Rex H, Kathryn H, Timothy H, Bobby C 0:59 - WHAT’S NEW? My pizza stone cracked yesterday. I’m not really surprised. But I’m really sad. This is my first pizza stone. I didn’t know how to cook with it when I started, let alone take care of it. And to be completely honest, I’m also a bit negligent on a lot of things. As I took the broken stone out of the oven, I carefully cleaned off the burnt cornmeal that remains after making pizza. I learned through trial and error that if you have cornmeal on the stone, the pizza slides off it easier. A lot of that cornmeal falls onto the bottom of the oven. What do I usually do with that cornmeal? I leave it there. I don’t finish the job. It’s sort of like the twisty tie that came off the finished loaf of bread. I saw it lying by the back door on the floor. Usually, I leave it where it lies in my home. I don’t clean it up. But I picked it up yesterday. I’m still learning about personal responsibility. It’s been haunting me a lot more as time goes by and our world becomes more partisan. It’s the first stepping stone for communal responsibility. Something just as important, yet just as ignored. I understand better now. Picking up that twisty or cleaning up the stove is essential for the health of our home. It also means I have less time doing things I WANT to do. However, it could mean that the pizza stone that I loved might not crack. I wouldn’t have wasted good money and added waste to our environment. Hm… I just finished re-reading Shepherd’s Tale, the story behind Shepherd Book of Firefly. I feel this whole thought process is relevant. I’ll let you know more when we publish the new episode of In the ‘Verse. In the meantime, I have a new Firefly song to talk about in today’s show. But first, let’s talk about upcoming shows. 2:50 - UPCOMING SHOWS SEP 10: Middle Tennessee Highland Games & Celtic Festival, Hendersonville, TN SEP 14: Coffee with The Celtfather SEP 22: Hobbit Drinking Songs Livestream @ 8 PM ET SEP 28-OCT 2: ALEP in Shakertown, KY OCT 8: Ironshield Brewing in Lawrenceville, GA @ 7:00 – 10:00 PM. OCT 14-16: MultiVerse, Atlanta, GA 3:58 - STORY OF FAVOR OF A DANCE “Favor of a Dance” is a single I released at the end of June. It features the music of Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, with backing vocals by Jamie Haeuser. I love the instrumentation that Vicki and Jonny added to the song. Jonny’s guitar takes a big lead on it. And Vicki’s flute playing adds a joyful, touch of brilliance. I liked the song before. But I love it so much more with those two playing along. The song is based on the episode Shindig, the 4th episode of Firefly. I originally wrote the song for the 4th episode of In the ‘Verse. That’s a podcast I make with my friend Mikey Mason. I recommend you check out that TV and podcast episodes too, or at least the synopsis, if you want context for the song, but I’ll share a shortened version for those who don’t do that. I love the story of my song. “Favor of a Dance” is based on the episode “Shindig”. It’s a love triangle about respect, rules, and kindness. In the episode, Malcolm Reynolds runs into Inara at a ball. She and her customer, Atherton Wing, are dancing. But despite his fake gallantry, Atherton proves himself to be the kin