While it will be Diwali, a day in the Hindu religion celebrating light over dark, good over evil (says my Outlook calendar), I can’t promise to stick with that in my songs for a whole night. I have bad guys...

When: Monday nite 10/24, 7:30ET (doors open @7 for community hang)

Where: https://youtu.be/-SEtki_sv-Q

Who gets 10%: https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/ I just played there last night. From old cars and lathes to school programs addressing the area’s role in processing cotton picked by slaves in the south, this tucked-away gem gets my support this week.

http://paypal.me/vancevancevance or
https://venmo.com/vancevancevance or
a check to VanceFunder P.O. Box 17,
Arlington, MA 02476 for this web-groovery.
Pay or not, up to you. Let’s stay connected.

This week's pyjamas - flannnnnel

NEW ALBUM. Donate any amount = name on the cover. Sure there’s still time. Same links above, note “VanceFunder”. Any amount over $1 works, but $1000 -plus- makes you an exec producer, name in heavy black font.

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COMMITMENT CONTEST

“Nice shirt” says the spike haired kid behind the hotel desk.

“Thanks”, says me. “I get a lot of compliments on it”.

He eyes my baseball hat, one of approximately 100 I own with aviation as a theme. “Wow look at you - it’s as if you’re into airplanes or something. You a pilot?”

My bags are getting heavy, I’m tired, I have to play in 10 hours including sleep, so even considering his interest and what would be my usual aviation history evangelism, all I really wanted here was my room key. “No, just a historian and model builder”, I reply.

“The Tuskegee Pilot T-shirt under your open shirt - I’ve always loved the P-51 “D” version with the Malcolm hood like those guys flew”, he says.

Oh it is on. I step back from the desk. The bags get put down. Guitar, backpack, plastic bag with socks and clean underwear all in a heap at my feet.

“You’re spot on. Truth is, my real interest is in civil aviation between the wars.” I pull up my right sleeve exposing my right shoulder’s 1928 Boeing 80-A airliner tattoo.

Take that, desk clerk dude.

“Whoa…nice”, he mouths with awe. He then steps back. Like a dancer, he gracefully puts his heel up on the desk next to the computer screen, exposing his ankle, which sports the absolute coolest sock just littered with zooming propeller airplanes. Oh hell. I can sleep when I’m dead.

Winner. ✈