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One of the most insightful interview with John Wardley

LordOfDarkness

LordOfDarkness

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Nemesis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxGTdRBh5CU#

John Wardley talks about The Smiler, multiple woodies planned for Alton Towers including a clown themed one, Katanga Kanyon Stand-Up planned before The Smiler, The Smiler concept, Marketing and selecting the ideal coaster.

This really is a great watch. Also John talks about how he is still in contact with Alton pushing the idea of a woodie in the near future.
 
The best bit is when he says "the cross-valley woodie is by no means dead in the water." And his talk about the new marketing director (or whatever his position is) is very encouraging.

He seemed a lot more critical of Varney than I've heard in the past though, especially in regards to his "two criteria" required for planning of a major ride.
 
Very very interesting. Clearly a lot of woodies have made it a fair way along the development process if theming for them has also been designed. If John does get the Towers marketing director out to the USA then it will be interesting to see what does happen in the future.

You do also get the impression that things could and would be very different if Merlin's and Varney's approach to new attractions was changed.

:)
 
It's interesting to see that between this and the recent Season Pass podcast, John seems to finally be opening up and being honest about things. I can't help but think if you sat down with him and a bottle of scotch, by the end of the night he'd be cursing Varney's name! :p
 
It was quite refreshing him to almost slate Varney and Merlin. He was very professional as an employee, but almost politician-like in avoiding awkward questions. Ever since he wrote his book he seems more liberated.
 
Top top bloke

I always remember the TV documentary from years back where he was showing them building the haunted house and runaway mine train, and he said "you can build the biggest, the fastest, the tallest ride in the world, but it may be the dullest ride in the world. At Alton Towers, we aim to build the best rides in the world".

How times have changed and he obviously wasnt impressed with the decision to go with The Smiler. He's right, Nemesis still tops it, yeah the Smiler is ok, but I wonder how long before the novelty wears off, or the ride suffers big time from continuing down time that people lose interest.

That racing woodie at Thorpe with the LIMS would have been amazing.
 
He is such an amazing guy and so down to earth. I really hope if Merlin do make a woodie that John has some basic input into it. He clearly knows what makes a good ride experience.

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What a pleasantly frank and refreshing interview and nice to understand Merlin's mindset a bit clearer. Whilst it may be annoying, it does make sense. What Varney states as his criteria are fair enough - after all these rides cost huge amounts of money and are bloody big risks at times. The downside is that we have missed out on so many great concepts!

Interesting to see Wardley seem less than impressed by The Smiler - and there we all were thinking it was a fitting swansong for him and Towers.

What's also incredibly interesting is this stand up in Katanga. It explains the height balloons spotted there (along with Wardley himself) last year and it could have been crazy! It seems a very very strange choice of idea, but could it have been the ride to truly make stand up coasters popular?

Ahhh there's just so many ideas and concepts out there that I wish we could ride!


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With The Smiler, I think he's happy with how it turned out and his work on it, but he's just not happy with the fact they went for it (ie inversions) over ideas he preferred, and how it was a bit of a last minute job.

He seemed annoyed at Alton wanting an inversion machine, he even sounded sarcastic and annoyed when he said they'd need 14. But he seemed fairly happy with the layout of it and the challenge, and he's full of praise for how it was marketed. He said he wanted a ride that sold itself rather than shouting about a record or gimmick, and he says that's what they got because of how great the marketing people were.

I think, as a coaster, he's satisfied with it, from a technical point of view and he obviously loves the marketing, but he's not happy about the fact it's just inversions.

He doesn't hate it, but he doesn't exactly regard it in the same way he does the stuff he did in the 90s, or maybe even Thirteen.
 
It is also worth noting that there is a major Intamin wooden coaster at Heide-Park, one of the Merlin parks!

It's currently the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world!!!
 
AstroDan said:
It is also worth noting that there is a major Intamin wooden coaster at Heide-Park, one of the Merlin parks!

It's currently the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world!!!
Click to expand...

And it's over-rated crap to boot...


I would not have taken a Stand-Up over Smiler either... Hate that ride type with a passion...
 
Wardley didn't sound too enthusiastic about the stand up concept for Alton so it couldn't have been that great of a concept. :p Although I'm intrigued how that may have looked in the park.

It's nice to see Wardley talking a bit more about things - I'm surprised he's started this early on from retiring though! The woodie concepts sound quite amazing and it's clear that Candy Holland can be trusted with future developments. Great to hear good word on the current marketing director too, a shame he hides in the shadows though (although after the Morwenna and Crabbe stuff I don't blame them these days).

I do have a big concern that Merlin seem fixated on a USP, more specifically, new rides relying on gimmicks or records or world's firsts. It doesn't bode out well for the future if so. But hopefully Wardley has done what he can to make sure those currently working on these big projects can continue to try and push these ideas to the big bosses. We can only hope the current marketing director stays (he sounds like he's got everything together) and Candy & Merlin Studios continue to push the boat to make sure we get great rides in future.

Like, all Nick Varney has to do is look at Nemesis for gods sake. That wasn't a world's first, it had no gimmicks, no secret elements - nothing. By all means it's a bog standard roller coaster. But look at how amazing that is and how it continues to be Alton's best ride! That is a text book example of how you make make a technology already available become something unique, special, world class and live down in history.
 
Of course Candy can be trusted... she studied under the master himself! :p
I'd like to think that in the not too distant future, it'll be her giving presentations to enthusiast groups. As John said at the start of his Oakwood Q&A, we've heard pretty much everything he has to say now.
 
Merlin's criteria for a new ride is understandable yet frustrating. You can understand them wanting to be pretty certain that a new massive investment is going to be an instant hit. But at the same time I think we all know that you don't need a gimmick to do that. And as John points out Towers proved that with The Smiler. It was not heavily marketed as the worlds first 14 inverting coaster until just before it opened. They managed to generate hype in other ways. Saying that, the marketing did say all along that it would be a worlds first or a world beating coaster. So it does work both ways.

You don't have to look far to see that you don't need a gimmicky worlds first to create a popular coaster. At EP, Wodan and Blue fire. Liseberg are building Helix which will no doubt be a big hit. Banshee opening next year at Kings Island. None of them are record breakers, none have technology never seen before. They are or look good solid coaster that will be or are a success. It's good that Towers try to be different with their coaster and it has worked well with the likes of Nemesis and Oblivion. But I feel the best way that they can be different and innovative is in the layout of their coasters, not what gimmick they want to have.

:)
 
Rob said:
Banshee opening next year at Kings Island. None of them are record breakers, none have technology never seen before.
Click to expand...

Well, aside from it being the world's longest and world's fastest (non-launched) invert. ;)
 
Benzin said:
AstroDan said:
It is also worth noting that there is a major Intamin wooden coaster at Heide-Park, one of the Merlin parks!

It's currently the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world!!!
Click to expand...

And it's over-rated crap to boot...


I would not have taken a Stand-Up over Smiler either... Hate that ride type with a passion...
Click to expand...

Bit harsh. Colossos is far from my favourite wooden coaster but it's full of airtime if that is what you're after.

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