# ROCK AND PINBALL **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2018-07-21 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/07/21/rock-and-pinball --- ## Analysis The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland opened a special exhibition titled 'Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball' in July 2018, exploring the cultural connection between rock and roll and pinball games. Alice Cooper, an avid pinball collector, attended the opening with drummer Neal Smith. The exhibition features playable pinball machines with rock themes and artifacts including Pete Townshend's guitar, Alice Cooper stage props, and the backglass-inspiring dress from the Dolly Parton game. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Alice Cooper is an avid pinball enthusiast and collector — _Article states Cooper visited the exhibition and his game Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle is featured_ - [HIGH] Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle was released in early 2018 by Spooky Pinball — _Direct statement: 'released earlier in 2018 by Spooky Pinball'_ - [HIGH] Pinball was banned in many US cities until the mid-1970s because it was considered gambling — _Karen Herman quote from Rock Hall curatorial staff explaining pinball history_ - [HIGH] Pete Townshend's 1968 Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar was used to compose 'Pinball Wizard' — _Article lists this as a highlight artifact on display at the exhibition_ - [HIGH] The exhibition runs through Spring 2019 — _Final paragraph: 'through Spring 2019'_ ### Notable Quotes > "Rock and pinball have a lot in common. Both are loud, colorful and rebellious. And both were once considered corrupters of youth." > — **Karen Herman, Vice President of Collections and Curatorial Affairs, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame**, Article dated July 20, 2018 > _Official framing of the conceptual connection between rock and pinball as cultural phenomena_ > "The images on the machines are works of art. They're like album covers and they tell a story." > — **Karen Herman**, Article dated July 20, 2018 > _Elevates pinball backglass artwork to fine art status, drawing parallel to music industry aesthetics_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Alice Cooper | person | Shock rocker born Vincent Damon Furnier; avid pinball enthusiast and collector who visited the Rock Hall exhibition opening | | Neal Smith | person | Alice Cooper band drummer featured on songs like Billion Dollar Babies; attended exhibition opening | | Karen Herman | person | Vice President of Collections and Curatorial Affairs at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; provided curatorial perspective on exhibition | | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | organization | Museum in Cleveland, Ohio hosting 'Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball' exhibition through Spring 2019 | | Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle | game | Spooky Pinball game released early 2018; featured in Rock Hall exhibition and available for visitor play | | Spooky Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer that produced Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle | | Pete Townshend | person | The Who guitarist; his 1968 Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar is on display at the exhibition as the instrument used to compose 'Pinball Wizard' | | Dolly Parton | person | Her dress that inspired the backglass artwork for the Dolly Parton pinball machine is on display at the exhibition | | Dizzy Reed | person | Guns N' Roses member; his tour vest is on display at the exhibition | | Peter Criss | person | Kiss drummer; his drum set used in their farewell tour is on display at the exhibition | | Kiss (Bally, 1978) | game | Rock-themed pinball machine available for play in the exhibition | | Kiss (Stern, 2015) | game | Rock-themed pinball machine available for play in the exhibition | | Metallica: Master of Puppets | game | Stern 2012 rock-themed pinball machine featured in the exhibition | | Aerosmith | game | Stern 2017 rock-themed pinball machine featured in the exhibition | | AC/DC: Back In Black | game | Stern 2012 rock-themed pinball machine featured in the exhibition | | Guns N' Roses | game | Data East 1994 rock-themed pinball machine featured in the exhibition | | Andy Warhol | person | Artist whose rare piece 'Little Electric Chair' is on display at the exhibition | ### Topics - **Primary:** Cultural connection between rock and roll and pinball, Pinball as art and cultural artifact, Historical prohibition and regulation of pinball - **Secondary:** Alice Cooper as pinball enthusiast, Rock-themed pinball machine releases ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — The article celebrates the exhibition as a cultural achievement, uses enthusiastic language about the connection between rock and pinball, and presents the event as a significant cultural moment with prestigious venue and notable attendees. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Rock Hall exhibition encourages public pinball play with high-score leaderboard sharing via #pinballwizard hashtag (confidence: high) — Article states: 'tweeting your high score using the hashtag #pinballwizard for a chance to be featured on the leaderboard' - **[event_signal]** Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opens major special exhibition 'Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball' in July 2018, legitimizing pinball as cultural artifact worthy of institutional museum curation (confidence: high) — Exhibition opened July 11, 2018 with Alice Cooper attendance; features 15+ playable rock-themed machines and high-profile artifacts - **[community_signal]** Alice Cooper confirmed as avid pinball enthusiast and collector, attending official exhibition opening (confidence: high) — Alice Cooper (Vincent Damon Furnier) and drummer Neal Smith visited July 11; Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle by Spooky Pinball featured in exhibition --- ## Transcript Date: 20th July, 2018 Location: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1100 E 9th St, Cleveland, OH 44114, USA The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio USA opened its latest special exhibit with a visit on July 11th by shock rocker Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier) and drummer Neal Smith who was featured on songs such as Billion Dollar Babies. The exhibition is titled Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball and explores the link between rock and roll and pinball games. ![Part of the Machine poster](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/rock-and-pinball/03-rock-and-pinball.jpg) Part of the Machine exhibition poster Cooper is an avid pinball enthusiast and collector; among the games in the Hall of Fame interactive exhibition that are available for visitors to play is Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle released earlier in 2018 by Spooky Pinball. “Rock and pinball have a lot in common,” said Karen Herman, the Rock Hall’s Vice President of Collections and Curatorial Affairs, “Both are loud, colorful and rebellious. And both were once considered corrupters of youth.” ![The Part of the Machine exhibition promotional graphic](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/rock-and-pinball/04-rock-and-pinball.jpg) The Part of the Machine exhibition promotional graphic Pinball was banned in many US cities until the mid-1970s because it was considered gambling. But once those prohibitions were lifted, the images of scantily clad women, baseball and cars that adorned the earlier machines gave way to licensed images from popular culture — including rock and roll stars. “The images on the machines are works of art,” said Herman. “They’re like album covers and they tell a story.” ![The entrance to the exhibition](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/rock-and-pinball/01-rock-and-pinball.jpg) The entrance to the exhibition The Rock Hall of Fame has an impressive collection for visitors to play including Kiss (Bally, 1978 and Stern, 2015), Dolly Parton (Bally, 1979), Metallica: Master of Puppets (Stern, 2012), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Bally, 1976), Guns N’ Roses (Data East, 1994), Aerosmith (Stern, 2017), Elvis (Stern, 2004), Rolling Stones (Bally, 1980), Beat Time (Williams, 1967), Rock Encore (Gottlieb/Premier, 1986), Punk! (Gottlieb, 1982), The Who’s Tommy (Data East, 1994), Wizard! (Bally, 1975), and AC/DC: Back In Black (Stern, 2012). ![A sample of the machines in the exhibition](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/rock-and-pinball/02-rock-and-pinball.jpg) A sample of the machines in the exhibition Those attending the exhibit are encouraged to play the games, with the option of tweeting your high score using the hashtag #pinballwizard for a chance to be featured on the leaderboard. Unfortunately the games are not set to free play; starting July 17, four game tokens will be included with each paid admission and additional tokens will be available for 25 cents each. Other items that are on display include Peter Criss of Kiss’s drum set used in their farewell tour and Dolly Parton’s dress that inspired the backglass for the Dolly Parton pinball machine. Visitors will find other artefacts on display as they learn more about the popular pinball and rock subculture. Highlight items include: Pete Townshend of The Who’s 1968 Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar used to compose ‘Pinball Wizard‘, a rare Andy Warhol piece, ‘Little Electric Chair‘, a vest Dizzy Reed of Guns N’ Roses wore on a tour, as well as an electric chair Alice Cooper stage prop used in his 1971 tour across North America and Europe. ![The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland (picture: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/rock-and-pinball/05-rock-and-pinball.jpg) The Fame) Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball will be featured in the main hall of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH USA through Spring 2019. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 3273c675-5977-495c-a32f-44ef86b3df89*