The Sonic Dreamweaver

Nash The Slash is one of the more unusual, creative, and distinctive artists to appear from within the Canadian music scene in the last twenty or so years. The project first came into existence in the late 1970’s, with the early releases offering up a moody & often horror themed instrumental blend of synth ‘n’ beats, and electric Violin ‘n’ mandolin mood scapes. In later releases he brought in elements of new wave, new age, and punk into the mix, and the project went onto to release 11 full lengths & Ep’s. Behind the project was one James Jeffrey "Jeff" Plewman, and as the Nash The Slash persona he always wore a trademark disguise which entailed coving his face in bandages wearing sunglasses and a top hat.  Sadly in 2014 he passed away at the age of 66. Recently Artofact have started reissuing Nash The Stash back catalogue, starting with his debut album Nightmare & Dreamscapes. And I caught-up with his business partner for an email interview.

M[m]:When were your first introduction to James Jeffrey? And did the Nash The Slash persona exist at that point?
Trevor I met Nash in 2003 when I was working as an Artist Rep for the Canadian music services company Indie Pool which manufactured and helped distribute Nash's albums. He was working with another Rep at the time and he would come in from time to time and drop CDs off or have meetings about new releases.  At the time, I actually didn't know much about him but had remembered his name from the eighties when I was a kid and would see his Dead Man's Curve video from time to time being played on Much Music.  He never came into the office in his Nash the Slash costume of course so I just thought he was a regular guy.  It wasn't until a 2004 when we started working together and become close friends.
Behind his stage persona and bandages, Nash was an incredibly interesting person.  In contrast to his intense and macabre stage version of Nash, he was definitely one of the funniest guys I had the pleasure of knowing.
Humour was a big part of his life and it shows up in a lot of the things he did.  His Nash stage character let him explore parts of his personality that he didn't have an outlet for in his real life but then again I think there wasn't much separation between the two.  When Nash the Slash was born, I think he was able to disconnect with his former life as Jeff Plewman and get to redefine himself all over again.   I knew Nash for 5 years before I even found out his real name - I  found a piece of mail at his front door and asked him who this Jeff guy was thinking it might be his tenant downstairs. It's funny though, he never went by Jeff or James, pretty much all his family and friends called him Nash.   His mother and brother were the only ones I ever remember calling him Jeff.

M[m] :What’s your background & how did you become Nash’s business partner, and what did this involve?
Trevor  I also was a freelance sound engineer at time on my off hours and when Nash was approached to do a soundtrack for a real life crime drama TV show called Cold Blood he asked me help him.  He wrote all the pieces, we would edit and arrange all the music and then I'd engineer it to the video.  He had already done lots of soundtrack work in the past - all his amazing silent film scores, Highway 66 and Blood and Donuts to name just a few - but technology had changed so much since then he needed my expertise to help him navigate the new digital landscape.  We started Norris Nash Productions.  He would write in the analog world - a world he had mastered and felt the most comfortable being in - and I would help him translate that into a digital realm.  He also had me do all the mastering for his In-A Gadda-Da-Nash and Reckless Use Of Electricity albums.  We worked for 3 years on Cold Blood almost 3-4 nights a week from 2008-2010 and in that time we had a lot of fun
and became very close.  The studio producing the show had no idea we didn't have a proper studio space and just left us alone so we were able to work mobile right out of Nash's house.  It was a good time for Nash as he was contemplating retiring at that time and this soundtrack work really refuelled his creative spirit.  He amassed a lot of music during this period that he was thinking of using for the beginnings of a new album of original material - the first in over a decade.  It was at that time and with Nash feeling like his career was in its twilight he sat me down and asked if I would be caretaker of his legacy when he passed.  It's my honour and tremendous responsibility to preserve his legacy.

 

M[m]:Recently Artofact have released a double disc reissue of one of Nash’s most known & praised   albums Dreams & Nightmares. I believe you were heavily involved with this reissue- could you go to detail about how & why this came about?
Trevor  I was approached by Jacek Kozlowski at Storming The Base/Artoffact Records in Toronto with an interest to re-issue on vinyl four of Nash's early albums that had long been out of print.  As soon as I met Jacek and his team I knew his label was the perfect fit to handle all these re-issues.  Not only does Artoffact/STB specialize in genres and innovative music like Nash The Slash's but the label also has reach in parts of Europe where Nash's music
really resonated.  Nash always preferred vinyl over any other format.  He would always say that the crackle and noise from vinyl worked in harmony with his abrasive fuzzed out mandolin and violins and slightly distorted drum machine tracks.  He was a vinyl buff through and through.  He was always a bit annoyed with having to release on CD and he thought is was a bit too sterile and 2 dimensional for his sound.  I think he'd be thrilled that these releases are being put into a format they were originally
intended to be listened to on - his favourite format.  I worked closely with Jacek on the remastering of all of the records from their original sources as well as providing new photographs I had uncovered to compliment the new redesigns.  We tried very hard to stay to Nash's original vision for these albums with regards to track listings but as well as the artwork/photography/imagery used on the original releases.

 

M[m]:At times some of  Dreams & Nightmares tracks have quite a soundtrack feel- was there any thought in his mind to ever create visuals for them? Or did he have scenes in mind when composing them?
Trevor Being that one of his first gigs was performing a soundtrack to Un Chien Andalou at the Roxy Theatre, I think it set the tone for years to come and why some of his albums have this "soundtrack" feel.  I don't think you can
even talk about Nash's legacy without mentioning his huge contribution to film.  His Silent Film Collection, his major film work with Roadkill and Highway 61, and TV soundtracks for Cold Blood just to name a few.  As well, he aligned himself with other incredible visual artists like Robert Vanderhorst and they collaborated on the Two Artists project as Nash set a beautiful musical score to Robert's surreal and wonderful paintings.  When Nash talked about his legacy I think he was most proud of his soundtrack work for film, TV and with Robert - it is really some of his best work. Anyone who has ever seen Nash perform will know how cinematic his shows were.  
 
Trevor Honestly, I think Nash is very underrated for his impact as a visual artist. He constantly pushed the limit, building stunning and provocative visuals around his music and his performances.  He aimed to shock but not offend as
he would say.  The issue he'd say with being a solo artist is that he was somewhat limited or chained to his spot on stage - he had to always be close to his instruments and gear.  He was operating all these drum machines, synths, effects, pedals, sound equipment AND then playing along with his violin and mandolin.  He said from a audience perspective it was probably a bit boring watching a guy just standing there turning knobs and fiddling around.  So I think he saw a way to meld his love for film and his music and create a performance that was a real interesting experience for the audience. 

 

M[m]:I didn't realize Nash did TV show soundtrack work- what other shows did he work on?
Trevor When it comes to TV soundtracks - Nash has only done Cold Blood.  Other than his infamous silent film work - Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Lost World - Nash major film soundtrack work includes Roadkill (1990)and Highway 61 (1991), both directed by Bruce McDonald as well as The Kidnapping of the President (1980), Black Pearls (1989), and Blood and
Donuts (1995).

 

M[m]:Through-out all of Nash’s work there is a keen line of horror running it’s themes & titles- what where some of his favourite horror books, films or art?
Trevor Nash and his love for the horror genre were as one - it was always just a part of his persona and esthetic.  At his house you were always surrounded by great posters of horror films he loved.  Horror themes found it way into
the essence of his Nash The Slash persona, album art, and of course his show visuals.  I think it also likely stemmed from his great admiration for his two favourite authors Edgar Allan Poe and Ray Bradbury.   Poe's poetry and themes really struck a chord with him and pointed him in the direction of the dark and macabre. And of course his name Nash the Slash is taken from the evil killer butler in the 1927 Laurel and Hardy film Do Detective's
Think?.  His best selling record to date, Dreams and Nightmares, which sold almost 12,000 copies independently, is an instrumental album of strictly
horror stories. He was also obsessed with old British murder mysteries and Jack The Ripper. Nash was always drawn to that world - to horror, the bizarre, odd.  It was
just in his DNA.

 

M[m]:Could you tell us a little bit about how the idea of his  surgical bandages & top hat disguise first came about? And why did he decide to use said  disguise?
Trevor Officially the bandages and top hat look was debuted in 1979 at a benefit gig to raise awareness of the threat from the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster.   Nash as a joke, walked on stage wearing the bandages dipped in
phosphorus paint and warned the audience "Look, this is what happens to you!".  That look really made an impact that night, people loved it and he keep that look from then on. However, Nash evolved that look from a more formal look of a black tuxedo and top hat as a way to make himself stand out from the other punk artists at that time.  Initially when Nash came onto the scene, punk was taking off and everyone was doing the ripped jeans and t-shirt look.  He figured he'd go in the complete opposite direction and dress on stage in a formal tux and top hat.  He felt that this look along with his crazy demented concert violinist fuzzed sound would really contrast the other artists of that time.  And it worked famously, he has became one of the most iconic figures of that era and created a super cool and mysterious brand that has stood the test of time.

 

M[m]:As you worked with Stash though some of his career- what stands as some of your favourite releases or tracks, and why?
Trevor Honestly, I came on the scene quite late in Nash's career and I was really never a fan before I met Nash.  I had a distant respect for what Nash was doing and thought he was an incredible musician/showman but for the most
part I had never owned any of his records up to that point.  Kind weird eh? Well, I think that is why we became such good friends because our first discussions were never really focused on him or his career.  I just got to know Nash the person and his incredibly love for music outside of his own catalogue.  He knew he could trust me because I wasn't  "starstruck" by being around him and it also has helped me make decisions about his career and legacy from a neutral position and not from an emotional one as a fan. Now that being said, I truly have become a huge Nash the Slash fan having had to discover his incredible catalogue and make sense of it over the past 2-3 years.  I think what stands out the most for me is not any one track because Nash's music is almost best viewed from the perspective as a whole. I also see Nash as such an incredible innovator. He is one of the godfathers
of electronic industrial music.  He not only pushed boundaries sonically and creatively but also technically.  He pioneered tape looping techniques that the likes of Brian Eno and Daniel Langois used in producing albums throughout the years.  He was the first artist in North American to perform with a drum machine when drum machines were still outlawed by musician's unions.  He had to register as a "performance artist" when going on tour in
the US or the local unions would not let him perform with his drum machine as his official rhythm section. His creative use of synths and keyboards along with fuzzed out mandolin and violin melodies were so unique and really ground breaking. He also formed the first independent label in Canada Cut-Throat Records so he could release his own material on his terms.  I finally got the time to sit down, put on headphones and listen to all of the new remastered and re-released vinyl versions of his first 4 albums we put
out and it was such a trip.  He was so ahead of his time and I think that's why other artists like Gary Numan, Iggy Pop and others gravitated to him. Listening to the live album Hammersmith Holocaust we just released, there was no other music being made at the time remotely like that.  When was the last time you went to a concert and saw a performer that you thought "wow I've never heard anything like this"? - probably never.

 

M[m]:You mention the recently released live album, and wondered if there were any plans to release a live DVD?
Trevor Nash put out a live DVD/CD of his 2008 tour of England.  It will be available again July 1st along with a few of his other previously releases albums on CD and merch on www.nashtheslash.com.  We have begun working on
compiling a few of Nash's best live concerts that were filmed and recorded well and there may be enough to put together some sort of live compilation in the future.

M[m]:Are there plans for any other reissues of Nash’s back catalogue? And  was there any unreleased albums/ tracks that could possible see the light of day too?
Trevor We are actually n the early stages of looking at releasing the next batch of  albums from Nash's career - his early 1980's catalogue which would include Decomposing, And You Thought You Were Normal? and American Bandages. Like the first batch of albums, we are taking our time remastering everything properly from original masters.  We hope to still dig up some unreleased tracks or live tracks that will be included on a few of these releases.  Nash hadn't written much "new" material in the last decade other than film soundtrack scores but we have uncovered a few compositions that might see the light of day - we'll keep that a secret for now. 

Thanks to Trevor for his time & effort with the interview, and Jacek at  Storming The Base for making it possible. So far Artofact have reissued: Nightmare & Dreamscapes (as a double CD  set with his first Ep Bedside Companion),  Hammersmith Holocaust( a live vinyl album), and Children of the Night( his second album from 1981 in double vinyl form).