I recently spoke with Colin Brunton, co-writer (along with director/producer Tim Kowalski and editor Kevan Byrne) of the upcoming docu-film on the life and career of one of Toronto’s most mysterious music legends from the 80s, Nash The Slash. I remember hanging out backstage with Nash after a big concert at the Phoenix Nightclub in downtown Toronto, and was invited into his dressing room (no, I was not a groupie…LOL) to help him get out of costume which included his famous “invisible man” bandages.Nash was a very secretive artist, so talented and intriguing. But we lost him way too soon, and I remember the sadness that permeated the town, much like the other Canadian icon of alt.music we lost early in his career, Handsome Ned. Anyway, Colin gave me an exciting update on the film’s completion and their plans for screenings in the coming months.
Congratulations on completion of your film…what challenges, apart from financing, did you and the team have to overcome to get to this end point? Finding the time. On a regular project, you have dozens of people working full-time, but there were only four of us, so in between day-jobs, families, and everything that comes with that, we’d pick away at the film. Also, ensuring that we had rights to use photos and old TV clips was a huge job. Nash’s story goes back fifty years; companies don’t necessarily keep everything, so there was always a lot of detective work on our part.
Were you able to source any previously unseen images or recordings from the fans or other music industry professionals? We do have a few gems very few people have seen, and we’ve created better versions of a lot of stuff you might find on the ‘net.Now, it’s on to film festival submissions – which fests are you targeting? And are you submitting to festivals outside of Canada? We’re applying to some festivals, but I’d hate to jinx it by saying which ones.
Are you hoping for a theatrical release after festival screenings or are you looking at streaming services or documentary tv channels for maximum viewer impact? We’re under no illusions that this will have a typical theatrical run, so we’re working on some off-the-radar venues. It may be more like a tour of one-nighters rather than parking it in a multiplex for a couple of weeks. With a one-nighter, we can have better control of the presentation, and make sure they play it loud. Nash liked it loud. As for TV? CBC, for one, have made it clear that they have absolutely no interest in Nash’s story. (pictured below, Director Tim Kowalski & sound-mixer Daniel Pellerin)What would you like to tell fans of Nash and those of us who lived and loved the incredible 80s music scene in Toronto? For those who lived it, it’ll be a reminder of when Toronto was a lot more interesting. We had a screening couple of years ago for some twenty-something film students and they were fascinated by the whole story, especially the ‘80’s footage.Colin, is there anyone you would really like to acknowledge and thank for making it all come together? I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt that said “Yes, I’m still working on my f*$ing documentary,” so really, first and foremost we have to thank the fans for all their patience watching this evolve over the past seven years. 400+ fans supported us in our crowd-funding efforts, as well as being very generous with photos and footage. Music supervisor Natasha Duprey; photographer Paul Till; Trevor Norris and the Nash estate; Gary Topp for his encouragement and advice; Lawyer David Steinberg for keeping us on the straight and narrow. I could go on, but I know I’m still going to miss some people. (pictured below, Colin Brunton)
When I first arrived in Toronto in the mid-70s (from Australia, via UK), I was obsessed with disco and all the popular dances – I quickly became one of Toronto’s “disco dollies” who danced at all the popular clubs, getting the crowd hot and thirsty, and becoming known as a draw for the crowds. The high point of my club career was dancing on stage with Barry White & The Love Unlimited Orchestra when they passed through Toronto. Loved the man, loved the voice, loved the kaftans! But disco was already on the outs and I was looking to embrace something new and by accident I discovered the underground world of alternative, punk, electronic and, well, let’s just say the bizarre world of Nash the Slash. I guess I was drawn to his theatrics as well as his musical skills. A one-man band who could rock out with his violin & mandolin and pull in jaded punters who were looking for something new, something independent, something extraordinary.You may have heard of Nash the Slash but if you haven’t, Nash was a unique musician who bound his face in bandages to perpetuate the mystery of anonymity. He straddled the worlds of punk rock, prog-rock, classical and industrial (before it had a name.) And he was considered a ground-breaker in contemporary music circles. He was an extraordinary entertainer who attracted attention from others of his ilk: debuting in 1975, Nash the Slash used then unheard of tape-loops, a drum machine run through fx pedals, a glockenspiel and an electric violin and mandolin to create a live score for the legendary 1929 Salvador Dali/Luis Bunuel surrealist film, Un Chien Andalou.
And according to Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone magazine….“Nash the Slash is the kind of opening act that makes the headliner work that much harder.”
Along with other local indie bands like Songship (fronted by Mary Margaret O’Hara & Peter Mifsud), I would follow Nash wherever he played, marveling at his deft violin playing, as well as his distinctive compositions. I was working at a concert event at The Diamond Club (now The Phoenix), when I got to hang out with him backstage after a rousing performance – poor guy was drenched in sweat so with a promise from me not to tell anyone what he looked like, he started peeling off the layers while I held out a plastic shopping bag to collect the sodden bandages. I will keep my promise.When I learnt about the documentary being made about him and the need for funding, I offered my publicity services to Colin Brunton, Exec. Producer of Nash the Slash Rises Again! I recently chatted with Colin (pictured below) and asked him to share his memories of Nash and tell us about the Go Fund Me program so I could reach out to his fans through my blog and social media networks….Colin, what first inspired you to make a film about Toronto’s mysterious musician, and entertainer? And when did Side Three Media take the lead? Nash was a good friend of mine, and I’d always wanted to make a film about him, but the idea really took root when he passed away in 2014. I had an idea of how to approach it, but schedules didn’t work out, and Side Three got the rights a couple of years later. I teamed up with them a year or so after that.
You had a great relationship with Nash that started in the 70s – how did that come about? I met Nash in 1973, when I was a teenager working at Gary Topp’s Original 99 Cent Roxy Theatre in the east-end of Toronto. The Roxy was a vital gathering place for the counterculture, turning people on to not just an eclectic programme of films, but also cutting-edge music between shows, and it had a reputation as a place where you could openly smoke weed. It was wild. Nash was a regular there and lived in an apartment behind the projection booth, a living Phantom of the Opera. We became friends. As our careers progressed, I’d hire him to do film soundtracks, and we kept in touch until the end. I wasn’t allowed to phone him before noon. Toronto had an amazing underground/alternative music scene back in the mid-70s and into the 80s – how did Nash (and you) navigate those waters? How did Nash become such a cult figure? The mid-seventies in Toronto was a defining period of culture in this city: pre-packaged hippie culture was on the outs, and the world was begging for something new. It was an exciting time.
Nash was a wildly creative musician with an artistic integrity not often seen anymore. He also had a flair for promotion and was able to keep his true identity a secret for decades. His shows were mind-blowing: a one-person electronic orchestra on stage surrounded by banks of equipment and tape-machines, custom FX boards, an electric violin and electric mandolin; film images projected onto a screen; jigsawing violins to death and breathing fire. Totally entertaining. What most fascinated a group of twenty-year-olds we had a test-screening for was his ability to do all of this without computers; he was one hundred per cent analog. He was a very clever guy. Genius.Did Nash produce music videos and if so, did MuchMusic support him by frequently showing them across the country back when MM was a real music tv network? Nash was just too weird for the mainstream, so he did everything himself: promotion, management, marketing, everything. He was the first musician in Canada to create his own record label; the first to use tape-loops; the first to run drum machines though FX pedals. He never received grants to make videos, and record companies weren’t interested. Nash had a few videos that got played, but without a major label behind him, he never made it into heavy rotation on MuchMusic. But he gave great interviews and was a favourite amongst City TV’s “The New Music” which he was on a lot in the 80’s.
This film should fill in some gaps in Canadian music history – with the recent success of documentaries on MuchMusic itself, Doug & the Slugs and now The Tragically Hip, it seems the country is finally ready to celebrate unique Canadian recording artists. How do you think Nash would feel about being celebrated in this manner? I’ll tap my foot to Doug & The Slugs, and I like Gord Downie, but Nash was more creative, original and daring. Canada is famous for ignoring their own and no one has been more grievously ignored than Nash the Slash. Once this film gets out into the world, I’m sure he’d say, “It’s about fucking time!After several Gov’t & private funding rounds, the production still needs another $40K for completion, hopefully the bulk of which would come from both the Canada Council and the Toronto Arts Council. But most likely you’ll need $s from fans of Nash and the public, hence the crowd-funding campaign. Any message you’d like to send out to fans of Nash and the Canadian music industry as a whole? We’re hoping the arts councils come through, but we’re not banking on it. We need support at the grass-roots level: people donating, no matter how small. They get their name in the credits, a shout-out on social media, and bit of a dopamine rush. And they’ll be able to say that it couldn’t have happened without them; it’s a chance to have their name attached to something very cool and kind of underground. Toronto’s going to be a lot more interesting with Nash the Slash back in it.
So good luck to the filmmakers: Colin Brunton, Kevan Byrne, Leanne Davies and Tim Kowalski. This is a film that needs to be made and shown – they are currently only $40K short of their goals. If you’re a music fan, esp. lovers of indie artists and Canadian music history, visit the GoFundMe page and even if it’s $20, please donate to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/nashtheslashrisesagain
Nash was a very secretive artist, so talented and intriguing. But we lost him way too soon, and I remember the sadness that permeated the town, much like the other Canadian icon of alt.music we lost early in his career, Handsome Ned. Anyway, Colin gave me an exciting update on the film’s completion and their plans for screenings in the coming months.
Now, it’s on to film festival submissions – which fests are you targeting? And are you submitting to festivals outside of Canada? We’re applying to some festivals, but I’d hate to jinx it by saying which ones.
What would you like to tell fans of Nash and those of us who lived and loved the incredible 80s music scene in Toronto? For those who lived it, it’ll be a reminder of when Toronto was a lot more interesting. We had a screening couple of years ago for some twenty-something film students and they were fascinated by the whole story, especially the ‘80’s footage.
Colin, is there anyone you would really like to acknowledge and thank for making it all come together? I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt that said “Yes, I’m still working on my f*$ing documentary,” so really, first and foremost we have to thank the fans for all their patience watching this evolve over the past seven years. 400+ fans supported us in our crowd-funding efforts, as well as being very generous with photos and footage. Music supervisor Natasha Duprey; photographer Paul Till; Trevor Norris and the Nash estate; Gary Topp for his encouragement and advice; Lawyer David Steinberg for keeping us on the straight and narrow. I could go on, but I know I’m still going to miss some people. (pictured below, Colin Brunton)
