Say that I'm sorry, tell me what I gotta do, cause a chemical, it's chemical, no a chemical, it's chemical. Happy Monday morning everybody, it's the world's most financially successful pinball podcast, canadispinballpodcast and that is thanks to each and every one of you we did it we reached a new threshold now look i had to use a little bit of a marketing tactic thank you mr kim mitchell for the support on this one but we have not just reached 600 club members we are now at 609 club members and if you haven't heard the special we're going to give some of these new club members a special monetary reward for putting this show over 600 but i mean it when i say it the only reason this show is over 600 is because of each and every one of you. It's not easy doing this show year after year. It's not easy filling the empty void with news, rumors, and speculation about what's going on in the pinball world. And I really do hope I've been an entertaining part of your weekly routine over the last few years. If you're new to Canada's Pinball Podcast, I hope you're enjoying the show. And I think you're getting a sense of why people like this show so much. Now look, as we reach this new mountaintop that no one is even close to achieving, as we reach over 600 club members, we're also seeing people bail out of the pinball media space. And as I was thinking about this show, you know, I could talk about the new games. I could talk about what's happening with the pinball companies. And we will do that. And I will do that again this week. But I wanted to take this episode and talk about why I think Canada's Pinball Podcast is needed in the pinball world and why I think having a voice like mine and looking at these companies and looking at these games and the way I look at them is important. And look, we're all just making pinball content, right? I mean, there are shows out there that are being made by people who work for the companies. There's people making shows out there that are actually selling you the product. And I'm just a pinball podcaster that's an observer of what's going on in the pinball space. And I've said it since day one, like I'm not a league player. I'm not the best pinball player. So I wouldn't go off of what I say when it comes to maybe gameplay and rule sets, because I really don't want to spend hours of my life studying a pinball rule set. And I don't think anyone should. I think a pinball machine should be enjoyable. And I think it should give magical moments without having to read a Bible on how to stack a million things. And that's never what pinball was supposed to be. And I still believe to this day that a pinball machine should have mechanical magic under the glass, as well as moments of magic that are coded by the software team. I think when all of it comes together, when the code is amazing, when the art is amazing, when the theme is amazing, when the shot layouts are amazing, and when there's toys in the game that are doing really awesome stuff, when all of that comes together, I think there is nothing like pinball in the world. There's nothing like it. You can't digitize pinball. It just doesn't work. It's also a very unique toy because as time goes by, and I've been thinking about this more and more lately, as time goes by, there's only so much you can innovate when it comes to a pinball machine. And I was thinking about all the new games we just saw at Texas Pinball Festival. And if you ask a question like, where is the innovation or who is doing stuff that's radically new with any of these machines? And the answer is none of it. Like there is nothing really innovative happening anywhere in pinball. You know, it's like crazy. Like we're in 2023 and most pinball machines aren't really connected to the internet in a way that makes them super enjoyable. Like hardly any pinball companies give you the ability to play against people over the internet when you both have the same machine. I mean, that's just nuts. That's just nuts to me that like a game like Ninja Turtles that we can't have a four player experience like if you get four friends who have a Ninja Turtle each person assumes the role of one of the turtles and they make some special code where everyone can play together against Shredder and the Foot Clan I also just like versus play like why can't you do that like why can't you hook up two machines in which I'm playing a friend and it doesn't matter where the outlane posts are set up it's all about me battling my friend in this game. So you could take a game like Godzilla and one player gets to be Godzilla and the other player is trying to stop Godzilla. So maybe as one player is hitting shots and destroying things, that changes the lights on your friend's game and you have to try and take down Godzilla before he destroys the city. Why can't we do that, right? So there's not much innovation. The only thing they've really been innovating in the world of pinball lately is how much money can they charge us for the same exact product year in and year out. Can you imagine any other category where it's something like this, where there's not a lot of innovation? Imagine if all of your video games, the graphics stayed exactly the same for the next 20 years. Would you spend more money on a video game console? Would you be buying games for like 30% more money? No, like it's kind of crazy that pinball from an engineering standpoint has been pretty static lately and yet the prices are 30 to 40% more. And you know, Canada Spinball Podcast, I harp on this all the time and I think we need a voice like mine in this hobby because we should be holding these companies accountable not just for the quality of their product but for the value in their product And trust me they don want Canada to be on the airwaves They want you to buy everything they make. They want you to celebrate every move they do. They want you to look at every single pinball machine like we should be celebrating its presence in the world. And when you listen to the Canada haters. That's always the number one thing they always say. Like we have some sort of responsibility to celebrate the companies and the people who make these machines. And we should hold them to a higher standard than everybody else simply because they make a for-profit pinball machine. And my stance has always been this. No, you're not a rock star in pinball until you make a rock star game. You know, and I try to as much as possible, like avoid the drama in the pinball space. You know, a lot of people who say they don't like Canada's pinball podcast and they think I'm toxic. They haven't listened to the show in like two years. And I used to be a lot more strident years ago, but I learned a long time ago that doing a pinball podcast is only fun. It's only fun for you, the listener, if I enjoy doing it. My positive energy and my vibes are going to rub off on you as the listener. There is no way that you could do two to three pinball podcasts a week and a 90-minute Facebook Live every single week plus random Facebook Live encounters with my community all week long if I wasn't enjoying it. I love doing this. As much as people would love me to stop doing it. It's kind of amazing that we're all here in the Canada Club because what this club does and why this club number is so significant, and that's me also asking nicely, if you joined the Canada Club this last week, do not leave. Trust me, you're going to get the most entertaining pinball podcast. But the reason why this is so significant that we have over 600 people here listening week in and week out, we've got 2,800 people on freaking Facebook Live listening to all that content. The reason it's significant, that's a decent number of people considering how many pinball machines these companies sell. So that's like 60% of potential buyers of a Stern LE or a Jersey Jack CE. And if we take into account my Facebook lives, which reached around like 1500 people watch every Saturday morning spectacular, what I say on that show, it has the power to potentially influence some people. Now, as I always say on this show, when you listen to Canadian Spinball Podcast, you also need to make up your own mind on the games that you want to buy. And ultimately, I want each and every one of you to be happy and healthy in life. That's my number one priority. I think everybody should take care of themselves and their health first and foremost. Then take care of your finances first and foremost. Then take care of your family. Well, put family in front of finance. But your personal health, your family's health, then your finances, and then, and then, only then should you start thinking about buying pinball machines. And if you've got all of those things lined up in the right order, and you've been taking care of those things in the right order, I hope you all live a very long, happy, and healthy life that is filled with pinball magic. That's the only reason we're here. All of us make a decision every single week. Do we want to get into something, right? I think hobbies are so important. I think the happiest people take little things like pinball machines or watches or cars. They take things that are pretty meaningless on a spiritually fulfilling level and we give them meaning. And the reason they have meaning is because it brings a lot of people together and our lives would be a lot emptier if we removed these hobbies from our lives. And I don't think they're a bad thing. I don't think they're a negative thing. I don't think they're a toxic thing. I think each and every one of us needs something to geek out over. Yes, life can be pretty boring. Yes, it sucks sometimes when you don't get to call your own shots on your terms in life. Sometimes we all have jobs that suck. Sometimes we have jobs that are great. Sometimes we make a lot of money for doing nothing. And sometimes we work really hard and get nothing in return. And that is the dichotomy of life. But a pinball freaking podcast should exist for one reason and one reason only. And that is to entertain each and every one of you. And that is why you are here. And the other reason why the 600 number is so significant, if all these haters were right, and if I was doing all of the negative stuff they say I do, then why would anybody be here? Why would anybody sign up? Why would anybody follow me unless I was saying something that resonates with people? Unless I was saying something that needs to be heard? We've all seen it, people. We've seen moments where manufacturers were shipping you defective games and nobody else wanted to talk about it or they would talk about it once and then never talk about it again. And I would keep beating that drum, keep kicking that dead horse until we got some change. and change came. But sometimes change only comes when people are unhappy with stuff. And if we celebrate everything in pinball, how are you ever gonna get more positive change in pinball? And that's where I'm at. That's where I'm at. Now, look, I wasn't gonna do this, but I think I wanna do this because this to me reminds me why I do this show. And I wanna read something for you that someone wrote recently as they decided to turn off their podcast So as I reaching the top of the pinball podcasting summit over 600 subscribers Mr Christopher Franchi you know him very well He turned off his show, but it's not just that. He's never pinball podcasting again. And I want to read for you something he wrote today as he exits his pinball podcasting career, if you will. And I'm going to stop throughout and give my response to some of these comments. All right, here we go. ready? As I ponder my retirement from podcasting, those who choose to speak into a mic, presuming the rest of the world wants to hear what you have to say, remember this, with great power comes great responsibility. When you have the ear of thousands of listeners, you have to respect the soapbox you're standing on. Okay, okay, like I don't disagree with that, right? I mean, if you've got a bunch of people listening to what you're saying about pinball. I think you have an obligation to make sure what you're saying is grounded in something responsible to think about the influence you might have when you say stuff. So I agree with him on that. He then goes on to say, an opinion is one thing. Trying to destroy companies, hard workers, jobs, friendships, reputations and so much more is not responsible podcasting. It's internet tabloid terrorism. Also saying things like, can't you take a joke, dude? The answer is no, not when that joke is put out to thousands of people without the chance for that person to defend your comment at that time. All right, let me stop right there. All right, so first and foremost, let me ask one question of everybody out there. I've done this show. I've been doing Canada's Pinball Podcast now for seven years. I have about 800 podcasts I've put up. 800, right? If you count the ones I've taken down, my drunken rants, 800 shows, okay? In all of those shows, has anybody in the pinball industry lost their job because of something Canada said on Canada's Pinball Podcast? No. Have any pinball company's reputation's been hurt by something I've said on this show. Now, I'm going to answer this truthfully. I think I have said stuff that would diminish the reputation of a pinball company, but I want to say it like this. Anything I've said that will have lowered the reputation of a pinball company was simply me responding to something that company did. So if Jersey Jack Pinball sends out defective playfields, I'm going to say something about it and that might hurt their reputation. If Spooky Pinball sends out playfields where like the inserts aren't cut properly and that diminishes their reputation a little bit, I'm still going to say it. If a pinball company wants to take pre-order dollars like Haggis Pinball and they promise people they're going to have their game in eight weeks and it takes like eight months and I harp on that, I don't care if that diminishes their reputation. I have never, and I mean it when I say this, I have never just out of the blue made up stuff about a company to proactively destroy their reputation, get people fired, or do anything negative for that company. I don't have any power over what these pinball companies do. For the last seven years, ladies and gentlemen, all I've been doing is reporting on what I see them do, on the actions they do, on the games they make, on the prices they charge, on the quality they give us, on the code or lack thereof they give us in games when they launch games. That's all I'm here to do. I am not like sneaking into these companies at night and sabotaging their efforts. And this is the thing is like there are people out there that don't want me to say this stuff. Now, can you take one guess why someone would not want a figure like Kaneda to bring up stuff that might not make these games shine in a positive light? Well, maybe because they're making money on every game sold. Or maybe because they've been working on some of these games and they want everyone to celebrate it. But guess what? I got no horse in the race. I'm just observing this hobby like the rest of you. And guess what? I get no kickbacks. I get no discounts. I get no free games. I get nothing. When I want a pinball machine, guess how much money I spend on it? The same amount of money you do. Do you know that there is a very large portion of the pinball content media that get discounts on every single game they buy? And that's fine. That's fine. They have friends in places that can give them those discounts. I don't. And I don't want those discounts. I'm in it with each and every one of you. And I take pride in that. He goes on to say, there are far too many egos in pinball podcasting, too many personal agendas, too many irresponsible comments and critiques, too much sabotaging disguised as parody, humor, or entertainment. Sabotaging. Okay, let me ask you a question. I've heard what everyone else's pinball content is, right? I've heard enough of Zach and Dennis's show. I've heard Kerry Hardy. I've heard all the major people in the pinball space. I have never, ever heard anyone openly trying to sabotage a company. I've never heard anyone trying to sabotage a company. He goes on the right. The word passion does not come with a credit card to be an ass. A passionate fan is the guy whose home team loses, and he shakes the hand of the guy in the arena wearing the visitor's jersey and says, congrats, maybe next time, enjoy your time in our city. Wow, I don't think Franchi's ever been to a sporting event. I don't think that really happens anywhere, but all right, whatever. He then goes on to say then there the guy who dumps beer on that guy in the visitor jersey Are you one of those podcasters There still time to change Don be an ass To those who give reasonable opinions talk about your love of pinball and entertain your audience in a truthful, fair, and classy way, cheers to you. I'll continue to listen and support your efforts. Those who use their platform to become a star, people like John Borg, Keith Elwin, Eric Menear, Steve Ritchie, Jack Danger, Dennis Nordman, Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti), Greg Freres, and so many more. They are the rock stars up on stage in the big arena. You are just the bum selling bootleg t-shirts out front of that arena, mumbling to yourself, I should be the one up on that stage. Let's face it, the only camera you are in front of is your own. Wow, that's how he ends it. I think Franchi forgot that the person who sold the most t-shirts in the pinball podcasting space is Christopher Franchi. And last time I checked, I mean, even if you're a pinball designer, nobody's a rock star. Nobody's making rock star money. And the arenas are not that big. Have you ever been to a pinball show and watched a pinball designer talk about their game? They're sitting in a half empty room at an embassy suites with usually like a hundred people in the room watching them go through a PowerPoint slide that looks like a third grader put it together. Oh, snap, Kaneda, what are you doing? You know, see, this is just it. See, this is the negativity. This is the toxic hate. This is where it all comes from. And I'm just going to be candid with all of you because you're part of my show right now. I'm going to continue to do what Kaneda's Pinball Podcast does. I'm never going to let the haters get me down. I think people are very jealous of this show. I think the reason why they're jealous of this show is I don't have to do a ton of work to connect with a ton of people. And the reason you get there is because you're saying something truthful. And I'm not being a jerk and I'm not being classless and I'm not doing it without dignity. And if I was doing it that way and I was that horrible person they all want you to believe I am, you wouldn't be here. I know that. I know each and every one of you knows that my heart is in the right place and my content is the most entertaining. and my scoops and my take on pinball, no one else is going to do this for you. No one else. Like there is this little inner circle of people who know everything and they pride themselves on knowing everything and they let their friends know what's going on. They give their friends discounts, but they don't pass that on to you. And you know, as long as I'm here in New York City, who has no pinball machines in his apartment, every day I wake up, I am in servitude to each and every one of you. And I'm gonna work super hard every week to give you the most entertaining show possible. And look, it's not a lot of hard work for me because it comes easy to me because I lean into my true personality each and every week with this show. And I love the fact that each and every one of you are here. I love the fact that that 609 number, it's such a bat signal in the sky to everybody else you know everyone else is doing this who wants to say this isn't where it's at yes this is where it's at like you are where it's at you're gonna get the best pinball podcast throughout 2023 into 2024 you know we're not gonna hold back i'm gonna tell you how i feel about galactic tank force i'm gonna tell you how i feel about its marketing and look iceman and ferret are not going to be enough to turn that game's sales around. Have you seen this game? Like they really can't get any sales momentum going, but uh-oh, Iceman's buying one. So he's going to tell us every single day. And guess what? Iceman has left Canada Spinball Podcast because I wasn't saying what he wanted to hear about the game. And that's going to be the way it goes, ladies and gentlemen. I will say stuff at times that might offend you. I will say stuff at times that you don't agree with. I will say stuff about games that you vehemently disagree with, but I hope you know this. I'm going to say it with some thought. I'm going to say it with conviction, and I will always allow you to retort anything I say. I will always allow people to defend their positioning on pinball. That's the way it is, and I have an open-door Ryan Policky. Anybody in the pinball industry who wants to join this show can join at any time, and guess what? My phone is not ringing off the hook. They don't want to join. And that's fine. And I think it works for me. It works for them. And it works for you. I want each and every one of you to give yourselves a pat on the back. We made it to over 600 club members. It's amazing. We didn't have to give away polo shirts. My Discord is free. You can call me anytime you want. Look, if you want to call Kaneda and you want to do a FaceTime with me, All you have to do is private message me or send me a Gmail or hit me up on Patreon and we can do a FaceTime chat anytime you want as long as it works into my schedule. You know it's a good time to talk to me when I'm walking home. I would love to have a personal conversation with any of my fans as I walk home to go get Killian, open up the apartment door, and listen to Brenda tell me how I didn't clear out the dishwasher. Everybody, thank you so much for being a member of the Canadian Club. This was just a show where I wanted to reflect on why I think this show is important. And we're going to get right back to talking about what's going on in the industry. But thank you so much for getting us to this milestone. More shows coming this week. Later.