It’s been a dozen years since I bought Theater of Magic to put in the gameroom of our summer home. Pinball guys know what “just one pinball” means – right? I bought 5 more by the time we sold that house, 13 more by the time we sold our main home and moved here to Red Heaven Ranch. In the subsequent 3 years it took to finally get the new house built, I had bought 20 MORE games. Oh, and I had many of them stuffed into the 1,700 square foot area of the old ranch house. They were in the living room, the hallway, the office, the pole barn and folded/stored in a spare bedroom in the basement. It was a relief to finally finish the Pinball Loft and move the games into its dedicated 1,500 sq/ft environment. If you’re curious about the design and build, you can find the details HERE.

2 years have passed since I moved into the new space and 12 years since entering the hobby, I thought it appropriate to highlight some key lessons, memorable moments and interesting tidbits that I’ve gleaned from being an older and (hopefully) wiser collector.

Let’s dive in:

ONE

Stay engaged

– New hobbies come and go. I’m sure Pinball is no different. The initial euphoria subsides and people wander away for various reasons. One of the best ways to stay engaged in the pinball world, is to continue to play or own a variety of machines. Engaging with new rules, new shots, new themes and new manufacturers keeps pinball fresh. There are 2 main ways of accomplishing this goal in the world of home collections (location play is another ballgame). The first way is the most common, and is driven by available funding and space. Most home collectors will need to buy, sell and trade games often in order to keep their collection interesting to them. When I first started collecting I saw these type of enthusiasts and wondered why they were never satisfied with what they had. I asked myself if they really liked ANY game at all – because it seemed their latest buy lasted no more than 6 months or so and it was sold off for another title.

The truth is more obvious – there is only so much money and space available to most collectors. Routinely cycling in new titles is a way of keeping the collection fresh. Another approach is to simply keep building a larger and larger collection. This assumes you can afford it and (just as important) you have the space. This is the approach I took in collecting. Aside from the capital investment, this type of collection demands you have a bigger than life plan for future space. Knowing where you will keep 40-50 games is critical in approaching collecting this way. Knowing where you’ll “stop” is just as important as the endgame here is a dedicated, purpose built Pinball gameroom. The next segment will talk about how I answered that question.

TWO

Don’t go over 40

– I certainly did not expect it but when I got all my games into the Loft and fired them up at the same time, there were 5 or 6 of them that simply did not work or work properly. They worked perfectly when I folded and stored them 2 years prior! As I looked around the room that first night I became aware that this was the first time I had all 40 games in one spot and all turned on. Then I started to think that based on the sheer number of games, it was going to be highly likely that at any time 1 or 2 games would need a significant repair. That proved to be true over the long haul. In the past 2 years, and for several months at a time I’ll have a game that will be out of service. I’ll have 2 or 3 more games that need mechanical attention to “play right” and another few that are waiting to have mods installed. When the collection was smaller all of those prior mentioned numbers were smaller as well. Do the math on doubling the collection to 80 or more and you quickly become aware of the hours of maintenance and repair you sign up for when the collection is large. I made a decision that first week in the Loft that I would keep the collection at around 40 or less and have followed that standard since.

THREE

It’s a cheap hobby

– When I bought my first pin (Theatre of Magic) I paid 30% too much and had NO expectations that I would make any money should I decide to sell it. I assumed that if I ever sold it I would lose something because all expensive items depreciate. But … in the case of pinball, and the years 2010-2023, the current value of my collection exceeds the original investment (including mods). New to the hobby? This segment means NOTHING to you. You may be buying in at the peak for all I know. I’m only able to share what happened to me as I’ve collected over the past number of years. I have history and financial facts on my side. As rosy as this picture sounds, I’m sure the rate of gain is not sustainable, but until inflation settles, it appears that IF the big base of your investment was made say 8-10 years ago and you decide to liquidate, you could get your money back with interest. It’s an unexpected blessing from a hobby that has brought priceless joy.

FOUR

Designers are human

– To some extent, we ALL want validation from others. If you’re a game designer, even before you are a pinball celebrity, you’re just a regular Joe. While I’m not a designer, I have reviewed many games and personally interacted with designers as prompted from those reviews. I can say that the ones I’ve talked to WANT to know that we love and enjoy their games. It’s a little odd because in the business world we don’t look to end users to say “good Job”, we look to our leadership for that – but as a pinball designer, this validation matters. I think it means even more because the product is supposed to be “fun”, not just “a pinball game”. The games also have a significant amount of personal creativity embedded in them. When you share a positive opinion about a game, you are in a way validating the creativity of the person that made it. As a former Fine Art student, I can tell you that praise for my work was important

FIVE

Marketing is immature

– Holy cow. Coming to this hobby as a professional marketer with more than 25 years in the business, I was astounded by the level of amateur handling of my beloved product. I wondered if they “knew” just how far behind they were compared to other product based companies? The good news is that over the past 5 years that marketing effort has improved. Some would argue that given the backlog and unbelievable demand, that the marketing effort is “good enough” – after all, why push for more sales if you can’t meet current demand? My take is that pinball marketing is still relatively weak and it’s that way across all manufacturers. Yes, some are better than others but all still lack the level of polish you see in other mature hobbies (I consider pinball a mature hobby given it’s hundred year plus history). In many cases the manufacturer is the origin point for all things promotional and each does it differently.

The widely used distributor model behaves the same with each distributor having varying levels of skills in the promotional process. Some use social, some don’t. Some produce slick video segments and some don’t even have a functioning website (call to order). There is little to no attempt to sell in the area of mass-media (billboards, web advertising, enthusiast magazines, TV, cable, etc.) The level of professional presentation skills at industry shows varies widely among each manufacturer (and bigger does not mean better). Some of the seminars and PowerPoint presentations are just cringeworthy to watch. Maybe my background causes me to see things here that others don’t. Maybe the efforts are “good enough”. Maybe the industry just doesn’t need or would not benefit from improved marketing. Whatever the answer, sometimes it hurts to watch

SIX

Fixing equals fun

– I started like many others … scared to death that my first game would break (it did) and that I would never be able to get it working again (I did). Every breakdown, diagnosis and repair since then has made me more confident, less frustrated and generally happier in the hobby. Heck, it’s even lowered my anger levels! Almost every NIB machine I’ve purchased comes with its own list of “things that don’t work right out of the box” and will need diagnosis and repair. When I started collecting, I’d be angry about it. I’d ask myself why the manufacturer didn’t do a better job of QC on the game – especially at these prices. Today, I never do that, I note the issue, diagnose the problem and quickly fix it (most times) and move on. Having that level of knowledge and the repair skills softens everything around the hobby of pinball. I think the reason is obvious. Pinball machines break. Collectors are left with answering the question “What level of involvement will I take to get it going again? Learning to repair your own games allows you to enjoy the hobby even more. Hobby satisfaction rises with repair skills

SEVEN

Don’t hurt yourself

– When I started collecting, every single machine was moved and set up with muscle. Lifting them into my truck, hand carting them up several sets of stairs or across an uneven lawn. Deadlifting them high enough to place a stool underneath to get the legs on, and then “coffin carrying” or worse dragging them into position. Just ahead of the move into the new Pinball Loft, I began to seek out the very best solutions for moving and setting up pinball machines. The thought of breaking down and transporting 40+ games and then hauling them up 18 steps only to then have to reverse the process was overwhelming. I started my journey with the obvious – an Escalera from Zach and Flip N Out Pinball. We talked back and forth a bit about which model and landed on the perfect one to accommodate my needs and the short landing I had at the top of the Loft staircase. I even bought a spare battery knowing that the poor thing would likely run until the first battery died and I wanted to be able to keep the party going no matter what. Following that I needed a way to break down and set up a game without another persons help. That was a tall order and it required a custom build. You can see the tool I built (stole the idea) in both the YouTube video HERE and in the commentary on the Loft build HERE. Utilizing only some judicially cut plywood, a cheap RV jack and your power drill, the tool does all the work and you do very little lifting. It’s indispensable and a game changer if you are handling a lot of games without help (even if you have all the help in the world it’s a blessing).

After getting all the games moved and setup in the new space, I then bought a coffin lift. This tool is used frequently to reposition games within the Loft by using only my body weight to lift a game. The coffin lift then rolls on casters and with very little effort I’m able to change a games position in a line quickly. Finally, my “pinskates” are the cats meow when maneuvering a pin in super tight spaces. Especially handy when buying a pin in a strange environment as unlike the coffin lift, they are very portable. Essentially, Pinskates add a caster to each leg allowing very fine control of the entire machines movement in every single direction. Having each of these specialized tools has very likely saved me a $50K hospital bill and a forever damaged back. Invest here and you wont regret it

EIGHT

I love the history

– If it’s a new game I want to know what the unfolding story of its development looked like. I want to hear about the “aha” moments, the bad days where everything went wrong, to the moments when the magic I see in the gameplay was created by the people building it. If it’s an older game, I want to know first the “who”, followed by discovering where they are now. I was the same way when I collected vinyl records – fascinated by obscure bands that had a single record out. Where did they go from there? Did they continue in music? Were they creative in another genre? The same holds true for the classics in pinball. I want to know if they stayed in the industry. What other games did they design or play a role in? What jobs do they have today? My interest goes beyond the game makers IF the game is a licensed theme. In that case I want to discover everything I can about that license. Its origins, history and status today. I’ll go so far as to collect various memorabilia from people associated with the license – in a way, bringing a piece of them into the Loft to join the game

NINE

Sharing feels good

– As we discussed earlier in this post, my first forays into repair were scary and daunting. I was able to learn by standing on the backs of others. Specifically by asking questions and consuming content on Pinside. Without the work of others who knew the answers and their willingness to share those answer in words and images, I could not have progressed. I received one of the first Batman 66SLE machines delivered in the states. I then spent many hours crafting a hand made playfield protector, then posted my results on Pinside and mailed the template off to another Pinsider in Florida to use to make his own. I beta tested the version that was mass produced in Germany and was happy to provide the company owners with some engineering feedback to make the protector fit better. It’s interesting that a dozen years on I still LOVE diagnosing a unique problem, finding the appropriate fix, documenting that repair and then sharing it with folks that may benefit from it. The shine hasn’t worn off that process after hundreds of Pinside posts that solve a problem for others. The obvious benefit to me is I get to pay it forward. I love to do it and don’t see that ever changing. Everybody wins.

TEN

Pinball and life

– Long term readers will know that I rarely post here without weaving into the story news of “life” here at the ranch. It’s hard for me to write about pinball without sharing what was going on during that time period or around that subject. After all, we don’t live for pinball, rather pinball is a part of our lives. Moments that pop into my mind? I’m sanding down a Harlem Globetrotters cabinet and I had to take time out to save a hummingbird that had flown into the pole barn. He was so exhausted from the ordeal, he sat on my index finger long enough for several photographs. The stories of bad weather and torrential rain storms associated with my pinball pick-ups are legendary. Playing pinball with and befriending John Schneider and his wife Alicia, Chris Blue and his amazing family, Keith Burns and his wife Bonnie, Big Smo (now simply “Smo”) and other entertainers are highlight experiences that are hard NOT to write about. Finally, even the painful parts of life happen parallel to the hobby – like it or not.

As we play, we live with the reality of losing family members (my Dad, Uncle), buddies (my best friend Andy) and a host of other pinball creators (Lyman Sheats, Barry Ousler, Steve Kordek, Wayne Neyens) The very best way to highlight the joy of playing pinball is to understand the depths of emotional pain that life can bring. Don’t misread my statement. Pinball is no substitute or palliative for grief or loss. It can’t “make it go away”. Pinball simply exists on the other end of the emotional spectrum. A joyful, all senses on deck game that provides entertainment. For a few minutes you can be in a different place than the stressors of the day or that painful season in your life. I really do wish that for everyone.

ELEVEN

Optimism and politics

– By biasing your point of view 2 people can write about the same topic, and come out with a significantly different outcome. I choose to write content that is positive and optimistic but never approaching rose colored glasses. I’ll call out the reality of an issue, but try to understand both sides and the potential for improvement. It’s more fun writing that way and it’s more fair to the subject matter because NOBODY is an expert or can know it all. The best decision I’ve made to date about writing is to keep politics out of it. Making the decision “up front” and having it be a hard and fast rule was the right call. As I shared in prior posts I’m very opinionated about my Politics. I have a well considered and years in the making line of thought about how I view the world politically, socially, and fiscally. While I would not consider my viewpoints extreme, they are most definitely not a middle of the road perspective. Even if they were, I would not write about them, push them as an agenda to others or preach to you my readers to “think like me”. The decision to stay apolitical has eliminated a thousand rough comments and probably helped me keep many readers. We all like Pinball – why destroy the common ground. I won’t do it.

TWELVE

It was worth it

– Pinball has occupied some percentage of my life now for about 20% of the time I’ve been on earth. It’s been there for me through COVID lockdowns, really tough weeks at the office, personal trauma and loss – those seasons in life have all been a little easier on me due to access to Pinball. I’ve met an incredibly diverse group of warm, giving and trustworthy pinball people over these years. Most of them happy to lend a hand, an ear or a hard to find part to a total stranger. The people in this hobby come from every walk of life but show up at the doorstep of pinball with a common set of very easy to love traits. Pinball also seems to “fit me”. I like to create, to stay busy, to build, design and learn. I adore graphic art and design. I’m a history buff and have a high nostalgia meter. Pinball fits all of these like a glove and has been my “go to” hobby long enough to feel like it will be a lifetime engagement. I have other lifetime hobbies – Firearms and competitive shooting (40 years now), Music and audiophile equipment (40 years) and they both remain and from time to time have taken center stage for a bit, but the bulk of my free time has been spent playing, fixing, studying, reading and writing about Pinball. It’s been worth it.

Conclusion

I still play pinball every day. The amount of time I play hasn’t really changed over the past 10 + years. If I miss a day or so, there is always a good reason – sickness, family commitments, etc.. I’ve recently met a few more folks that enjoy the game as much as I do and I take the opportunity to invite them over every chance I get. I’m buying a few new games, but selling at least the same number in order to keep the overall game count down. If you’re a regular reader you know that Fathom Mermaid Edition arrived last month (check out the review HERE). Scooby Doo is on order as it’s a dream theme for me. I’ll be selling a few to make room for Scooby. I will continue my focus on finding games I REALLY love to replace ones that I simply LIKE that sit in my collection, mostly unplayed. On the potential sales block are: Last Action Hero, Houdini, Dr. Dude and Time Machine. On the “need to find and buy” are titles like: Deadpool, Walking Dead and White Water.

I’m really happy that I’ve arrived at a point that I truly know what I like. This has given me renewed purpose in the process of upgrading my collection. So, yes … the thrill of the chase is still there. Is it as intense as it was 12 years ago? No, not even close. When I open a new in box game today, I’m MUCH more tempered in my expectations and initial reactions. When you cycle through 40-50 (or more) games, you understand that you will never find that “perfect machine”. The mature collector discovers there are only degrees of “better” and that’s the journey I’m on now.

I’m at the point in my collection that I want to weed out the games I just don’t play much and add games that would become favorites. To begin to do that I thought I’d create a list of what games I spend the most time on and then try to understand why. Find out what drives me to spend more time playing one vs another. The simple answer is always “well, you’ll want to play the better games more often!” OK, that’s obvious but not always true and when I reviewed my list, it was NOT obvious what exactly constituted a “better” game. In fact some of my more frequently played games are not even in the top 100 on Pinside. So what exactly is going on here?

If I can drill down into the essence of why I choose one game over another, it will help me in my above mission to right size the collection to have games I’ll play more often, even if I end up with a few less games. Let’s start with the list. I’ve broken it down into 4 categories ranging from playing them often to almost never. Below you can see how the some of the games in my collection shook out.

After review, we can dig in to what I found and what might help you make more informed decisions about future adds to your collection

For example, I play this group of games OFTEN:

• Godzilla
• Star Trek
• Iron Man
• Bride of Pinbot
• The Simpson Pinball Party
• The Flintstones
• Jurassic Park (Stern)
• Ultraman (new to collection)

I play these games OCCASIONALY:

• Metallica
• Gun’s n Roses (JJP)
• Pirates (Stern)
• X-Men
• Spiderman (Stern)
• Lord of the Rings
• Game of Thrones
• Time Machine
• Wipe Out
• Theater of Magic
• Creature
• Haunted House
• Bride of Pinbot

I play these games RARELY:

• Wizard of Oz
• Medievel Madness
• AC/DC
• Batman ’66
• Addams Family
• Ghostbusters
• Dr. Dude
• Houdini
• Johnny Mnemonic

I almost NEVER play these games:

• Aerosmith
• Kiss
• Last Action hero
• Judge Dredd
• Fire
• Truck Stop
• Elvis
• Harlem Globetrotters

Let’s start with what was obvious to me and maybe not so much to you. There were a few categories that were very easy to bucket with clear “reasons” why I played or did not play that title as much.

WHY GAMES ARE PLAYED “OFTEN”

ACHIEVEMENT – This was harder to nail down than I thought, but as I examined the games that I play often, it became more obvious. I play these because of a sense of accomplishment. I can achieve things in these games. I am able to progress and in the process experience incremental gameplay (more fun?). Sometimes the incremental gameplay is offered as a performance reward – i.e., I was able to get further through the game than others. Sometimes it’s due to the fact that the game has so much depth that just playing it (at an average skill level) delivers new gameplay almost every time. A good example of this is “The Simpsons Pinball Party”. The game is so deep that only a handful of highly skilled players could ever hope to see the end of it. However, if you play it enough, the code has so many modes and methods to play that you will likely be pleasantly surprised by achieving or seeing something you never saw before.

CLEAR GOALS – When I see Jurassic Park in the top tier “play it often” list, I shake my head and wonder if I’ve made a mistake. Nope. I play it often BUT I never do that well on it. By all accounts, it’s another “tough Keith Elwin” game. I agree that it is. There are more than one shot in the game that consistently exceed my skills. Then why do I find myself playing it over and over? My scores always end around the same mark as does the numbers of paddocks that I clear (maybe 2 on average). The answer to this game is the absolute clarity in the mission and game goals. I know what to shoot for. I know what to do even if it’s hard to accomplish. The key shots are the “Rescue” markers and those inserts are orange, easy to see and very easy to understand. Make those shots, clear the paddock, rinse and repeat. Yes, there are LOTS of other things to do in the game and plenty of toys and gadgets (who does not LOVE a T-Rex that eats and throws the ball). The theme is also beloved by all – including me, but in the end, I continue to play the game because the goals are easy to understand.

Interestingly of the two “related” games in my most often played list (Godzilla and Ultraman), only Ultraman fits the attribute of “clear goals”. Maybe because it’s easier to progress in the game for an average + player like me or perhaps because the rule set is so much simpler. Either way I don’t find Godzilla to present nearly as clear of goals as Ultraman does. That’s saying something when Ultraman code still has a ways to go before being considered polished or complete. Yes, I get the storyline of Godzilla easy enough. Play as Godzilla and beat all the other Kaiju to control the cities, but in practice and in gameplay, the complexity of the rule gets in the way of crystal clear goals and progression.

STORY & MOMENTS – I’ve often referred to “Star Trek” as my favorite pin in the entire collection. As I’ve contemplated this blog post, it’s become even more clear that my gut was right on this one. The reason is the “Story” it tells and my role in it. You feel like you ARE riding along with Captain Kirk on the Enterprise. You feel like you ARE fighting against the Klingon warship. The story is simple but the game design is so powerful in how it reinforces it. The Enterprise sits to your right. Dead ahead are the bad guys in the Klingon ship and one of the ball locks sits squarely underneath. Steve Ritchie and team did a fabulous job engaging you in this story. You have missiles to fire at the Klingon ship. No worries if you run out of ammo – use real pinballs to blast away at it. It’s hard to not feel like you’re really fighting when the Klingon ship FIRES BACK at incredible speed. Intertwined in all of this are some incredibly satisfying moments and shots. The the entire playfield goes dark and the mini laser paints everything with red star dust is an unforgettable moment. Add to it the Klingon leaders’ “Foolish Human” callout, and fiendish laugh that follows and you’ve got a top 10 moment in all of pinball. The shots in the game are all easy enough for an average player to progress deeply into the game and the most challenging shot (Steve Ritchie’s signature “warp ramp) is incredibly satisfying when hit – especially when you are able to combo 2 or more in a row! The sound, music and callouts (they are excellent) all work together to support the story and keep you in it -rather than take you out. Even the start of the game begins to set that atmosphere with a simple “Welcome Aboard” and a rather quiet background pallet of sound, at least until gameplay begins.

WHY GAMES ARE “NEVER” PLAYED

NOT MY PIN – For example, “not my pin” would be a category for sure. There are several of these that I would not have purchased at all BUT my wife wanted and claims them as hers: Wizard of Oz, Elvis, Kiss and Aerosmith are great examples. I was eager to support my wife in acquiring these but the reality is that she rarely plays anyway and for the most part these 4 titles are not my cup of tea – so … I don’t play them either! Now does each of them have something unique to offer? Of course. Wizard of Oz is a stunning world under glass example of a pinball machine. It likely changed the course of all modern machines forever and for the better. Still, it’s a hard game with typically short ball times and has some “clunkyness” to the shot geometry. There are the “JJP flippers” to deal with and when you combine those negatives it becomes a game that I only play when we have guests over (they are drawn to it like moths to a flame).

HARD GAMEPLAY – The other obvious bucket to me was that many of the games in the rarely or almost never played categories are very challenging to play. Progressing through the game is tough for me. I’m an average player in the Pinhead world. I have moments of brilliance, but I’m still average. To top it off, I’m not a fan of learning all the complex rules. A perfect example of this was my (formerly owned) Avengers Infinity Quest LE. To me it presented two huge negatives that led to its transfer of ownership out of the loft. The rules are insanely complex and the shots were just a bit beyond my skill level. As a results (and like many others I’ve encountered) I could never progress through the game. Add to that the fact that the game never felt cohesive and a little “cold/sterile” and it’s one of the few games that I’ve not missed once gone. If you want to read some positives about the game, you can check out my original review right here on the Pinball Loft blog.

WHY GAMES ARE PLAYED OCCCASIONALLY

UNIQUE GAMEPLAY – The middle ground bucket of “occasionally play” somehow seems easier to understand the “why”. For example, JJP Gun’s n Roses is a challenging game that can end with huge jackpots or a nearly barren scoreboard. That kind of scoring schema and variation might lead you to rarely play the game. In my case, I keep coming back to it because it does something that NO OTHER pinball I own does – it transports me to the show, to the actual GnR concert. The experience of starting a song, picking your favorite and simply “playing along” is unique and not too many days go by that I am not hankering to do it again. Creature is the same way. You can play that game and not make it to Creature multi-ball or you might. When you do, you are rewarded with a pretty unique experience – in the case of Creature, it’s not a song but an amazing ball path that is only accessible at this time, and a cool goal to “find the Creature” as you keep 2 balls alive. It’s that unique series of moments that I live for and keeps me coming back to Creature for one more try.

SHOT VARIETY – This is another attribute of games that will keep me coming back. They have a wide variety of shots. The shot also feel unique to that game – in other words, they are not simply a ‘bunch of shots” but more and large amount of unique shots. This keeps me coming back to those games because no other games can “scratch that itch” so to speak. Stern Pirates is a fanstastic example of this. The monkey loop, the treasure chest, the left ramp, the ship shot and the one behind it for the Kraken … all of these feel special and unique to that game. While it can sometimes be a long player, it never descends into “boring” because of the the shot variety. Metallica would fit the same mold. Maybe a tiny bit less so because of the predictability of the 2 ramps and L/R orbits, but there is a lot of variety nonetheless. Hitting the “fuel” shot after a right ramp always feels (and sounds) good. I’ll add Game of Thrones here as well. The shot variety and “shootability” of those shots is excellent. It offers 2 clean orbits, a kickback, 2 ramps and an engaging upper playfield. I’ll be honest and share that for the first few years in my collection it did NOT get much gameplay, but I recently spent some more time on it both learning the rules and dialing in the necessary shots. Like most games, if you are not progressing into the game, you really are not getting the full experience. When I finally passed a billion points and had defeated multiple houses, and gotten to the “Hand of the king” mode – the level of engagement soared.

Spiderman falls squarely into this bucket as well. I have the later release comic version and love the artwork, but understand the weakness of the updated callouts vs the original release. To be honest, were it not for the weak callouts, this game would quickly move into the “often played” category. As it sits, it presents an incredible variety of shots. Most of these are smooth, interesting and repeatable. In particular, the left and right ramp shots along with the Ritchie signature upper flipper ramp shot are just plain fun. Just hard enough, but not too hard and always a feeling of satisfaction when completed. Being able to routinely hit those ramps, is of course critically important to being able to progress in the game. If you can do it Spiderman is a game that an average to slightly above average player can master. You can have long ball times but not get bored along the way.

WHY GAMES ARE RARELY PLAYED

TOO MANY NEGATIVES – This is a tougher category because absolutes like “never” seem easier to explain. In the case of games that I rarely play, it’s a bit tougher to nail down exactly why. I’ll start with the clearest example – Johnny Mnemonic. By all accounts it’s a fast and uniquely designed George Gomez game. It’s got tons of speed, flow, plenty to shoot at and a very cool mech in the mechanical glove. When I play it, I do enjoy the game. Unfortunately that is not very often. There are just too many negatives. A laundry list of the things that “bug me” about the game pretty much sums up why it’s in the rarely played category:

• Theme sucks
• Dated references
• Hand mech is soooooo slow
• Video mode is terrible (and slows game)
• Movie may be the worst I’ve ever seen
• Cabinet art sucks (like really bad)
• Scoring by the millions/hundred millions is just goofy

Just one of the items on my list would not necessarily put this game at the bottom, but taken as a whole I just don’t get excited pushing the start button on this title

SUMMARY – It’s been interesting asking myself some very direct questions about this subject. I’ve absolutely learned a few things in the process. They may be obvious to you but were a bit of a revelation to me.

My first big takeaway goes back to my comments on Game of Thrones. If you can’t get deep enough into a game you may forever not enjoy or appreciate it. Think about how to apply this logically. When asking for or simply reading game feedback on Pinside, pay attention to the reviewer. How skilled of a player are they? Most importantly how closely do YOU match up to their skills? If the two of you are close and all other things being equal, at least you’ll know that the DEPTH part of your experience is likely to mimic theirs, thus validating the review. I’m sure some of the wide variety of reviews on a single game can be attributed to this phenomenon. Sometimes it’s obvious with comments like “too easy”. Other times it’s more obtuse and hidden in comments like “not my cup of tea” … I get that statement, but we are then left wondering “why”?

Another key takeaway was that when I have a lack of emotional investment, it leads me to almost completely disconnect from a title. The games I bought on behalf of my wife sit idle most of the time. I also discovered that there is more to the why than simply “not my pins”. Aerosmith pro for example has a killer soundtrack (love Aerosmith) and amazing artwork by Dirty Donnie. It fails me terribly on the gameplay side. Shallow shot variety and boring shots add to the fact that I didn’t pick this title. I’ll rarely start a game unless a guest wants a 2 player. Fair criticism? Not sure but there it is.

Maybe one of the biggest takeaways from this effort was understanding how important shot variety, repeatability and satisfaction played. I used the shot variety standard to highlight games in the “occasional” category but the same logic applies to MANY of the games in the “often played” category as well. Jurassic Park, Godzilla, and The Simpsons all have incredible shot variety. When I examined the occasionally played games, I found the same and mentioned specifically in my comments above that Stern Pirates, Metallica, Game of Thrones and Spider-Man all possess this important attribute. Studying playfields and reviews of both existing and newly introduced games should help guide me to more satisfying titles (to me) in the future

Lastly, I now know that I need to be very aware of complex rulesets. Not to simply write off that title, but know they are there, then discover if and how they may potentially impact my enjoyment of the game. It’s a double edged sword. Games like The Simpsons present no issue as they have a long list of other wonderful attributes, while as I mentioned before Avengers was both complex and difficult so was not a game that gave me a ton of enjoyment. The rules and shot difficulty just got in the way of enjoying the game.

Listen, we are ALL different. We have different desires and wishes in a pinball game. We present wildly differing skill sets. We don’t all play the same (calculating trappers vs on-the-fly shooters). These differences allow us to review and enjoy games that others do not. How else can you explain the fact that with nearly 40 games in the Pinball Loft, I’ve played Ultraman almost exclusively for over 4 months?
Do your own version of this exercise. Ask yourself these hard to answer questions and along the way you too can uncover helpful insights into why you like what you like. The outcome won’t direct you to the exact right game, but can serve as a guide to ensure the titles you select are more likely to be ones you really enjoy.

Recalling Greatness

nos·tal·gia (noun)

“A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations”

A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. I’ve always been a collector. From the time I could understand that there were “more than one” of something. Mom and Dad were lifelong antique dealers, so access to “old things” was a blessing for somebody like me

It all started in 1973 with Wacky Packages. This was before today’s network of convenience stores that now appear on ever corner, so I walked the short distance from our house the “drug store” to buy them. I still vividly remember the excitement of the journey to the store, paying with a few quarters and the intense hope that opening each new pack would bring. Topps did a great job mixing up the cards and stickers because I remember more pleasant surprises at finding a sticker I needed vs a duplicate of one I already had. The journey didn’t end there either. Monday meant I was back in school and could now trade any duplicates I had with other kids that were collecting as well. It was a cool time.

The Wacky Packages obsession followed with comic books (supplied by a kind soul from my Dad’s workplace). Dad’s friend gave him a paper grocery bag of a hundred or so comics every 3 months or so. I sooooo looked forward to getting those as a kid. Soon after I was old enough to collect pocket knives, harmonica’s, antique compasses and more odds and ends. The drive to collect didn’t end as a teen. I ramped it up a notch and began to collect beer cans – thousands of them before I was done, then old beer signs and lights as I got old enough to purchase them at antique stores and flea markets.

As an adult, the business of raising a family and the intensity of the workplace didn’t slow my collecting down one bit – the only thing that changed was what I collected. By the time I was in my 40’s I was collecting music (over 7,000 lps and thousands of CDs) and in-line with the entertainment category – I collect movies. I sold most of the record collection years ago but the movies continue to pile up with “classics” being my current favorite genre (think 60’s James Bond, Fred Astaire and 30’s Universal Studio Monster films). Then, a bit more than a decade ago and much more on topic – Pinball came along.

The story of how I got into Pinball is hosted right here on the blog – check it out if you’re interested. Today, I wanted to reflect on my lifetime of collecting, how nostalgia has always played a role and why Pinball has such a strong nostalgic pull.

I think of myself as an “old soul” or someone that appreciates the past. If you have similar leanings, I’ll bet it’s the same for you. The reason we collect is to REFLECT. Not that I want to “live in the past”. On the contrary, there is no way would I want to go backward, to live a life during an earlier time in history. My time as a late baby boomer was “just right” for me, but I absolutely appreciate certain aspects of what happened in the past. Sometimes the distant past and, as I get older now, more likely to be in MY past.

If I look back at everything I’ve collected over the years, the “reach back” so to speak was always about going back in time and feeling what it was like. It’s been about wondering and then discovering the answers to that wonder. It’s been about finding out, by holding, playing or watching something to see what it was like back then. What was “different” and why. A few years ago, I went so far as to outfit our entire vacation home in period correct mission furniture and decor. If you popped in for a visit, you would be hard pressed not to think you had just walked into a turn-of-the-century home in Chicago with a design ala Frank Lloyd Wright. I wanted to literally “feel” what is was like to live in that era – if only in my home through the furniture and surroundings. Over time, I’ve come to experience nostalgia in 2 distinct ways. Historically (like the example of our vacation home) and Personally (like the Wacky Packages). A few examples follow and because I wasn’t sure how to wrap them into a story, I’ll address each individually.

Historical nostalgia:

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

The spectacle of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers dancing in “Swing Time” in a beautifully designed Van Nest Polglase movie set will never be replicated. We can only watch in awe as Fred and Ginger perform 4 of the most celebrated dances of all time inside one of the most beautifully designed sets of all time, to some of the most classic music of all time (“The Way You Look Tonight” – Jerome Kern). All of this released in 1936 to great success, but now considered to be a top 100 film of all time. A classic. Why a classic? Honestly it’s hard to articulate, but I’ll start with something obvious. Greatness. Better yet, combined greatness. In one spot and at one moment in time, 2 of the best dancing partners, the best set designer and the best music writers all met to create magic. I can watch that movie now and “feel it” and to experience that level of greatness now is to understand what it must have been like in the RKO 1930’s movie making years. This is the nostalgia that history buffs can related to. It’s a big piece of what drives my interest in Pinball, but as you’ll see in the next example, not all of it.

Personal nostalgia:

Batman ’66 – Adam West & Burt Ward

With Batman and Robin, the “look back” is more based on a heartstring tug than on an historical one. I like Batman because I have fond memories of it as a kid. I don’t have clear memories of the original releases (weeknights in the late 60’s) because I was only 3 when the first season hit TVs in living rooms across the country. However, coming home from school as a latch-key kid meant hours of late afternoon television and the Batman syndicated re-runs were always there. Memories during this time are good ones. Afternoons seemed to go on forever. Mom kept lots of snacks available and I almost always did my homework on the bus on the way home so my time was mine! I thought Batman was cool as heck. I was too young to get the “camp” humor, but instead enjoyed the storylines and the fact that Batman and Robin were the good guys and at the end of the show, they always won. Being a short, skinny red-head kid, I needed a hero that would always win. I wanted to see that the bad guys got their just deserts. At the time, I had no idea that Batman was a cultural and merchandise phenomenon, I just liked the show and much of my nostalgia around Batman is based on how I “feel” when I think back to that wonderful, carefree time.

Pinball nostalgia:

I find it interesting that in prepping for this post, I had not considered that Pinball would fit “both” categories of nostalgia for me. I enjoy both the history of it AND (when the licensing is right) the personal memories of it as well. When I buy an older/classic game, I’m driven to learn all I can of it’s history. I want to know who made it. What they were thinking in the process. What drove them to certain design decisions. Importantly as well … what are they doing today? What has been “thier history”. Have they since exited the industry? Did they leave pinball land (Chicago)? Did they move to a related industry? Did they become famous in some way? I’ll want to learn about everyone involved in the game – not just the designer. How many did it sell? What made this game unique or special? The list goes on and on and if I hit a dead end, I may chase it for months before I give up (i.e. what happened to Dan Langlois – Truckstop, Radical, Black Belt, Gilligan’s Island)

Creature from the Black Lagoon:

A double dip of nostalgia

Sometimes the history of the game coincides and aligns to drive nostalgia for the history of the theme as well. I recently picked up a Creature. You can read about it here. I found myself spending a ton of time researching this game. Until today, I did not realize completely why. It’s clear now. With Creature, you get both. All of the “who did what” that comes with the design history, PLUS the “holy cow there was a real movie” history as well. I’ll start with the latter.

Creature – the movie

My deep dive into the historical nostalgia started with the movie. I watched it in 3D twice and as one might have 50 years ago – as a matinee! I went into our theater on a steamy summer day around noon, got myself a snack and a cold drink and just “enjoyed it”. I liked it so much I asked my daughter to join me a few weeks later and watched it again (she liked it too). Digging in, I discovered Riccou Browning (guy in the rubber creature suit) and Julia Adams (female lead) and proceeded to hunt down autographs for each of them. I later used the promotional plastics that were originally supplied with the pinball game to create a custom framed piece to highlight those autographs. Why? Those signatures are a lasting piece of each of those folks and, by gosh – they were there! If the movie connects with you, then in a small way, owning these autographs brings you a tiny bit closer to them – I’m keeping a little piece of that special moment in 1954 alive.

At this point I’m reminded of my earlier comments about greatness. The movie is interesting because it’s a good movie. If I had researched the 1954 movie to discover that it was a 3rd rate release with little love or appreciation, I would not be writing about it, but it was regarded as a good movie for it’s genre. The Universal Studios “monster movie era” from the 30’s to the 50’s was special. Some say the first Creature film was one of the best. I would agree. The monster as envisioned by the uncredited female studio artist Milicent Patrick is just perfect. He is both lifelike and out-of-this-world at the same time!

Soon after I got the game, I was chatting with my next-door neighbor about the movie when he shared with me that he was close friends with Ginger Stanley’s son and he was sure that she was in “those movies”. A quick internet search showed that indeed she was! Ginger was the stunt double in the third and final Creature film “The Creature Walks Among Us” released in 1956. That meant that she was the one on film during all of the underwater scenes. She was still alive and doing quite well. As I write this he is arranging for me to have a call with Ginger to simply chat about the movie – I’m giddy about it!

Why so much interest in a movie? The Creature movies take me back to a time (before I was born mind you) where the “violence” in a movie might only go as far as a punch and a bloody lip. Where death takes place “off the camera view” and outside the viewing area of the audience. You know someone was killed but the graphic details are missing. The movies are in the monster/horror genre but not “horrific” in imagery. There are no beheadings, no internal organs exposed, and no cussing. These movies are entertaining not shocking. They leave memories not nightmares. To use an overwrought phrase – they are good clean fun. I see enough misery on the news and Facebook. I want more entertainment and less shock and awe in my movies. 50 years ago they made movies like that and I’m feeling nostalgic for them.

Creature – the game

I think the “greatness” comes in for Creature Pinball when the totality of the game is considered. A good monster movie, tied to the much loved Bally era of pinball, integrated into a the home run theme of a “drive-in”! Taken all together, It’s a winning recipe and one that brings both types of nostalgia to the forefront. If I was to pick just 2 images to use to “picture” 1950’s America, one would be a ’55 Chevy Bel Air, and the other would be a Drive-in movie image:

– What baby boomer did not spend time at a drive in?

– Did not “kiss their date” (or more) at a drive in?

– Does not have fond memories of a drive in?

Digging deeper into the historical side, I was always struck by the original music in the pinball game. It sounded so “50’s” that I searched for hours trying to find the song and writer but to no avail. I used Shazam to try to ID the song – still no luck. Of course there are licensed songs in the pin. We know their titles as they all were famous when the game came out in 1992. I’m referring to the music that plays when the game ends. There are no lyrics but, if you are like me, you were sure trying to add some as you hummed along. The song seemed so familiar. It just HAD to be a famous 50’s song right? Nope. That music was an original composition from Paul Heitsch. Paul is now fully committed to the world of audio books as a highly regarded voice talent. I reached out to him via email a bit ago and will amend the story here if I get a reply. In short, bravo Paul for creating a piece of original music that captures the essence of the 50’s and drives a level of nostalgia even from it’s more modern origins -well done sir!

Intersecting Greatness

As I walk around the Pinball Loft, I can see the nostalgia driven collector in me everywhere. Jersey Jacks Wizard of Oz Pinball arrived as a 50th birthday present for my wife, but so did a dozen autographs ranging from Mickey Carrol to Ray Bolger to much lesser known associates like Sydney Guilaroff (Judy Garlands hair stylist) and Ambrose Schindler (He was a Winkie Gaurd and Jack Haley’s stunt double for the Tin Man character). You might wonder why I would go to such lengths to collect an autograph from Ambrose Schindler. After all, he’s not credited in the movie. Well, his connection to my story and my home town in East TN is as fantastical as the movie itself was. You see, a year after the release of Wizard of Oz, Ambrose was the starting quarterback for the USC Trojans in the 1940 Rose Bowl where he scored BOTH touchdowns (passing and running) to win the game over MY University of TN Volunteers! At that point in time, UT had been undefeated in 23 games and had not been scored upon in the prior 16. Truth is much stranger than fiction and all of these people, characters and connections fascinate me. Why? Greatness. Wizard of Oz is considered by many to be the single greatest film of all time. The movie almost didn’t get made, almost didn’t get made in technicolor and almost didn’t have Jack Haley as the “perfect” Tin Man. Sometimes I wonder if nostalgia and fate are intertwined. The prior story hints at it but the next story cements it.

Our little girl was just 5 years old in the year 2000. We were visiting Nashville just a few hours west of our Knoxville home and saw a poster/lithograph shop in the mall with a short line of people streaming out the door. It appeared they were waiting for something or someone. We peeked in and saw a sign saying that Mickey Carroll, one of the surviving Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz movie would be there signing autographs. We jumped in line and (it wasn’t a long one) and were soon face to face with all 3.5 feet of the sweetest gentleman you would ever want to meet. Mickey was personally recruited by Judy Garland to be a cast member on the Wizard of Oz movie. They met when both were under contract to MGM and attended school together (along with Mickey Rooney). I learned that he left acting in the mid 1940’s and went back to the family business of manufacturing headstones for gravesites. He sold that business in 1996 and then did charity work and autograph appearances. He spoke to our daughter for a length of time, we got to have our picture taken with him and he signed a large poster print that would be framed for us before we left for the day. Taylor, that little girl of ours, got married last fall. She’ll soon be 27. Mickey is gone now. 9 years after we met him that day in Nashville. The rest of the cast is gone as well. Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin in May of 2018 at age 98 and Ambrose in 2018 at age 101 was the last. Each was a piece of greatness. For me, each created a feeling of nostalgia for the year 1939 when everything came together perfectly to create a nearly perfect movie.

One more and I’ll wrap it up. I was always nostalgic about it but my purchase of a Space Station pinball just reinforced that nostalgia. You guessed it, I’m talking about the Apollo space program of the 1960’s. If you’re a baby boomer, you LIVED this. When I was a kid, there were Halloween space suite costumes, space books in school, planetary studies, rocket ship models and endless sci-fi shows related to space. As a nation we were transfixed by it. Kennedy’s challenge to reach the moon is still regarded as one of the boldest and best mission statements ever written, proclaimed and then achieved. He challenged us to “Land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth, before the decade was out”.

We did it. We landed on the moon in 1969. Many will say that it was the greatest achievement by men in history. It would be hard to argue that it was not. The math we used to get there was re-calculated on slide rules as computers were very new and not yet fully trusted. At 160 million horsepower, the Saturn V rocket remains the most powerful machine every created by man. We flew nearly a quarter million miles in total and we came home safely. To put a cherry on top, the average age of the team in the control room at the time was 28 – remarkable. How incredible is it that many who witnessed the moon landing remembered life before cars, electricity, telephones and indoor plumbing. I was around in 1969 and at 6 years old have vague memories of the events but no context of what was really underway. As an adult, I now appreciate the scale of the effort and have a deep nostalgia for what was achieved more than 50 years ago.

I started collecting memorabilia connected to the Apollo missions a while ago. Finding the autographs of Gene Krantz, Chris Kraft and Glynn Lunney was accomplished quickly and all hang on my wall with pride. Harder yet was to find an actual piece of that Saturn V rocket. After a year of looking I found a stainless steel fuel filter (still in the bag and sealed with the original 1969 Rocketdyne inventory sticker) from one of the 5 fuel pumps that moved the fuel into the rockets burn chambers. It’s a NOS piece, that has never been to space, but rather was a spare part produced by Rocketdyne for NASA. It’s beyond cool just to hold it.

The Saturn 5 Rocket fuel pumps had 55,000 horse power EACH. That power was used to send 3 tons (6,000 pounds) of fuel to each of the 5 engines every SECOND for almost 3 consecutive minutes. To put it in perspective, the 5 fuel pumps alone developed 275,000 horsepower and in 3 minutes pushed over 5 million pounds of fuel through the rockets. Impressive and a level of greatness that has never been duplicated. Today, the Saturn V rocket stands as the most powerful machine ever built by man. Hanging in the Loft is a small piece of that greatness right below the autographs of 3 of the young men that helped us get it done.

So what to do about nostalgia?

Go ahead and celebrate it! Enjoy history’s greatest moments. Notice and appreciate the past but – watch for moments of greatness right now.

TODAY’S moments will be the nostalgia of our children. Those people, those movies, those events will be the things our kids look back on with fondness

Along the way, If you get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to shake the hand of someone that got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be in the greatest movie of all time – take it

Engage in those moments, attend those events. Wait in line for a bit. Be the person to say “I was there”

I love spending time with guests up in the Pinball Loft, especially when they are interested in the history of Pinball or to simply watch them really enjoy playing the game.

Alternatively, when I get the occasional younger visitor, I’m invariably disappointed to learn that they simply don’t care about pinball

I’ve had enough folks visit the loft over the past few years to notice a few things about the above situation. I’ll start with the positives. When a new guest pops their head into the Loft, it’s always the same “Disneyworld” type response. Wow! Holy crap! Whaaaaaaaat?? You’re kidding ME! My gosh! … and a dozen other superlatives. I absolutely love to see their faces when they peek around the corner after the long climb up the staircase and see 40 games lit up and a life size Spiderman and Iron man watching over them. It still puts a smile on my face to have them experience the same wonder that I experience when I’m around Pinball.

Once in a while, but not often, one of those visitors will be a “player”. Someone that’s been around Pinball and played the game. If they haven’t fallen in love with it, then they have at least mastered some of the basic skills and they enjoy the game. I absolutely adore spending time with these “interested and capable” players. They don’t have to be accomplished on the skill side, but flipping with one flipper at a time is a great foundation. With even that basic skill, the 2 of us can enjoy a few games while accomplishing objectives along the way. After all, “playing the game” is all about getting somewhere, stacking up a score, etc. When I get to play with someone that can do that – whatever their overall skill level, it’s a joy. We are connecting on the same wavelength – playing Pinball, achieving game success and learning about each other along the way. Love it!

Younger folks, on the other hand just don’t seem to care. Not all of them, but in my small sampling – “most” are not interested. I’m instantly deflated when I sense this. Don’t get me wrong. If the young person plays NO games (not video games, nor outdoor sports) then so be it. They may be adverse to the competitive nature of games. I may not understand that but can appreciate the fact that they are not competitive. I’m talking about the youngsters that DO play games/sports. They are competitive. Many play video games for hours on end. In fact, statistics show that over 70% of Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids play video games on a regular basis. For some of these kids, it’s as much a social event (though it’s done online) as it is “gaming”. While I can appreciate the interest in video gaming (I played a bit in my college years long ago), I don’t understand the “ho-hum” response to Pinball. Not at all.

After all, Pinball provides everything that video gaming does and so much more. Socializing? Sure … you’re in the same room! Yes, I understand that during a single Pinball game you are playing alone, but multi-player games allow you to at least compete for score. Video wins here to some extent because in the virtual world, you compete “real time” against other people – in Pinball, it’s turn based. Maybe I give a point here to video for being more direct in a competitive nature. When it comes to unique gameplay, Pinball gets the nod. Every game is analogue, every game is one-of-a-kind unique. Video can’t deliver that (though it can appear to). Pinball’s physicality also gives it a check mark in the win column. It’s real, not digital. You can see, touch and work on the game. You sometimes have to travel to play one. It invites you INTO the real world, not OUT of it like video games do. Again, nothing wrong with a virtual world. I worry though that some younger people might get lost in it.

We had some relatives visit last year. Their 22 year old son was with them. His reaction when seeing the Loft for the first time was almost the same as others – if a little muted. He still had a smile on his face, but if a face could have a “comma”, his did. After that “comma” were the words “so what”. Not in a snarky way, but in a “doesn’t mean that much to me” way. He played a game of Ghostbusters, shrugged he shoulders, struggled to make eye contact (or any form of contact) and asked if he could be excused. His 3 minutes in the Loft were over. He didn’t get it and he didn’t care about it. He was respectful, but wanted no more of it. Like I said, I’m saddened by that. It’s not the first time it’s happened (or the 2nd). This is a pattern I see repeated in my interactions with younger folks even outside the Loft and Pinball community. No, I’m not referring to the lack of love for Pinball, but the the fact that social skills seem to be on the wane. I’m not sure why. It might be the sometimes isolated world of video gaming, it might be that ALL of us spend a lot of time staring at our phones. Now before this turns into a “get off my lawn” diatribe, I’ll share that I also know many folks (young and old) who play video games and are highly socialized, great communicators and have a variety of interests alongside video gaming (including Pinball). This commentary is more about the disappointment I feel when I share something I love with someone that could care less. I’m not really worried about the “next generation” and the “future of Pinball”. It’s not a judgmental moment for me either. They either like Pinball or they don’t. I’m curious as to why …

• Why don’t they see the stunning artwork, glorious sounds and insane LED light shows?
• Why don’t they appreciate the randomness or the analogue experience?
• Why don’t they want to control the ball and bend the machine to their will?
• Why don’t they get excited to “play for free”?

In other words … why don’t they respond like ‘I would have” when I was 17 years old?
Probably a lot of reasons. Some of which I may get right in the next few thoughts – most of which I’ll probably miss (I’m not 17 anymore).

I think the free play part is a lot about the different era’s we are living in. When I was a kid in the 70’s entertainment was found OUTSIDE the home. Many homes didn’t even have a way to play music. Those families wealthy enough to afford a record player had just a few records (see image of my Mom and Dad’s Magnavox console). If you wanted to hear a favorite you “waited” to hear it played on the radio OR you played it on a Jukebox at a bar or diner. You WENT to the movies, you did not play a movie on your DVD player or stream it via Apple TV. Much of the structured entertainment of years past was “pay as you play”. Today, our homes are entertainment centric. Pick any movie and stream it on demand. Pick any video game and play it when you feel like it. Pick any song and hear it when you want to hear it and where you want to listen. Today’s entertainment is pay in advance (buy the console, monthly subscription) and consume as you wish. Free Play means nothing to today’s 17 year old. All of his entertainment is “free play” (with a small monthly fee that he may or may not be paying).

How about all that art, those lights and sound? As good as it is in all of it’s “right in your face real” glory, it can’t really compete with the digital world can it? The impossible IS possible in the digital world. Colors can be digitally saturated. Movement can be enhanced. Sounds are reproduced in the highest fidelity and pumped directly into the ears via headsets. The modern video game presentation is a high end, Hollywood capable production designed to work perfectly and flawlessly to great effect. The modern pinball game, is more an assemblage of those 3. Imagery, where it relates most to the game is rarely looked at (DMD or LED panel in the backbox). The visual elements that do the MOST communicating to the player are “blinking lights” for gosh sakes. The lights, the sounds and the imagery on the display are all delivered on independent platforms. The video games digital platform forces (very effectively) all of these elements to move/behave together. This is both a disadvantage for Pinball and at the same time, what makes it so unique. When Pinball pulls it off, it’s magic. Unfortunately, video gaming has an advantage embedded in its platform.

My last point is to address why there seems to be little interest in the gameplay. Why some young players just don’t care to want to “play well”. One word. Fantasy. I think Pinball will always struggle to “take you somewhere else”. It’s less immersive than a video game. I’m not sure I want it to be. After all, in Pinball you are playing a physical game. Though the goals and the theme may change, you are always left with a silver steel ball and some flippers to get the job done. You KNOW you are playing a physical game. You are AWARE at almost all times that you are standing in front of a plywood box. Yes, we all get “lost” sometimes in the moment. When the call-outs on Lord of the Rings Pinball game scream “To War!” … for a ever so brief moment, you might just think of yourself as one of good guys ready to fight to the death, but then you see the blinking lights and you know your real mission is to hit those shots, not swing a sword. Video games are different, they are MEANT to immerse you. They are DESIGNED to push you away from reality into the fantasy of the game. They tell stories in a way that even when poorly accomplished, are still recognizable and enjoyable. Pinball can’t win here. Pinball CAN improve here (think JJP Guns ‘n Roses concert in a box) and MUST get better at gluing together it’s disparate elements into a more cohesive story – but ultimately is outmatched by a game that has VIDEO as it’s primary delivery mode for gameplay.

• Am I angry and upset about all this? No.
• Do I think “kids today” are lacking something I had when I was their age? No.
• Do I hate video games and think they are the beginning of the end of civilized society? No.

I do wonder though where this all leads. I wonder if the new digital world of entertainment is “better” than the analogue age I grew up with. I’m not sure. After all, escapism can be found in many things – from drugs/alcohol to untold variations of other (less destructive) forms of entertainment. I know it appears that I set this conversation up as video games vs pinball. It was done simply to compare the two and potentially discover the strengths of each. Young and old alike have a huge variety of entertainment to choose from and “not choosing” pinball does not immediately translate to “dislike”. After all, I was almost 50 years old before I discovered my love of the game. If pinball is to remain a viable form of entertainment into the future, it requires that a new generation of players discover the same thing I did – a love and appreciation for a hands-on game, that in its modern form, has brought joy to so many for more than 75 years.

I hope they do.

If you’ve read my post earlier on the Creature I recently acquired, you’re aware that although it was nice, there were a few bumps and dings in the nearly 30 year old game. One of those issues showed itself in the typical dents you find in the side rails. Most of the time these dents align with the exact spot where the head folds down to contact them. If the operator or owner is not careful when lowering the head, it’s easy to dent the rails. In this case, the dents were one side only and much higher up the rail than you would typically see. The damage looked like somebody had dropped something on the left rail to cause the 2 dents that were very visible (and ugly) to the naked eye. When I bought the game, I decided I would do a “mini-restore” on it so I knew in advance that the rails needed to go.

Up to this point, I had already done quite a bit of work on the game. Including a new LED edge lit Creature, lit pops and a few other things. The 3 things that bothered me most were all cosmetic. The lock down bar receiver, the coin door and the dented side rails. I ordered a new lock down receiver from Pinball Life and it came (as usual) in a flash. I removed the old receiver, taped off the area around the cabinet edge and shot some fresh black paint to cover up the various splinters and crud that had built up there over the years.

After a few minutes to allow the paint to dry and with the playfield tilted up and out of the way, I replaced the old receiver. It’s just a few bolts and 4 or 5 wood screws to replace. The biggest challenge here was that one of the holes (the hole farthest to the right from the players position) that the bolt goes through was not drilled in a spot far enough to the right side of the machine to allow it to be properly mounted. I used a large drill bit to “yoke out” the hole more toward the right side of the cabinet. I added approximately 1/4″ of more “play” to move the entire receiver farther to the right for final mounting. To be fair, the receiver mounted in the original position, but when I attempted to add the lock down bar, it was pushed to far left and would not drop down onto/over the right rail – it was “off” by around 1/4″. I did not take a ton of pics during the install but the process (less making that right side hole larger) was very straightforward

The coin door came a few days later and I was back in the loft to complete the install. As is the norm, these seemingly simple projects can get a little more complex than anticipated! The existing door was scratched at some point and someone attempted to paint it – it looked like they might have painted it with a stick because no paintbrush could leave it looking that bad. The coin slots were a mess as well being all dinged up and the straight edges/right angle corners now reduced to wavy and rounded. Just ugly. No matter – I had a new coin door. I was 4 bolts and 1 molex connector away from a new face on the Creature! Or so I thought.

The bolts came out quickly. The molex connector was even faster. I spent 30 seconds cleaning the cabinet decal that was hidden behind the old coin door metal surround and then just a minute or 2 bolting the new door back onto the game. Then the door wouldn’t shut. Ugh. The interlock switch can be mounted in several positions and the flap on the new door that pushes the button in can as well. It took a minute to get all that shifted, and I had to remount the interlock switch on the game a bit deeper to the left of the cabinet. 15 minutes later all was right and the new door was in place. It looked amazing!

So what remained of the cosmetically deficient items that needed attention? Just those pesky rails. I had ordered them when I ordered the coin door so they were already in hand. Now I just had to install them. Trouble is … I’ve never done it before. I like pictures and the written word (blog anyone) so it took a bit to find someone that had taken the time to document the process. I finally found a really good tutorial and studied it closely so I had an idea of what I was getting into.

LINK TO TUTORIAL

I then decided I would shoot some pics/video during the install in order to fill in some of the gaps that the existing tutorial left open. For one, the images in the tutorial show the putty knife square to the rail when trying to separate the rail and foam tape from the cabinet. I would not do that. It was VERY hard to push through that foam tape with the entire width of the putty knife. Instead, go under the rail at a 45 degree angle. You are leading with one corner of the putty knife and it takes less pressure and moves faster. Also note that in the tutorial, there was a stove bolt and nut on each rail near the front (coin door) of the game – same as mine. There was also a spiral nail driven into each opposite end (near the head and hidden behind the hinge) – mine did not have that nail. It had a hole available to add a nail, but nothing inserted

With the new coin door installed and a brand spanking new lock down receiver, I simply could not ignore the dented rail any longer. Our weekends here at the Red Heaven Ranch are always jam packed with activity, or ranch work (or both) and this Saturday was no different. Today we were prepping for an evening concert event. Clayton Q and Randy Russell were playing a private acoustic set for about 25 people. There would be a lot of work to do beforehand and some of that would fall to me. If I was to get these rails installed, I better start soon and finish early!

I put the mowers back in the pole barn, burned some boxes and was walking back in when it looked like we might get some rain off in the distance. The rain never materialized but a beautiful rainbow did and I ran over by the mini’s dry lot to snap a picture. It stayed for over an hour and eventually began to double. I took several photos before it was time to get back at preparing for the concert

I finished all my chores and we were now ready for the 6:30 evening show. Time to get after those rails.
I popped back over to the Loft and gathered all the tools and materials I would need to get my new rails installed.

The steps are simple, the work is tedious but it’s not hard:
1) Remove the single stove head bolt near the lock down bar
2) You “may” need to lift the playfield to get at the nut on the interior of the cabinet – I did not
3) Remove all 3 nuts on each side of the cabinet head that hold the hinge to the base of the head
4) Pull the 3 matching stove bolts out from the bottom (or watch as they fall out now that they are missing the nut)
5) Carefully rotate the hinge so it’s hanging down (don’t allow it to scratch your cab as it rotates)

6) Lay a double row (one on top of the first) of wide painters tape just below the edge of the old rail
7) Use your putty knife to carefully slide it (and an angle, not perpendicular) under the edge of the rail until it bottoms out
8) Work your way from the coin door end to the head end until the old rail is loose
9) Pull the old rail off the cabinet

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LesYHCjdsmQ?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

10) Spend the next 30 minutes with Goo Gone and a plastic razor blade removing the old foam tape residue
11) Wipe down with alcohol when all residue has been removed
12) Optional: Grab a sharpie or color matched paint to fill in any scratches you made while removing the rails (not critical because the rail covers that damage)
13) Remove the old 2 layers of painters tape from the cabinet side and discard

14) Prepare new rail by wiping inside down with alcohol (promotes tape adhesion)
15) Add proper length of new foam tape (you did buy the tape, right?)
16) Stay about 1/2″ away from the edge that points to the floor when installed
17) Leave room at the opposite edge (1/8″) so foam tape doesn’t bunch up near the top
18) Leave the backing on the tape so you can do a test fit of the rail
19) Line up the stove bolt hole near the lock down bar (critical step)

20) Once aligned, carefully place a fresh piece of painters tape 1/2 of it on the new rail and 1/2 on the cabinet
21) Use this new painters tape as a functioning hinge to rotate the new rail off the cabinet but still attached at the tape hinge (see video that follows)
22) Remove the backing from the foam tape on the new rail
23) Rotate the new rail back onto the cabinet and apply pressure to adhere to cabinet
24) I took the time to Dremel polish each stove bolt before adding them back – you could skip that but mine were rusty
25) Next you’ll reinstall the 3 stove bolts on each side of the (inside) of the head – remember to replace the steel plate that the nuts butt up against

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQt1IJdoPp0?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

When finished, the outcome was better than I expected. The install took a bit longer but there were no surprises and no inadvertent damage to the game either. The rails from Pinball Life fit perfectly and the associated foam tape used for install (sold separately but you’ll want it) was just the right thickness. Overall impact is small in the grand scheme of things but taken in concert with the new coin door, the machine now has a fresh and clean look.

The Clayton Q concert was an absolute hit and I heard so many comments about how everyone had a really nice time. Clayton and Randy are incredibly talented artists, humble men and incredible entertainers. Clayton played his newest platinum single “Save Myself” and followed that with a few more of his new original songs. Randy played his acoustic like it was an electric and with incredible speed and finesse. Watch for Clayton’s original song titles like “Red” in the future as these are destined to be hits. A killer cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” was a highlight (they owned the song!) and the duo closed out the night with an extended version of “Sweet Home Alabama” with almost every guest singing along word for word! A good day for Creature and a wonderful night of entertainment for all.

Enjoy a few of Clayton’s video below. Be sure to check out the certified platinum “Save Myself”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC8pgoJMLrk?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NLqKqrDcTw?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

Yes, John Schneider (Bo Duke) from the Dukes of Hazzard fame dropped by the Red Heaven Ranch. Yes, it WAS amazing! Read on for the details but you really need to know the back story to appreciate HOW John got to our little 44 acre ranch in East TN.

You see, Tami is an avowed extrovert. I am not. All the interesting people we meet are because of Tami. So naturally this story begins with her …

Tami met Bonnie Burns at one of the many concerts she attends each year. Bonnie shared with Tami that she was soon to be married, that it was a whirlwind romance and that her fiancé just happened to be Keith Burns, a founding member of the band “Trick Pony”. Bonnie said, “you should come to our wedding”. Tami said “YES!”, and we got an invite (I initially said I did not want to go – Tami straightened me out). On Sunday April 8^th 2018, we drove to Nashville.

From Betty Lou’s to the Mansion:

First some background on Bonnie’s soon-to-be husband Keith Burns and the Grammy Nominated, platinum selling band – “Trick Pony”. They have had 4 top 20 country hits and in 2002 won the coveted CMAs “Artist of the Year”. Keith is also a prolific songwriter and has penned three Top 10 songs. He’s also written songs for artists like Hootie & The Blowfish, Joe Diffie, Sammy Kershaw, Burns & Poe, Mo Bandy and more. It’s likely you’ve heard his signature hits “Pour Me” and “Just What I Do”. In short, Keith is the real deal! We arrived Sunday afternoon and knew there was a planned “pre-wedding” party that was off-site. We followed Bonnie to the event site thinking it was likely another “fancy hotel” or something like that.

We soon realized that it was not another hotel, nor was it the VFW or even an event hall. It was, in fact – Betty Lou’s Lounge. Now this was going to be a waaaay better party than could be had at any fancy hotel! It was open mic night and we watched as Keith joined many of the “walk-ins” to both play guitar and sing. If you could play, the mic was yours. Near the end of the set, “Billy the Singing Mechanic” walked in, signed up and started pickin’. He had black grease all over both hands and under his nails but he played like he was born with a guitar in his hands and we watched in awe as Keith joined in. In Nashville, Keith is “just one of the guys” and if you want to hear real country music, played by real people – Betty Lou’s is a great place to start. For sure this was a lesson in “appearances” can be deceiving. We had a wonderful time.

Bonnie shared that the wedding would be at a mansion in Nashville (near Titan Stadium). We drove over Saturday to see if we could help decorate. Tami was quickly invited to the impromptu “bachelorette” party and I just as quickly exited the area to take in the beauty of the grounds. The Mansion was classic style, almost antebellum. Tall ceilings and wide doors. Immaculate but compact grounds surrounded by tall/thick brick walls. It had an elevated pool with a 4 stall parking garage underneath. There was a river feature and a nice coy pond where I took one of my favorite images of Miss Tami

A stage with about 30 chairs or so, was set up on the upper grassy area near the pool. Even when everyone was seated, you were so close to Keith and Bonnie (and the entertainers) that you could almost touch them. Presley and Taylor were there and we got to meet them. Songwriter Karen Staley was there and sang several songs for us with just her acoustic guitar. She wrote several top 10 hits like “The Keeper of the Stars” for Tracy Byrd and “Let’s go to Vegas” for Faith Hill.

As Keith and Bonnie exchanged vows, I was stuck by the thought that (as far I knew) we were the only “non-family”, non-industry folks at the wedding. Everyone else was a lifelong friend, probably industry related or was a blood/marriage relative. How odd that we ended up here (more on that later)

The beautiful wedding ceremony ended, the cake was cut and served and it was time for the “after party”

The After-Party

With the wedding ceremony now behind us it was time to party so everyone headed downtown (10 minutes) to the Honky Tonk Central where the family had set aside the 3^rd floor for the wedding party. We walked upstairs using our “WedFest 2018” tickets to get past security and were greeted by a great (youngish) House band. We listened to several songs before Keith and Bonnie arrived. People were enjoying the band when I saw Keith approach the lead singer to talk to him. A few seconds later, the House band jumped off the stage, handed their instruments to Keith and his band mates and leaned against the wall to listen with the rest of us.

We were blown way. The House band was blown away. In Nashville the worst talent can be better than the best in any other city, so the House band was no slouch but to see Keith and his guys dial it up was awe inspiring. They proceeded to tear the roof off the place with a half-dozen classic songs before “allowing” the House band to return to the stage. My jaw must have been hanging open because the one of the other wedding guests stopped by and said – “impressive aren’t they?” – I had no other answer other than – yea!

Just before we left the bar that night, Bonnie came over and grabbed Keith and Tami and I and asked that her sister take our picture. Even though it was surreal “sitting in on” a wedding we had no real purpose being at, it was in that moment that I realized that it was also a blessing and a privilege and that Bonnie had also appreciated us just “being there” and taken the time to make sure we felt welcome. We sure did.

Fast forward to 2 years later and Keith and Bonnie have spent several nights at our home. We consider them dear friends and have so enjoyed our time together and … it just so happens that Keith knows John Schneider.

Keith met John in Las Vegas years prior during a Trick Pony video shoot (Gene Simmons is in that video too). Keith and John became fast friends. Musicians that appreciate each others craft and talent. Hang in there, the ending of this story is the beginning of the next chapter in the story of how “Bo Duke” landed at the Red Heaven Ranch.

About Keith Burns

https://keithburnsmusic.com/bkb/

So now you know the backstory. Keith just happened to ask if it was “OK” if he invited John and his wife to our ranch. He thought they would enjoy the place as much as he and Bonnie had. So, on November 6^th 2020, John and his wife Alicia rolled into the Red Heaven Ranch in a beautiful RV.

In Duke’s of Hazzard style, I asked John to “park it right on the front lawn” – so he did.

We met John and Alicia out on the lawn and offered to let them freshen up in the ranch house but they had everything they needed right in the RV. Tami and I immediately thought that was pretty cool.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W2UgkPLDOk?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

About 40 minutes later we all met out in the driveway to spend a few minutes getting to know each other. It was nice to stand in the sun and enjoy the beautiful day. Short sleeve shirt weather in November – gosh how I appreciate TN. I thanked John for stopping by and during our brief conversation asked him about his time on Broadway (The Grand Hotel opened in 1989 and John performed 487 shows). I was assuming that it was a grueling process to put on multiple shows per day. He shared that it was easier than expected and that he really enjoyed the entire experience. I kicked myself later for not asking about Cyd Charisse as I’m a big fan.

After the introductions, we jumped in Miss Tami’s mail wagon (The Kawasaki Mule) and toured the Ranch property. John has owned and been around horses his whole life, so not much of what he saw was a surprise.

The group did enjoy our time out with the Mini’s in their dry lot area. We have a miniature Donkey (Kobe) and a miniature horse (Tubby) that live together in a barn I built out for them. They have it made and they know it! Keith was yukking it up with them and Kobe always loves the attention so both parties benefited greatly!

We made a stop at the shooting range next and, as you would expect, John enjoys exercising his 2A rights like the rest of us. We did not have time to shoot but stopped to look at the setup anyway.

Back at the house it was time to pop into the loft. Keith had shared ahead of John’s visit that he enjoyed Pinball. Well we’ve got lots of it here at the RHR.

It was great to see the look on John’s face when he first walked into the the Pinball Loft. To be honest, its the same look from almost anyone – pinball fan or not. Alicia took some pics and I took the opportunity to show John the Harlem Globetrotters playfield that was nearly complete in the work room.

Alicia saw that I was into the restoration part of the hobby and texted me the contact info of a friend that was the same. He has an extensive collection as well and I did connect with him later. John asked about my favorite Pinballs, the rarest, etc. and I took the time to explain about a few of them. Sharing that the Steve Ritchie Star Trek is one of my favs and that the slings had been signed by Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner. The conversation then shifted to Batman 66. I shared the entire history of the game. The 30^th anniversary component, the essay/video needed to simply get in the queue, and finally how Adam West himself had recorded the owners names into the game itself.

I spent a few minutes describing to John and Alicia the more modern era of pinball (since I had been collecting). The fact that Stern was the “last man standing” just 10 years ago … all the way up to today with the huge variety and scope of new machines available. We talked about the Jersey Jack Wizard of Oz machine and the struggles to get that to market and the exciting new Guns ‘n Roses Collectors Edition that was headed our way soon. Unfortunately there was not enough time to get a few games in – we had a movie to watch!

We headed back downstairs for a quick lunch. Tami had ordered some Mexican take out and we had quite a spread of food and snacks ready to pop in the oven to warm up. John asked if we could pray, so we grabbed each others hands and organized ourselves in a circle around our kitchen island – John was then kind enough to lead us in a blessing.

Miss Tami (of course) had a few hundred (kidding) things for John to sign. He was gracious to do so. One of those items is her prized guitar with dozens of country superstar autographs. John dutifully signed it – but as musicians are prone to do, couldn’t help but tune and play it a bit! Well Keith Burns is not going to sit idly by and not join in. For a few minutes the kitchen was filled with impromptu song and banter. We grabbed a bit to eat. Everybody got their fill and John particularly enjoyed Tami’s homemade granola. When done, we headed toward our theater.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyNbUuh30Q8?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

Listen – thousands of people have met John Schneider. I’m betting 99.9% would say the same thing about him. He’s a regular guy. His wife Alicia is the same. I know it’s cliché, but they really are down to earth. As Keith says “he’s a man of the people”. He acts that way too. Like a regular Joe, no pretension whatsoever. The kind of person that will put you at ease when you are around them. So … when we sat down, in OUR home theater to watch JOHN’S film with John sitting in the front row, I was at ease, but it was also a surreal moment for me. Not in the “star struck” type of way, more in the way that you ask yourself “how do these events even happen”? Like David Byrne from the Talking Heads sings in the song “Once in a Lifetime” – “how did I get here?”. As an aside, John himself is familiar with those same type of moments. For example – John once spent a year living with Johnny and June Cash. When you read about the details of that year, you will know that the Cash’s were not even the most important part of that story. (see notes at end of post to better understand).

While getting the theater prepped Tami and John spent a few minutes comparing socks as they had on virtually identical footwear. John commented on the 2 channel vinyl rig that sits in the theater and just before we watched the movie, I fired up the mono amps, set the JA Michelle Gyrodec spinning and treated the gang to “Sweet Georgia Brown” from the album Harry James and His Big Band – titled “The King James Version”. It’s a 1976 Sheffield Labs pressing that is simply superb. if you’ve never heard horns from a high end vinyl system, you are missing a special thrill … the entire gang enjoyed the music as a prelude to a broader multimedia experience that was about to happen.

It was now time to get the movie started (we played it from John’s Apple laptop!) “Stand on It!” was written and Directed by John and produced by his beautiful wife Alicia. John hit play on the laptop, tweaked a few technical settings and we quickly settled in to enjoy the film. And enjoy it we did! It’s an homage to the Smokey and the Bandit film that John had an “extra” role in (he snuck onto the set after skipping school and actually landed a part). It’s well written, full of double entendre and funny as heck to boot. It has that fun, edge of your seat, car chase vibe that keeps you wondering what car will wreck next or when all 4 wheels will leave the ground (again).

It was too cool to see both Keith and Bonnie with parts in the film as well. It’s clear that John appreciates his friends. We laughed a bunch during the movie because it’s full of one-liners (as it should be) and the performance by Tyrus (Fox news, ex-pro wrestler) as Clarence T. Necessary was killer. Just simply stuffing Tyrus’s massive hulk into a police cruiser is a sight gag that will make you laugh out loud. John is outstanding of course and shines with his extensive acting experience. As the movie came to end, I couldn’t help but think that in 2020, the world needs more movies like it.

We cleaned up the theater and returned to the living area to shoot a few photos. Again, ever gracious, John and Keith were happy to pose and smile for what I’m guessing is the one millionth time in their lives. Not sure that I could be so giving – but they sure are and I know their fans appreciate it.

We said our goodbyes and shared some hugs and they were off to prepare for an event a few hours away. They were already late so the time they spent at the ranch will forever be appreciated. A special thanks go out to our friends Keith and Bonnie Burns for putting the visit together. The gate is always open for the Schneider and Burns families here at Red Heaven Ranch

YeeHaa!

See postscipt below for more info

Postscript

It would be a shameful oversight if I didn’t share more of John’s story. He was and is so much more than his role on the Dukes of Hazzard. He was just 19 when that TV show aired and a LOT of professional accomplishment has happened since. Many don’t know that John was a founding member (along with Marie Osmond) of the Childrens Miracle Network charity in 1983. Since inception the charity has raised over $5 billion dollars to fund treatment for children. If you take ALL of his other accomplishments away but the CMN you would be hard pressed not to say “job well done”.

As mentioned earlier he has extensive Broadway acting experience. He is credited in over 165 movies and TV roles. On top of all of this, John is an accomplished recording artist with a dozen top 10 hits and around half of those as Billboard #1 hits. If you’re not already familiar with his music, download one of his albums. If you enjoy the country or gospel genres, I can assure you that you will appreciate his music.

https://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/history/

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-schneider-mn0000234890/biography

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0773884/

About the movie “Stand on It”

https://www.thehollywoodtimes.today/bos-extravaganza-2020/

About John’s gospel album

https://www.christianpost.com/news/john-schneider-says-album-recycling-grace-touched-by-finger-of-god-after-divorce-from-hell.html

About living with Johnny Cash

http://pivotpointpublishing.com/index.php/behind-the-curtain/82-john-schneider-once-lived-with-johnny-a-june-cash

How cool is this! The team a JOBLO reached out to ask if I would like to have my Pinball collection featured on his JOBLO Videos YouTube channel.

Oh, heck yes was my answer! The various JOBLO channels have MILLIONS of subscribers and this was a nice opportunity to showcase my collection and give some more exposure to the hobby. He is starting a new segment titled “Collectors Corner” and my Pinball collection would be featured on the inaugural show!

I spent a few hours on Saturday (after returning from the Highlands trip) shooting the footage for the piece. I uploaded the vids via Google Drive, submitted some answers to a few questions that would be used in the segment and just a few days later – boom!

Check out the one-and-only Pinball Loft at around the 10:30 mark in the below YouTube video, or enjoy the entire segment because it’s all about Batman 1989!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PnADKKtuMQ?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

If YOU are interested in having your gameroom, games or extraordinary collection featured, follow this link to Pinside to get connected!

Hard to go through something like this and not write about it. From high national drama, personal and professional impact not much else in my life has ever changed everything around me in such a short time. Today’s post won’t focus on all the negatives but rather on what I’ve learned in the past 14 days or so …

First a little background. I got back to work after 2 days off from some minor surgery to find the Coporate office a beeehive of activty surrounding planning and mitigating the impact of COVID-19. I then learned I was (in absentia) elected to to join the Senior Leadership team to help run the response plans for our company. I was, of course, happy to help but already a bit behind the team of 10 folks that had been working on this for 3-5 days ahead of me. Over the weekend I caught up and during the next few days assisted our team in game planning how to pull 98% of our staff out of the corporate faciities across the country to a “work from home” environment. We pulled it off due in no small part to our excellent IT team and within 48 hours of emptying the offices, we were working off-site and doing it well.

As we exited the building and began our new work lives at home, my role shifted to a steady stream of conference calls (4-6 per day and an hour or two long each) and long days spent documenting, questioning, suggesting and planning. I would send a daily Executive Briefing every evening and attend the calls that the material was created from. I have a large number of direct report Team Members and my responsibility to them did not wane. It has been a challenging balancing act to do both – especially as this first 2 weeks has been 7 days per week and almost non-stop action. If you are in an essential business like I am, you know what I mean. If you are not you probably have no idea what it’s like (and I hope you don’t need to!)

As I write this, the pace has slowed – not much but some. By now, we have documented and shared many of the new policies and procedures our team members will be need as we move through this crisis. Most of us think that the pace will change (increase again) as the number of cases grows (at about 120,000 in the US right now). But while we are planning for the worst, we pray for the absolute best.

Tonight is Saturday. I have to look it up. The days have all blended together. Even time is difficult to keep track of. Thankfully, the owner of our company is a fantastic leader. Our call with the Senior Leaders this morning started and ended with words of wisdom from him to each of us: This may not be over as fast as all of us would like so … take care of yourself, take care of your families. Get enough rest, eat well and work out. He instituted a “blackout” time period when no one should schedule calls (5-7pm each evening) so dinner, family time and exercise could happen without interruption. He understands the demands and also knows we can’t help our company if we are worn out.

So … I’ve got some time. This Saturday evening I can take a break – think a little, write a little. Heck the CEO told me to. I thought I’d capture what I’ve learned the first 2 weeks working from home in the middle of what appears to be the largest worldwide threat since I’ve been here on earth – COVID-19

Here’s my laundry list

• Let me start with … I’m grateful, and thankful
  • I have a home, plenty of food and I’m still working. So many others are not working and it’s through no choice of their own
• When I retire, I think it will be “OK” here at home.
  • I like the routine here each day. Up and shower, dress, coffee, a bite to eat and on the laptop for my early call with the response team. I don’t mind the “goundhog dayishness” of it at all.
• I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, every day
  • Tami makes me one for lunch. The same way, the same bread. I’ll not complain one bit. I’m thankful for her to make it and thankful that I’ve got something to eat
• My wife and I are getting along better than ever
  • My patience sucks. Pressures of work and the ranch can lead me to be too short with my wife. I’m much less so now. I like me better this way – I think she does too
• The dogs are getting clingier than they have ever been (I love dogs)
  • We are around them 24/7, they are liking it a little too much and so am I for some reason
• It’s hard not to be able to hug the people you love
  • My daughter lives 200 feet away from us on a smaller house on our ranch property. She tries not to spend too much time here because her fiance has regular contact with the outside world. I miss them being over here on a regular basis
• It hurts to hear loneliness in your Mom’s voice
  • Mom is in NY – the epicenter. Thankfully she is just inside the Adirondack Park where the population is sparse. She lost my Dad 18 months ago and was just building her new life of new friends that she now can’t go see – ugh.
• Some politicians are showing us why politicians are not liked
  • I won’t name them but those that are not focused on getting this country back on its feet again range from petty to downright disgusting. Hope they pay by getting “un-elected”
• When we HAVE to do something – somehow we get it done
  • I’ve had to re-wire my pump house and run deep electrical diagnostics on a pinball machine. All because there is no one around to come help right now – learn, then do is my motto. Looks like we are living that lesson with ventilators as well.
• I’m being much more careful working around farm equipment
  • I can not even imagine being pregnant, or having a chronic condition that required hospitalization right now. Staying OUT of the hospital seems the best approach at the moment
• Nature is even more important to me than I thought
  • Tami and I have been taking way more walks than in the past – and we liked to walk. Being in the woods melts away stresses of the day
• Prepping (I am/do) is no longer considered fringe
  • I’ve been prepping for years. When this hit, we were ready. Beans, bullets and band-aids and more were already packed away for just this kind of rainy day. We don’t look so crazy now
• I appreciate small favors in a big way
  • With my pre-existing heart condition, I really should not leave our ranch property. As such, my daughter has been a saint in picking up my prescriptions, ranch supplies, etc. It’s an extra burden for her – even a pain sometimes but she’s doing it without complaint
• Have the best tools for working at home or suffer accordingly
  • When it hit the fan, I began to think what working from home would be like. I needed a good set of wireless ear buds. Ones that worked not just for music or “taking” a call but ones where the person on the other end could hear you. Apple Air Pods Pro won the day and I ordered them just ahead of the wave that had them out of stock on Amazon for days afterward
• More than ever I need to inject creativity into my job
  • I’ve got to build, fix, write, create or I will explode. I’m finding ways to do it in my work and thankfully, have this blog
• I’ve never worried about getting sick, now I do
  • I didn’t even worry when I was scheduled for quadruple bypass. I AM worried now. I see the news reports. I know my age and health history. I’m not scared or hysterical about it – I’m just structuring my life to ensure I stay virus free
• Playing pinball is fun, playing alone for days on end sucks
  • I’m an introvert and even I’ve had enough at this point
• The office we built into our new home for “occasional” use is not perfect
  • Ugh. I could share the whole drama surrounding how the cabinet company didn’t have a clue what they were doing but … I’ll leave it at this – as I type this I’m sitting in an elevated drafting chair because the workstations they designed were “kitchen” height, not office chair height
• Humor is important to me and it has vaulted way up the list
  • We did an “outdoor” movie last night to maintain social distancing with my daughter and her fiance. We all insisted on a comedy – It was Robin Williams in the classic “RV”. Wet-your-pants-stupid type of funny. We needed it bad

This post will be different than most. Less Pinball and more People. I’ll warn you up front it will also be very personal. The anniversaries of losing my best friend Andy and my father Douglas J. Purcell are just around the corner. It was October 12^th of last year that Andy passed and just 41 days later on Thanksgiving Day, that I lost my Dad from the very same disease. Both were great men in my life. Both influenced me in dramatic ways. My Dad in the ways that form the foundations of young men. My attitude, work drive, compassion, focus, sense of duty and more. My Dad shaped who I have become. I wrote about his struggles in Andy’s book but those words were written while he was still here, alive and talking with me every week. What follows is a two-part update. First on my Dad and then on Andy. I’ll wrap it all up at the very end.

DOUGLAS PURCELL

After losing Andy, my Dads condition
worsened and I visited him in late October. He was in the hospital
and with uncontrolled bleeding. I spent 3 days there and was thrilled
to see him improve enough to go home. I left with hugs, several
pictures of all of us smiling ear to ear and piled into his hospital
bed, and the promise that he was going home. I said goodbye, said I
love you – felt like running back to say it again but didn’t and
left for home – 13 hours away. For the second time in just a few
months, I had seen someone for the last time and did not realize it.
I talked to my Dad many times after that but never saw him again.

During the following weeks his condition worsened, so I bought a plane ticket for the day after Thanksgiving to go back and visit him. In the middle of the night before Thanksgiving Day, I got a call from my Mom saying that he was being rushed to the hospital with bleeding again. The doctors did not give him a good prognosis. He was checked into the hospital but under what is called “comfort care” – no extreme measures would be taken to save his life. He accepted that fact. I called my Mom early on Thanksgiving Day to talk through what to do. I had a flight the next morning, but if I left “now”, I would be there by that evening. The doctors shared with my Mom that he might not make it until tomorrow. I gathered my Tennessee family in the driveway of our ranch in the chilly early morning air of that Thanksgiving Day and asked if they would bless my trip to NY and carry on without me. Through many tears, it was decided that I should leave immediately. I did.

I got almost halfway there when I got a call from my oldest Daughter. He was gone. I was too late. I pulled over. I talked to my Mom and Sister, who were both with him. I sat in the parking lot of a McDonald’s along Interstate 81 and cried. I got a call from a friend that heard the news and we both cried some more. When I finally got myself composed (an hour? more?) I got back on the road and continued my trek “home” to grieve with my family and provide comfort to each other as best you can in circumstances like this.

Over the next few days, I’d say we did pretty good. My Dad has a fantastic sense of humor. It was contagious to the whole family. We talked about him a lot while I was up there. More than that we laughed as much as we cried – and he would have wanted it that way. We know that because we had all heard him say a million times that he did not want to have some somber event memorializing his death – instead, he wanted a party. He wanted others to get together and have some fun thinking back on who he was and what he meant to them. So that’s what my Mom and Sister planned. They did all the work and in early May of the following year, we all got together for Douglas’s “Celebration of Life”. By then, I’d had enough time to reflect on my life and his impact on it. What follows is what I shared that day about what it was like to be his son.

Spoiler alert – it was really good.

My
Prepared Comments for Douglas Purcell’s Celebration of Life May 4^th
2019

My
Dad was a great man

• He
  loved god
• He
  loved his family
• He
  shared that love with us openly and publicly
• He
  taught me to do the same

It
is amazing my Dad taught me how to show love

• As I heard him say on many occasions – his Dad did not outwardly demonstrate love to him
• So my Dad had no blueprint, no coach, no example of how to show love as a man
• But he did it anyway … And I remember it vividly
• And it has forever impacted how I behave as a father, husband and person

My
Dad showed me how to be a Father

• He was patient with us
• He forgave us
• He also said “I love you” – ALL the time
• I kissed him goodnight until I was a teenager
• He told me he was proud of me – ALL the time, it’s one of the last things he said to me
• And when I moved away from here in 1995 it was HE who stood in for me with oldest daughter (she stayed behind with her mom) and was that father figure every daughter needs
  • That single act of love on his part represents the single best gift I’ve ever received
  • I suspect that my daughter might say the same

My
Dad showed me how to be a Husband

• Dad
  stayed home
• He
  preferred to be with my Mom
• They
  were best friends and together for over 50 years
• They
  had their “dust-ups” and he would get angry BUT I always
  remember my Dad apologizing and admitting when he was wrong

My
Dad showed me how to be Human

• He never thought of himself first – he was always worrying and praying for others
  • You see, I lost my best friend Andy to MDS this past year – he was 38 years old
  • The exact same disease that my Dad was diagnosed with
  • When my Dad was at his absolute worst with MDS, the first question he would ask would be about Andy – How is Andy doing? How is his little girl?
• He did not really care much for material things – the closest he got to that was his Volkswagen’s
• Dad loved music, so I do as well and I think some of the best people I know love music
• He was happy for others when things went well – he was happy for me and he often told me so
• He NEVER took himself too seriously and that drove a humble personality and a great sense of humor – he was fun to be around and loved to laugh

My
Dad showed me how to Live

• He and Mom decided a long time ago that they were going to live in the moment
• There would be no plan to “start having fun” when they retired
• Because of those decisions, I have thousands of GOOD memories growing up as a kid
• My Mom and Dad did this “on purpose” and I am so proud to share it with you

• From about 1970 on, Dad drove our station wagon cross-country every summer on vacation
  • To build memories and experiences ahead of acquiring things or a big bank account
  • This was not long after the interstate system was completed so travel was a challenge
  • We camped in a pop-up in hundreds of KOA campgrounds scattered all over the country

• In 1977 they decided to take the entire plan to “bright” and move to upstate NY for good
  • They became self-employed business partners and doing for the next 40 years got do do what they loved AND provide my sister and I the most magical experiences we could imagine:
  • I thank my parents for the blessing of growing up here, to be grounded in “country” values and lifestyle
  • I thank them for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a teenager living on this very lake
  • Since leaving in 1995, I’ve traveled all of the country and many others BUT I still think Brantingham Lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth

• When
  I look back, I can see that the decisions they made were not really
  about them – they were decisions made for all of our benefit – our
  family’s benefit
• I
  am forever grateful they chose that path and that my father was not
  only a willing participant but was “all-in” and eager to
  lead our family in a most un-selfish way

Closing
comments

• It’s
  clear that with every passing year, I become more like my Dad
• I
  guess it’s no surprise but the past 5 years of so, I’ve noticed it
  more
• I
  also notice lately how far I need to go to get even close to the man
  he was
• My
  hope is to continue in that journey – to be a better father,
  husband and person
• To
  finish the race as well as he did
• It’s
  harder now ‘cause my coach is gone
• I
  miss him

We had a great time at the Celebration
of Life. Everyone did. I got to see old friends and family that I had
not seen in many years. There were tears of course but a lot more
laughter. I was grateful to all who came and spent a major portion of
my time thanking them for that. After all, my Dad was gone. If they
were attending it was to show support for me, my Sister and my Mom.
What a wonderful gift and demonstration of respect.

Bottom line? My Dad was all about people. While seated at a table off to the side, I whispered to an old friend that I was blown away that over 100 people showed up at the event. My Dad was not a celebrity. He was not a politician. He did, however, care about people – and it showed in the response and respect of those in attendance that day. How blessed I was to have been born to him. How proud I am to say I am his son.

ANDREW HENDERSON

Andy’s influence was different and how terrible that it took his death to have the largest impact on me. If my Dad built the foundations of who I am today, it is now Andy who is driving changes forward into the future. I’ve written a book about Andy so I won’t rehash what is already written. If you care to know more about this amazing young man, you can read it here. Click on the Andy link at the top or if on your mobile in the menu section. I couldn’t let the date go by without recognizing the anniversary of his passing and share what has happened in a year.

Let’s start with – Pinball. The big Pinball Loft gameroom that I was building in our new home is completed. Andy would have loved it. This blog is all about Pinball and I could go on and on about the Loft but you can read more about it here at this link on Pinside – get a snack and a drink, it’s a long story

Here are some highlights:

• Over 1,500 square feet
• Holds up to 50 games
• Has a sleeping loft built in
• Has an 8 foot tall Spiderman
• Almost 200’ of RGBW LED lighting

I’m still close with Andy’s Dad. He
stops by the Ranch on a regular basis to talk, play a little pinball
or spend some time on my shooting range. He is doing great and
remains a great friend.

Andy’s daughter is doing well. She
spends quality time with Grandma and I get to see her through dozens
of pictures on Facebook! She’s growing up and has an amazing and
supportive family.

I still miss him. Especially now. 40
pinball machines in a room are no fun when you’re alone. Andy would
have been over all the time. He would have brought other friends as
well. Man, I’m nowhere near as good as he was at “being a
friend”. I miss his impact. His influence. His ability to bring
people together.

So what am I doing about that? Well, trying desperately to be a little more “like Andy” and “like my Dad”. Inviting people. Opening up to people. Exploring and trying new things. Over the past 6 months I’ve been much more proactive at either inviting folks over or saying “yes” if asked to join them. My old self is way too eager to say “no” for a million reasons … most under the “I’m too busy” umbrella.

How’s it working? Better. I’m
making more connections. Sending more time with others. Meeting lots
of new people (outside of Pinball as well). I’ll be honest and
share that it’s hard for me. It doesn’t come naturally. Mustering
up just a little bit of the new behavior feels like I’m having an
out of body experience. But I press on and so far:

• Invited Brad – my political junky, manure hauling, Hammond B3 organ playing, all around genius mechanic buddy up to see the room and play a little guitar
• Chris Blue is now a regular player here at the loft – and I love his passion for Life, Music and Pinball
• Invited Tony my land excavator up to see the room and play some Pinball – work boots and all
• Invited a coworker to bring his entire team for a team building event at the Loft
• And, of course Darin has dropped by a few times already and he and I share a deep passion and interest in Pinball – he a great guy with an amazingly positive outlook and can play the heck out of any game!

It’s easy to see the positive impact of the changes – Life is just more interesting when shared with others.

Andy and my Dad knew that

I’m still
learning …

Thought I’d share how this all started. I was not always involved in the pinball scene. Here’s the rest of the story …

My wife and I purchased a summer home in 2008 and wanted it to be a place where we could decompress. We planned carefully, researched the location, type of home, etc. One of the things we knew we wanted was a house that was “fun” to visit. We literally sat down and wrote out what “fun” would look like to us. Once we purchased the home, we ordered a Ping Pong table, built a hardscape and waterfall out back, bought a boat, went shopping for board games and … bought a Pinball machine. Theater of Magic to be exact.

I grew up in the 70’s and although not surrounded by Pinball, I was at least exposed to it. I played it on occasion in arcades and laundromats but was always intimidated by it. I never understood the rules. I was not very skilled at it and my games were typically short and generally disappointing. In short I never loved Pinball – heck I barely liked it.

I went off to college, studied Fine Arts, got my degree and graduated to a career in Marketing. My interests and hobbies throughout my adult years prepped me to finally both appreciate and eventually fall in love with Pinball. I’ve worked with wood to remodel houses, wired houses, wrote software, crafted commercial art, wrenched my own cars and even studied electrical theory to get my HAM license. The same things that interested me about these subjects would eventually align to cement my love for all things Pinball.

Fast forward 40 years and Theater of Magic is sitting in the corner of my new summer house. I’m stunned. I can’t believe I have my own machine. I play a few games and that old “you’renot very good at this” feeling comes back. Then a few more games as I tell myself “who cares, it’s YOUR game – just hit start again!” I played the heck out of that game and was from that moment on hooked on the hobby. I loved the art, the complex mechanics, the software/lights/sounds system, the randomness that Pinball has over video games. I loved everything about it – I found out later that just like cars, I liked working on them too. Good thing.

By the time we sold the summer house, I was up to 8 games and wondering what had happened to me. Was I a hoarder? Why was I compelled to keep buying games? I had no other answer other than I loved the hobby and wanted to go even deeper. So deeper I went. We moved back to our main house and with more space, the collection quickly grew to fill it. Within 2 years I was at 17 games and no space left to put them. I had 2 in storage and one literally sitting inside my home theater. I had to sell something. I finally was forced to sell 2 games to make space. Once they were gone, I was (briefly) resigned to keeping “just 15” machines and simply trading them out as new titles came up.

Shortly after the sale of the 2 machines, we began to search for a home that had more property. The property search was driven by our family love of horses. We owned 2 at the time and wanted to buy/build a horse ranch of our own. On Super Bowl Sunday we found a real estate listing for 44 acres of land that had been on the market just one day. We called. We looked. We bought it 2 days later. The property was stunning with one caveat. It had a small rancher house on it that would barely allow me to set up 8 machines let alone 15. No matter. We knew right away we would quickly build our retirement home on this land. In the meantime, I could put a few machines in storage in order to wait for the “perfect game room”. So we set about building a functioning horse ranch. We ran 3/4 of a mile of 4 board poplar fencing. I Bought 250 gallons of Lexington FenceCoat black acrylic lacquer paint and sprayed it twice (both sides!).

We also excavated and constructed a 36 x 60 foot 6 stall horse barn. We even built a smaller barn for our mini horse and donkey. I added 2 run in sheds for the horses and a built a concrete floor manure pit for good measure. Midway through the build I discovered that I had to have a quadruple heart bypass. I’m a lifelong runner so to say the least that was a surprise. I’m blessed to share that I came through just fine but 6 months of forward momentum was lost. Oh well, no need to whine about it. I had the operation and just over 100 days later was back running a 5K again!Importantly, I’m healed and healthy and able to lift and move 300lb Pinball machines again.

I took nearly 2 years to complete the horse ranch and while all of THAT was going on, I bought ANOTHER 28 Pinball machines! The property already had a 75′ x 40′ pole barn on it and in 2 years I did a pretty good job of filling it. Machines were stored in our office, the pole barn, in the basement, living room, dining room … it was getting a little crazy. Toward the end of the ranch build, I was challenged personally with the passing of my neighbor, my best pinball friend (Andy) and my own father from the very same (rare) blood disease called “MDS”. As you might imagine, it was a roller coaster of emotions during this time period. In fact, they all passed away during the same year. My perspective on life, relationships and “things” has been forever altered because of it – certainly for the better. If anything, Pinball became even more important to me. Not the games themselves, but the people I’ve met because of them. The people I now invite over to play them or to just sit and talk. Andy taught me that lesson. For him, Pinball was the means to an end. That end goal was to engage and know people in a deeper way. He was a genius at it. I’m still in Kindergarten.

We finally broke ground on our new custom home in October of 2018 and 11 months later moved in. It was everything we had hoped for. The game room WAS perfect and the “Pinball Loft” as it is called today can hold up to 50 games at any time. I like to keep it at 40 because it leaves lots of room to move around and work on the games. The room is over 1,500 square feet, has a sleeping loft, restroom, star gazing back deck, 200 feet of RGB LED lighting and recliners and sofas for guest comfort. It was engineered to hold the over 50,000 pound of weight generated by 50 pinballs and 50 guests. The wiring includes 8 dedicated 20 amp switched circuits so I can turn all the games on or off with 8 flicks of the finger. There is a dedicated HVAC system to keep the area comfortable no matter how many games are being played. I designed and built most of it and am feel blessed to be able to create something so fun!

So what’s next? Interestingly, I can tell that something has changed in my feelings about the hobby. Now that I have this much space, I don’t feel to urge to add more games. In fact, my focus has shifted into the “quality” realm. I want to make each game as perfect as it can be. There are larger collections than mine in the country (some incredibly larger ones) but I take pride in that all of the games in my game room are working. I don’t collect “project games”. From time to time I might buy one, but that game is earmarked to be restored and most don’t sit long before they are complete. Now, I’m looking at some of my older games and either doing a deeper restore or putting them up for sale to get a better copy or different title. I’m also reviewing all the titles in the collection to make sure they are what I would want in a 40 piece Pinball collection. If not, I can sell or trade that title out for a more desirable one. I’ve also come to realize the significant challenge in keeping a collection this size working. I do all my own work including most of the soldering/board work. I really enjoy it as much as playing the games. At least I thought I did. All that changed with having all 40 games in one spot and all set up for play. Now the percentage of time spent working on the games has increased to become burdensome. Each issue that I repair reminds me that the condition of the games I buy is even more critical to me than it was in the past – I can’t afford the time to repair like I used to during the days of “building the collection”. 

So what’s the bottom line on “me and Pinball” today? I want to spend more time with friends. I want to share the collection. I think all collectors do. The advantages of Pinball is that you don’t just look at them, you play them. I’m now having more people over to the Loft to play the games. Heck, many times I will just hang out on the side of the machine and watch them. I enjoy teaching them little tricks, sharing the history of the games and the details of the company and people who created them. I’m trying to live out the lesson I learned from my buddy Andy. He showed me that Pinball becomes exponentially more fun with friends around and when the things you collect enhance your relationships, you are getting the most from your hobby. Pinball does that for me and will remain a lifelong passion.