Slash Inducted Into the U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame

Earlier this month, I had the honor of inducting Slash into the U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame. It's somewhat unusual for someone to be inducted for what is essentially a side hustle, and Slash seemed taken aback. "I'm amazed I would get into the Hall of Fame," he said. "That's crazy."

Many people aren't aware that his involvement in pinball design spans more than 30 years. It began in the early '90s, when he phoned Data East with a vision for a machine and sat down with John Borg, a legendary designer. Several of Slash's ideas made it into Guns N' Roses: the two ramps shaped like the letters G and R were his, and so was the snake pit, which only found a place once Gary Stern suggested they make it a widebody game. He also brought in music that wasn't available anywhere else.

He followed that with original music for Viper Night Drivin'. His next project was another take on Guns N' Roses at Jersey Jack Pinball, with designer Eric Meunier, a game he worked on for more than two years. "From the phone call to its actual delivery, it was two years," he said. The intention was to give the player the experience of a stadium gig, and the game carries several Guns N' Roses signatures: the drumstick lane, the top hat, and the guitar-pick spinners. Slash involved several band members in the music and callouts, and used the original master recordings. "It's really the masters, from the real recordings," he said. "That was a pleasure to do."

Since then he has provided original music for The Godfather and, most recently, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Slash is passionate about collecting pinball and the enjoyment he gets from playing it, but he has also made a significant contribution to the design and sound of many games. For that, he takes his well-earned place in the U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame. His plaque reads:

Saul 'Slash' Hudson is hereby inducted into the U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame in recognition of his contribution, as pinball designer from 1994 to 2020, and ambassador for the global awareness and enjoyment of Pinball.

"I'm very proud of it," he said when I handed it over. "I was sort of shocked." And he isn't finished. "I plan on doing another game that's not band-oriented," he told me. "I've got an idea."