Nash was born in Toronto , Ontario . He performed with surgical bandages covering his face starting in 1979 . " During a gig at The Edge 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 . " Prior to 1979 , Nash performed three times on TV Ontario 's '' Nightmusic Concert '' , first as a solo artist ( a live broadcast which was never re-aired ) , then with FM ( Nash and Cameron Hawkins ) , and again as a solo artist . In all of these appearances Nash wore his typical black tuxedo , top hat , and dark sunglasses , but not his signature bandages . He was also photographed in this attire for a profile in the '' Toronto Star '' , published April 28 , 1978
Three Mile Island disaster
Three Mile Island accident
Nash the Slash