“Toe Tapping Slippers” was a little song I played maybe twice. I liked the idea of the song, but I didn’t end up actually liking the song. And it was MY song. That’s how it goes sometimes in the world of songwriting. The lyrics were inspired by an album cover. I think even if you’ve read every post or article I’ve ever written, you … The rest of the story…
During the day you probably have a lot of tasks…or lists…or duties. Right? Or maybe you have one main focus, but it requires your attention all day. Correct? Either way…do you ever catch yourself daydreaming and wishing things were different? Raise your hands if you ever had a mother, or grandmother, or aunt, or teacher, or someone who’d say “Now, Tony (or your name), … The rest of the story…
I’d like to take just a few minutes to tell you about my lover today. And before you jump to any conclusions…this is a G-rated website, and it’s a G-rated article. In recent posts here on TonyFunderburk.com, I’ve been sharing the whimsical writer side a lot more. And I’ve been sharing poems/songs I wrote from way back into my teen years. In fact, the … The rest of the story…
Imagine you’re a jellyfish…just jellyfishin’ along, mindin’ your own business. Suddenly you look behind you and see a huge cloud of mud coming your way in the water. You swim with all your might and as fast as you can, but the muddy cloud keeps gaining on you. And you look all around you and all your jellyfish family and jellyfish friends are swimming … The rest of the story…
Have you ever read the ingredients for Lay’s potato chips? Just in case you haven’t, the ingredients are potatoes, salt, and oil. And with only three ingredients, just like their commercial used to say…I don’t think anyone can eat just one. In the initial summer weeks after I graduated high school I was spending time figuring out what I was gonna do with my … The rest of the story…
Just because I might consider myself a whimsical writer doesn’t mean I’ve always had a carefree life. Look closely at the picture and see the pencil-printed words I wrote during a battle with a broken heart. Ah youth… I spent a year and half in Houston, Texas learning carpentry skills from a master carpenter. I still use those skills on a regular basis, and … The rest of the story…
There have been people in my life who have truly fooled me. Not many, but some. Sometimes, all it takes to write something whimsical…something not very self-explanatory…is a negative experience. I think many of those kinds of experiences helped turn me into a whimsical writer. It may be a bit like so many comedians who attribute their sense of humor to dealing with life’s … The rest of the story…
I remember seeing an album cover…yes, I said album cover…back in the early seventies where the singer was sitting on a beach. And it looked like he was finger painting in the sand. The colors, the setting, the whole arrangement inspired a short poem. Way back in 1973 that’s all it took for me to open up a spiral notebook and start jotting something … The rest of the story…
What do you think of when you hear the expression “standing on the brink?” Maybe you know that the definition of “brink” is either the extreme edge of land typically just before a steep incline or cliff or on the verge of something. Typically disaster. I’ll bet you’re not reading this on the brink of a cliff… Not literally anyway. But do you get … The rest of the story…
Today I’m gonna do something I haven’t done in over 40 years. I’m gonna share the lyrics to the very first song I ever wrote. Ironically it’s a song with no name. And I only noticed that omission this very evening. How odd is that? I remember an chilly winter evening at a friend’s house in Pasadena, Texas. There was gonna be a party … The rest of the story…
