Random Access

"I wore a very nice white shirt and a black blazer. Then I ever-so-erotically took off my blazer. Then, in a moment of wild abandon, I undid one button of each cuff and rolled it up. I undid one button of my shirt to reveal a mass of curly grey chest hair. I obviously had them swooning."
That's John Fraser speaking. It may be hard to understand his pronunciation because he has his tongue firmly (and erotically, no doubt) planted in his cheek.
Fraser is describing the scene last month when he and 29 other would-be sex symbols auditioned upstairs at a runway in The Crooked Cue in Port Credit for a new charity calendar coming out in August.
West End Boys is a follow-up to the very successful West End Girls Celebration of Life "We Bare Because We Care" calendar of last year which raised some $27,000 for Princess Margaret Hospital and breast cancer research.
In another life, the about-to-turn 73-year-old Fraser was the director of education for Peel's public school board and wrote a very famous report in the 1970's about why the school system is failing so many students who were dropping out before graduation. Plus ça change.
You may not know Fraser but you've seen him. Always the dramatic actor, especially when he was subtly putting down trustees who made the mistake of asking dumb questions at the board table, John has established a flourishing post-education career as a model. He's all over the tube in the Canadian Home Income Plan TV commercials, acts as host for virtual tours of development sites and has been in loads of print campaigns for major corporations. Based on his experience as a "dance host" on cruise ships, he's even written a novel called The Reluctant Gigolo.
Anyone who knows Fraser and his flair for the dramatic and his skill at stand-up comedy won't be surprised to learn that he struck a blow for Generation Zzzzzzzz by decimating the "competition" and garnering the most support at the selecion night for the calendar.
A cancer survivor himself, Fraser didn't hesitate to be a poster boy for a devastating disease.
Even for a good cause, getting on a stage wasn't such an easy thing for some of the other participants including Chuck Jackson who's graced many a stage with the Downchild and Cameo Blues bands among others.
"It was nerve-wracking," he said. "You're up there and you're basically defenceless," he said.
"Some of the guys were pretty boisterous and some were pretty subdued. Some had tearaway pants," added the Port Credit resident. "I did a couple of dance moves. One of the girls threw underwear at me. I guess that's a compliment."
Jackson was chosen but decided to withdraw for personal and professional reasons. Which puts a new twist on Flip, Flop and Fly.
Ron Duquette, a former Mississauga Citizen of the Year and a marketing man who knows his way around a good promotion, took the advice of organizer Helen Peacock and checked with his family first.
The nudity wasn't really an issue for Duquette or his family.
"For us, it was the cause," he said. "Breast cancer is a terrible disease."
He expects to be Mr. December considering his age (62) and his (real) white beard.
Port Credit Photographer Margie Mastrangelo may be dedicating her
services to the cause but she's not taking it lightly. She's sitting down with each of the participants to get to know their personalities and to make sure that the finished product (birthday) suits them. She already has an idea for Fraser: in the pool with an outsized hat. To match his ego no doubt.
The project is the brain child of Helen Peacock, yet another Port Credit resident, who saw the film Calendar Girls and was impressed with a project for a hospital in Huntsville which featured two of her girlfriends.
Peacock, who publishes children's inspirational cards and teaches yoga, pilates and Tai Chi, posed for the Girls calendar and is overwhelmed by the response the Boys have been getting.
The Ladies' Choice Night at The Crooked Cue has raised $4,000 for the cause already and so many women asked Peacock when the next event is that she's organizing a July 16 family barbecue.
The calendar itself will be launched Aug. 22 at the Oasis Convention Centre in Lakeview.
The men's calendar has proven easier than the women's on a couple of fronts. First, Peacock is using one photographer rather than three.
The other big thing: "With men, you don't have to worry about the hair and makeup."