# 53: 8th Day of Balls: Craig Bobbie

**Source:** Pinball Party Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2023-12-22  
**Duration:** 25m 56s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://pinballparty.podbean.com/e/8th-day-of-balls-craig-bobbie/

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## Analysis

Craig Bobbie, voice announcer and news correspondent for The Pinball Show podcast, joins the Pinball Party Podcast as part of their '8th Day of Balls' holiday special. He discusses his role covering pinball industry news, his favorite games (particularly Godzilla by Stern), standout releases from 2023 (Barrels of Fun's Labyrinth and Jersey Jack's Elton John), and his frustrations with American Pinball and Chicago Gaming's output. He expresses enthusiasm for Keith Elwin's next design and anticipates attending Pinball Expo in 2024.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Godzilla is the greatest game ever made in pinball form. — _Craig Bobbie, stated as personal opinion, acknowledged that others will argue_
- [HIGH] Barrels of Fun's Labyrinth was a shocking success for a first effort by a new manufacturer. — _Craig Bobbie describing his experience at Expo; confirmed he was initially skeptical but impressed_
- [MEDIUM] Elton John is one of the best shooting games and game of Expo 2023. — _Craig Bobbie opinion; acknowledges theme wouldn't be his first choice but Steve Ritchie executed well_
- [MEDIUM] American Pinball and Chicago Gaming Company have not yet produced their best work. — _Craig Bobbie airing grievance; calls on them to step up like Barrels of Fun did_
- [MEDIUM] Keith Elwin is the greatest designer in the pinball hobby today. — _Craig Bobbie opinion; stated with acknowledgment other designers are also producing fantastic games_
- [HIGH] The Pinball Show's Top Stories news segment evolved from Ken Cromwell and Bill Webb's work starting in 2019. — _Craig Bobbie explaining segment history; names specific predecessor hosts_
- [MEDIUM] Elton John has one noticeable bad shot—a dead-end up near the top of the playfield. — _Craig Bobbie discussing gameplay; indicates this has been noted on other podcasts_
- [HIGH] The Top Stories segment takes hours to write despite being only 3-5 minutes long. — _Craig Bobbie explaining the production effort; states he writes it all out and is a perfectionist_
- [MEDIUM] James Bond production/availability issues held up releases recently. — _Craig Bobbie referencing Keith Elwin; notes not everyone has had access to the game_
- [HIGH] Craig has been earnestly in the pinball hobby for 4-5 years; active since around 2019-2020. — _Craig Bobbie self-reporting; states he liked pinball as a kid but only been serious for about 4 years_

### Notable Quotes

> "I do believe, courtesy of Keith Elwin and the folks at Stern, that Godzilla overall is the greatest game that has ever been made in pinball form."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, early-mid
> _Establishes his personal favorite and highest game ranking; references Godzilla's position at top of Pinside Top 100_

> "I was super skeptical about Barrels of Fun...when I went to Expo, I was so shocked at how great this game was. It completely blew me away for a first effort from this company."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, mid
> _Signals unexpected quality and positive sentiment shift regarding a new manufacturer; Labyrinth positioned as competitive with major producers_

> "I think he put a lot of concerns to bed with this effort...he really made Lemonade out of a lemon there. I think it's a fantastic game."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, mid
> _Discusses Steve Ritchie's execution on Elton John despite theme being unideal; indicates game exceeded expectations_

> "My grievance is with folks like American Pinball and Chicago Pinball. God damn it, guys. Step it the fuck up...I still haven't seen what that company has to offer yet."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, late-mid
> _Direct criticism of two manufacturers; positions them as underperforming relative to their potential and competitors like Barrels of Fun_

> "Keith Elwin...he's just on a different level...the greatest designer in the hobby today and that's no offense to the other designers."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, late
> _Strong endorsement of Keith Elwin's design philosophy and output; acknowledges he will buy Elwin's next game sight unseen_

> "It even takes the three to five minute show I do right now takes me hours literally to write it. I'm thinking about every sentence."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, late
> _Reveals production effort and perfectionism behind The Pinball Show news segment; explains why he's the last correspondent standing_

> "Original themes can be great, but not in comparison to an established license that's done well."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, late-mid
> _Articulates preference for licensed IP over original themes in pinball; suggests original-focused strategy is frustrating_

> "Everything he touches is coming up gold for him so I have no doubt it doesn't even matter to me what the fucking theme is it could be the Brady bunch it is going to be spectacular whatever it is."
> — **Craig Bobbie**, late
> _Indicates extreme confidence in Keith Elwin's next release; will purchase regardless of theme_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Craig Bobbie | person | Voice announcer and news correspondent for The Pinball Show; produces Top Stories segment; also appears on Flipping Out with Friends YouTube stream; pinball enthusiast for ~4-5 years |
| The Pinball Show | organization | Pinball podcast featuring hosts Zach Sharpe and Dennis Kriesel; Craig Bobbie produces Top Stories news segment and has collaborated with Joel Engelberth |
| Pinball Party Podcast | organization | Podcast hosting this episode; hosts '8th Day of Balls' holiday special featuring Craig Bobbie as guest |
| Keith Elwin | person | Pinball designer at Stern; Craig ranks him as the greatest designer in the hobby; associated with Godzilla and James Bond games; expected to release new game in 2024 |
| Godzilla | game | Stern pinball game designed by Keith Elwin; Craig's favorite game; ranked at top of Pinside Top 100; Craig describes as greatest game ever made |
| Stern | company | Major pinball manufacturer; produces Godzilla and James Bond; Craig compares other manufacturers' output to Stern as benchmark |
| Barrels of Fun | company | New pinball manufacturer; released Labyrinth in 2023; Craig initially skeptical but found it on par with major manufacturers; praised as surprising success |
| Labyrinth | game | First release by Barrels of Fun; exceeded Craig's expectations; praised as fantastic effort for a debut by new company |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; produces Elton John; known for high pricing; Ken Cromwell moved to JJP from The Pinball Show |
| Elton John | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game; Craig ranks as game of Expo 2023 and one of best shooting games; notes one dead-end bad shot; acknowledges high price point |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Designer of Elton John at Jersey Jack; Craig credits him with executing well on the theme and putting concerns to bed with game quality |
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; Craig's grievance target; criticized for not yet showing their best work; associated with Galactic Tank Force |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball manufacturer; Craig's grievance target alongside American Pinball; called to step up production quality |
| David Fix | person | Associated with American Pinball; Craig respects him personally but frustrated with company's output |
| Galactic Tank Force | game | American Pinball game; Craig thought it had potential but frustration with original theme preference limited its appeal |
| James Bond | game | Stern pinball game; availability issues mentioned; not everyone has had access; associated with Keith Elwin |
| Ken Cromwell | person | Former co-host of The Pinball Show news segment (with Bill Webb) starting in 2019; moved to Jersey Jack Pinball; Craig's predecessor in the role |
| Bill Webb | person | Former co-host of The Pinball Show news segment (with Ken Cromwell) starting in 2019; Craig's predecessor |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Current host of The Pinball Show; works with Craig on news segment; praised as supportive and at top of game |
| Dennis Kriesel | person | Current host of The Pinball Show; works with Craig on news segment; praised as supportive and at top of game |
| Joel Engelberth | person | Host of Flipping Out with Friends YouTube stream; Craig appears periodically as guest |
| Pinball Expo | event | Annual pinball convention; Craig attended most recently in 2023; expects to attend in 2024; major venue for product launches and networking |
| Jason | person | Host of Pinball Party Podcast; interviewer in this episode |
| Pinside Top 100 | organization | Community ranking of top pinball games; Godzilla positioned at top according to Craig |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Favorite and top-ranked pinball games, Game releases and quality assessment from 2023, Manufacturer performance and strategy criticism, The Pinball Show podcast production and evolution, Keith Elwin's design philosophy and upcoming releases
- **Secondary:** Barrels of Fun as emerging competitor, Licensed IP vs. original themes in pinball, Pinball game pricing and affordability

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.62) — Largely positive tone regarding Godzilla, Elton John, and Barrels of Fun's Labyrinth; critical and frustrated tone toward American Pinball and Chicago Gaming; highly complimentary toward The Pinball Show team and Keith Elwin; conversational and humorous throughout with interjections on unrelated topics (aliens, monsters, curse words)

### Signals

- **[gameplay_signal]** Craig ranks Godzilla as the greatest pinball game ever made; praises Elton John as fantastic shooting game with high flow; notes one dead-end bad shot in Elton John (confidence: high) — Craig's detailed comparison and personal experience playing at Expo; Godzilla's position at Pinside Top 100; comparison across all games in hobby history
- **[product_launch]** Barrels of Fun released Labyrinth in 2023; Craig initially skeptical but found it on par with major manufacturers like Stern (confidence: high) — Craig states he attended Expo, played the game, and was shocked at quality; describes it as fantastic first effort from new company
- **[sentiment_shift]** Craig's sentiment toward Barrels of Fun shifted dramatically from skepticism to high praise upon playing Labyrinth (confidence: high) — Craig explicitly states he was super skeptical about game before Expo; then says it completely blew him away and is on par with big hitters
- **[product_concern]** Craig criticizes American Pinball and Chicago Gaming for underperformance; states they haven't shown their best work yet (confidence: high) — Craig airs explicit grievance against both companies; calls on them to step up like Barrels of Fun; cites Galactic Tank Force as potential but flawed
- **[design_philosophy]** Craig expresses frustration with original themes in pinball; argues licensed IP done well is superior to original themes (confidence: high) — Craig states original themes drive him insane; notes that original theme focus at American Pinball is problematic; acknowledges Steve Ritchie made lemonade from Elton John lemon
- **[content_signal]** The Pinball Show's Top Stories segment requires significantly more production time than apparent; Craig spends hours writing 3-5 minute segments with intensive sentence-level editing (confidence: high) — Craig states he writes it all out, thinks about every sentence, and cannot release something that sounds like shit; was only correspondent left after COVID changes
- **[industry_signal]** Barrels of Fun positioned as credible competitor to established manufacturers; represents meaningful new entrant with quality output (confidence: medium) — Craig's assessment that Labyrinth is on par with Stern and other major producers; surprise at quality for debut company
- **[market_signal]** Jersey Jack Pinball's pricing remains significant barrier to wider adoption; Craig acknowledges Elton John would be more competitive if priced in line with others (confidence: high) — Craig states JJP is horrifically expensive; notes price aside, game would be major contender; acknowledges pinball in general is horrifically expensive
- **[design_innovation]** Keith Elwin's approach to design consistently produces exceptional results; described as on a different level than other designers (confidence: medium) — Craig states everything Elwin touches comes up gold; will buy sight unseen; ranks him greatest designer in hobby today
- **[event_signal]** Pinball Expo serves as critical venue for game launches, networking, and community gathering; Craig attended 2023 and plans to attend 2024 (confidence: high) — Craig references attending Expo where he first played Labyrinth and Elton John; gets information through word-of-mouth at Expo; enthusiasm for attending in 2024
- **[personnel_signal]** Ken Cromwell transitioned from The Pinball Show news correspondent role to Jersey Jack Pinball; Craig eventually became the sole remaining correspondent after COVID-era consolidation (confidence: high) — Craig explains Ken moved to JJP and didn't have time; other correspondents fell away post-COVID; Craig last man standing
- **[product_concern]** Elton John by Jersey Jack has one notable dead-end shot issue near top of playfield; minor but acknowledged design flaw (confidence: medium) — Craig mentions other podcasts discussed dead-end shot; he initially didn't notice it but now does after it was revealed

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## Transcript

meph you are a trooper merry christmas merry christmas i appreciate you helping me out on all these episodes by uh by doing absolutely nothing um and uh and that's all eat shit that's always nice you know for me well 12 days of balls i uh i'm gonna lose it i just if i'm putting all this time in i want to be able to say it The 12 Days of Balls. You ruined it. It lost its potency. Speaking of potency, this next guest is a very famous voice announcer on one of the most popular pinball podcasts out there, The Pinball Show, although his name eludes me. On the eighth day of balls, pinball game to me. I'm Craig Bobby. Oh, good to know. Good to meet you, man. Well, I guess I've met you, but virtually. Good to see you in person. Well, you know, camera. You know what I mean? Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas to you, Jason. This is awesome to be here. Awesome to be here. Really, really appreciate you having me on. Thanks for coming on. I mean, this was short notice. This is ridiculous. And you are one of the 12 balls this year. How does that feel? That is, I'm so honored. And I actually, you know, I decided to put some pants on today for this recording. Normally, I don't do that. But today, I thought, you know what? Let's go the extra mile here for Jason. It's kind of like our first podcast date. It's like our first date in a lot of ways, you know? Yeah, so next time, no pants, though. Oh, my goodness. Right. I mean, I don't have pants, but hey, I'm the host. Why would I wear pants? That's right. What's new with you, man? I mean, the Pinball Show, for those who recognize your voice, you're on the Pinball Show a lot doing the production updates. Or no, what do they even call the segment anymore? So we call it our Top Stories News Segment. Right. And basically, yeah, I sum up sort of the main hot topics of the week in the pinball industry. And then Zach and Dennis elaborate on those. And, you know, it's a continuation of what we started with Ken Cromwell and Bill Webb back in the Special Winlit days, if any of the viewers remember that. That was all the way back in 2019. Boy, it seems like a long time ago. But uh before COVID and then and then you know that was sort of uh the show was kind of wrapping up as Ken was moving on to Jersey Jack and didn't have the time anymore to do that and um and then yeah Zach and Dennis kind of took that idea and we sort of ported it over changed the name up a little bit and um and then we did have uh you know a number of correspondents as well back in Special Win there was about four or five of us, you know, covering each of the manufacturers. And then over time, it was just getting harder and harder, you know, as COVID ended with everybody to get their pieces in on time. And it was just starting to get a lot. So we just whittled it down and I ended up being the last man standing. Well, no offense to the others, but it's not a slight, but you do a fantastic job, man. Oh, thanks. Thank you. Well, it's taken a while. I mean, you know, when I first did this with Ken and Bill, I was, you know, if you go back and listen, and of course, who would? But when I go back and listen, you know, there was a shakiness there. And certainly after you've done them, you know, for three or four years, you do start to get a little more proficient. And you start to, if you play and listen to yourself, I find, you know, I learn a lot about how I sound, how I want to sound, how I project, just all that stuff. So over time, if you do things long enough, shockingly, you do start to get better at it. But I appreciate it. Yeah, I don't do that. I should listen to myself because I've gotten comments that are like, oh, you sound like an ass. Like, oh, okay. Maybe if I listen to myself, I'd pick that up. But I don't, and I won't. So deal with it. When you are giving away this gold on the Pinball Show, it's one of my favorite parts of the show. Of course, pinball market trends, all that. But you are so concise with your words. And this is what I picture. Please correct me if I'm wrong. And maybe don't because this is what I like to picture. That you are like hidden at Stern. I mean, JJP, you're like a little monkey in the corner. You're covered up by like a pinball box, something like a Metal Gear Solid. And you're just peeking out. You're just spying on everyone. How do you get all this info? Is that what's happening? Well you just have to keep your ears to the ground and uh and you're right you have to be in the right place at the right time certainly showing up i wish i could show up to more of the of the in-person um you know expos and uh and pinball conventions because a lot of stuff as people get together gets sort of bantered about and uh not even through the employees but just through just through word of mouth, you know? Um, and, and it's, it's hilarious talking to people and interacting with people. And, uh, and that as much as anything has been the, the, the biggest bright spot, I think in this hobby is just interacting with so many of the listeners and, and so many of the people out there and, and people that, that build the games and the designers and the owners and all, all that stuff. It's just, it's a fantastic community. One of my favorite parts of when you're giving the um top stories of the week is when you're saying a rumor about something that i know is not a rumor and it's totally true and and you'll say like oh maybe you know and i'm like ah and it's like oh you put that second or third did you um or sometimes you put it first and um that that's my favorite part but hey um oh go ahead no i was gonna say you get good too at weeding out what you know the bullshit is and I gotten good just because I been listening for so long about what when I hear something and getting to know these companies and getting to know what what could be real or is real versus people just making shit up you know

Yeah Anyway I, well, I'm about to make shit up for the next 15, 20 minutes. Feel free to do the same. Trust me. All right. Since you haven't been on here before, there's a question I haven't been asking people, but you, I kind of want to know, uh, what's your favorite pinball machine? Do you have one

Well you're looking at it right behind me there Jason it's Godzilla i i do think and i've said this before on on Joel's Flipping Out with Friends uh YouTube stream which i'm on uh periodically as well with him and other guests and i do believe in in being in this hobby uh in earnest for almost five years i can't damn i don't have my five-year badge yet Jason but but obviously i've i've liked you know pinball since i was a kid but only really been in the hobby for a solid, I'd say, four years. But I do believe, courtesy of Keith Elwin and the folks at Stern, that Godzilla overall is the greatest game that has ever been made in pinball form. I know people will argue that all day long, and theme is a big part for everybody, but in my opinion, everything they've done with this game from the layout to the code to the artwork, the whole kit and caboodle, when you put that up against all the other games that have come before it and that have come since, I still think this is the greatest game that's been made so far. But not that there's not other fantastic games out there and not that other people don't have a strong opinion about that. But you can see it's right at the top of the Pinside Top 100 for what it's worth. And it's why they just continue to make the hell out of these and probably will to the end of time. I think, well, we'll see what happens with the multi-toothed sea creature soon. Well, Owen can't do wrong, you know, so, you know. What if it comes out and it's just dog shit? Like, it's just like one of the worst and we're all wrong. And he just like, well, as a meme, he just releases a dog shit game. Well, even Bowie made some bad albums. I mean, shit, you know. That's true. Yeah. Well, that was made a couple years ago, but what in 2023 was your favorite pinball thing? Could be a game, could be Dennis Kriesel, could be a flipper mech. I absolutely, okay, there's two things. They're kind of built both the same, but I thought 2023 was a fantastic year for new releases. I was, so two things happened. One, I was super skeptical about Barrels of Fun, which is a brand new company, for those that don't know, with their new game, Labyrinth. I was super skeptical about this game when they were first announcing it and the marketing leading up to it, I thought, was horrific. So when I went to Expo, I was so shocked at how great this game was. It completely blew me away for a first effort from this company. So that was one thing that I was, you know, extremely excited about, that this company's come from nowhere and they've produced a game that I think is on par with any of the big hitters out there these days, including Stern. I mean, I think it's a fantastic, fantastic effort from them. Um but but the game of Expo in my humble opinion and and um you know again i know i know theme-wise people aren't gonna aren't gonna be excited about this but i do think Elton John is a fantastic shooting game and overall i to me that was the game of the of that of that Expo and of 2023 i i just think yeah it's a fantastic game i think i haven't played it i want to it's always the price thing with JJP you know i think if that was in line with the others i think it would be much more in the contender to a lot of people of but it's well yeah i mean it's like beating a dead horse um they're they're horrifically expensive and i would agree with that and pinball in general is horrifically expensive frankly um if i might say um if i must say but but um you know price price aside and we could argue that all day long about oh i paid you know three thousand dollars of our Lord of the Rings back in 1987. And, you know, like, those aren't the days we live in. Try buying a new car. I know you have recently, too. It's a horror show of how much money they want you to spend. It is redonkulous. But anyway, all that being aside, I think it was a fantastic effort by Steve Ritchie. I think he put a lot of concerns to bed with this effort. I think theme wise there's a lot to ask for it it wouldn't have been my first choice with Elton John I'm sure it wasn't Steve's first choice but he really made lemonade out of a lemon there I think it's a fantastic game it was super fun to play I wish I could have played it more in Expo everyone that played it had a great time on it there's probably like we've talked about or like some other podcasts have talked about there's like one bad shot in the game

Oh well you know um yeah but what is the bad shot do you have a there's like a dead end there's like a dead end shot up up near the top which i didn't really even notice but now now i now that we've talked you know it's been revealed i kind of notice it now but okay but that aside um it's just a fantastic it's such a fun well shooting you know high flow game it's i think it's fantastic with the sound effects and uh and the lights and the artwork Christopher Franchi did a you know a bang-up job as he always does so no i thought it was a home run if price wasn't an issue i i would be buying that game all day long you know um do you believe in aliens

I absolutely do you know Jason i'm like they've gotta be fucking out there they're there. Yeah, no, I do. You know, like some of the other guests have said, the odds are that they're there. Now, the intelligence level, you know, that remains to be seen. And I not suggesting either that some of the things that we witnessing you know people are witnessing on earth about aliens are necessarily true because i because i do think there's a lot going on that we don't know about in terms of you know other government things going on that people don't want you to know about um who knows right so it's a it's a real i i try not to go down those rabbit holes too much but i i it would not shock me in less than five years if there's a press conference and it's the government saying, yep, aliens are here. And here's Steve. This is his wife. They've, they're both addicted to crack through the aliens. And, um, going down further, that rabbit hole, are you a ghost? Believe me, I'm a fucking ghost too. Bring him on. Yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm a believer in all that shit. You know, again, I, I haven't really seen that much that would make me think, you know, that there, there are ghosts like, but I, I'm a believer in the supernatural and all that shit. I'm a sucker for all that stuff, you know? That's awesome. Without trying to get too, again, go down too many rabbit holes and get too obsessive about it. But yeah, I can believe it. But I do believe in all that stuff, you know, and in spirituality and all that, you know? Yeah. Yeah? Okay. Is there a favorite monster of yours, aside from Godzilla, like a Sasquatch or a Yeti or a Chupacabra? I like this monster. I like the name Sasquatch the best. I don't know if you remember, there was a show back in the late 70s or early 80s. It was called the Kraft Super Show. It was around the time of Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man, where Bigfoot was on that. But, well, in the Kraft Super Show, they had Bigfoot and Wild Boy, they called it, right? And as a kid, I fucking love that. These were like 10 or 15-minute episodes in an hour-and-a-half kind of show where they had all these wacky characters and kind of mini episodes of the series. And you can find them all on YouTube, and they're hilarious to watch. They're so badly acted, but they're so like typical 70s kind of like. it was a total play on the Six Million Dollar Man with the slow motion stuff okay in the bad suit you know guy running around so uh what's your favorite curse word and please pronounce it clearly

So i'm a big fan of motherfucker but but you know i like i like putting curse words together with one another like can you believe this motherfucking shit and like you gotta raise your voice i'm a big believer in like in that like enunciation or like if you you have to say it you can't just say oh motherfucker like right you know like i really believe in kind of punching it up uh my my mom god rest her soul was the was the queen of the of the swear shock so she would never swear at all and then all of a sudden she'd throw an f-bomb and just shock the shit out of everybody you know like no one thought she could swear and then but then sometimes she's like just just to like get attention or just to see if you're awake you know she'd throw in the f-bombs at you and it meant something more when she did it

Yeah i i i love swearing i think and that's one of the reasons why i love living you know listening to your show too because i think it's it's real i think it's a great um stress reliever and i think it's hilarious like i love it using it in humor um yeah whenever my dad got mad he would be swearing like a truck driver and it was the funniest fucking thing because he was so emphatic about it and it was the more emphatic he got the funnier it became and so i've i've learned from all that and and try and keep it you know funny and uh and amusing i think so if you're gonna swear just make it amusing and all of a sudden people who you don't like swear all of a sudden might it brings us together

Would you mind sharing something about yourself that you're proud of

Please well i'm proud of all the shows that we to, you know, over on the Pinball Show. Not to toot our own horn over there, but what the fuck, we're the shilliest of shills at the Pinball Show. But I also believe that we do a great job over there. And so I'm very proud of the work that gets done. I wouldn't continue to do it if I wasn't. And certainly working with guys like Dennis and Zach who are at the top of their game right now, are just fantastic and super supportive. They let me do whatever I want. It doesn't matter. I'll send them stuff and I'm like, I don't know. They're like, it's fantastic. I'm like, let's do it. So they're very open to ideas and what we're doing. So stay tuned is all I can say to the listeners because we're going to try to change. I like changing it up every year. And I think 2024 is kind of the year of change for me. So stay tuned. I don't know. I have no fucking clue what that means, by the way. I'm excited. All right. How much you bench? Well, before COVID, I was benching probably about 180. That's my weight. Nice. I'm 5'11". So my goal when I was working out for a bunch of years before COVID was to be able to bench my weight. And so I was able to do that. And then COVID hit and i literally have not been back to the gym since Jason i mean you know at 500 pounds later uh you know yeah you're taking up the whole screen um can you uh it might this timing is so good or bad however you look at it airing a pinball grievance in the um in the spirit of Seinfeld's Festivus uh we're airing a grievance do you have a pinball grievance

I love this i actually love this this question And my grievance, I'm not, you know, beyond some of the other stuff that people have already said, I'm going to take my aim, though, at some of the pinball manufacturers. And my big grievance is with folks like American Pinball and Chicago Pinball. God damn it, guys. Step it the fuck up. And I love David Fix. I actually really like him. I met him at Expo this year again. I really like it. But the company itself frustrates the shit out of me because these companies should be like I know they have slightly different feels from people like Stern but i want them to to be like kind of what Barrels of Fun did with us this year i want them to produce a game where it's like holy shit this is amazing and i still feel like American Pinball for all that they've produced um still hasn't done that we still haven't seen i don't think the best that that company has to offer yet i thought Galactic Tank Force could have been something although So again, this obsession with original themes fucking drives me insane as well. Like I can't – I just can't. So that's one of my grievances is like the people that are – original themes can be great, but not in comparison to an established license that's done well. So why go down that path in my mind? Sure. What's on your Christmas list this year? What are you hoping to get from Santy Claus? Well, I'm going to really excite everybody with this one. Okay. I really want a high-powered flashlight, Jason. No shit. Like it's just your standard flashlight? Or you got something special? So I've been doing like a handheld, you know, but like it's super bright. So either for security or just like one of my big, big things as I as I get a little older here is I can't stand being in the fucking dark, especially when I'm trying to work or find shit. And I'm forever going to my phone for. But I want something big. Like I want to light up the side of a house. And but I want to also be able to hold on to it or be able to put it in my pocket. So, OK, God damn. That's cool. Good that way. And so there are some, you know, with LED technology, there are some super bright lights that are like a couple hundred bucks. But you can like, you know, literally they'll blast, you know, 600 yards or more. And it looks like, you know, speaking of aliens, like there's a fucking flying saucer coming down. Wow. Anyway, that's what I'm getting for Christmas. So we'll see you coming from a mile away. There comes Craig Bobby. And the other thing I'm going to tell you what I want to before I get a heated vest. So i'm i'm i'm getting i'm so tired of the cold now i'm going to a heated same heated vest dude and it is going to be life-changing for me it is going to be fucking i'm so fucking excited for those two things light and heat

When you when you get the vest send me a discord on how you like it

Yes i don't know how that works out what are you looking forward to the most in 2024 in the world of pinball

Well two things the first thing is Keith Elwin's next next thing and it's been a while since we've seen anything from him because we got a little held up there with James Bond and and not everybody could could get access or has had access to that game but everything he touches is is freaking you know coming up gold for him so i have no doubt it doesn't even matter to me what the fucking theme is it could be the Brady Bunch it is going to be spectacular whatever it is and it's always an event when the greatest designer in the hobby today uh and that's no offense to the other designers that are out there because there are some fantastic new games that are coming out but Keith much like his uh you know pinball playing has taken the design um uh of these games to a whole new level so when he when he puts his mind to something like he is just he's just on a different level he's on a different level so i'm super excited to see what he's going to come up with this year i am fearful for my bank account for that reason as well uh because it's almost uh you know i take my money or buy buy without even seeing it uh deal with him but um and of course the Pinball Expo which is which is such a fun thing Jason you gotta come dude to the Pinball Expo it's so fucking fun you're you're loving it i'll try i i i was going to last year and stuff came up and life happens. But yeah, I want to this year. Well, aside from doing the top stories on the Pinball Show and Flipping Out with Friends with Joel a lot, what else you got going on in your world of pinball coming up soon? That is it. No, it's like, that's enough. And I wish I could do more. Like when before the pandemic, I had a Pinball Show, what I called a midweek edition, you know, so the idea behind that was I would, there was so much stuff going on And we all had so much time on our hands in retrospect that we thought, you know, why not have another show in the same week as the Pinball Show just to keep on talking and get into more detail or go down different paths that that Zach and Dennis couldn't go down. But it just got to be too much in terms of the amount of time that it takes. Even even the three to five minute show I do right now takes me hours literally to write it. Like when you're talking about the words and stuff, because I fucking sit there and write the fucking shit out of this thing. I'm thinking about every sentence. What am I going to say? What am I not going to say? How can I make this better? How can I make this funny? Like, so, you know, it does take it takes way more time than you than you think it does to have it look. And I'm a perfectionist a little bit, too. So it's like, sure, I can't I can't have a hard time releasing something where I it sounds like shit. And when I was doing my own show, too, I was spending so much fucking time editing because I can't stand something going out in the world that sounds like shit. You know what I mean? Or doesn't come across the way I hear it in my head. And that just means a lot of editing, unfortunately. Yeah. Well, hey, man, it's been a pleasure. Thanks for finally joining the Pinball Party and letting us get to know you a little more. Jason, this is so fun. Thank you so much for having me on. This is so cool. And let's do it again. Let's not stop here. Let's just. All right, man, you asked for it. Until then, Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. I hope you get your flashlight and your vest, and I'll talk to you later. Thanks, Jason. Talk to you soon. Merry Christmas. Bye.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d9bc2923-87aa-4ca2-a793-903426c21666*