Stay ConnectedA weekly pinball podcast brought to you by the people that run Wedgehead, a pinball bar in Portland, Oregon. Each week Alan and Alex discuss a different pinball topic, with a focus on location play, often with other interesting guests.
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If you have any questions, or might want to guest on a future episode, please email : wedgeheadinfo@gmail.com.
Copyright: © 2023 Wedgehead Pinball Podcast
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In this episode we discuss the final chapter of Gottlieb as a pinball manufacturer. The prevailing narrative around these games is that they're all terrible, but that's simply not true. There was a bunch of talented individuals working at Gottlieb at this time, making some very interesting games on extremely tight deadlines, with few resources and we wanted to highlight their talents and work.
You may know these games by their pointy boy flippers, or their killer custom music compositions, but we hope that after listening to this episode, you will find a new appreciation for Gottlieb's last dance era.
But if you're new and don't know, we are adults and freely use adult language to express our enthusiasm. You have been warned.
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We are joined on the show by our friend Todd Robinett, to discuss creating a pinball scene from scratch in a small town near the Oregon Coast. He operates pins in his two businesses: the Merry Time Bar, and the Labor Temple Diner.
When Todd first moved out to Astoria, there were no pinball machines. Now Astoria has 45 pinball machines on location in a town of 10,000 people, and Todd operates about half of these games.
Todd tells us all about his rare games strategy, the initial confusion that locals had to his pinball obsession, and how he was able to make Astoria a pinball destination.
The Salty Mermaid Cup
An annual, 2 Day IFPA sanctioned Matchplay tournament happens on Easter Weekend this year. Saturday 4/19 (Qualifying) & Sunday 4/20 (Finals).
Limited to 64 players. Registration opens on March 1, 2025. Register here.
Astoria Pinball League
Tuesdays at the Merry Time, 6:30pm
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IFPA director, and former women's world champion Zoe Vrabel is back on the show to discuss the past, present, and future of women's competitive pinball. Zoe tells us all about the rise of competitive women's pinball, and what she would like to see in the future.
Stream the Women's World Championship March 29th-30th on Twitch through Backhand Pinball
Local Portland Women's events mentioned in the show:
Gator Queens - Every last Monday of the month at Wedgehead. IFPA sanctioned, registration at 6:30, tournament starts at 7pm.
FLiP - First Wednesday of the month at Ground Kontrol. IFPA sanctioned. Registration at 6:30, tournament starts at 7pm.
Good Luck, Babe! - Second Friday of every month, at rotating locations around deep SE Portland. Website here.
Other Resources:
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In this episode, Alan is joined on the show by Zoe Vrabel, an IFPA director and former Women's World Champion to discuss some of the legendary women who have worked in the pinball industry, and we discuss their impact on the games that we all know and love.
....but, we do swear sometimes.
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This episode our special guest Glenn Waechter (of the Saw Homebrew machine) joins us on the show, to Die on the Hill for Stern's 2001 game, High Roller Casino.
This early stern, rare non licensed title wasn't well received upon its release, as evidenced by all the bad reviews we found, and it's low overall rating on pinside. But it was loaded with cool mechs and toys, and actually features a very deep ruleset, complete with 3 wizard modes. And Glenn definitely loves this often-hated game.
...but we do swear when we get excited, and spoiler alert: we got excited. This is your foul language warning.
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This episode is all about the history of the licensed band pin starting way back in the late 1970s, with a couple dots in the 1990s, and finally into the explosion of them in the 2010s until today.
We talk about the effect it has had on the industry, and why, love 'em or hate 'em, old man band pins are here to stay.
Warning: If you don't know by now, the explicit warning you see listed in your podcatcher is there because we swear when we talk. So, sensitive ears be warned.
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This is the finale episode of our 3-part trilogy of episodes that began with the first episode: Pinball Buyer's Guide, continued in our episode Pinball Maintenance, and finally culminates in this episode right here.
Alex and Alex talk about coming full circle on a pinball machine and give you some hot tips for kicking that giant box of lights down the road.
And if you're new to the show: we do all of that whilst swearing. This is your warning.
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Companion piece episode here from Alan to talk about how to maintain that pinball machine that Alex convinced y'all to buy in the Pinball Buyer's guide episode.
There's a lot of bad or wildly unnecessary advice and ridiculous precautions out there on the forums, and it can get confusing fast as others loudly argue amongst themselves about what cleaner is or is not appropriate. Do we replace the balls immediately out of the box? Every 300 plays? Every 10k plays?
And so, we wanted to make this episode to cut through all the noise and help you learn how to properly clean and maintain your pinball machine, when to replace balls, cleaning rubbers, and touch on flipper maintenance like rebuilds too.
Pinball Maintenance 101 in an easy to listen to format! With cuss words!
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Scott & Ryan, the creators of the Pinball Map are back on the show to defend Scott's DOTH game: Stern's 2007 machine, Wheel of Fortune. It's got a tweaked lower playfield, a theme nobody asked for, and code that was never completed. But Scott loves this game. So listen up as Ryan and Alan read him all the bad reviews pulled from the internet and get his reaction to the haters.
Obligatory: Yes, we swear on this show by adults for adults.
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This is a sequel to our earlier episode 16 - So You Wanna Buy a Pinball Machine? And in that episode (which we HIGHLY recommend listening to first) we mostly discuss a lot of the things that we wish we knew before we bought our first pinball machines, including a lot of the downsides that you might not even be thinking about.
But this episode is a deeper dive taking the plunge, and in particular, buying used games, which is a whole lot different than buying new machines directly from a distributor.
Alex give a lot of advice for sites to use to search for games, tools and vehicles for moving games, and what to look for.
We mention in the episode a very handy pinside thread that has a list of vehicles that confirmed will fit a pinball machine in them, but here's an easier to read at a glance list from the pinball wiki
As long time listeners know, we're naughty boys on the show and sometimes curse throughout our discussions. This is your warning.
Support the Show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
This episode features an interview with Ryan and Scott, two regular guys and former roommates who created the Pinball Map all the way back in 2008 right here in Portland, Oregon.
Alan talks to Ryan and Scott about the history of this incredible resource, and they talk about the expansions to bring in more cities and regions, the development of the app, the changes in features over the years, and we end the episode discussing some fun stats and some talk about angry operators.
You can and should support them via their own Ko-fi account
Just remember, this is a show that features some occasional saucy language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
This episode is all about the hotly debated definition of what a fan layout is, what it isn't, whether they are good, or whether they are cookie cutter derivative BS. We discuss the history of them, some of the most famous ones, and some of the designers most associated with them. And at the end of the episode we even argue about some "modified" fan layouts that really seem to kick the old hornets nest amongst public opinions on how broad or how tightly a fan layout's definition should be.
As always though, this is a show with two adults speaking as adults do. I make zero effort to censor the show, which is just me saying: we say lots of no-no bad words when we get excited.
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This episode, we are joined by our friend Isaac Ruiz, a legendary tournament director and organizer from the Portland scene to discuss the rise of tournament pinball here, breaking the IFPA rankings systems in the early 2010s, developing Brackelope, the world's first software for running pinball tournaments, some format explanations for new players curious about all the jargon, and some advice for players who want to TD their own tournaments in their own local scenes.
But... we are adults, and as such, we swear sometimes. Just like every other episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Local Deathsave enthusiast Jeff Hart returns to the show to defend Stern's 2006 game, World Poker Tour against all the internet haters. This is one of those games with a star studded design team, loaded with mechanical features, and yet it still is widely derided by many pinheads.
Jeff is here to set the record straight, and respond to the all the criticisms. Maybe it's time for you to give WPT another chance.
Warning: our language gets spicy on occasion.
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This episode Alan recaps the seminar that he was a panelist on for the 40th Annual Pinball Expo in Chicago and sort of reprises his notes for you all to listen to.
The panelists were 3 independent Arcade Bar Owners, Zespy of Logan Arcade in Chicago, Rachel & Cale of the Electric Bat Arcade in Tempe, and your very own Rhodesie & Alan of Wedgehead in Portland.
The topic was "How to Run a Successful Independent Arcade Bar", and Alan is here chatting with the Waterboy, trying to give a version of the seminar for y'all to listen to even if you weren't at the Expo.
Warning for the sensitive of ears: We use bad and naughty language sometimes.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
We are joined on this episode by admitted cheater, local Portland player Jeff Hart, to discuss the dark arts of pinball: The deathsave and it's little brother, the bangback.
We discuss the moves, the ethics of doing them from a player's and operator's perspective, and why they aren't allowed in tournament play. Alan argues for changes from the manufacturer to disable them, and Alex outs himself as a proud cheater too.
Warning: this is a show made by adults, and adult language is used throughout.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode we interview a fan of the show Mike, who runs a cool AirBnB in Troy, NY near Albany. He has 15 pinball machines in the apartment that are all on free play for the guests, and we talk with him about this unusual but very cool way to operate pinball in an unconventional way.
Mike tells us how he got started collecting, and then the decision to open up his collection to guests in the basement apartment under his home.
Mike also defends 1986's Road Kings in a truncated version of our popular "Die on this Hill" series.
Here's a link to his AirBnB if you're ever in the area, you should definitely check it out: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/691779632034113278?source_impression_id=p3_1729622041_P36uRzILadll9f_R
*Obligatory Naughty Language Warning*
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode we are belatedly celebrating our one year anniversary of hosting this weekly pinball show.
We asked y'all to submit some questions, and boy did you! We try and answer all of your questions that you sent in to us, although a few came in after we recorded this episode and we will save them for another time.
Thank you to each and every one of you that has listened to our show over the last year plus, and thanks for sharing us with your family and friends. We feel rejuvenated, and can't wait for what year number has in store for the show!
Note: y'all should know by now, but we do swear a little bit sometimes.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Our buddy Mike from Quarters and Quarters Sugarhouse joins us on the show to discuss operating two arcade bars in Salt Lake City, Utah.
We talk about his start in the bar business, and all the unique challenges that running a bar in the state of Utah entails. Mike enlightens us on his local pinball scene and speaks about the decision to open a second location in the same city.
Note: We are adults, so we swear a little bit.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
This is the second part of our series about the groundbreaking Williams System 11 games, and we discuss the second half of them, including games from the recently acquired Bally pinball division which injected even more creative juice into the parent company.
Ty Palmer is back for part two, and we talk about games like Whirlwind, Elvira and the Party Monsters, Diner, and Dr. Dude amongst all the others, and further discuss the many design tropes that emerged from this era including which ones stuck and which ones fell by the wayside.
We even do a quick snake draft at the end to pick our own top 3 from the era. But we are adults, so adult language is used.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Our good friend and solid state pinball guru, Ty Palmer joins us for the first episode in our two part series on the Williams System 11 platform, a pinball board set and software framework that massively changed the game of pinball.
Larry Demar designed and engineered this groundbreaking system, and programmed many of the best games from this era too. It spanned 5 years from 1986 to 1991, and includes 30 pinball machines.
We discuss the first 15 of them in this episode including highlights like High Speed, Pinbot, Banzai Run, Grand Lizard, and more.
This era marks the change from classic to modern, and is the grandfather of all the machines we see to this day. System 11 is to pinball what Black Sabbath is to all subsequent metal bands.
Listen up, this is a good one!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan and Alex discuss the best games to trick your normie friends and family into liking and playing pinball. We discuss the parameters of what we think makes a great gateway game, what makes a bad gateway game, and tips for making their first time playing more fun.
We are also now accepting questions for our 1 year anniversary episode, so send all your questions or comments that you want us to read and discuss on that episode to wedgeheadinfo@gmail.com
Note: We're not werewolves, but we are little swearwolves. Sensitive ears be warned.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, freelance pinball artist Jonathan Bergeron joins us from his studio in Montreal, Canada to discuss his life as a commercial artist doing gig posters and merch designs for bands like Mastodon, Guns 'n Roses, Suicidal Tendencies, Judas Priest, and many many more, as well as how he got pulled into the pinball industry as the artist for Stern's Jurassic Park.
He did 5 different dinosaur themed art packages for all the different editions of that game, and we discuss his transition into doing art for something as big as a pinball machine.
We discuss his other released pinball art packages on games like former guest of the show, Sean Irby's Eight Ball Beyond homebrew, Scott Danesi's Final Resistance for the P3 platform, and his latest project for Barrels of Fun and their first game Labyrinth!
...but you must be warned that we do happen to swear just a little bit in this episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
The man/myth/legend Roger Sharpe is back again on the show to speak more about the pinball renaissance of the 1990s. In this second episode we dive more into some of the many people that made these games special.
We talk about designers like Steve Ritchie, Pat Lawlor, and Dennis Nordman. Programmers like Larry DeMar, Lyman Sheats, and Dwight Sullivan, as well as the sound design and musical compositions of Chris Granner amongst others. Roger tells us some fantastic stories of licensing, the industry competition at the time, and how he feels about this decade of pinball and its lasting impact today.
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Alan and Alex are joined on the show once again by Roger Sharpe, aka the 'Man Who Saved Pinball' to discuss his career at Williams from 1988-1999 as the Marketing Director. Roger tells us some great stories about getting hired, the merger of Bally into Williams, his role in licensing games, and more.
And we discuss a lot about the different technological advances that made this era of games so dynamic and interesting, from the software and rules, to the DMD display, to the big mechanical toys that were being engineered and put into these games, the 1990s saw a rapid rise and fall in pinball, but it changed the game forever.
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Alan and Alex are joined on the show by their friend Tyler White from LA to discuss Stern's Insider Connected platform, and why he loves to use it, and how he wants to see it grow into the future.
Stern's IC is a feature that has been on all their games since Godzilla (2021), and has retrofit kits to connect all their Spike 2 games going back to Batman '66 (2016).
We discuss what the new platform has meant through the eyes of players and operators, and how connecting pinball machines has changed the game for some, and not mattered at all to others.
But the boys definitely used some salty adult language throughout the episode, so this is the obligatory explicit warning for sensitive widdle ears.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, our friend and member of our local Portland Pinball scene, Nate Tayloe joins us on the show to educate us on the weird case where Gottlieb chose to sue Paramount Pictures over alleged copyright and trademark infringement due to the inclusion of Gottlieb's "Silver Slugger" pinball machine in the 2000 movie, "What Women Want" starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt.
Nate learned about this case while he was in law school, and he wanted to bring this story of the case to our show, and discuss the nebulous issue of copyright in other forms of art.
We discussed in the episode a website where all known inclusions of pinball machines appearing in film are listed, but Nate couldn't remember the website name in the moment. But in case you're interested, here's a link to it: https://www.pingeek.com/film/film.htm
As always though, this is an adult show and we sometimes use naughty words to express ourselves.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Ty Ueda from Pop's Pinball Parlor in Boston, Ma. is back to defend another game on the show, this time it's 1993's Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends!
Released by Data East and designed by frequent DOTH designer extraordinaire, Tim Seckel, this game probably barely qualifies as it seems to sit somewhere in the middle of truly hated or truly respected. But Ty is an excitable boy and he LOVES this game so we thought it would be fun to read him all the bad reviews we could find.
As always though, we are big boys here; and as such, we talk with big boy language sometimes...this is your explicit content warning.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
We're joined again on the show by Greg Freres whom we spoke to in the last episode, about the legendary Bally Art Department of the early solid state era. But in this episode we focus our discussions on his ascension to head of the art department at Williams/Bally after the 1988 merger, guiding them through their wild 1990s pinball renaissance until they closed their doors in 1999.
After about a decade in between of working in videogames and freelancing, he returned to pinball as the new art director at Stern, and quickly ushered in their own golden era of pinball with a return to hand illustrated art packages for their games.
Greg just retired after 40+ years in the pinball industry, and we had a blast talking to him again. But we are all adults here so...sometimes our language gets a little bit spicy.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined on the show by long time pinball artist Greg Freres, and they discuss Greg's time working in the late 1970s and early 1980s art department at Bally, a truly remarkable time period for pinball art.
Greg tells us all about the different processes that revolutionized the industry, working under art director Paul Faris, and the fraternity bond that he shared with Paul, Kevin O'Connor, Margaret Hudsen, Dave Christensen, Tony Ramunni, and Pat McMahon.
Greg tells us some great stories from the absolute peak of Bally pinball, and how this rogue's gallery of young artists came in and completely changed the game with their bold and risque illustrative style.
Here's a bonus link to Greg's seminar from the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show that we mention in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChCqJVvGlL8
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this MEGA sized episode of the podcast, Alan and Alex discuss the rise and increase in the number of pinball MEGALOCATIONS with 100+ machines.
We discuss traveling to these pinball destinations, what to expect playing massive collections in warehouse buildings, and talk about our own experiences at some of these locations such as Past Times, Next Level, Pacific Pinball Museum, and the Pinball Hall of Fame.
There's some very cool and massive pinball locations popping up around the world, and we talk about them in this episode.
...as always though, we use naughty language and no-no words.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Sean Irby, homebrew pinball designer from our last episode rejoins the show to defend his "Die on this Hill" game: Sega's Godzilla.
Before Stern released their Godzilla to a near deafening roar of approval, Gary's previous pinball venture had a much less successful go at a Godzilla game, based on the similarly ill - fated Godzilla movie starring Mathew Broderick in 1998.
The contrast between the reception of these two pins is STARK, to say the least. So listen as Sean defends this original Godzilla pinball machine against the army of online haters.
As always, we are an adult show, and use adult language...if this bothers you, GROW UP!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Sean Irby, a northwest pinball neighbor from Seattle to discuss the making and development of homebrew pinball machines, AKA making your own pinball machine.
Over the last 5 years, the homebrew pinball community has exploded thanks to the availability of boards, mission pinball framework, and the online community surrounding these tools.
Sean built his own pinball machine, Eight Ball Beyond, a spiritual successor to the trilogy of Eight Ball games made by Bally, and he talks with us about his process, offering advice for players looking to follow in his footsteps and build their own game too.
Anyone in Portland, or the surrounding areas can play this awesome game at Wedgehead for the entire month of August 2024, as Sean is bringing it down and dropping it off for the community to play and enjoy!
For everyone else, check out this pinside thread that he created, documenting more of the process: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/eight-ball-beyond
As always though, we use some adult language throughout the show.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this special edition of our popular 'Die on this Hill' series, Alan teams up with his buddy AJ, the owner and operator of the Flip a Coin Arcade, to defend Data East's Hook.
Alex is there as the resident hater on the show, and he GLEEFULLY reads AJ and Alan an avalanche of awful reviews scoured from the depths of the internet.
Buckle up, this one is a wild ride.
But we do use some choice and tasty adult language throughout the episode to punctuate our refined takes. You've been warned! BANGARANG!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
We are joined on the show by Adam 'AJ' Jordan, owner and operator of the 'Flip a Coin Arcade' that they built in the basement of his girlfriend's bakery, the 'Bite Me Cake Company' in Pueblo, Colorado.
We talk about building a scene in a small town, taking a leap in the middle of covid, and how his day job as an autobody repair guy has bled over into his operating of pins, including spraying new clearcoats and repainting old cabinets in the booth.
AJ is another very passionate hobbyist turned operator, and one of those folks that we absolutely love talking to and highlighting on the show.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Our pal Jeff Johnsen, the operator of Walt's in LA, is back on the show to defend the last pinball machine that the original Stern Electronics company ever made, Orbitor 1.
Jeff tells us about the historical significance of the game, including the two pinball outsiders and NASA engineers, who brought their concept and ideas for an entirely new play experience to a company under duress, and convinced them to take the leap and manufacture one of the most hated pinball machines of all time in the process.
What most people write off as a weirdo art project novelty, Jeff argues that it's actually a real pinball machine and is very controllable and satisfying to play once you take the time to learn it. The internet disagrees...HARSHLY.
As always, we are adults and speak like them. There are a few naughty words used throughout.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
We speak with Jeff Johnsen, owner and operator of Walt's Bar in LA's Eagle Rock neighborhood about how his father taught him and his brother how to work on games as kids, almost blowing themselves up in the process.
We talk about the LA pinball scene, pricing games, giving up his route, and how to properly rehab an old plumbing supply store into an iconic LA bar, replete with 10 vintage pins.
Join us for a chat with one of the wildest pinball operators we have ever chatted with, as we talk about one of the most vibey pinball locations in the country using some choice adult language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Pinball restoration artist Ashley Ludwig (@ludwigsynopsis) is back on the show to defend her favorite trashy 90s pin, Lethal Weapon 3.
Made by Data East in 1992, and based on the hit series of odd couple buddy cop films, Ashley passionately tells us why she thinks that LW3 is actually better than the Addams Family, and we confront her with the heap of bad reviews we found for it all over the internet refuting her claim.
Obligatory swear word warning here: we cuss a little bit.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Ever wanted to know why operators choose to use quarters vs tokens? Or why so many large arcades have ditched coins altogether and installed card readers on their games? Or why Wedgehead moved over to a freeplay model?
Then this episode is for you. Alan and Alex discuss each payment system in depth and outline the pros and cons of each from both the operator and consumer's point of views. There's a reason for every decision, and it's usually not because your local operator is a crook.
Our hope after listening to this episode, you will leave with a greater understanding of why your local spot chose the payment system best suited for them, and why no matter the system, you should support them.
...but we do swear sometimes throughout the episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Ashley Ludwig (@ludwigsynopsis on instagram) to discuss the finer points of restoring old pinball machines.
Ashley restores old pinball machines full time in Rochester, NY and she enlightens us on the skill and craftsmanship it takes to get to the level at which she operates.
Make sure to follow her on social media so you can catch regular glimpses of her incredible work and talent.
...but the three of us are adults, so there may be a couple swears sprinkled throughout!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Ian Matheson, owner and operator of Propeller Arcade comes back onto the show to defend his love of all things Freddy Kreuger, but especially his love for Gottlieb's 1994 pinball machine, A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Hear Ian passionately defend Freddy as a great gateway game, with incredible theme integration as Alan reads him scores of bad reviews for the game that he pulled from the depths of the internet.
...don't forget, we use adult language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
It's the year 1980, and the US Olympic Hockey team shocks the world and beats the Soviet team in a stunning 4-3 upset in Lake Placid, NY during the height of the cold war.
But another miracle happens in pinball that same year too, as a fledgling Stern Electronics releases 9 excellent machines in 1980. They were the clear last place manufacturer behind Bally, Williams, and Gottlieb, but in 1980 Stern makes an unbelievable run of machines, a run that we think has never been bested by anyone.
Alas, even though these games were of an undeniable quality, they weren't selling the units that the other big three makers were selling, and they unfortunately did stop making pinball machines altogether in 1982.
The original Stern Electronics company wasn't around for long, and they were highly underestimated. But for this one fleeting moment, Stern Electronics was the greatest pinball company in the world.
1980 was truly a year of miracles.
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In this episode Alan sits down to talk with Ian Matheson, operator at Propeller arcade inside of Propeller Brewing in Halifax, Canada.
We talk about how he got started, including some incredible stories about the old school underground Nova Scotia pinball scene before opening his public arcade which include stories of setting machines on fire in the front yard, peeing in sinks, and drinking beers while blasting Van Halen.
But in case that description doesn't hint at the content enough, we do swear occasionally throughout the episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan and Alex discuss the outlier machines released in the last 7 years without ramps, and with simpler rulesets.
We talk about Total Nuclear Annihilation, Beatles, Bond 60th, and Pulp Fiction, and why we love seeing the variety added to modern pinball offerings.
But sometimes we use swear words.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode we finally talk in depth about "Modern" pinball, where it started, what defines the modern era, and the different innovations or changes to the classic game that we all know and love.
For all the listeners out there that have been asking us to talk more about modern games, this episode is for you.
And if you want to hear more about modern pinball and enjoy this show, there are literally dozens of other pinball pods out there that almost exclusively discuss all the newest releases from all the different manufacturers, and we recommend listening to a few and seeing if you can't find one that you enjoy to supplement our normal coverage of older games.
If you're new to the show, we cuss sometimes when we get excited, this is your warning.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this edition of our popular "Die on this Hill" series, we are rejoined on the show by Mitch Curtis, the operator known as 'Pinball Over Boston' as he jumps onto the show to defend one of his favorite underappreciated games, 2000's Sharkey's Shootout made by the fledgling Stern Pinball.
Mitch is a very passionate boy, and speaks at length about how much he loves this old/new mashup game, so much so that he even filmed himself giving a tutorial on this game years ago! https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=SFk_aUkF8Ps
But it wouldn't be a DOTH game unless there were haters, and so we have once again scoured the internet to find the juiciest bad reviews to share with Mitch.
...this should be known by now, but we are adults and that means that we use adult language sometimes in this episode, and in all of our other episodes as well.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode of our 'Operator Spotlight' series Alan and Alex speak with Mitch Curtis of Pinball Over Boston, about his decade of running a pinball route in the Boston area. We cover what it was like starting out, how he grew it, how he handled the covid 19 shutdowns, and what it's like for him nowadays on the other side.
We talk about his locations Flat Top Johnny's, Roxy's, and Double Bull Taphouse, and the transition from part time to full time operator, and managing 70 amusement devices across all his locations.
Mitch was an absolute beauty, and an open book, and he was happy to discuss how he prices his games, and is introspective about some of his previous mistakes pricing his ultra premium games.
If y'all are ever in the Boston area, make sure to throw some money into Mitch's games, he deserves your support!
...obligatory note here: we are all adults, so we use adult language in this episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this edition of our "Die on this Hill" series, John Dozier of Inner Orbit Pinball rejoins the show and steps up to defend Sega's 1996 pinball machine based on the hit movie, Space Jam!
This game is actually the LOWEST rated game that we have featured thus far on the show, and the internet has some strong opinions!
And despite this being a family friendly theme, we definitely use some adult language during our discussion. This is your warning.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In the latest addition of our Operator Spotlight series, Alan speaks with John Dozier of Inner Orbit pinball about his pinball route based in Springfield Missouri. John began operating pinball machines about 10 years ago, and was drawn in due to a familiar refrain of the modern pinball operator - there just weren't any good machines to play in his area.
Hear about John's move from player, to part time operator, to full time operator, and now finally a partner in the 1984 Arcade in Branson.
We discuss the region, how to start a route, and why sometimes the best person to bring pinball to your town just might be YOU.
...we do swear sometimes though.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In what will surely be the most controversial episode of the podcast, Alan and Alex discuss all the different ways that people can choose to customize the setup of their pinball machines.
Pitch, tilts, outlanes, rubber types, toy and lighting mods, as well as software settings, we go through them all. We discuss the differences in setups, and we share our preferences for each category, whilst acknowledging that others are free to choose how to setup up their own games in their own ways.
There is no wrong way to setup your own games, but they are infinitely adjustable by nature, and we encourage people to find their own setup.
Remember: no matter your preferences, complaining about the way someone else setups their games is corny, SO DON'T DO IT!
Unless you see people swapping in colored LEDs for the GI, because that should be a CRIME!
...sometimes we swear a little bit, this is your warning.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode we discuss how to get to know your friendly neighborhood pinball operator, including tips for making a good first impression, and how to find the proper channels in which to communicate with them about machine malfunctions.
Alan speaks about it from the Operator's point of view, while Alex shares his insights as an expert Operator Whisperer on how to befriend these strange and mythical creatures.
What to report, how to report, and reminders that operators are people too to help you foster better relationships with the operators in your region.
...but we do use swear words occasionally.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Rachel and Cale from the Electric Bat join us on the show once again, and they are back to defend their favorite Gottlieb System 1 game: Sinbad!
Listen to us discuss the merits of this first generation solid state effort from the kings of the EM era, and respond to all the hater reviews that we scrounged up on the internet.
...obligatory warning for adult language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode we are joined by a very special guest, the man who saved pinball with a single shot, and who wrote the first published book on the history of pinball, Mr. Roger Sharpe.
https://wedgeheadpdx.com/podcasts/ Link is to some bonus materials on our website to see all the games that we are talking about in this episode.
Roger is a legend in the pinball world, most it well documented elsewhere, but he joined us on the podcast to talk about a different industry legend: the late great Harry Williams. Founder of the eponymous Williams Mfg. company, and the man who did more for pinball than any other single person in its long history.
Harry brought electricity to pinball, designed the tilt mechanism, was the first to place magnets under the playfield, invented the first pop bumper, was the first to put score reels into a game, and the first to put elevated wire ball paths (the precursor to modern ramps) and more in his games OVER 70 YEARS AGO!
Roger famously interviewed Harry back in the 1970s for his book PINBALL!, and he joins us to talk about the legacy of this great man, helping to fill out the details of Harry's life and of his personal warmth. Listen to Roger tell stories of Harry as a mentor to a young version of himself when he was developing his first pinball design Sharpshooter, and insights of Harry's return to the pinball design world in the late 1970s via Sam Stern, aka Gary's dad for Stern Electronics.
Harry was a visionary, and was the greatest single creative force that the pinball industry has ever seen, but whilst his many contributions to pinball persist to this day, he remains heinously underappreciated and celebrated for being the true prophet of pinball that he was.
We hope that this episode sheds some light on pinball's brightest star.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Rachel and Cale, owners and operators of the Electric Bat Arcade in Tempe, Arizona. We discuss the Phoenix Valley pinball scene, the history of the Bat, their legendary Tuesday night league that regularly draws 100+ players, operator pet peeves, splits, tokens, and much more.
Join us for this in depth look at another very cool operator and listen to us talk about the pinball operating business and compare some regional differences between our scenes.
...we are adults, we swear sometimes.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Jessica DeNardo from Barrels of Fun pinball returns to the show to defend one of her favorite games of all time, 1989's Bad Cats designed by Barry Oursler with art and theme concept by the inimitable Python Anghelo.
Listen to Jessica explain what makes Bad Cats a great game, and respond to all the internet haters!
Meow Meow Meow Meow.
...we're adults, so here's the standard warning that we may curse occasionally throughout the episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined by their good friend and staunch solid state pinball evangelist, Ty Palmer. Ty is a fiend for early solid state machines, and will happily go weeks or months without playing a single game newer than 1985.
For his first appearance on the show, we decided to narrow down this era to one manufacturer, Bally, and keep it to the machines they released during the rise of the SBA dollar coin, and how this decision by the US treasury impacted pinball. This also dovetailed with the release of Pac-Man in 1980 and immediately put the future of pinball into jeopardy.
Bally released their best machines of all time in this short window, and we talk about each of them and try to provide some historical context for them in between.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode of the podcast, Alan and Alex are joined by their friend Jessica DeNardo, a multi talented woman who hosts her own pinball podcast (the Pinball Podcast), makes and sells her own pinball inspired clothing (Soft Plunge), founded the Portland chapter of the Belles & Chimes, worked as a pinball tech in Florida, and has recently moved to Houston to work on the production and assembly line at Barrels of Fun Pinball Company helping to manufacture their first pinball machine 'Labyrinth'
The three of us talk in depth about all the wild and interesting extra button gimmicks found on pinball machines through the eras, from the magna saves on Black Knight and Grand Lizard, to the shifter knob on Getaway, to the Gator ball eater on Nip-It, all the way up to Stern's usage of the central action button on their lockdown bars.
There's some really cool and interesting gimmicks over the years, and we do our best to cover as many of them as possible.
...but we are adults, so occasionally we use some adult language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan and Alex discuss the most common new post on any pinball forum, subreddit, or facebook group: Buying your own pinball machine to put into your house.
This episode is meant to give a better, more whole picture of owning pinball machines. Alex is a home collector, and Alan owns Wedgehead as an operator, and they discuss why you don't need your own machine to enjoy the hobby of pinball, but if you do want to own them, you are gonna have to learn how to fix them, as well as get accustomed to talking to a lot of old dudes on the internet who don't know how to text.
We talk the good, the bad, and the ugly so that you can make an informed decision for yourselves. There's a lot of other pinball pods that are either hosted by distributors, or sponsored by them, and many of the hosts are themselves home collectors. There's nothing wrong with any of that, but home collecting is almost a separate sub hobby of playing pinball, and one that is a much bigger commitment than some of them might lead you to believe. We aren't sponsored by a distributor, so we speak freely about what happens after you take the plunge and purchase a pinball machine for yourself.
...we're adults so there may be some swearing in the episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
On this episode, Alex sits in the hot seat to defend his love of 1995's No Fear: Dangerous Sports. A divisive game design by the king of flow, Steve Ritchie.
Hear Alan and Alex discuss the game, and read and react to some bad reviews they found for the game. Alex owns this game, and he's VERY passionate about it, so tune in and see why you might need to give No Fear another chance.
...we are adults, and passionate pinheads, so there is some adult language in this episode.
In this episode of the podcast Alan and Alex reminisce over how they got into the hobby, and dive into some conversation aimed at newbies to the hobby who have gotten bit by the pinball bug.
We give some advice about proper etiquette, how not to sound like a dipshit on location, the joys of playing with others, and how to become a better player through personal accountability and the playing of older solid state and electromechanical games. Listen to us remember our younger selves, and hopefully steer you away from some of the same pitfalls.
As always, we are adults and we swear sometimes throughout the episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this widebody episode of the Wedgehead pinball podcast, Alan and Alex welcome the return of Chris Rhodes back to the show. He is the other half of Wedgehead, and he is back to discuss the 7 widebody pinball machines released by Bally/Williams during 1993 and 1994.
We cover the definition of a "Superpin" and have a discussion about about each game, and what we like or dislike about each one. We also give a unique award to each game, and at the end of the episode, you can find our own personal rankings from best to worst, including the lists from our previous episode guests Zoe, Greg, Daniel, and Ty.
...episode might contain some swear words, we are adults after all.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In the 3rd installment of our "Die on this Hill" series, we welcome back Greg Dunlap, former pinball programmer whom we interviewed on Episode 11, to defend Data East's 1994 game 'WWF Royal Rumble.
Hear why Greg thinks this an underrated game, and hear our reactions to the pile of bad reviews I found for it all over the internet.
...includes some adult language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined by Greg Dunlap, a computer programmer that worked at both Bally/Williams doing slot machines and then later at Pat Lawlor Designs, working on programming lightshows and animations for Early Stern Pinball machine titles like Ripley's Believe It or Not, Monopoly, Nascar, and Roller Coaster Tycoon. Hear about how a lifelong pinball fan becomes a a part of the industry he loves, and about what it was actually like.
Greg is a great example of one of the hundreds of unknown people that work as a team to create a final pinball machine. We had a blast talking to him about shooting the Monster Bash whitewood with Lyman Sheets and going out gambling on a riverboat afterwards, working with Pat Lawlor at his house during the early Stern years (aka the dark ages), and discuss what it was actually like being a regular person working at a pinball company, including watching the conception of the infamous Pinball2000 attempt to save the pinball department at Williams, and his time running the Pinball Outreach Project (or POP) with his wife when he lived in Portland.
Greg no longer works in the pinball industry, which we think makes this a uniquely interesting interview. We found it super interesting to hear a bit about the day to day life of being a pinball grunt, and we hope you will as well.
Episode is made by adults, so...we may swear sometimes.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan speaks with Daniel and Ty from Pop's Pinball Parlor in Massachusetts about why they unironically love the 1994 Bally Williams Superpin: Popeye Saves the Earth.
This is the second edition of our "Die on this Hill" series, and I give them the floor to explain themselves about why they enjoy this terrible game so much, before reading them a slew of bad reviews and then get their reactions.
It's a good time, but we are adults and sometimes we use swear words.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan interviews Daniel and Ty, two buddies and pinball operators from New England. We speak about how they started operating games, what types of games they choose to operate, how to find locations and how they keep them happy, as well as some more nuts and bolts talk about fees and permits for running a route in the Boston suburbs and townships.
Plus we get to talk about their flagship location, Pop's Pinball Parlor in Somerville, Mass. and talk about the vibe of the place, and how they balance running serious pinball events like the New England Pinball League, with their weekly series of casual tournaments.
...also, we're all big boys so we swear sometimes throughout the episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Sample Definition
Pop Bumper : The round (usually) mechanism on the playfield of a pinball machine, often found in clusters, that contracts when the ball hits it, and slams it off into another direction, typically into another pop or two on the way out of the cluster. It's a randomizing mech found on most pinball machines from the 1950s until today.
This episode is here for some players who enjoy pinball, but are new to the hobby and don't yet understand all the nerdy pinball jargon that us pinball super-nerds spout off about without even thinking we are doing it.
I talk about eras, and attempt to define common acronyms like EM, VUK, and DMD, as well as talking about playfield parts and pieces like slingshots, drop targets, orbits, and more. I also discuss common pinball techniques like slap save, soft plunge, nudge, and tilt.
I hope that this audio glossary of terms will help you quickly understand what the hell the rest of us are talking about, and it should clear up any confusion that you may have from listening to some of our other episodes!
Special thanks to Derek, Laura, Azucena, and Gus for inspiring me to make this episode. This one is for y'all, and to any others new to the hobby yet eager to learn more.
For anyone that would care, there's just a little bit of adult language used in this episode FOR EMPHASIS!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, we are doing a special new segment which we hope to continue in the future. It's called "I'm gonna die on this hill!" and it's where we have a guest on to speak about and defend a "bad" game that they unironically love.
In this first DOTH episode we bring Zoe Vrabel back to talk about her DOTH game, Gilligan's Island.
Tune in to hear her explain (against all odds) why Gilligan is actually a great machine that is wrongly crapped on by the pinball community at large.
...as always, we're adults so we swear sometimes.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Special guest Zoe Vrabel joins Alan and Alex as they discuss the history of the popular casual team based pinball tourney format "Howdy Pardner!"
We discuss what it is, how it works, and what makes it so much different than standard pinball tournaments, and describe how Alan created the format from scratch to host each Thursday night at Wedgehead.
Zoe speaks from her background as a top IFPA player and tournament director, and why Howdy is such a great breath of fresh air into organized pinball, including why she enjoyed playing in and running it so much.
It's a rootin' tootin' good old time!
...with some swearing. *%$#
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan and Alex talk about what Alex likes to describe as the "best thing that has ever happened to pinball!". Hear about what they are, when they started, and whose fault they are.
We discuss our opinions on them in general and talk about some of our favorites, and which ones should be deleted for good.
Are they fun and engaging, or inherently a bad idea?
...also we're adults, we swear sometimes.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan is joined by his business partner Chris Rhodes, and they form like Voltron into Wedgehead. We discuss how we met, the beginning of our pinball bar, the evolution and challenges presented by covid and the economy, and about what we feel makes us different from the rest with some occasional colorful swears.
Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in far from ideal circumstances, in our bar with makeshift mics, due to scheduling limitations with myself and Rhodesie. Thus, the raw recording was extremely noisy and echoey. I spent a lot of time trying to get this recording cleaned up and salvageable, and I think that while it's still noisy, it's at least listenable, so I am still releasing it for you to enjoy.
I am learning about audio recording and editing on the fly in my spare time, and am trying to get better with each episode. Some reverb and imperfections exist in the previous episodes too, but this is the most noticeable, and I really thought I wasn't gonna be able to get it to this point even, so I hope y'all like it. I learn a lot with each one of these, and I promise future episodes will be better.
Lesson learned: Don't record in Wedgehead itself, on bad mics!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan and Alex talk about the rise of the little guys in pinball, and what it means to have so many small and independent pinball makers. We discuss our experiences with some of these manufacturers and their games from both the operator and the home collector's perspective, and we talk about some of the positive and some of the negative aspects of this rapid rise in small scale pinball manufacturing.
It's a brave new world in the number of active pinball manufacturers, and we talk about what to expect, and what to avoid when buying boutique games in general.
As always, we're adults here so there's some swear words in this episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this double length episode Alan and Alex talk about the brothers Ritchie, and discuss their favorite games from each brother, their individual styles and trademarks, address the Ritchie haters, and Alan tells a couple of anecdotes from the time he met them both at Texas Pinball Festival in 2019.
Hear us discuss the legacy of these two talented brothers, and compare their catalogue to one another, with the occasional curse word thrown in because we are some passionate boys, and talking about the Ritchie brothers gets us fired up!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Alan and Alex discuss the curious case of the Williams lightning flippers that were developed and used on a few games in the early 1990s. Learn about the history of them, what games came with them, and why they're extremely divisive amongst pinball players. We give our takes and opinions on them, and chat about what other games that didn't come with lightning flippers might be improved by installing them with some occasional swearing throughout.
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