Nash the Slash

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Nash the Slash (2008)

Jeff Plewman (born March 26, 1948 in Toronto , Ontario ; † May 10, 2014 ibid), with full name James Jeffrey Plewman , better known by his stage name Nash the Slash , was a Canadian musician, composer, performance artist and label owner. The multi-instrumentalist played preferably the electric violin , but also the electric mandolin , harmonica , keyboard instruments , glockenspiel and other instruments.

His music is considered experimental rock music. He has performed with musicians such as Gary Numan , Iggy Pop , The Who and The Police . He composed music for film and television productions as well as for his own multimedia performances with surrealistic pictures by the painter Robert Vanderhorst .

As his musical role models he named Beethoven , Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev , but also The Who , Hawkwind , Neu and Michael Rother , Ash Ra Tempel , Amon Düül , Kraftwerk , Moondog and others.

biography

Plewman began working as a solo musician in the mid-1970s. He wore a tuxedo, top hat and sunglasses when he performed. The promoter Gary Topp engaged him frequently and supported him in the development of his stage identity Nash the Slash. The name comes from the Laurel and Hardy film Do Detectives Think? from 1927. Earlier in his career Nash often played live music to old silent films such as Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel .

In 1976, Nash formed the band FM with Cameron Hawkins in Toronto. After recording their first album, Black Noise , Nash left the group in late 1977 to go solo again. There were two reunions in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1978 Nash founded his own independent label Cut-Throat Records, on which he published his recordings from then on. After the serious accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979, he appeared at a performance with phosphorescent bandages around his head to draw the audience's attention to the dangers of nuclear power. The bandages became his trademark.

Bedside Companion (1978) was the first album in Canada to use a drum machine . In 1980, Nash released the single Dead Man's Curve , a Jan and Dean cover that found wider audiences. In 1980 and 1981 he toured with Gary Numan in the UK and with the Tubes in Europe. First in Europe, the album Children of the Night came out in 1981 . Nash claimed the mini album Decomposing (1981) could be listened to at any playback speed.

1983 to 1989 there was a first reunion of Nash and FM; During this time three albums were created with the band. In 1985, Nash sued PepsiCo for one million Canadian dollars for using his stage oufit in advertising without his consent. PepsiCo stopped the promotion and paid damages.

After the dissolution of FM in 1989, there was not only solo work but also a cooperation with the electronic performance musician Plexus. From 1993 to 1995 they performed a live show called Psychedelitron. From 1994 to 1996 there was a second FM reunion. In 1998, Nash performed at Toronto Pride Week and came out as gay.

In 2004 and 2005, after many years, there was another collaboration with Robert Vanderhorst. Their performance was called "Two Artists". In 2012, Nash announced his retirement from the stage. Nash the Slash died in Toronto in 2014 at the age of 66.

Web links

Commons : Nash the Slash  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Karen Bliss: Nash the Slash, Mysterious Canadian Experimental Musician, Dead at 66 . Billboard , May 13, 2013
  2. ↑ a b c d Nash the Slash's Gravesite, see web links
  3. ↑ a b c Nick Krewen: Nash the Slash, Toronto rock violinist, dead at 66 . Toronto Star , May 12, 2014 (English)
  4. ↑ IMDb, see web links
  5. ↑ a b Nash the Slash, aka Jeff Plewman, dead at 66 . CBC News , May 12, 2014
  6. ↑ Interview with Nash the Slash by Dean Mason in 2002, published on GaryNuman.info (English)
personal data
SURNAME Nash the Slash
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Plewman, James Jeffrey (real name); Plewman, Jeff (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian musician, composer, performance artist and label owner
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Toronto , Ontario , Canada
DATE OF DEATH May 10, 2014
Place of death Toronto , Ontario , Canada