#135 The Funyons (Steve Funyon and Robert Price)

Steve Funyon and Robert Price on Miami’s The Funyons, Street Performances, and More

In this episode we welcome Steve Funyon and Robert Price of the experimental folk band The Funyons, a project that emerged in 1991 in Miami and operated largely outside traditional music venues. The conversation traces the band’s origins through friendships connected to the Churchill’s scene and explores how they rejected conventional club settings in favor of street performances across Miami Beach, Lincoln Road, and other public spaces. Robert Price also reflects on his work founding experimental bands The Prom Sluts and Kreamy 'Lectric Santa.

The discussion covers the band’s unconventional setup, including junk percussion, found objects salvaged after Hurricane Andrew, minimal amplification, and spontaneous arrangements. They share stories of encounters with police, difficult crowds, and surreal performances in places like Metrorail cars, abandoned boats, and punk picnics in the Everglades and quarries, all of which became central to their identity and reinforced their focus on live, moment-driven music rather than recorded output.

They also reflect on the broader DIY culture that surrounded the band, with brief mention of punk zines like Scam, created by Eric Dawn Lyle, known at the time as Iggy Scam, along with the tight-knit community that supported their work.