Wedgehead Pinball Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.