#vazaleen

[jasonparis]

It was so lovely to have Vazaleen back for PrideTO this year. Here are Regina Gently and Owen Pallett slaying the stage at The Velvet last night and honouring the late, great Will Munro. • • • #igerstoronto #torontopride2019 #prideto #reginagently #owenpallett #lgbtq #vazaleen #willmunro (at Velvet Underground) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzD2kwDAtVt/?igshid=rngs96zim1wl

[vis331]

Will Munro - “New Wave Not War” (2005)

Image: http://www.paulpetro.com/artists/4-Estate-Of-WillMunro/606-New-Wave-Not-War/824

Will Munro’s political stances are on full view in his New Wave Not War, but he was never one to shy away from what he believes in. The Australian-born, Mississauga-raisef artist sparked controversy overhis art using men’s underwear by a Toronto journalist at the beginning of his career, but that didn’t stop him. Munro was an icon in the Toronto post-punk music scene, running multiple clubs where the atmosphere he created is cited as one of the places where the queercore movement originated. Using the politics of the era of New Wave music in this piece, Munro filters his world view through a musical lens, much like he did in his life as a club owner and DJ. The queercore movement built on other post-punk scenes like the Riot Grrls with their anthem Rebel Girl rejecting the homophobia and sexism prominent in the punk scene during its height at the end of the 1970s. The printed poster reflect the aesthetic of punk fan-zines that have allowed for marginalized communities to have a platform through self-published long-form media that could be easily distributed at shows. Zine-culture is what led to the ride of the Riot Grrls movement, and some claim the Queercore movement as well. Toronto’s prominent JD’s zine created by G.B. Jones and Bruce LaBruce catapulted the queercore movement into the public eye and allowed the movement to gain more significant traction. Munro’s work reflects these aesthetics even if it was not intentional, as Munro truly lived and created these scenes with his influence on the music industry and Queer culture in Toronto during the 1990s.

P L A Y L I S T

Minutes to Midnight by Midnight Oil - Also hailing from Australia, Midnight oil’s anti-war lyrics in this song echo the sentiment of Munro’s prints.

Fuck the Pain Away by Peaches - Got her start at Vazaleen and went on to have an influential career in the Queercore scene

James Bondage by Pansy Division - One of the most popular bands from the queercore scene, showcasing sexually liberated and often explicit lyrics

I Could Have Sex by Vaginal Davis + Technova - Vaginal Davis is a notable figure in the queer scene in Toronto and has spoken to the influence of Munro in past accounts of his work

Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill - Anthem of the Riot Grrl movement, and strong influence in the movement for a more inclusive punk

Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie - Speaks to the escapism of party scenes and the free and open atmosphere Munro fostered at his venues

Hot Topic by Le Tigre - Written by prominent Riot Grrls and references prominent feminist visual artists and musical artists of the time

Mississauga Goddam by The Hidden Cameras - Munro often booked The Hidden Cameras at his venues

Steal Yr Gf by God Is My Co-Pilot - God is My Co-Pilot was a highly influential queercore group from the 90s

Total Eclipse by Klaus Nomi - Avant-garde artist Klaus Nomi is referenced in other work by Munro, where their image is presented in a psychedelic way

Freedom ‘90 by George Michael - Closing song played at one of Munro’s last Dj gigs before his death in 2010

S O U R C E S

Randle, Chris. “United by Hedonism: A Mix for Will Munro.” Hazlitt, August 1, 2018. https://hazlitt.net/blog/united-hedonism-mix-will-munro.

“Dear Will Munro: Love Letters to a Beloved Artist and Community Builder, 10 Years after His Passing | CBC Arts.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, May 21, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/arts/dear-will-munro-love-letters-to-a-beloved-artist-and-community-builder-10-years-after-his-passing-1.5577223.

Block, Adam. “In Search of the Homo-Core Underground.” Monkey Chicken, October 10, 1988. http://www.monkeychicken.com/AdamBlock/1988_10_10zines.pdf.

“Queercore: behind a Documentary Reliving the Gay Punk Movement.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, September 20, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/20/queercore-punk-revolution-documentary-yony-leyser-bruce-labruce.

Glover, Cameron, Zara Barrie, and Brennan Bogert. “A Labor Of Love: Why Zines Will Always Be An Important Part Of Queer Culture.” GO Magazine, October 25, 2017. http://gomag.com/article/what-zines-mean-to-the-queer-community/.

[canadianlesbianandgayarchives]

Poster made by the late Will Munro for his Toronto area Vazaleen parties

[sympatheticresonance]

Why is Vazaleen gone Toronto? Why?!

[youthandrust]

[jasonparis]

The spirit of #WillMunro lives on in this 'Blansdowne' toilet. #Vazaleen #lgbt (at Holy Oak Café)

[canadianlesbianandgayarchives]

Will Munro’s Vazaleen parties ran from 2000-2006 in Toronto. Here's a selection of the posters held at the CLGA.

[tinyspiritz]

"How a monthly dance party for naughty gays and lesbians revolutionized the city’s underground art scene—and created more than a few international stars."

this is a beautiful piece. and now i have wanderlust for the past. the vazaleen days of yore. what a magical, messy, monumental time.