S P H I N X

February is birthday month for The Beaver – turning 5 this year. The ultra mega Geburtstagsparty is happing tomorrow, Friday 11th. Get there rrrrrrrly for the silent auction. 1192 Queen West, as always!

A LOVE SAVES THE MIGHTY VILE GOTH HOTNUTS SPECIAL
Fundraiser Celebration in Honour of Will Munro‘s Birthday

HOSTED BY MARY MESSHAUSEN + MISS MARGOT
PERFORMANCES BY KEITH COLE + GENTLELADY REGINA
PENIS ECLAIRS + GLORY HOLE COOKIES BY MISTRESS FROSTITUTION

DJ’s
Alex M
Aneela Q
Jaime Sin
John Caffery
Kevin Knows
Mistress Frostitution
Produzentin
Robotik Kid
Schramm
Stunts

This party will be preceeded by a SILENT AUCTION – 6pm-10pm (ish)
TONS OF WORK FROM LOCAL QUEER ARTISTS is being donated for the sake of raising money for the Will Munro Fund for Queers Living with Cancer and it will all be sold to YOU, the evening of his birthday, February 11th.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COME EARLY TO PLACE YOUR BID!

Will Munro

We met Will 4 years ago, shortly after we moved to Toronto. Will and Lynn had just taken over The Beaver. It was the first party there, for his 31st birthday in February 2006. I remember talking to Will while he was djing. He played a Mylo Club Mix of a cover version of Sweet Child Of Mine. I had not heard the song before, asking him what it was.

A few weeks later, Andrew Harwood and myself would ask Will if we could have a Saturday night at The Beaver. And so, in May 2006, we started Hotnuts. Will was such a big part of it. From the beginning he dressed up with us, djed and got the night going.

For the first year or so, we would do silk screened posters and flyers. And when I say “we”, it was Will doing most of the work. A lot of times, we wanted to meet at 8pm to work on the posters. In the end, we met at midnight or 1am. Will was always so busy, doing 5 projects at the same time. So much energy. He didn’t mind doing the silk screening at night. So, we would meet at his studio, listening to disco and house, drinking coke, eating double doubles. And I was just trying to not get to messy from the silk screening.

In May 2009, Will djed at Hotnuts for the last time. He had sewn his outfit out of Mc Donald’s fabric and called the headpiece “tumor balls”.

On May 21, 2010 Will Munro passed away after a two year battle with a brain tumor. Toronto lost one of it’s most prolific artists, promoters, DJ’s, musicians, community activists.

We love and miss him so much.

Some pictures are below. Most of them are from Hotnuts. I have uploaded much more to flickr. Will’s make up by Margot Keith. (You can download the original sized photos on flickr by clicking on the “All sizes” link on top of the pictures.)

There is a facebook group: Honoring the Heart of Will Munro. And this Wednesday, May 26, there is a Memorial / Party for Will Munro at the Gladstone.