The Origins Of Mustache May

 

Mustache May is now upon us, and by now you should be sprouting a mean little scraper! But what is Mustache May exactly, and where did it come from? What are the mysterious origins of Mustache May? This can be a little confusing and tough to trace when there seems to be half a dozen sites out there staking claim, but we get one step closer to finding out in our next interview. Meet Andrew Taylor, one of the founding fathers of Mustache May. Andrew is going to share with us how this unofficial celebration of the mo. was sparked. Just like anything else in history, we humans seem to come up with concepts, invention ideas, and new invention at the same time, all across the planet.

From an evolutionary perspective, maybe conditions were perfect…”Mokind” was ready and Mustache May was spawned in a few locations and by a few different groups. However, the only group (or clan) to really do it right, that we have found, is  Musmay.com . So now we travel back in time 12 years ago to Moab, to a night not so different from tonight, a night where a few river guides had an idea that May be the reason why your upper lip is a tad itchy with new growth. Enjoy!

 

 

HTGAM: Please tell us a little about yourself Andrew and how you fit into the enigma known as Mustache May?

Andrew: I’m an old river guide that was there when Mustache May was born.  I currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah and work in the Wilderness Therapy industry.  I’m working with a group to develop a wilderness therapy program in Costa Rica for people who suffer with depression, anxiety, and substance abuse issues.  

History

It was a beautiful evening in Moab in the spring of 2001. I was sitting on the front porch of my new home for the summer, a dreamy double wide trailer. I had just started training for my new job as a river guide and was having the time of my life. My new companions and I were lamenting over the fact that we were required to stay clean shaven all summer as part of our job description. Then one of the veteran guides mentioned that there was a loop hole, we were allowed to grow mustaches. We all laughed at the thought, and then things got quiet. We all just looked up at the stars for a minute. It appeared as though the conversation had ended, but we are all thinking the exact same thing. I can’t remember who piped up first, but we were quickly decided, we were going to grow mustaches and we would declare the month Mustache May!

We were instantly heroes; at least that’s how I like to remember it. There was some resistance here and there, but people seemed to rally around it pretty quickly, except for our boss, which made it that much sweeter. I recall many glorious nights that spring, sitting around the campfire, chatting with visitors from all over the world about the joys of having a mustache. But the true test came when I headed home for the weekend to see friends and family, it was the first time I would be alone with the stache. After a solid 10 minutes of abuse and laughter from my friends, just like before, things got quiet. Then one of my friends shyly asked, “So do you have to be a river guide to do Mustache May?”And just like that, the true spirit of Mustache May was born. I figure about 20 guys had mustaches by the end of the May 2001. As the years went on, and our friends spread out across the nation, the Mustache May movement gained steam.  It even caught on at the high school level.

There is something about growing a mustache, not only is it stylish and fun, it’s also extremely contagious. My Dad even joined the ranks one year, despite the pleadings of my sweet mother, “Steve, don’t encourage him!” Some guys struggle at first, but once they actually do it, they never go back. The third year one of the original members and I sat down and wrote down the official rules of Mustache May.

Mustache May means something a little different to every guy who participates, but it’s really pretty simple. The idea is to wear the stache and wear it proud. On that quiet night in Moab we were just a couple of young bucks trying to have some fun, and make the world a better place one mustache at a time.

 

 

 

HTGAM:  How does Mustache May differ from Movember and Moustache March?

Andrew: As I understand it, Movember and Mustache May started out in very much the same way.  However, the Movember guys decided to make it a legit fundraiser very quickly, we did not until recently.

Moustache March has always been a mystery to me, I have heard it correlates with March Madness, but it seems to me to be part of the ski bum culture here in Utah.  As far as I can tell, a lot of the local ski patrol and lifties are the driving force behind Mustache March.  I’m not aware of any one organization backing it.

 

 HTGAM:  A lot of folks seem to have jumped on Mustache May and claimed it as their own, what are the true origins of M.M.?

Andrew: That’s a great debate.  Of course, we like to think we were the first and I’m pretty sure we were.  But in the fast paced technological world we live in, it’s all about who’s online first and I don’t think we were.  At the end of the day, I don’t really care, all I ask is unity and brotherhood with respect to The Stache. Anything less would be a shame.  I do believe we were the first to try to raise money and do good with Mustache May, following Movember’s lead.

 

HTGAM: How does your site differ in comparison to all the other sites? (dizzying isn’t it?)

 

Andrew: I’m not sure how it differs but It’s very simple, members can post their stache to our site, and then send their profile out to all of their friends and family.   People can then donate money specifically to that person’s Stache.  When Mustache May participants are going about their day to day business, as people make comments about their Stache, they can tell them about the cause and try to rally people to donate and/or participate.   The idea down the road is to create a meter so guys can track their donations but we’re doing all of this with our own money and on our free time, so resources are limited.

 

HTGAM: How much has your group raised over the years and for what charities?

Andrew: We have raised a couple of thousand dollars up to this point for Choice Humanitarian.  Choice is a very strong international organization and they immediately rallied around the idea.  We had a big event in 2011 and had a great turnout. 

 

HTGAM: Do you see Mustache May ever becoming as structured and spearheaded as Movember?

Andrew: I would love that. It definitely has the potential, but nobody has volunteered to take it to that level.  Most of us as original founders are working hard on raising families and getting careers going.  My dream is that someday I will have the time and resources to take it to the next level, but for now we’ll just continue doing what we can unless someone catches the vision and steps up to take it forward and make it bigger.

 

HTGAM: What is on the agenda for this year? Any surprises?

Andrew: There are number of really cool features we would like to add to the website but this will probably not be the year.

 

 HTGAM: Do you have any epic stories from the last 12 years that you could share with our readers? We enjoy both comedy and tragedy here at HTGAM, one more than the other of course.

Andrew:

• Two years ago at our Mustache May-hem party we actually raffled off an autographed picture of Chuck Norris himself, that was a proud moment for many of us.
• One year it caught on at the local high schools.  We kept bumping into all of these high schoolers growing pretty pathetic mustaches.  My buddy asked one of them why they were growing mustaches, they snapped back at him, “it’s mustache May.” 

 

 

HTGAM: What are some of the misconceptions you have found yourself running up against over the last 12 years?

Andrew: All the time I hear people say….I thought it was Mustache March?  Or Movember?  Others think it’s a competition and it most definitely is not. 

 

 HTGAM: What do you do with the other 11 months on the calendar?

Andrew: Just an average dude trying to make it in this world just like any other guy out there sluggin it out everyday.  For the most part I stay pretty clean shaven the rest of the year.

 

 HTGAM: How do folks get involved?

Andrew: Go to Musmay.com – post your best stache pic and invite your friends to donate to the cause. 

 

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Interview by Douglas Smythe

Find out more about Moustache May