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Episode 79: Ed Robertson, part 2?

Pinball Profile·podcast_episode·30m 32s·held·Oct 12, 2017
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.030

TL;DR

Ed Robertson talks pinball passion, collection strategy, and touring life with Pinball Profile.

Summary

Jeff Teolis interviews Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies about his deep passion for pinball collecting, restoration, and casual competitive play. Robertson discusses his collection philosophy (playing to keep, ruthless about space), his enjoyment of modern games like TNA and classics like Fathom, and his preference for match-play tournaments over traditional bracket events. The conversation also covers his music career, the new album Fake Nudes, and his perspective on security at large venues.

Key Claims

  • Ed Robertson has owned pinball machines since 1998 and started learning repairs five years ago, which expanded his collection significantly

    high confidence · Ed Robertson, direct statement about his collecting timeline

  • Robertson maintains a capacity of 15 machines at home and uses a ruthless 'if not playing it, it goes' philosophy for collection management

    high confidence · Ed Robertson, describing his collection approach

  • Robertson prefers match-play tournaments like Pinberg over traditional bracket tournaments due to dislike of waiting in lines to play

    high confidence · Ed Robertson, explaining tournament preferences

  • Jersey Jack Pinball is rumored to be showing a Pirates wide-body at Pinball Expo

    medium confidence · Ed Robertson, stating 'the rumors are pirates. Pirates' wide body is the rumor I'm hearing'

  • Batman 66 code updates are in development at Stern, with designer Zach Sharpe confirming work is underway

    high confidence · Jeff Teolis, citing direct conversation with Zach Sharpe at Stern

  • Robertson travels with a pinball machine on tour, strapped to a lighting case with blankets and ratchet straps

    high confidence · Ed Robertson, describing his touring machine setup

  • Robertson wrote the majority of songs for Fake Nudes immediately after Silver Ball's release, conducting writing trips to Nashville, LA, and his cottage

    high confidence · Ed Robertson, describing his album writing process

  • The Barenaked Ladies had approximately 50 songs under consideration for Fake Nudes, eventually selecting 14 for the final album

    high confidence · Ed Robertson, discussing democratic song selection process with band

Notable Quotes

  • “If I'm not playing the game, it's got to go. I don't keep something for nostalgic reasons or keep something because it's the first game I bought or because it's a dream theme for me.”

    Ed Robertson @ ~29:00 — Reveals Robertson's collector philosophy and ruthless approach to maintaining a manageable collection size

  • “I always try to fit in pinball every day, even if it's just a chat about pinball. It's a very centering, grounding thing for me to play some pinball.”

    Ed Robertson @ ~42:00 — Demonstrates how integral pinball has become to Robertson's daily life despite demanding tour schedule

  • “What I don't like is waiting around to play pinball. That's the biggest problem I have with it... I don't like waiting around to play a game I didn't want to play in the first place.”

    Ed Robertson @ ~24:00 — Explains Robertson's avoidance of traditional bracket tournaments in favor of match-play or casual play

  • “The current state of gun laws in America is ludicrous. Something has to be done for sure.”

    Ed Robertson @ ~48:00 — Robertson takes direct political stance on gun control in response to Las Vegas concert shooting discussion

  • “I'm a real player collector. Like, if I'm not playing the game, it's got to go.”

    Ed Robertson @ ~28:30 — Core philosophy distinguishing Robertson's approach from traditional collectors who keep machines for nostalgia or museum value

  • “I have 32 songs... And I wasn't precious about anything and it was a really great process.”

    Ed Robertson @ ~34:00 — Describes how advance songwriting provided creative flexibility and reduced pressure during album recording process

Entities

Ed RobertsonpersonJeff TeolispersonNate ShiverspersonZach SharpepersonJack DangerpersonScott DenisepersonDranoperson

Signals

  • ?

    collector_signal: Ed Robertson identifies as a 'real player collector' who ruthlessly removes machines from his 15-machine capacity if he's not actively playing them, prioritizing playability and engagement over nostalgia or rarity

    high · Robertson: 'I'm a real player collector. Like, if I'm not playing the game, it's got to go. I don't keep something for nostalgic reasons or keep something because it's the first game I bought or because it's a dream theme for me.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Nate Shivers (Coast to Coast Pinball) publicly endorsed Pinball Profile as a worthwhile listening platform, praising Jeff Teolis's interview quality and podcast structure

    high · Teolis: 'When Nate said this on the last episode... Someone else who's shown a lot of really amazing enthusiasm and energy into something around pinball is Jeff and his podcast, Pinball Profile. Really good. They're short. They're easy to listen to. He gets fantastic interviews.'

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Ed Robertson expresses hope and anticipation for a Batman 66 code update to be announced at Pinball Expo, referencing designer Zach Sharp's confirmation that Stern is actively working on it

    high · Robertson: 'I'm really hoping Lyman drops a Batman 66 code drop for Expo.' Teolis confirms: 'Zach Sharp, what was the first question I asked when we went to Stern? are we going to see a code for Batman 66? And he said, yeah, they are absolutely working on it.'

  • ?

    machine_intel: Pirates wide-body is being rumored as Jersey Jack Pinball's Pinball Expo announcement, though Robertson acknowledges excitement about the rumor without confirmation

    medium · Robertson: 'The rumors are pirates. Pirates' wide body is the rumor I'm hearing.'

  • ?

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.092

0:00
Light me up, knock me down. I'm free game whenever you're around. So lock me in, we're special bound. You're my silver ball. It's time for another Pinball Profile. I'm your host, Jeff Teolis. 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 iTunes. Before we get to our guest, who is Ed Robertson, today's podcast is called Ed Robertson Part 2. Did I do Part 1? No. Part 1 is on Coast to Coast Pinball, and I highly recommend you listen to that. I'm sure you already do. Nate Shivers has set the bar and always has been the gold standard of pinball podcasts. Whether any of us heard his podcast before we started our own, we've at some point, whether even going back or not, listened to Coast to Coast and realized that's how it's supposed to be done. There was a time when he moved to Europe that we thought, okay, maybe he's not doing this anymore, but thankfully he is back and producing shows, including his most recent one, which is Ed Robertson. I call that part one. This will be an extension of what Nate and Ed talked about. But I first want to thank Nate because he paid me the ultimate compliment, and I thank anybody who I see at a tournament, at an event that really enjoys Pinball Profile. It means a lot to me. I'm surprised that anyone is listening to these, but thank you very much for the feedback, positive or negative. It warms my heart when I hear my friends Bruce and Ron at Slam Tilt Podcast talk about Pinball Profile. Jeff Parsons, who started a fantastic Pinball Players podcast, mentioned me in his very first episode. That also meant a lot to me. But when Nate said this on the last episode, thanks very much, Nate. You should be listening to something else, too. Pinball Profile, Jeff Tieles. Tieles? Tieles? Tieles? Jeff, how do you say your last name? Tieles? He says it so fast in his perfect radio announcer voice. I'm not exactly sure how to even say it. I feel insecure. I need to have, hold on, Jeff Tillis. This is Coast to Coast Pinball with Nate Shivers, something like that. I kid. Someone else who's shown a lot of really amazing enthusiasm and energy into something around pinball is Jeff and his podcast, Pinball Profile.
2:11
Really good. They're short. They're easy to listen to. He gets fantastic interviews. I just listened to the Jersey Jack interview. It's really good. so find Pinball Profile just search it on Facebook you'll find it listen to Jeff's show it's good stuff he's a really nice guy and doing good work very kind words thank you very much Nate enjoy Coast to Coast Pinball episode 238 which is Ed Robertson part 1 this is part 2 and Ed was kind enough to drop by the radio station here before another sold out Barenaked Ladies show tonight in support of their new album Fake Nudes coming out in November it's good to see you again Ed nice to see you Jeff we have a lot in common Both Canadian, both in our 40s, both love music. You're in the Barenaked Ladies. I've seen a Barenaked Lady, and we both love pinball. It is like twins separated at birth. Now, before we start, I want to say thank you for completing my Scarborough trifecta of conversations. First, actor Mike Myers, then the late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, and now Ed Robertson. Come full circle. Thank you. The unholy trinity of Scarbarians. Speaking of Toronto City Hall, I'm not sure a lot of the listeners will know this, being maybe south of the border or elsewhere, but Barenaked Ladies were supposed to play City Hall New Year's Eve back in 91. A city councillor thought the name was a little too rude, and you were banned. So I'm glad to see that you were there, City Hall, this summer for Canada's 150th celebration. How crazy was that back in 91? It was remarkable. We went from selling basically nothing to selling 14,000 copies of a cassette per week. There was a time there where our independently released cassette-only five-song demo tape was outselling Madonna and U2 on the Canadian charts.
Barenaked Ladies
organization
Stern Pinballcompany
Spooky Pinballcompany
Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
Pinball Expoevent
Texas Pinball Festivalevent
Batman 66game
Total Nuclear Annihilationgame
Deadpoolgame
Metallicagame
Scared Stiffgame
Fathomgame
Quicksilvergame

design_philosophy: Robertson demonstrates appreciation for both modern complex games (The Walking Dead's esoteric rules) and retro simplicity (Total Nuclear Annihilation's elegant mechanics), plus early 1980s solid-state machines, showing broad design taste

high · Robertson: 'I love it all. I'm excited to talk about it, the esoteric rules of The Walking Dead, right into the elegant simplicity of Total Nuclear Annihilation, or even back to those early 80s games that I love so much, whether that's Fathom or Quicksilver.'

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Robertson prefers match-play tournaments (Pinberg-style) over traditional bracket tournaments due to avoidance of waiting in lines, though time constraints with touring limit participation

    high · Robertson: 'I do love to compete, but so far I don't love pinball tournaments... What I don't like is waiting around to play pinball... a match play tournament like a Pinberg or other match play events, that would be good for you.'

  • ?

    venue_signal: Robertson reports that location pinball has become increasingly available across North America during touring, even in smaller cities, with personal network of pinball enthusiasts helping fill gaps

    high · Robertson: 'Great pinball is popping up more and more in smaller and smaller places. It's rare that I can't find location pinball while I'm traveling. And if that happens, I'm lucky to have a pretty big network of pinheads all over the place that will luckily invite me over.'

  • ?

    content_signal: Ed Robertson's appearance on Pinball Profile Part 2 represents continuation of media coverage from Coast to Coast Pinball Part 1, showing active media engagement with pinball community by a notable celebrity enthusiast

    high · Teolis: 'Part 1 is on Coast to Coast Pinball... This will be an extension of what Nate and Ed talked about.'

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Ed Robertson specifically values restorer Drano's approach of creating playable, smooth machines with good aesthetics rather than museum-quality restorations, demonstrating preference for functional gameplay over perfect preservation

    high · Robertson: 'He makes them play really beautifully and smoothly. It's not like an immaculate museum-quality restoration. It's like, let's make this game look sweet and play great and done.'

  • ?

    operational_signal: Robertson has developed a practical touring setup for transporting a pinball machine using lighting cases, blankets, and ratchet straps, enabling regular pinball play during multi-city concert tours

    high · Robertson: 'I have, for the last many years, traveled with a pinball machine, but I don't have anything as fancy as a custom-built road case for it. I just strap it to one of the lighting cases. I put a blanket over the top and ratchet strap it to a case.'

    • 4:01
    So it was an amazing time. You can't buy that press. You cannot. and it was pretty amazing. We sort of became the focal point for the discussion on political correctness, which is something that, you know, we're all lefties, so we didn't want to be the voice against political correctness, but there's a point where it gets ridiculous and it goes too far, and that's what happened. People, somebody reacted to the name of the band as if just by its existence it would... It's more that thing of not actually being offended, but being afraid that someone else will be offended. Being offended in advance on someone else's behalf. It's a waste of time. Well, I'm glad you've learned your lesson. The play on words with a new album, Fake Nudes. So that won't upset anybody, I'm sure. Yeah, exactly. It comes out next month. You're on tour right now in Canada. The Canada 150 tour. Be honest. Is it killing you that you're not at Expo this weekend? It's killing me a little bit. I actually looked into trying to get there. I have Friday off, but it would have just been a nightmare to get back home Saturday and get to Kingston, Ontario for the show. So I'll have lots of eyes and ears on the ground, yourself included. I'm here in Canada, too. I'm stuck. Oh, I assumed you'd be playing in the tournament at least. No, I'm not. You know what? And here's probably the big reason I'm not going. I'm a big baseball honk. It's playoff time. If I'm going to Chicago today, I'm at Wrigley. Yeah. So I will go to Expo next year, but just was in Vancouver, was just in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and wherever else I was, Texas this summer. I'm good for now. It's some wife time, I think. Probably a good idea. You know, I'm excited about whatever Jersey Jacks got to show. Certainly the rumors are pirates. Pirates' wide body is the rumor I'm hearing. So I'm excited to see that. But, you know, the thing I'm most excited about, and it's not something that's been teased. is just something I'm hoping for. I'm really hoping Lyman drops a Batman 66 code drop for Expo. Not to put the pressure on Lyman, but I think that would be a really nice thing to see. Well, you've got a Batman 66. You were there last year. Adam West was there. You hosted the Stern VIP party. That is a great game that's got a lot of potential with all the villains. The theme is spectacular. The game looks and plays great. So, Zach Sharp, what was the first question I asked when we went to Stern? are we going to see a code for Batman 66? And he said, yeah, they are absolutely working on it. So when, who knows, maybe by the time this podcast comes out, we'll see and hope so too. Yeah, I think it's going to become something special. You know, it shoots great. It sounds great. It looks incredible. So I'm excited about that. Now, you're talking about pirates and Batman. I can't believe you're not talking about the big announcement about Big Bang Theory pinball coming out. I have yet to hear that announcement. Okay, I did that for two reasons. One, I wanted to see your instant honest reaction. if it was ever true, and secondly, ruin any possible friendship we might have. But how great would that be to have a Big Bang Theory pinball machine? And you know all the manufacturers. Come on, get it done. I know. I've hinted that I thought it would be a good idea. I think it could be a really fun machine, but I don't think anybody's sniffing around about it yet. Yet. Keyword, yet. Yet. Biggest show on television. They did Gilligan's Island for crying out loud. I know. And the thing about the Big Bang Theory as well is, my God, the theme song's amazing.
    7:30
    I haven't heard it. No but it is It great It another one of your amazing wordy songs I looked at the lyrics of one week and I thought how long did it take you to write that You sung it faster than it took to write it obviously but I mean that is a dissertation My goodness I think More in Peace was shorter. I improvised that song into a video recorder. Honest to God? I'm embarrassed I don't know that. Yeah. That was a freestyle rap that I just transcribed later. That song took me two and a half minutes to write. Oh boy. Wow. That's amazing. I should lock you in the studio here and get you to write a song if it takes that quickly. We could have a hit here on Pinball Profile. So you've done podcasts, you've done videos, Papa 19 commentating. I think we last saw you at, are you going to be at more events? I hope so. I try to get out wherever I can just because I'm such a pinball nerd and any chance to go get into a place that has a hundred plus machines and just talk pinball and play pinball for days in a row. That's what I love about getting out to Expo and getting to Texas. And, you know, I even managed a couple of years ago, it just slotted perfectly into tour. I had a day off. I made it to the Cleveland show. And I understand that's grown a lot since I made it there. But for me, it's just about talking to other pinheads, talking about what's exciting about pinball and everything from collecting and restoring, troubleshooting to the new games that are coming out. I love it all.
    9:00
    I'm excited to talk about it, the esoteric rules of The Walking Dead, right into the elegant simplicity of Total Nuclear Annihilation, or even back to those early 80s games that I love so much, whether that's Fathom or Quicksilver. I love playing those games. I love talking about those games. and I love challenging people and relying almost completely on my trash talk game to unhinge them and best them because I play a lot of people that are a lot better than me. Actually, I heard you say to Nate, it's more fun to compete. That's a direct quote from you. So does that mean we'll see you actually in competitions someday as a player? I know you and your son have played at Walt Moroz's Pinball for Change charity tournaments. Something you'd like to do? Can you make time for it even? That's the hardest part for me is finding the time and making the time for it. I do love to compete, but so far I don't love pinball tournaments. Okay, explain. I don't like waiting around to play pinball. That's the biggest problem I have with it. When I go, like I've been to Expo several times, I've been to Texas a couple times, what I like to do is just find people walking around and challenge them to a game. I love to play, and I play competitively, and I compete hard. What I don't like to do is stand in a line six people deep to play Demoman. So forget about pump and dump. It's not going to happen. Yeah. But a match play tournament like a Pinberg or other match play events, that would be good for you. Totally. And that's what I've been told, too, is to try and find the time. I would love to find the time to compete in Pinberg, but that's always the heavy touring time for BNL. so it's hard to get to a tournament like that. You know, and going up and playing, like, Walt's charity tournament, Pinball for Change, like, that's a blast because I'm there with friends and I'm just hanging out. And it's match play? It's match play. Yeah. What I don't like is waiting around to play a game I didn't want to play in the first place. So that does happen a little bit, too, certainly the pump and dumps, but even sometimes in the match play, you'll get an EM, you go, what is this turn? And I know you're not a big fan of the old Woodrails, or you kind of like the multiplayer, EMs, and then anything beyond that. Yeah, like 76 forward, I kind of like it all. Like, even the games that a lot of people would call turds, I have a blast on them. You had Genesis, and the greatest looking Genesis ever. I was duped into coming to your place. I thought I was playing Genesis, and thankfully there was an amazing game in Total Nuclear Annihilation, but you flipped Genesis. I know who's got it now, and that was the greatest looking Genesis ever. clear ramps, gorgeous pops, and now it's gone. Silver trim. Yeah. Drano. People will know that name from the forums. He's an incredible restorer. He's super nerdy about the choices he makes on games and his particular aesthetic. And I just love what he does. And I basically said to Drano, whenever you're selling a game, I'm your buyer. because he just does a great job with them. He makes them play really beautifully and smoothly. It's not like an immaculate museum-quality restoration. It's like, let's make this game look sweet and play great and done. Yeah, never a problem with the play field. Everything works. He does a great job, too. I know how obsessed you are on pinball because it's growing and growing and growing. I can only imagine your family, too, saw this obsession with music, and then all of a sudden you get this new, not second career, but just second real love, other than family and music, in pinball. Was it a bit of a shock for your family when, oh God, now he's going in this direction? Well, no, I mean, I bought my first pinball machine in 98. So I've been collecting for a long time. A big collection back then, though? No, I've had three pins since 98. And then about five years ago, I started to learn how to fix them myself. and that's when my collection went crazy. You know, for many years, it was three machines and something was always broken. And I was trying to coordinate between tour legs, like getting someone there to fix a machine, and then I couldn't be there and blah, blah, blah. And then I finally just watched the tech repair the machine. I'm like, that doesn't look that hard. You know, so I bought a digital multimeter. I bought a soldering iron. I started ordering parts, and now I'm quite fearless. That's good. But I don't have that same bravery, that's for sure. But your collection has changed a lot. Even if you watch the Silver Ball video from just not too long ago, that collection was a lot of certainly newer games, a lot of DMDs. But now I'm seeing the solid states and the classics, too. I'm a real player collector. Like, if I'm not playing the game, it's got to go. I don't keep something for nostalgic reasons or keep something because it's the first game I bought or because it's a dream theme for me. It's like, if I'm not playing it, it's gone. I'm ruthless in that way because I have space for 15 machines at home. So it's like, if there's something I want, I immediately look at my collection and think, okay, what have I not pressed start on in a long time? And what do I not really care to at this point? And something goes. Well, one of your newest games, TNA, from Spooky and Scott Denisey. It was great to be at your place for the unveiling of game number one from the production line, and thanks to Jack Danger and Deadflip for capturing that. It's such an amazing game. I tell everyone you're going to enjoy it. A lot of people are going to see it at Expo this weekend. It is so fun. But aside from the game itself, I was just kind of wondering, for Scott, for yourself as an artist, it's got to be a fine line. You come up with a masterpiece, whether it's a hit song, a hit album, or a hit game like TNA. How long do you wait? Do you milk it for a little while? Do you get right back to the drawing board and try to recreate that magic?
    15:07
    Yeah, that's a good question. I always until this recent record I have written a record recorded a record and then toured exhaustively and then after a little breather I dive in to writing And it often been a little stressful because you've come off this incredible journey with a previous record, and then you're like, okay, what now? What do I do now? What do I have to say? Like, I've just been touring this new record for all this time. This time, I started writing fake nudes right away, as soon as Silver Ball came out. As soon as I had a break in the tour, I spent it writing. I did writing trips to Nashville, writing trips to LA. I went up to my cottage a bunch of times to write under zero pressure because I knew I had 18 months to 24 months before I was going to need to put songs together for the record. So when it came time to do that, instead of being like, oh my god, I've been woodshedding for three weeks, and now I have like eight and a half songs, and I don't really hear any singles, you know, and I'm all stressed out. Instead of that, this time was like, okay, we should start thinking about recording. And I was like, okay, well, I have 32 songs. So I sent them to the guys and said, what do you like? You know, and I wasn't precious about anything and it was a really great process to go. Kevin brought a ton of songs to the table. Jim brought a couple songs. So we were sitting on a pile of like almost 50 songs heading into a record. So it was very relaxed. We just listened to everybody's songs. We talked about them and we said, we think these songs should be the record. And we went and recorded those songs. When you first hear a song for the first time, I guess it's great if you instantly go, wow, that's it. Let's do that one. But if you're passionate about the song, do you say, I want you to give it a couple of lessons, two, three, four, five? I don't know how the process works for musicians. So I just wonder if sometimes it takes a song to grow on you. Oh, sure. In saying that, I mean, I send the guys all the songs weeks before we get together. Then we sit down and we're actually like super democratic about it. We'll take the four guys in the band and the producer, and we'll all take the list of songs, whether it's traditionally we're picking between like 20 songs. But this time, I think we'd whittled the list of 50 down to about 30, maybe even 25. And everybody voted on what they thought the 12 songs on the record should be. So everybody picked 12 songs. then we went through everybody's list and said okay these eight songs have five votes so they're on the record there's no question and now we need to figure out what the other four songs are going to be and we actually couldn't so we ended up picking six and we put 14 songs on the record doesn't matter how long it is does it well you only get paid for 12 really is that how it works yeah i didn't know that yeah i know you're a big country music fan i remember garth brooks used to always put out albums. There were 10 songs. That's it. Never anymore. And I thought, that's kind of weird. I didn't know you only get paid for 12. Yeah. Bonus on fake nudes, everyone, if you get it. You're getting two free songs when you buy that. Yeah, well, most people will be getting all free songs. No, no. It's the reality of the industry today. Well, the tour is the Canada 150 tour right now until the album comes out, then the fake nudes tour. Ed, we've been joking around. I joke around with all my guests. I like to have fun, but I do want to ask you something. I'm completely being serious here. No joking around, everyone extremely horrified at what happened at Las Vegas. When I go, when you go, when anyone goes to a large concert or a sporting event, you're searched, there may be metal detectors. But in that outdoor concert, the killer was outside the venue. In Manchester, the bomb went off outside the Ariana Grande concert. You play big venues. What do you think when you see something like this as a performer? Well, it's horrific. I mean, you know, the trend seems to be entertainment venues um because there's a lot of people gathered together and you know by the very nature of the event those people are are vulnerable and increasing the security at those events as this vegas shooting shows doesn't protect those people you know so it's scary but i think that's kind of, that's the nature of a terrorist act. Its sole purpose is to make you scared.
    19:56
    And unfortunately, in a lot of cases, it works. You know, I remember after, shortly after 9-11, we debated long and hard before we just did another show again, because we felt like everything was a target, you know, but I think we all need to, we all need to live our lives and we all exist with this hope with this, like maybe it's maybe safety is an illusion, but we can't live in fear because these terrible things happen. What we can do, however, is say maybe one individual should not be able to buy 30-plus guns within a year. And maybe there shouldn't be a simple modification that allows a person to turn a semi-automatic rifle into what functions functionally as an automatic weapon. You know, that was a hail of constant gunfire for nine minutes into a crowd of 10,000 plus 20,000 people. Yeah. So I've heard so many people say after the Newtown shooting, the gun control debate was over. Basically, if killing 23 kids didn't start a discussion, then nothing ever would. But I feel like there has to be a breaking point where the country has to realize that the Second Amendment is an amendment. It can be amended.
    21:30
    And it doesn't threaten anybody's liberty. And it doesn't threaten anybody's safety to say that we're in a ludicrous place. A document written on parchment by candlelight, attended by horseback, intended to allow people to have muskets, has nothing to do with the reality that we're faced with today. I say these things as a lover of my neighbor. I've done most of my work in the United States for the last 25 years. I have friends everywhere in America. I have friends in the Deep South. I have friends on the West Coast. I have friends all over the East and all over the middle. I love the United States. It's a place full of amazing things and amazing people. But the current state of gun laws in America is ludicrous. something has to be done for sure. Ed Robertson, kind enough to join me today before the Bare Naked Ladies sold out show tonight, the new album out next month, Fake Nudes. I don't know if people know how long a day is for a performer like yourself. You know, I can't believe you're here doing Pinball Profile. Describe a typical day on tour for you Well today is kind of a typical day I woke up in a hotel room in Sarnia Probably was not totally cognizant that I was in Sarnia when I first woke up but I may have checked my phone or something. Did a couple of back-to-back interviews for upcoming shows. And then I went and grabbed some lunch, came here to the radio station, did three back-to-back interviews. Sorry about that. From the different stations here, and now I'm talking to you. I always try to fit in pinball every day, even if it's just a chat about pinball. But I'm always looking for machines on location. It's a very centering, grounding thing for me to play some pinball. I'll do a sound check in the afternoon, usually 3 to 4 o'clock range.
    23:41
    And then I have a meet and greet with either people who have won a contest to meet the band or people who have bought some sort of VIP package, backstage package. Then I grab a quick bite, and then I do a show. Then I get on a tour bus, drive to the next town, and tomorrow I will wake up in Brantford, Ontario. It is a long, long day, and I don't know if people realize that. Some of your favorite cities and concert venues to play, especially also for what pinball happens to be in those cities? Well, that's a big part of certainly my enjoyment of a city these days. And for that reason, I love going to Chicago and New York and San Francisco and L.A. But great pinball is popping up more and more in smaller and smaller places. It's rare that I can't find location pinball while I'm traveling. And if that happens, I'm lucky to have a pretty big network of pinheads all over the place that will luckily invite me over. Maybe I'll play at their place. That happens a lot. You mentioned to me a while back when we were doing just a radio interview, Ryan Adams had this kind of, I don't know what it was, a traveling touring pinball machine or something like that. Did you ever get one of those or have you ever done that? Yeah, he road cased his Metallica pin, I think. I have, for the last many years, traveled with a pinball machine, but I don't have anything as fancy as a custom-built road case for it. I just strap it to one of the lighting cases. I put a blanket over the top and ratchet strap it to a case, and my crew guys haul it in and out for me every day. I think I saw you buy a Monster Bash in Vancouver at one point? No, I bought a Scared Stiff. Close theme. Yeah, yeah. I'll give you that one. All right, fair enough. I can edit that out anyway. By the way, I think I solved my only ever Bowen Cairns riddle, and thanks to you, Ed. He had this riddle. I'm going to see if you can guess it. He has three consecutive songs on his iPod, all four-letter words, and they all started with the same vowel. The third letter in each song was also a different vowel, but the same vowel in each of the songs. I got it right, and I'm thanking you for it. Hint, hint. Starts with a vowel, four-letter words. Can you name the three songs in order on his iPod out of a thousand songs? Oh, my God.
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    No, is the answer. Starts with an E, perhaps? Four-letter song? Okay. All right. So, easy. No, because the third letter has to be a vowel. Oh. I thank you, Ed, as in someone who might be in Barenaked Ladies. Yes. A song that starts with E. Okay. Enid? Enid, and then it was Epic, Faith No More, and a game show song called Eric. It's the only time I've ever saw the Bowen riddle. Oh, wow. Well, I would have failed, clearly.
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    We're playing Enid in the set, something we haven't done in I can't remember how long. But, yeah, we've added that one back into the set list. Well, it's a great set list I've seen. I don't want to spoil anything, too. You've got a lot of songs open up with acoustic and a great little set list, a lot of hits, four new songs from Fake Nudes, and probably more as we get closer to the album coming out. Thinking of Bowen's question, it reminded me of the old Rock and Roll Jeopardy show. Did you ever watch that? Yeah. Steve Page and Tyler Stewart were on it once. Okay. And they had a great time. They were on with Nile Rodgers. Could you? Because I know I could as a radio DJ. I got every question right the first time I saw that. Every single one, I thought, you would be great at that, either as a host or being on the show. Yeah. Well, Steve said after the fact, the hardest thing about Jeopardy is the buzzer. Oh, really? Yeah. Getting it in on time. Yeah. Like pressing it well and correctly. Okay. So everyone knows the answer. It's just the buzzer. Yeah. Fair enough. Finally, you've recorded some cover songs, and there's one at the end of the show. I'm not going to give it away. A great cover song. I love when bands do covers. It's always a real geek out for me to see what the band really likes, whether it's a tribute or whether it's a cover song. What are some of the songs that you haven't covered that maybe you'd like to tackle? It's funny. I love it. Did a record of covers a few years ago. And I love the quote that I saw him say in Rolling Stone. He said, like, if I was at a party or if I was at a campfire and I picked up a guitar, these are the songs I would play. These are my favorite songs. And if you don't like these songs, I probably wouldn't like you, which I thought was really funny. I'm a huge fan of music and music of all kinds. So we're always playing covers. I mean, every sound check, we're goofing around on covers, whether we know them or not. We'll just go for it. And we're constantly adding stuff into the set, too. I've got a real soft spot for, like, late 80s Canadian pop. So I love to cover stuff by Corey Hart and The Spoons. Oh, very nice. You know, it's really fun, and it's amazing how intimately I know those songs. Like, I don't have to go back and reference them. I don't have to have thought about them in months, and I can just sing them. We've done some amazing touring in the U.S. the last couple of years. We had Howard Jones opening for us and Colin Hay from Men at Work. And getting to play those songs with those people was just so cool. getting Colin Hay out on stage with us and playing a Man at Work song. And same, Howard Jones, doing his song with him. It was so fun. No one's to blame. And I got to sing the harmony part. I got to be Phil Collins.
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    So great. You'll have to tackle Easy Lover next. Oh, yeah, I'll be Philip Bailey. There you go. I know you got to go, but what was more fun, doing Pinball Profile or co-hosting with Kelly Ripa? Be honest. Kelly's she's pretty awesome she is I'm sorry I know she's good oh well I'm working my way up that's why I'm not on TV this podcast poor man's radio if you will Ed you're a busy guy best of luck with the tour the new album Fake Nudes comes out next month I know my wife Anne and I are looking forward to the show thanks for coming in today thank you Jeff 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 iTunes I'm Jeff Teolas You're leaving me high and Canada dry. I'm out of your head and I'm losing my mind. Listening to me is making me cry. You're leaving me high and Canada dry.