A weekly pinball podcast brought to you by the people that run Wedgehead, a pinball bar in Portland, Oregon. Each week Alan and Alex discuss a different pinball topic, with a focus on location play, often with other interesting guests. Support our show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast If you have any questions, or might want to guest on a future episode, please email : wedgeheadinfo@gmail.com.
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast This episode is all about the hotly debated definition of what a fan layout is, what it isn't, whether they are good, or whether they are cookie cutter derivative BS. We discuss the history of them, some of the most famous ones, and some of the designers most associated with them. And at the end …
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast This episode, we are joined by our friend Isaac Ruiz, a legendary tournament director and organizer from the Portland scene to discuss the rise of tournament pinball here, breaking the IFPA rankings systems in the early 2010s, developing Brackelope, the world's first software for running pinball …
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Episode 60 - Die on This Hill: World Poker Tour
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Local Deathsave enthusiast Jeff Hart returns to the show to defend Stern's 2006 game, World Poker Tour against all the internet haters. This is one of those games with a star studded design team, loaded with mechanical features, and yet it still is widely derided by many pinheads. Jeff is here to…
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Episode 59 - How to Run an Independent Pinball Bar
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast This episode Alan recaps the seminar that he was a panelist on for the 40th Annual Pinball Expo in Chicago and sort of reprises his notes for you all to listen to. The panelists were 3 independent Arcade Bar Owners, Zespy of Logan Arcade in Chicago, Rachel & Cale of the Electric Bat Arcade in Tem…
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast We are joined on this episode by admitted cheater, local Portland player Jeff Hart, to discuss the dark arts of pinball: The deathsave and it's little brother, the bangback. We discuss the moves, the ethics of doing them from a player's and operator's perspective, and why they aren't allowed in t…
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Episode 57 - Pinball AirBnB / DOTH Road Kings
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode we interview a fan of the show Mike, who runs a cool AirBnB in Troy, NY near Albany. He has 15 pinball machines in the apartment that are all on free play for the guests, and we talk with him about this unusual but very cool way to operate pinball in an unconventional way. Mike te…
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Episode 56 - One Year Anniversary Q+A
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode we are belatedly celebrating our one year anniversary of hosting this weekly pinball show. We asked y'all to submit some questions, and boy did you! We try and answer all of your questions that you sent in to us, although a few came in after we recorded this episode and we will sa…
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Episode 55 - Operator Spotlight: Quarters SLC
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Our buddy Mike from Quarters and Quarters Sugarhouse joins us on the show to discuss operating two arcade bars in Salt Lake City, Utah. We talk about his start in the bar business, and all the unique challenges that running a bar in the state of Utah entails. Mike enlightens us on his local pinba…
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Episode 54 - Pinball Metamorphosis: The System 11 Era Pt.2
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast This is the second part of our series about the groundbreaking Williams System 11 games, and we discuss the second half of them, including games from the recently acquired Bally pinball division which injected even more creative juice into the parent company. Ty Palmer is back for part two, and w…
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Episode 53 - Pinball Metamorphosis: The System 11 Era Pt.1
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Our good friend and solid state pinball guru, Ty Palmer joins us for the first episode in our two part series on the Williams System 11 platform, a pinball board set and software framework that massively changed the game of pinball. Larry Demar designed and engineered this groundbreaking system, …
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode Alan and Alex discuss the best games to trick your normie friends and family into liking and playing pinball. We discuss the parameters of what we think makes a great gateway game, what makes a bad gateway game, and tips for making their first time playing more fun. We are also no…
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Episode 51 - How to Draw Dinosaurs w/ Johnny Crap
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, freelance pinball artist Jonathan Bergeron joins us from his studio in Montreal, Canada to discuss his life as a commercial artist doing gig posters and merch designs for bands like Mastodon, Guns 'n Roses, Suicidal Tendencies, Judas Priest, and many many more, as well as how he …
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Episode 50 - The 90s Pinball Renaissance Pt.2 w/ Roger Sharpe
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast The man/myth/legend Roger Sharpe is back again on the show to speak more about the pinball renaissance of the 1990s. In this second episode we dive more into some of the many people that made these games special. We talk about designers like Steve Ritchie, Pat Lawlor, and Dennis Nordman. Programm…
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Episode 49 - The 90s Pinball Renaissance Pt.1 w/ Roger Sharpe
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Alan and Alex are joined on the show once again by Roger Sharpe, aka the 'Man Who Saved Pinball' to discuss his career at Williams from 1988-1999 as the Marketing Director. Roger tells us some great stories about getting hired, the merger of Bally into Williams, his role in licensing games, and m…
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Alan and Alex are joined on the show by their friend Tyler White from LA to discuss Stern's Insider Connected platform, and why he loves to use it, and how he wants to see it grow into the future. Stern's IC is a feature that has been on all their games since Godzilla (2021), and has retrofit kit…
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Episode 47 - Gottlieb vs. Paramount Pictures
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, our friend and member of our local Portland Pinball scene, Nate Tayloe joins us on the show to educate us on the weird case where Gottlieb chose to sue Paramount Pictures over alleged copyright and trademark infringement due to the inclusion of Gottlieb's "Silver Slugger" pinball…
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Episode 46 - Die on this Hill: Rocky & Bullwinkle
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Ty Ueda from Pop's Pinball Parlor in Boston, Ma. is back to defend another game on the show, this time it's 1993's Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends! Released by Data East and designed by frequent DOTH designer extraordinaire, Tim Seckel, this game probably barely qualifies as it seems to sit somewh…
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Episode 45 - Pinball Art Director w/ Greg Freres
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast We're joined again on the show by Greg Freres whom we spoke to in the last episode, about the legendary Bally Art Department of the early solid state era. But in this episode we focus our discussions on his ascension to head of the art department at Williams/Bally after the 1988 merger, guiding t…
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Episode 44 - The Notorious Bally Art Department w/ Greg Freres
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined on the show by long time pinball artist Greg Freres, and they discuss Greg's time working in the late 1970s and early 1980s art department at Bally, a truly remarkable time period for pinball art. Greg tells us all about the different processes that revol…
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Episode 43 - MEGALOCATIONS!
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this MEGA sized episode of the podcast, Alan and Alex discuss the rise and increase in the number of pinball MEGALOCATIONS with 100+ machines. We discuss traveling to these pinball destinations, what to expect playing massive collections in warehouse buildings, and talk about our own experienc…
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Episode 42 - Die on this Hill: Sega Godzilla
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Sean Irby, homebrew pinball designer from our last episode rejoins the show to defend his "Die on this Hill" game: Sega's Godzilla. Before Stern released their Godzilla to a near deafening roar of approval, Gary's previous pinball venture had a much less successful go at a Godzilla game, based on…
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Sean Irby, a northwest pinball neighbor from Seattle to discuss the making and development of homebrew pinball machines, AKA making your own pinball machine. Over the last 5 years, the homebrew pinball community has exploded thanks to the a…
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Episode 40 - Die on this Hill: Hook
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this special edition of our popular 'Die on this Hill' series, Alan teams up with his buddy AJ, the owner and operator of the Flip a Coin Arcade, to defend Data East's Hook. Alex is there as the resident hater on the show, and he GLEEFULLY reads AJ and Alan an avalanche of awful reviews scoure…
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Episode 39 - Operator Spotlight: Flip a Coin
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast We are joined on the show by Adam 'AJ' Jordan, owner and operator of the 'Flip a Coin Arcade' that they built in the basement of his girlfriend's bakery, the 'Bite Me Cake Company' in Pueblo, Colorado. We talk about building a scene in a small town, taking a leap in the middle of covid, and how h…
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Episode 38 - Die on this Hill: Orbitor 1
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Our pal Jeff Johnsen, the operator of Walt's in LA, is back on the show to defend the last pinball machine that the original Stern Electronics company ever made, Orbitor 1. Jeff tells us about the historical significance of the game, including the two pinball outsiders and NASA engineers, who bro…
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Episode 37 - Operator Spotlight: Walt's
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast We speak with Jeff Johnsen, owner and operator of Walt's Bar in LA's Eagle Rock neighborhood about how his father taught him and his brother how to work on games as kids, almost blowing themselves up in the process. We talk about the LA pinball scene, pricing games, giving up his route, and how t…
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Episode 36 - Die on this Hill: Lethal Weapon 3
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Pinball restoration artist Ashley Ludwig (@ludwigsynopsis) is back on the show to defend her favorite trashy 90s pin, Lethal Weapon 3. Made by Data East in 1992, and based on the hit series of odd couple buddy cop films, Ashley passionately tells us why she thinks that LW3 is actually better than…
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Ever wanted to know why operators choose to use quarters vs tokens? Or why so many large arcades have ditched coins altogether and installed card readers on their games? Or why Wedgehead moved over to a freeplay model? Then this episode is for you. Alan and Alex discuss each payment system in dep…
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Episode 34 - Pinball Restoration
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Ashley Ludwig (@ludwigsynopsis on instagram) to discuss the finer points of restoring old pinball machines. Ashley restores old pinball machines full time in Rochester, NY and she enlightens us on the skill and craftsmanship it takes to get …
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Episode 33 - Die on this Hill: A Nightmare on Elm Street
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Ian Matheson, owner and operator of Propeller Arcade comes back onto the show to defend his love of all things Freddy Kreuger, but especially his love for Gottlieb's 1994 pinball machine, A Nightmare on Elm Street. Hear Ian passionately defend Freddy as a great gateway game, with incredible theme…
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Episode 32 - Stern's 'Miracle' Year
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast It's the year 1980, and the US Olympic Hockey team shocks the world and beats the Soviet team in a stunning 4-3 upset in Lake Placid, NY during the height of the cold war. But another miracle happens in pinball that same year too, as a fledgling Stern Electronics releases 9 excellent machines in …
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Episode 31 - Operator Spotlight: Propeller Arcade
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode Alan sits down to talk with Ian Matheson, operator at Propeller arcade inside of Propeller Brewing in Halifax, Canada. We talk about how he got started, including some incredible stories about the old school underground Nova Scotia pinball scene before opening his public arcade wh…
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, Alan and Alex discuss the outlier machines released in the last 7 years without ramps, and with simpler rulesets. We talk about Total Nuclear Annihilation, Beatles, Bond 60th, and Pulp Fiction, and why we love seeing the variety added to modern pinball offerings. But sometimes we…
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Episode 29 - Modern Pinball
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode we finally talk in depth about "Modern" pinball, where it started, what defines the modern era, and the different innovations or changes to the classic game that we all know and love. For all the listeners out there that have been asking us to talk more about modern games, this ep…
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Episode 28 - Die on this Hill: Sharkey's Shootout
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this edition of our popular "Die on this Hill" series, we are rejoined on the show by Mitch Curtis, the operator known as 'Pinball Over Boston' as he jumps onto the show to defend one of his favorite underappreciated games, 2000's Sharkey's Shootout made by the fledgling Stern Pinball. Mitch i…
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Episode 27 - Operator Spotlight: Pinball Over Boston
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode of our 'Operator Spotlight' series Alan and Alex speak with Mitch Curtis of Pinball Over Boston, about his decade of running a pinball route in the Boston area. We cover what it was like starting out, how he grew it, how he handled the covid 19 shutdowns, and what it's like for hi…
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Episode 26 - Die on this Hill: Space Jam
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this edition of our "Die on this Hill" series, John Dozier of Inner Orbit Pinball rejoins the show and steps up to defend Sega's 1996 pinball machine based on the hit movie, Space Jam! This game is actually the LOWEST rated game that we have featured thus far on the show, and the internet has …
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Episode 25 - Operator Spotlight: Inner Orbit
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In the latest addition of our Operator Spotlight series, Alan speaks with John Dozier of Inner Orbit pinball about his pinball route based in Springfield Missouri. John began operating pinball machines about 10 years ago, and was drawn in due to a familiar refrain of the modern pinball operator -…
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Episode 24 - Pinball Setup
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In what will surely be the most controversial episode of the podcast, Alan and Alex discuss all the different ways that people can choose to customize the setup of their pinball machines. Pitch, tilts, outlanes, rubber types, toy and lighting mods, as well as software settings, we go through them…
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Episode 23 - How to Talk to an Operator
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode we discuss how to get to know your friendly neighborhood pinball operator, including tips for making a good first impression, and how to find the proper channels in which to communicate with them about machine malfunctions. Alan speaks about it from the Operator's point of view, w…
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Episode 22 - Die on this Hill: Sinbad
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Rachel and Cale from the Electric Bat join us on the show once again, and they are back to defend their favorite Gottlieb System 1 game: Sinbad! Listen to us discuss the merits of this first generation solid state effort from the kings of the EM era, and respond to all the hater reviews that we s…
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Episode 21 - Harry Williams: Pinball Prophet w/ Roger Sharpe
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode we are joined by a very special guest, the man who saved pinball with a single shot, and who wrote the first published book on the history of pinball, Mr. Roger Sharpe. https://wedgeheadpdx.com/podcasts/ Link is to some bonus materials on our website to see all the games that we a…
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Episode 20 - Operator Spotlight: Electric Bat Arcade
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Rachel and Cale, owners and operators of the Electric Bat Arcade in Tempe, Arizona. We discuss the Phoenix Valley pinball scene, the history of the Bat, their legendary Tuesday night league that regularly draws 100+ players, operator pet pe…
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Episode 19 - Die on this Hill: Bad Cats
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, Jessica DeNardo from Barrels of Fun pinball returns to the show to defend one of her favorite games of all time, 1989's Bad Cats designed by Barry Oursler with art and theme concept by the inimitable Python Anghelo. Listen to Jessica explain what makes Bad Cats a great game, and …
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Episode 18 - The Susan B. Anthony Years / Bally
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined by their good friend and staunch solid state pinball evangelist, Ty Palmer. Ty is a fiend for early solid state machines, and will happily go weeks or months without playing a single game newer than 1985. For his first appearance on the show, we decided t…
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Episode 17 - Extra Button Gimmicks
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode of the podcast, Alan and Alex are joined by their friend Jessica DeNardo, a multi talented woman who hosts her own pinball podcast (the Pinball Podcast), makes and sells her own pinball inspired clothing (Soft Plunge), founded the Portland chapter of the Belles & Chimes, worked as…
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Episode 16 - So You Wanna Buy a Pinball Machine?
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this episode Alan and Alex discuss the most common new post on any pinball forum, subreddit, or facebook group: Buying your own pinball machine to put into your house. This episode is meant to give a better, more whole picture of owning pinball machines. Alex is a home collector, and Alan owns…
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Episode 15 - Die on this Hill: No Fear
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast On this episode, Alex sits in the hot seat to defend his love of 1995's No Fear: Dangerous Sports. A divisive game design by the king of flow, Steve Ritchie. Hear Alan and Alex discuss the game, and read and react to some bad reviews they found for the game. Alex owns this game, and he's VERY pas…
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Episode 14 - So You Wanna Play Pinball?
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In this episode of the podcast Alan and Alex reminisce over how they got into the hobby, and dive into some conversation aimed at newbies to the hobby who have gotten bit by the pinball bug. We give some advice about proper etiquette, how not to sound like a dipshit on location, the joys of playing with others, and how to become a better player thr…
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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast In this widebody episode of the Wedgehead pinball podcast, Alan and Alex welcome the return of Chris Rhodes back to the show. He is the other half of Wedgehead, and he is back to discuss the 7 widebody pinball machines released by Bally/Williams during 1993 and 1994. We cover the definition of a …
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