Nash The Slash: Covered is a one-of-a-kind multi-media theatrical premiere of the eclectic music documentary, Nash the Slash Rises Again! at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, Friday, March 13, 2026. 

The film uncovers the origin story of the sinister, masked Canadian electronic music innovator, Nash The Slash, who took his name from the killer butler in a 1927 Laurel and Hardy silent film. A classically trained violinist and multi-instrumentalist, Nash fused prog rock, punk, classic rock, and psychedelia with techno and industrial – long before those genres even had names. Watch as the bandages unwind from a ground-breaking, mad musical scientist whose career decomposed before the world caught up.

The Toronto-born multi-instrumentalist was known primarily for playing the electric violin and mandolin, as well as the synthesizer, keyboards, and glockenspiel. Nash worked as a solo artist beginning in 1975, founding the progressive rock band FM in 1976. Soon after releasing the band’s first album, Black Noise, he left the band and began his solo career in 1978. In addition to giving concert performances, he also composed and performed soundtrack music for silent films, presenting these works live in theatres to accompany screenings.

He began to perform with surgical bandages covering his face starting in 1979. During a gig at The Edge nightclub in the late 1970s to raise awareness of the threat from the Three Mile Island disaster, he walked on stage wearing bandages dipped in phosphorus paint and exclaimed, ‘Look, this is what happens to you.’ The bandages became his trademark from that point onward. Images of Nash the Slash are featured in a variety of murals painted by artist Jungle Ling in Toronto. These images are located in the Leslieville district, next to a TD Bank at Queen St. East and Logan Avenue and below Queen St. East on Connaught Avenue.

On this special night, following the screening there will be a Q&A with Director Tim Kowalski, Writer/Editor Kevan Byrne, and Nash The Slash Visual Collaborator Stephen Pollard, expertly moderated by Music Mastermind Lou Molinaro.

After the screening, some of Toronto’s finest musicians take the stage to interpret Nash’s music, as part of the vinyl release show for Nash the Slash – Covered, a tribute recording featuring weirdo musicians from all over the world. This vinyl release show is supported by We Are Busy Bodies record label, and produced by Friendly Rich Marsella.  

Nash The Slash: Covered – Friday March 13, 2026, 7pm, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor St W, Toronto

Tickets

See below for a list of performing musicians, and a Q&A with the film producer, director, writers, and organizers of this special event.

“NASH THE SLASH: COVERED” VINYL ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY featuring guest artists:

Ian Blurton, Christine Duncan, Rebecca Hennessy, Rob Higgins, Friendly Rich Marsella, Andrew Noseworthy, Frank Pahl, Eiyn Sof

House Band:

Kevin Breit – guitar, mandolin, Dave Clark – drums, Rebecca Hennessy – trumpet, vocals, Michael Herring – bass, Elena Kapeleris – saxophone

Presented by Films We Like, and We Are Busy Bodies

 

Director, Tim Kowalski, Co-Writer Kevan Byrne, Producer, Colin Brunton

Nash was an eccentric character to say the least, a musician ahead of his time some may say. What was the inspiration behind making this documentary on an underground musician many might not remember, or even know?

Tim Kowalski: This idea’s been with me for years. As a kid, I was obsessed with Nash the Slash – the image, the sound, all of it. I’d catch him on The New Music every so often, wielding that skull mandolin, and it genuinely spooked me in the best way. Right out of highschool, I was working a summer job at a printing house when the older guy running the press beside me tapped my shoulder and asked if I knew who Nash The Slash was. He told me he’d played on Nash’s first record, that Nash was living in a movie theatre with his own recording setup, and that he kind of looked like Elton John – minus the bandages. Part of me thought he was pulling my leg. The other part thought, this sounds like a movie I want to see. Years later, after Nash passed, I dug into his story. It all checked out. That felt like a green light. I started putting feelers out about making a Nash documentary, and some incredibly talented people answered the same call. We got to work, and here we are.

Colin Brunton: I joined the project after it had been going for a couple of years, so I can’t speak to that.  He was too important to be forgotten. And he was an old friend of mine so I felt the stakes were high.

Kevan Byrne: I had heard a couple of Nash’s recordings when working in a Queen Street used record store in the 90s, and was intrigued by the instrumental stuff which was very compelling and idiosyncratic.  But for me I was drawn to the possibilities of a story behind the bandages. I’m an editor and have worked in documentary film and television for a while so my antennae are always attuned to that. When we started discussions, the suggestion was to do a podcast series about his life and music but that quickly turned to film and I jumped into the fold immediately knowing that someone who performs in surgical bandages for over 3 decades never revealing his identity publicly must have an interesting back-story.

How long did the production take from start to finish, and what were some of the challenges along the way? Any surprise discoveries?

TK: It took about eight or 9 years, start to finish. Since it was a true indie, we made it in chunks – working in our spare time, running out of money, crowdfunding, applying for grants. Most of those early applications were rejections. Tracking down footage that wasn’t already on YouTube was another big hurdle. We got lucky with Bell Media, who owned The New Music. That opened the door to uncut interviews – some I don’t think ever aired. We also pulled great material from BBC. The original tapes were missing, but we were more than happy to get a VHS dub. On top of that, a lot of people donated photos and footage, which really saved us. Then came the hard choices: what do we license? At $75 per second and up, every clip mattered. The other challenge was shaping the story. We had hours of interviews, decades-old memories, and plenty of contradictions. Some of these stories were 30, 40, 50 years old, so we had to circle back for clarification. And every interview led to three more suggestions – that part went on for years. In hindsight, I’m glad we took our time. We really got inside Nash’s world, and I think the film is stronger because of it. Surprise discoveries? Don’t want to spoil those – see the film!

CB: The biggest challenge was typical of any under-funded project: we all had jobs and lives and could only work on this when we had time. Because we weren’t funded well, we had no real deadlines and therefore no ticking clock.  This was a blessing and a curse, tbh.

KB: The first conversations were early 2017. Production began that summer and we finished the mix and online summer of 2026. So yeah, 9 years! We spent a couple years doing research and interviews so there was a fair amount of material to go through. One of the biggest challenges was finding the story. Almost everyone had a different perspective on Nash and then Nash was spinning his own mythology aling his career. That coupled with the passage of time – it had been decades since some people like Stephen Pollard or Paul Till had worked with him – meant that we had to balance dozens of competing perspectives to get a relatively fulsome understanding of his life. And yes, surprise discoveries all along the way – some that had us in disbelief – and we had to do due diligence in pursuing whether any of those stories held water. 

As a queer artist, do you feel this may have been reflected in his music and/or his elaborate stage persona and performances in any manner?

TK: Honestly, it’s hard to say. Nash grew up in an era where being gay was kept secret and his artistic expression was likely his safe space. He was a massive horror fan and deeply into cutting-edge European music in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s, and that influence showed up very directly in his work – but always filtered through his own singular lens. Looking at his stage persona now, with the rise of queer horror, it’s tempting to draw a straight line between his sexuality and his love of horror. Maybe there is one. But the only person who could really say for sure is Nash himself.

CB: I don’t think it did at all. Jeff kept his persona and his authentic self very separate. An armchair psychiatrist might suggest the bandages were about “hiding” his true self, but I think it was largely just a cool performance thing he did.

KB: I can’t speak to how it impacted his starge personae or how he presented himself as an artist. But in his personal life, there was a lot of evidence that he was conflicted about being queer and to my mind that has to have found its way into his music. Kenny Syanide makes the point in interviews that the first albums Bedside Companion and Dreams & Nightmares are deeply introspective meditations and reflect loneliness and alienation. The context of Toronto and the overt homophobia of the time can’t be ignored.

What’s the one thing you want viewers to take away and remember about this iconic artist and documentary?

TK: We all can relate to the universal themes in his story, we’re hoping that word of mouth will get more on board with this fascinating artist and his musical legacy will make a big comeback to a new generation of fans.

CB: The one thing IS to remember him.

KB: I would love for people to connect to the humanity of the film – of Nash and his artistry. Of an outsider who persevered through adversity with an incredible singular vision despite the lack of financial reward or recognition. He was a true pioneer and innovator in a country that historically has not celebrated those values.

You’ve done a couple music documentaries and television work. Anything currently on the horizon that you’re working on that you can mention?

TK: This is my first feature after years of no-budget music videos, so I’m still very much in the indie world. I have a couple ideas brewing, but at this stage of the game, being superstitious pays off. Don’t want to jinx anything by saying too much!

CB:  I’ve got a couple of irons in the fire but nothing I want to make public right now. 

KB:  I’m back to playing music and focusing on songwriting and recording. I’ll continue editing and will be waiting for the next inspiring story to find me.

Director – Tim Kowalski

Toronto-based filmmaker Tim Kowalski has been immersed in pop culture since childhood. Fascinated by music, movies, and photography, he developed an active imagination that shaped a distinct creative vision. These influences became both an escape and the foundation for his artistic work.

Tim began performing in rock clubs before he was old enough to drink. Guided by a DIY ethos and a love of the unconventional, he soon started directing music videos out of necessity – a step that ultimately led him into filmmaking.

Nash The Slash Rises Again! marks Tim’s debut feature film, where he serves as director, co-writer, co-producer, and director of photography. The documentary explores the legacy of Nash the Slash, the mysterious Canadian musician whose avant-garde music and eccentric persona captivated Tim when he was a young fan. Motivated by a desire to preserve Nash’s legacy, Tim and his team approached the project with the same hands-on, independent spirit that has defined his career.

The film is a personal tribute to an outsider artist whose fearless creativity still resonates today. With Nash The Slash Rises Again!, Tim honors Nash’s legacy while introducing a new generation to a groundbreaking and uncompromising voice in music.

Cowriter/Editor – Kevan Byrne

Kevan Byrne is a recording and performing musician as well as a film, animation and television editor and a documentary filmmaker. 

As an editor, producer and filmmaker, Byrne has worked in documentary film. broadcast television, 2D and stop motion animation, commercial production and visual effects..Productions include Silent Hill, Shoot Em Up, Echo, I Dream of Wires, and Exotic Lives. 

He has worked for CBC, Corus Entertainment, Shaw Media and Mr X. Most recently he co-wrote and edited the story of the life and music of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Nash The Slash (Nash the Slash Rises Again).

In the 1990s and early 2000s he recorded and toured with the Toronto based music collective King Cobb Steelie. Collaborations with notable producers include Steve Albini (The Pixies, Nirvana), Bill Laswell (Herbie Hancock, PIL) and Guy Fixsen (My Bloody Valentine, 

Stereolab). He currently writes and performs music under the name Cut Flowers.

Executive Producer – Colin Brunton

Emerging from Toronto rep theatres The Original 99 Cent Roxy and The New Yorker, Brunton got into the punk music scene as a documentarian in the late 70s, making his short film The Last Pogo, and then went on to build one of the most prolific careers in Canadian indie film and television. He won a Genie Award for Best Live Action Short for The Mysterious Moon Men of Canada, and went on to produce for many of Canada’s most well known auteurs.

Brunton’s feature producing credits include the cult classics Roadkill, Highway 61, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. As Executive Director of The Feature Film Project at Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre, he executive-produced some of the most successful projects to come out of that program, including Rude and Cube. He then went on to conquer the television world with several series including: Our Hero, An American in Canada, The Newsroom, Puppets Who Kill, How to Be Indie, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Almost Heroes, Connor Undercover, Spun Out, Schitt’s Creek, The Good Witch, Kids in the Hall, Shelved, and One More Time.

His filmmaking life came full circle in 2014 with the release of his feature documentary on Toronto’s 1970’s punk and cultural history, The Last Pogo Jumps Again, co-directed with filmmaker Kire Paputts.  He is a writer and the Executive Producer of “Nash the Slash Rises Again!” a feature documentary on his late friend, the iconoclastic Toronto musician Jeff “Nash the Slash” Plewman; the film was completed in late 2025.

Producer – Leanne DaviesLeanne Davies is a visual artist and software project manager who joined the Side Three Media team as a producer on Nash the Slash Rises Again! Her striking series of portraits of Nash the Slash first connected her with director Tim Kowalski in 2018. She joined the team shortly after, combining her longstanding obsession with Nash’s art and music and her expertise in coordinating complex projects to help bring the film to life.

We Are Busy Bodies is a globally minded, Toronto-based record label and music company founded in 2005 by Eric Warner. The label has issued over 200 releases since 2005. The label is known for its thoughtful presentation and research of its reissue projects and for its focus on championing the best in emerging and established global talent. We had a chance to chat with Eric Warner, President of We Are Busy Bodies, to find out more about this unique collaborative evening.

Can you give a bit of background on your company, in terms of ownership, industry background, artist genres, etc?

We Are Busy Bodies was started in 2005. I was a concert and festival promoter, while also playing in a band. My band was breaking up at the time and had recorded some of our music for posterity, which became the first release. Learning to operate a label was trial and error back then, and it’s probably still a bit of that to this day. We’ve issued over 275 releases between our labels and will easily surpass 300 this year.

The label was also initially intended as a springboard to help get friends signed to bigger labels, such as Sub Pop and Ninja Tune, but at a certain stage, I realized I wanted to do more. The label is owned and operated by me, Eric Warner, with support from a patient crew across the globe.

We release a mix of all genres and like taking risks on what we believe in. I often say that I believe that I can find a few hundred, thousand, or more people to get excited by one of our releases.

You also have a few other imprints. Can you explain the difference behind each of these?

After being genre-agnostic for nearly 20 years and 200 or so releases, we recognized a need to streamline slightly. Perhaps a free jazz album next to a children’s album, followed by a power pop album, works for some, but we realized it could be confusing for some listeners.

We Are Busy Bodies remains eclectic, a bit of everything. Having Fun is focused on rock and all associated sub-genres. In its first year, it issued 15 releases. This year, we have over twice as much planned. Record Record Label is focused on vinyl reissues of Canadian rock-leaning albums from the ‘90s’ and early 2000’s so far. Busy Buddies is a children’s imprint. I had kids and started to make up songs for them. Turns out other musicians also had a similar idea, and now we have a few things moving on this imprint and some books.\

What’s one of the biggest challenges of being an indie record label, and some of the successes?

The constant uncertainty of how a release will perform regardless of strong press, the ebbs and flows of global music purchasing habits, and consumer trends. It’s never a dull moment, and always a learning experience.

Successes – records consistently selling out and requiring represses, awareness of the artists and releases from a global audience, strong press coverage, tours selling out, sessions with KEXP, WFMU, BBC, Tiny Desk, etc.

With risk comes reward.

How did this collaboration of the Nash The Slash film and live music come to be, and how was it decided which artists would be involved, and what songs they’d be covering? Also, same for the album recording?

The mad genius of my long-time friend, Richard Marsella, and his unrelenting desire to champion the things he is passionate about. We have similar ideologies there. He can speak to all elements of this questions far better than I.

Richard Marsella, Producer of the NASH THE SLASH COVERED album

I’ll just say that some projects sort of write themselves, and when I spoke to Colin Brunton about the compilation, I was excited to consider producing a recording of artists from all over the world who knew and loved Nash’s music.  It picked up momentum and I am so proud of this recording, lots of amazing performances on it, all stemming from this one great artist and source of inspiration for so many of us.  Eric’s support on the vinyl release, along with Klanggallerie’s release of the CD gives it some heavy support from the label side, which I am so excited to see.  To work with my dear friend, Eric Warner on so many recordings is a real treat to me, and something I cherish as we have decades of experience collaborating.   This is why we continue to make music, for the deep connection between all of us.  Over the years, I got to know Nash the Slash a little bit, and so this project was a no-brainer, as I identify with the underdog, outsider musician.

What can attendees expect in terms of the overall format for the evening?

A lot of emotions. I assume it will be cathartic for some, and it will bring together generations of Nash The Slash fans with his story being chronicled by his close friends.

Format – film, Q&A, live performances, sandwiches, popcorn, memories, purchasing of records, closure.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.