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Episode 162: Mark Tremonti. Rock and Pinball

Pinball Profile·podcast_episode·29m 17s·analyzed·Nov 8, 2018
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TL;DR

Mark Tremonti discusses his 25-year pinball obsession, collection of 13 machines, and interest in designing future pinball titles.

Summary

Mark Tremonti, legendary guitarist from Creed and Alterbridge, discusses his 25-year obsession with pinball collecting and gameplay. He owns 13 machines, frequents major pinball venues including the Papa facility, and aspires to design pinball machines and create soundtracks for them. The conversation covers his favorite eras of pinball (1988-1997 Williams games), his favorite titles (Medieval Madness, Iron Maiden, Tales from Arabian Nights), and his appreciation for the pinball community's inclusivity.

Key Claims

  • Mark Tremonti acquired his first pinball machine approximately 25 years ago (South Park by Sega) and has been obsessed with the hobby ever since.

    high confidence · Mark states: 'I think about 25 years ago I got my first pin, and from there it's just become an obsession.' and 'It was the Sega South Park.'

  • Tremonti currently owns 13 pinball machines with plans to acquire approximately 6 more, with machines distributed across a dedicated game room and a music studio.

    high confidence · Mark: 'I have 13 machines right now. And I plan on, you know, there's probably six more on my wish list that I want to try and find some space for.' Describes game room with 12-machine capacity.

  • Mark's favorite pinball machines from the 1988-1997 Williams era outrank newer modern games in his preference.

    high confidence · Mark: 'I like the play of the older games. I like the 1990s-era games. I like the games between 88 and 97. That's my era. Any game you pick from that era is going to beat any of these new modern games, in my opinion.'

  • Tremonti is interested in learning pinball machine repair, restoration, and design, including soldering switches, installing mods, replacing playfields, cabinet art, and chrome plating.

    high confidence · Mark: 'Now I'm into the repair of machines. I'm learning how to, you know, re-solder switches and install mods. And eventually I want to know how to replace a play field and do the cabinet art and chrome plate the hardware and do it all from top to bottom.'

  • Tremonti visited the Papa facility, describing it as 'a dream come true' and calling it 'special hallowed ground'.

    high confidence · Mark: 'There was one place on earth I'd want to go. It was there, and I finally got to get there. Yeah, it's a special hallowed ground for sure.'

  • Mark has been friends with Jersey Jack (Jersey Jack Pinball founder) for approximately 15 years, initially as a pin dealer before he started manufacturing.

    high confidence · Mark: 'Jersey Jack's one of my friends. I've known him for, gosh, probably 15 years. Before he started making pins, he was a pin dealer. and I bought, the first one I bought off him was Roadshow.'

Notable Quotes

  • “Every night I go to sleep, I'm watching pinball videos. I'm looking up what deals there are on the web, what new mods are out, how the tournaments are going, all the events in the world are happening. It's kind of my obsession.”

    Mark Tremonti @ early in interview — Demonstrates the depth and daily nature of Tremonti's pinball obsession, showing it extends far beyond casual play.

  • “I feel like each pinball machine is almost like its own musical instrument. They have their own feel and their own mood, and they make you feel a certain way.”

    Mark Tremonti @ late in interview — Reveals how a world-class musician interprets pinball machines through a musical lens, drawing parallels between musical and mechanical expression.

  • “It's like legal crack pinball, I swear. Oh, it is. Exactly, it is crack. It is pin crack.”

    Mark Tremonti / Jeff Teolis @ closing segment — Both the host and guest affirm the addictive nature of pinball collecting and playing, a common sentiment in the community.

  • “Any game you pick from that era is going to beat any of these new modern games, in my opinion.”

    Mark Tremonti @ bracket discussion — Articulates preference for 1988-1997 era Williams machines over contemporary releases, a position shared by many vintage enthusiasts.

  • “I'd love to design a pinball machine one day. Like I said, it's my obsession, especially right now.”

    Mark Tremonti @ final segment — Indicates potential future involvement in pinball design, bringing a famous musician's creativity to the industry.

  • “It was the Sega South Park... Looking back on it, I thought it was the greatest machine in the world when I got it. Now that I know all the other machines that are out there, I realize that there's so many better games out there, but it's still a great first machine.”

    Mark Tremonti @ early interview — Shows evolution of collector taste and expertise over 25 years, common trajectory for serious pinball enthusiasts.

Entities

Mark TremontipersonJeff TeolispersonJersey Jack PinballcompanyPapa PinballorganizationMedieval MadnessgameIron MaidengameStar Trek: Next Generationgame

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Tremonti actively evangelizing pinball to friends and family, describing the hobby as addictive and planning to build collector network among his social circle.

    high · Tremonti: 'I'm trying to convince all my friends that could get a pinball machine, to get at least one, because I know if they get one, they're going to buy six of them.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinball community's inclusivity and cross-social-boundary connections highlighted as unique value proposition, attracting high-profile individuals from unrelated industries.

    medium · Jeff Teolis: 'at these pinball events, that unity of this love of pinball, it's such a great feeling' with Tremonti affirming the passion transcends social status.

  • ?

    community_signal: Celebrity musician (Mark Tremonti) demonstrates deep, sustained passion for pinball collecting and gameplay over 25 years, indicating potential positive influence on mainstream awareness and legitimacy of hobby.

    high · Tremonti owns 13 machines, watches pinball videos nightly, visits major venues like Papa facility, and aspires to design machines and create pinball soundtracks.

  • ?

    design_philosophy: High-profile musician expresses strong preference for 1988-1997 Williams-era pinball games over contemporary releases, citing superior feel and gameplay despite newer games' deeper rules.

    high · Tremonti: 'I like the play of the older games... Any game you pick from that era is going to beat any of these new modern games, in my opinion.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Tremonti aspires to create pinball soundtracks and design machines, seeing pinball design as intersection of music and mechanical art comparable to musical instrument creation.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.088

0:00
It's time now for another Pinball Profile. I'm your host, Jeff Teels. You can find our group on Facebook. We're also on Twitter at Pinball Profile. Email us, pinballprofile at gmail.com. and please subscribe on either iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Pleasure to be talking to not only just a good guitarist, how about a great guitarist, like a three-time guitarist of the year. You know him from Creed, Alterbridge, and the Tremonti Group. Well, Mark Tremonti joins us right now, and a big pinhead. Hey, Mark, how are you? Good, how about yourself? It's good to be talking to you. I think some of us on Facebook saw some recent pictures of you at the Papa facilities. That had to be a lot of fun for a pinhead like yourself. It's a dream come true. There was one place on earth I'd want to go. It was there, and I finally got to get there. Yeah, it's a special hallowed ground for sure. You've been into pinball for quite some time. This isn't just a recent fad. This is something that's been going on for many, many years. Yeah, I think about 25 years ago I got my first pin, and from there it's just become an obsession. I was just like everybody else. I thought it was just a game of chance and a clever game to play in the past time. But now I'm obsessed with it, and I can't get enough. Well, like many of us in our mid-40s, we kind of remember that when we were younger, right? And I assume for you, you were playing in your teens and maybe some video games as well too, but it was really pinball, I assume, that really caught your eye. Yeah, you know, I was in my early 20s when I got my first machine, and before that I wasn't really too interested in it. Then once I had my own, I learned all the little nooks and crannies of what that machine could do, and I realized every machine was so unique, and I just kind of fell into it. Now I can't get enough. Every night I go to sleep, I'm watching pinball videos. I'm looking up what deals there are on the web, what new mods are out, how the tournaments are going, all the events in the world are happening.
2:04
It's kind of my obsession. Okay, everyone wants to know, what was your first game? It was the Sega South Park.
2:11

Tremonti would be interested in creating soundtracks and designing pinball machines as a future project.

high confidence · Mark: 'I'd love to. That's definitely not beneath me. That's my world coming together. It's my two favorite things combined' and 'I'd love to design a pinball machine one day.'

  • Creed disbanded due to internal conflict and loss of creative excitement rather than for financial reasons, with improved relations since then.

    high confidence · Mark: 'it got to the point where we weren't excited about what we were doing anymore. And there was just fighting going on nonstop' and 'I think Scott's changed a lot since those days for the better, and I wish him the best.'

    • Alice Cooper
    game
    Tales from Arabian Nightsgame
    Metallicagame
    Judge Dreddgame
    Guns N' Rosesgame
    Tommygame
    The Shadowgame
    Cactus Canyongame
    Creedorganization
    Alterbridgeorganization
    Miles Kennedyperson
    Brian Eddyperson
    Bowen Kerinsperson

    high · Tremonti: 'I feel like each pinball machine is almost like its own musical instrument' and expresses desire to combine guitar work with pinball design.

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Veteran pinball enthusiast shows evolution in taste from newer games toward appreciation of pre-1988 classic games with simpler rule sets, representing a maturation common among experienced collectors.

    high · Tremonti: 'My case has definitely matured over the years. Like I would have never, like machines like Taxi and Diner and Mousing Around, I would have never looked twice at those machines. Now I love them.'

    • Looking back on it, I thought it was the greatest machine in the world when I got it. Now that I know all the other machines that are out there, I realize that there's so many better games out there, but it's still a great first machine. So where did you go from there? What was the next one? My next one was Star Trek Next Generation, and that was definitely a step up. And from there, I fell in love with the 90s era Williams Valley machines. That's kind of my main, still to this day, my favorite machines. Yeah, hear, hear. I'm the same way. Although I love the new ones, I love some of the classics too, but that era, that's the one that got me hooked. I assume that maybe you do a lot of traveling, so you probably get to see other places other than the Papa facility. Do you have some favorite places that you've been to play pinball? The Krakow Pinball Museum in Poland. Yeah, I spent quite plenty of time there in two days, all day long playing. It's a great place. Back here in the States, there's a great place in Fort Wayne. Gosh, I think it's Wizard is in the title. I can't remember exactly what it's called, but that was a really great place. There's a place here in Orlando called the Pinball Lounge that I like to go to. I mean, there's places everywhere. Every time I have a day off on tour, I'm Googling the best local places. There are some good apps, too, that can help you find some pinball locations. I know about the Pinball Lounge, too, and it stinks that you're leaving for Europe right before a big, big event right there in Orlando. Free Play Florida happens the 9th through the 11th, and you'll be in Europe. Yeah, that's a bummer. I miss all the good stuff, but at least I get to travel the world and go visit all the different locations, so I'm not complaining. That's a good point, too. It's not like there's a void there. Now, is this something you want to be going to? Do you want to be in competitions? Do you like the shows? What aspect of pinball? Do you play against others? Do you like that kind of competitive nature? You know, just recently I've really worked on my game, and it's mostly just watching YouTube posts and seeing how people play and seeing what advice they give and whatnot. But I'm not a great pinball player. I'm just a fanatic. I love collecting the machines and really diving in and learning everything you can get out of a machine. Now I'm into the repair of machines. I'm learning how to, you know, re-solder switches and install mods. And eventually I want to know how to replace a play field and do the cabinet art and chrome plate the hardware and do it all from top to bottom. Well, I'm sure you have access to all the facilities. I'm sure Stern and Jersey Jack and all these other places will welcome you with open arms to come check it out. It's something I'm sure you're going to take advantage of. Jersey Jack's one of my friends. I've known him for, gosh, probably 15 years. Before he started making pins, he was a pin dealer. and I bought, the first one I bought off him was Roadshow. And from there, I think it was whenever I had something to sell, I'd give to him to sell and I'd trade with him and we became friends. And now I'm so proud of what he's done. You know, he's done something real special with Jersey Jack Pinball and we'll always be friends. So you mentioned a couple of your machines. How many are you at now? I have 13 machines right now. And I plan on, you know, there's probably six more on my wish list that I want to try and find some space for, but it's kind of getting ridiculous. I'm moving into every part of the house that I can think of. Where do you have your pinball machines? Are there things like, I believe they call them couches? Do you have those?
    5:17
    No, I have a game room that can fit 12. You know, it's got a big long wall that fits eight, and I've got four on another wall. I have another room where I rehearse and write music in kind of my studio that I'm planning on putting a couple more machines into, but we'll see. May I suggest, and I know nothing about music. I mean, I've been a DJ for 25 years, sure. I do a little classic rock show, but can I suggest in your studio room, if you're going to put any machine in there, heavy metal meltdown. There you go. Isn't that the greatest riff ever? I know you've won some awards for being the greatest riff of all time, and congratulations on that with great magazines like Guitar World. I mean, like we're talking, you know, the Bible of guitarists here. But that heavy metal meltdown, I mean, every time you play it, It makes you smile, doesn't it? Oh, yeah. I mean, there's so many games that I'm addicted to the music of. I just want to get a CD with all the soundtrack pinball music. I think of where you grew up. You grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and, I mean, you want to talk about a great musical history there. I don't know if you remember the old days of WRIF and Arthur P. and all that kind of good stuff. Yeah. Okay. I got to get on the air with those guys and party with Arthur Jr. Yeah, no, I grew up with the riff. and it was definitely a rock and roll surroundings. When I lived in Detroit, the heavier the music you were in, the cooler you were in school. When I moved to Florida, nobody even knew anything about rock and roll, so that was a big culture shock for me. But that's how I really learned how to play guitars when I moved to Florida, and I really didn't have very many friends at first. I had my guitar, and that's how I really learned how to become a songwriter. First of all, Detroit, we can list endless musicians that came from there. I mean, Alice Cooper, and you've got MC5, and you've got Nuge, and Grand Funk, and so many great bands that I'm forgetting even. Of course, Motown. Bob Seger. Bob Seger, of course. And you go to Florida and some of the greatest guitarists ever there I mean you think of well Tom Petty was from Florida You got Don Felder I think even Toth Petty Yeah I mean Florida actually got a big heavy metal scene what they did But you never really think of Florida as a big music place until you really do your homework and figure out who came from here. Okay, Mark, I guess you're the best person to talk about this. Let's do a little greatest rock pinball machines, a little mini bracket for you, okay? And I'll list them based on how they're ranked in Pinside, okay? So we'll just do eight, and you have to determine the greatest rock pinball machine and give your reasons. Here we go. Okay? In the one versus eight bracket, to determine number eight, because there are so many, I'll let you pick what the number eight one is, okay? Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie. I'll even throw in Heavy Metal Meltdown, and I'm not putting in Mick on a Stick. The Rolling Stones, great band, terrible pinball machine. So which of those ones I mentioned will be your number eight seed? Oh, geez. You know what? I don't know if this would be an unpopular choice, but I think Alice Cooper is my favorite of those ones that I've played. That would be mine, too, actually. Great. Yeah, that's a great machine. So, so long, heavy metal meltdown, so long, zombie. Alice Cooper, you get to face the number one seed right now in the first bracket. We'll just put in Iron Maiden. I think Iron Maiden's a great machine.
    8:33
    Totally different machines. I feel like the Gookie pinball machines have a different feel than the Stern machines. You know, they're completely different animals. But I'd say if I had to put one in my home, it would probably be Iron Maiden. Okay, boy, I didn't know where you were on the fence there. I thought, this is for your pinball cred, Mark. This is really, you know, where are we going to go with this here? I mean, there's cool points for Alice Cooper, no question about it. But Maiden's been kind of the game of the year. Okay, Maiden moves on. In the 2-7 bracket, I think I know where you're going to go with this one. Kiss, and you can take either the Valley, but I would suggest the new Stern game, versus Metallica. I'd say Metallica all day long. Yeah, no kidding. All right. We don't even have to elaborate on that. This one's interesting. ACDC, a great game. And I'm going to throw Tommy in there, too, from Data East. Oh, boy.
    9:21
    I'm going to go with the classic. I'll go with Tommy. Whoa, our first upset. Now, why do you like Tommy, the Data East game? I just like the history of it. I love ACDC. It's, I think, one of the two best bands to ever exist. But, you know, I think the Tommy machine just has history. You know, it's got class. It's got history. By the way, what's the top band then? Led Zeppelin. We can continue this conversation.
    9:46
    As I have a cat named Zeppelin, I made sure my son's first song ever heard was Immigrant Song when he came out of the hospital. We're on good terms here, Mark. Okay. In the 4-5 bracket, you never know where this is going to go. We've already had an upset with Tommy over ACDC. Aerosmith versus GNR. Oh, geez. Well, I think I know which one's higher on the Penn side chart because it seems like all the newer games always get the props. I'm guessing Aerosmith's higher than GNR, but I prefer the GNR. You prefer GNR, even though Slash took Miles from Alter Bridge for a little while? No, I mean, we both, you know, me and Slash are cool. You know, Alter Bridge is on for a year, off for a year, when I do my solo project and Slash and Miles go on tour. and miles almost got to be the lead singer of zeppelin after that o2 concert that was kind of cool yeah you know it's uh they jammed a few times and that's an experience he'll never forget but uh yeah we're we're blessed to have such a good song yeah can i just say something because i've never said this on pinball profile i have said this several times on my radio show i don't know if there's a vocalist better than miles kennedy in the last 10 years i think he's the best male tenor vocalist in rock and roll, period. I mean, of this era, I'm not going to say he's better than Robert Plant, but I'd say he's today's top tenor. He is unreal how good he is. And the same goes for Alter Bridget. I think, in fact, I mean, this is going way back. I got to introduce you in concert in Sarnia, Ontario. It was a big Bayfest concert. Nice. Probably around 2004. Yep, exactly. Yeah. You've got a good memory, especially out of all the shows you do. I mean, for crying out loud. But anyway, we've got our next bracket. It's funny. We're doing all the rock and roll machines, obviously, because I'm in rock and roll. But you know what's funny? My pinball choices, I don't think any of them really have anything to do with rock and roll. My favorite machines. Are you a sci-fi guy, or what is it?
    11:39
    Medieval Madness is number one for me. Yep. Maybe Star Trek Next Generation is number two. Maybe Monster Bash is number three. Maybe Tales from Arabian Nights is number four. I love my Cactus Canyon machine. I love all the games you just mentioned. Let's talk about tails for a second here before we get back to our rock bracket. How do you play tails? You know, I've had to move out of my house that had all my pinball machines in it, I don't know, five years ago. So I've been so focused on my medieval madness and my, I have a Judge Dredd at home right now as well that I've been playing a lot. I've got my Cactus Canyon and my theater, but it's been a long time since I've really focused on my strategy for it. But back then I was just having fun. Now I'm trying to become a better player and really getting into the strategies and the technique. But back when I was playing that, before I had moved out, I wasn't as sophisticated as I am now.
    12:31
    You are one of the greatest guitarists in the world, and you just so happen to be talking to one of the greatest pinball players in the world, a guy who's been in the top 100. Completely modest about it, of course. And if you have a juicy lamp, that is the whole game right there in Tales of Arabian Night. I don't care what anyone says. If you can rip that, get it lightened up three times, spin it all day long. I love that game. Wow, you're going to have to give me some tips. I only get them from the real guys. Let's be honest. They're not coming from me.
    12:57
    They're passed along. They're second generation. Well, if you're a top 100 player, I'd love to learn. Don't ask anybody how good I am. Just assume I am great, okay? There you go. I'll do so. Okay, let's go back to that bracket, all right? Now we've got one, two, five, and six going. So you've got Maiden versus Tommy. I didn't think Tommy would get this far. Can they beat the Beast? No. Maiden beats Tommy, yeah. Maiden, okay. By the way, I know you don't have it in your collection. It's a game worth getting. It's so much fun. Oh, yes. Okay, here we go. GNR versus Metallica.
    13:30
    You know, I know Metallica is probably a higher-rated machine, but I like GNR better. Wow. I like the play of the older games. I like the 90s-era games. I like the games between 88 and 97. That's my era. Any game you pick from that era is going to beat any of these new modern games, in my opinion. Really? We'll get to the final in a second. I do like GNR. I like the ramps that says G and R. I never noticed that until a few years ago. I've been playing that thing forever. Me too. Somebody had to point it out to me. Kind of embarrassing that I don't actually look at the play field, but that's a good game. I mean, okay, do you select a band member to get towards multiball, or do you select super pops? I select the band member. Do you? Even though on ball three you're going to get multiball no matter what. You know, I never knew the depth of their machines. I never owned it. It was just kind of played every now and then at the arcade and pinball joints, so it's never something I got to dive into. The only games I really know the ins and outs of are the ones I'm currently playing. Like I said, I've been out of my house, and my pinballs have been sitting there in storage for so many years and I only get to really dive into a few of them right now I can wait When I get back into my house I don care about anything but getting those pinball machines set back up Mark I certainly not picking on you and your gameplay because I already know once you have the passion like you do and it not just like a recent passion You're talking 25 years. And the fact that you're a musician, I think guys who are musicians, and I've talked to Ed Robertson. He's a really good player, too, from Bury Naked Ladies. Slash obviously plays. You guys, especially you on the guitar, have incredible hand-eye coordination and timing. Those are two of the biggest attributes you need for being a great pinball player. So when I'm talking to you, even just now, and we're talking about rule sets and the best ways to score, that's not a skill. That's just something, if I don't know it, it's because it's ignorance. And then you learn it, and then it's like the back of your hand. That's all you need. Oh, yeah. I mean, every time I spend all day on a machine, I'm trying to learn the rules, and I'll get on and I'll look up the pop-up tutorials online, and they're really good at showing you. You know, you look at the Shadow, which is the next machine I'll be buying. And they go through the three different rundowns of all the best ways to get one of the highest points in that game. And you never realize that just being a casual player. Okay, here's the difference between Shadow and being a great player. That is one of the greatest games. I love that Brian Eddy game. Here's the thing about that. The best way to do well in that game is that upper loop shot, which is so hard to do. The left loop into the upper loop. If you can do it, kudos to you. because you're a better player than I'll ever be because that is, might get lucky, do it once, maybe twice. Guys like Bowen Cairns, who did that video you're talking about, I mean, all day. Raymond Davidson and Kaylee George, two of the greatest players in the world this weekend, and they were also just talking about, oh, yeah, just do that, just do that. Okay, easier said than done. Well, you have, you know, I grew up on Star Trek Next Generation. That's kind of a similar shot to get up onto that ramp on the left. I'm trying to figure out the flipper control at this point. So I'm trying all kinds of different ways of trying to gain control, and I'm trying to hit the flipper at its peak when the ball hits the flipper as much as I can, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But, you know, I love when you can hit a loop and then hit the small upper right flipper. You know, Judge Dredd has that as well. I just love the feel of that. When you can hit that double shot there, the loop and then the ramp, it's always a satisfying shot to make. There's that on the Simpsons pinball party, too. It's just hard to get in the left side. The new Oktoberfest game has that same shot, too, and if you can do that, you're going to be really successful. Okay, all right, we got that. I've been watching some videos on that. How's that? Have you played that machine? I played it four times, and I really, really enjoyed it. In fact— Is it as hard as Houdini? No. Those Houdini shots are tight. Have you played Houdini? Oh, a bunch of times. Yeah, I love Houdini, but I feel like those shots are so tight. It's almost beyond being a great aiming shooter. It's almost next to impossible to hit those shots without a little bit of luck. I like playing a little bit on the fly, too. I mean, it's nice to cradle up, but hitting that shot on the fly, there's no other way to describe it than being lucky because it is makeable. It's just not something, as you describe, the upper loops or cross loops, let's say, of like a fishtails or maybe you want to cross loop ACDC. You can do those. You've got enough space to do that, but can't do it on Houdini. Yeah, I could never get consistent with it. I could never hit the same shot three times in a row. If I ever go to an arcade, I'm never playing the games without the ramps. I'm not into the Gorgar types. I own a Centaur, but that's in a haunted house. Those are the only games I'm really familiar with that aren't the more modern. Like I said, from 1988 onwards are kind of the ones I dove into. Well, here's the thing. As you get to play a little more, Mark, the newer games are certainly unique, and the rules are deeper. The older games, and I'm talking before the era you like, the rules are extremely simple, just harder to execute. And there's something magical about that, about games like Stars, Quicksilver, Stargazer. These old, stern, old ballet games, it becomes a whole new thing. And next time you go to Papa facility, forget the newer games. Play some of the older ones. You'll be in heaven. Oh, I'm getting, you know, my case has definitely matured over the years. Like I would have never, like machines like Taxi and Diner and Mousing Around, I would have never looked twice at those machines. Now I love them. I want to have them in my collection. They're from a simpler time, simpler rule sets, but just as fun in every way. So maybe after I dive into those games a little more, I'll see the fun in the simpler games, even simpler than those. I have sons. You have sons. Do they play pinball? Yeah, both my sons are really good. Every now and then they'll beat me, and they enjoy it. Sometimes we'll play for hours, and then sometimes they'll just forget about it until they see me playing for hours and they'll come join. They're kind of on and off with it. So, Mark, I know you watch a lot of videos on YouTube to see some of these great tutorials. You watch some of the Papa Pinball tutorials as well. You've been on YouTube once or twice, and one of my favorite videos of you, I think it was Loudwire who did it, it was kind of trying to figure out if some of the things were myths or not. And, I mean, that's kind of unique and stuff, but forget that. That's at least a controlled interview. What do you do about some of the people who, as every artist has criticism, and obviously more fan base is the case with you with the millions that you've sold and the awards that you've won, how do you deal with some of the criticisms from just, no other way to put it, trolls? You know, back in my earlier days it was worse than now. Now it seems to be just pretty much all positive. I think I'm lucky enough to have had the success that I had earlier on, but with that success you take a lot of hits. And then with Alter Bridge and my solo project, it might not be as big, but you get more of the credibility and get the critical acclaim. So I've gotten to be on both sides of the fence. Yeah, it seems the longer you go, the more critical success you get, and it's a real testament to you and your fine playing. I think it's amazing. I get a kick out of the thought that the band was once called, this is Creed, the band was once called Naked Toddler. That's just not true. No, it's just a rumor.
    20:48
    For those who don't know, how did that rumor start? I have no idea, to be honest with you. It's just there's been so many little rumors out there over the years that you never know where one came from and which ones are real, which ones aren't. Wasn't it a joke you were reading a newspaper once and you were looking for a title for a band or a gig? Maybe you had the headline and you need to put a band name down? I think it was before the band even had a name and we were playing open mic nights or something. Somebody said whatever the band is, I think it was like whatever the band is, tomorrow night is going to be whatever the headline of the next page in the newspaper is going to be. And the article was about, I think it was about some kid who was walking down the street, and it was like, naked toddler found on the street. A name that wouldn't work very well in 2018, would it? No. Or probably even back then, yeah. You know, I know a lot of pinball designers, whether they're making play fields or software,
    21:45
    these are artists to me. and sometimes personalities of these artists in pinball, they clash. Some of the greatest designers ever have only worked with one maybe software person once and then they move on to someone else someone else It got to be tough as an artist like yourself to really have a vision and then have to gel with somebody else You're in a group, so you have to gel with other people and it might not always work. I mean, I've always wondered how people like yourself who've created some masterpiece songs get through that. I mean, look at Mick and Keith. They hate each other. They get a pretty good payday, so they, you know, grin and bear it. But for you, I know there was a decision at some time to call it a day with Creed. And really, from what I've heard from interviews in the past, it was more about, you know, we didn't get in this for fame and fortune. We were lucky that that happened. But it was really about creating good art and at the end of the day, about being happy. Is that a fair statement to say? Yeah, you know, it's just it got to the point where we weren't excited about what we were doing anymore. And there was just fighting going on nonstop. And it's just a stressful thing, you know, we'd all be having fun together, and then we'd kind of run into a certain member of the band that was causing a bunch of problems back in the day, and it was uncomfortable, you know, and I didn't want to live the rest of my life walking on eggshells and just being, not being happy, and I think at that point, we had gotten enough success where we could go and do something else, you know, and I'm very happy with what we did in those days, because I wouldn't be here today if we didn't go through all that. But I think Scott's changed a lot since those days for the better, and I wish him the best. Well, good on you for making that decision, the integrity that you had, and the fact that you're still so young and still doing so many great things in the future and continue to do so as you get ready to tour Europe and beyond. So, pinball, you want to get into this pinball scene, don't you? Absolutely. This is, you know, guitar, pinball. Well, that's my two favorite things. Like I said, every night I go to sleep, and I want to either read a book or get online and check out pinball videos or check out the new mods on the market or techniques or strategies and all of the above. I don't know if this is beneath you, or I'm saying this in total ignorance. I don't know the answer to this. But because you're passionate about it, would you ever lay down a soundtrack or some sounds for pinball machines in the future? You're friends with Jersey Jack. I'd love to. That's definitely not beneath me. That's my world coming together. It's my two favorite things combined, so I'd love that. Get on those contacts. I'm sure people would love to have some Mark Tremonti guitars on pinball machines. I'd love it. I'd love to design a pinball machine one day.
    24:29
    Like I said, it's my obsession, especially right now. My wife's getting on me every time I'm online. She's like, what the hell are you doing again? You're looking up pinball? No, no, it's porn. Trust me, it's porn.
    24:40
    She's just like everybody else. They don't know how deep it goes. They think it's a game of chance and it's just a bunch of balls making a racket with a bunch of toys. It's not. I feel like each pinball machine is almost like its own musical instrument. They have their own feel and their own mood, and they make you feel a certain way. You get into the mood of a machine. You can play it for hours and hours and hours. It's like you've just watched a movie or something. I love it. You've described the feeling of thousands of people listening to this podcast right now. I mean, that's the exact same thing. It doesn't matter whether you're Mark Tremonti, one of the world's best guitarists, or you're just Joe Blow playing for the first time. That passion kind of goes through all of us. And the neat thing about these shows and these tournaments, Mark, and I hope you do get into them, is that we come from all different walks of life. And we have this same common bond of pinball that we all gel together. where we may never have met each other in any other way in our lifestyles, but at these pinball events, that unity of this love of pinball, it's such a great feeling. Absolutely. Even when I do, I just bought a piece from my Medieval Madness game, and I bought from somebody up inside. This guy I've never met before is at work. He stops work, spends a half hour talking to me about pinball in the middle of his work shift. I get all excited about it, and I think both of us just want to keep talking, but I can't spend the whole day talking about pinball, but I would. You know, I'd talk all day long about pinball with people that are into it. I want to meet, I'm trying to convince all my friends that could get a pinball machine, to get at least one, because I know if they get one, they're going to buy six of them. You know, they're going to keep going. So when I get, you know, a dozen friends who have a pinball machine each and they get addicted to it like me, I can trade machines with all my buddies in town. It'd be heaven for me. Listen to the words you're using about getting your friends just to try one, the addiction. It's like legal crack pinball, I swear. Oh, it is.
    26:37
    Exactly, it is crack. It is pin crack. So you're on pin side, as you say, and do you travel with a pinball machine all over the world? I know some musicians do that. No, but I'm lucky enough to have some in dressing rooms. We just did a seven-week tour with Iron Maiden and go into the catering, and there's an Iron Maiden machine because people just want Iron Maiden to sign their pinball machine, so I get to play Iron Maiden. I just played a venue last month where there was a Playboy machine in the dressing room. There's been a couple other ones, but most of the time they don't work, which is a shame. But usually I look up whatever's within five or ten miles, and I just drive or get an Uber over to the local pinball joint. I was in Nashville for four days on this last tour, and every day I'd go to Game Galaxy, which has, I don't know, 60 pinball machines. So it was a dream come true. Well, next time you're in Nashville, check out Patrick McKinnon at Music City Pinball. He's got a ton there. There's a lot of great places there. Again, you'll find some of these. I assume, you know, as you say you're watching videos and stuff, I assume you listen to podcasts like this. Just lie and say yes.
    27:45
    You know what? I will. Now that I know they exist. Okay, so what's the greatest rock game out of all of these? We've got Iron Maiden or GNR. GNR really has surprised us to make it to the finals here, but you like that era. Is it going to be Iron Maiden or GNR? You know, I've stuck with my era all this time, but I'd say if I had to choose a game for my whole generation, which really is the question here, would I like better long-term? I'd go with Iron Maiden. Yeah, it's a great machine. Good choice, Mark. Thank you, sir. Well, Mark, I definitely hope to see you at some of these pinball events. Sign up for a competition. You'll have a ball. Definitely go to the shows, and then you can play at your own leisure. But good luck to you getting your friends to get one, because you and I both know one turns into two, three, four, five, ten, twenty. Absolutely. I'll do my best. Spread the word. All the best, and we hope to see you soon. Awesome. Thanks so much. Spin your pinball profile. I'm your host, Jeff Teelis. You can find our group on Facebook. We're also on Twitter at pinballprofile. Email us pinballprofile at gmail.com, and please subscribe on either iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. I'm Jeff Gillespie.
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    you