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Episode - 31. the odessey, or the waybac.

The Spinner Is Lit Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·22m 49s·analyzed·Mar 21, 2020
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.026

TL;DR

Spencer reflects on his pinball journey and emphasizes community during COVID-19 lockdown.

Summary

Spencer Klingon hosts Episode 31 of The Spinner Is Lit Pinball Podcast, recorded on May 20, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He announces the cancellation of the Golden State Pinball Festival 2020 and takes listeners on a nostalgic journey through his personal pinball history, starting from the early 1970s in Oroville, Northern California, with detailed recollections of iconic arcades like the Odyssey and Flipper Flapper. The episode emphasizes community, friendship, and the human connection that pinball facilitates, rather than the machines themselves.

Key Claims

  • Golden State Pinball Festival 2020 (May) has been canceled due to COVID-19

    high confidence · Spencer Klingon, host, announced this at 9:22 PM PST on May 20, 2020, after receiving notification 30 minutes prior

  • Golden State Pinball Festival 2021 is scheduled for May 15-17 in Lodi, California

    high confidence · Spencer Klingon announced this as a forward-looking date, stated as 420 days away

  • Seattle pinball show (Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show) in June 2020 is still scheduled as of May 20, 2020

    medium confidence · Spencer states 'so far as far as i i know that's uh still a go' regarding June Seattle show

  • California Extreme in July 2020 had not yet been canceled as of May 20, 2020

    medium confidence · Spencer states 'haven't heard any word on that being canceled'

  • The Odyssey arcade in Oroville opened around 1978-1979 during the video arcade boom

    high confidence · Spencer's detailed personal account of the arcade's opening and golden age period

  • The Odyssey had approximately 25-26 pinball machines from manufacturers including Gottlieb, Williams, Stern, and Valley at its peak

    medium confidence · Spencer's recollection: 'they had probably, I want to tell you, 25, 26 pinball machines'

  • The Odyssey was sold after approximately 1.5 years to two employees who renamed it Advanced 2001

    medium confidence · Spencer's personal account of the ownership transition around 1980-1981

  • Flipper Flapper arcade in Oroville only carried Valley pinball machines, not Gottlieb or Atari games

    medium confidence · Spencer recounts asking the operator why and being told those games were too high maintenance

Notable Quotes

  • “I just got word about 40 minutes ago. Current time is 9.22 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. And that's Friday, May 20th, 2020. So I just got word about 30 minutes ago that the Golden State Pinball Festival coming up in May has been canceled.”

    Spencer Klingon@ 1:29 — Breaking news announcement of festival cancellation during COVID-19 lockdown

  • “it's only 420 days until the 2021 golden state pinball festival may 15th through 17th in beautiful sunny low-dive california hallelujah”

    Spencer Klingon@ 2:27 — Humorous forward-looking statement about next year's festival with intentional mispronunciation of Lodi

  • “this odyssey place was different and they had of course a ton of video games this place was huge ground up brand new all the games were brand new i mean just out of the box”

    Spencer Klingon@ 7:30 — Vivid description of discovering the Odyssey arcade as formative experience

  • “I put four years of college money in that thing easily”

    Spencer Klingon@ 9:15 — Reflecting on the financial impact of playing Phoenix at the Odyssey arcade

  • “if I look to my right as I'm sitting at the Kitchen Table Studios, I look out into my game room and see my 1976 Gottlieb Surf Champ, the Holy Grail. Dreams do come true, ladies and gentlemen.”

    Spencer Klingon@ 13:57 — Personal achievement of owning a pinball machine he played as a child, connecting past to present

  • “When I'm playing, it takes me back to a time when I was young... and possibilities seemed endless. the world was my oyster and everything was good”

    Spencer Klingon@ 17:22 — Deep reflection on the emotional and nostalgic value of pinball beyond gameplay

  • “The game was a vehicle to bring us together. It was about fellowship.”

Entities

Spencer KlingonpersonGolden State Pinball FestivaleventThe OdysseyvenueAdvanced 2001venueFlipper Flapper Fun CompanyvenueNorthwest Pinball and Arcade ShoweventCalifornia ExtremeeventAl GarberpersonSteve Sharlinperson

Signals

  • ?

    event_signal: Golden State Pinball Festival 2020 (May) canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

    high · Spencer announced cancellation confirmed 30 minutes before recording at 9:22 PM PST on May 20, 2020. Festival was scheduled for May 2020.

  • ?

    event_signal: Golden State Pinball Festival rescheduled to May 15-17, 2021 in Lodi, California

    high · Spencer announced forward dates and location, described as 420 days away from May 20, 2020 recording date

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinball community members isolated and separated from in-person league play during COVID-19 lockdown

    high · Spencer states: 'I miss my league right now terribly... I miss my friends part of my social network' and encourages listeners to check on each other and maintain human connection during lockdown

  • ?

    historical_signal: Detailed account of Oroville, California arcade landscape from 1976-1981, including the Odyssey and Flipper Flapper Fun Company venues and their game collections

    high · Spencer provides extensive first-hand recollections of specific pinball machines (Surf Champ, Buccaneer, Eldorado, Joker Poker, Phoenix, Flight 2000, Mata Hari, Flash Gordon, Hulk, Solar Ride) and video games at these venues during the golden age arcade era

  • ?

    collector_signal: Spencer acquired a 1976 Gottlieb Surf Champ, a machine he played as a child in the 1970s

    high · Spencer states: 'if I look to my right as I'm sitting at the Kitchen Table Studios, I look out into my game room and see my 1976 Gottlieb Surf Champ, the Holy Grail. Dreams do come true.'

Topics

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Pinball CommunityprimaryPinball History and Nostalgia (1970s-1980s Arcades)primaryPinball Community and Social ConnectionprimaryPersonal Pinball Journey and CollectingprimaryClassic Pinball Game Titles and ManufacturerssecondaryArcade Gaming Golden Age (1978-1982)secondaryVideo Games vs Pinball HistorysecondaryMental Health and Community Support During Lockdownsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Despite announcing a festival cancellation and speaking during pandemic lockdown, Spencer maintains overwhelmingly positive, encouraging tone. Episode emphasizes optimism, community care, friendship, and finding joy in memories. Some melancholy nostalgia when reflecting on deceased community members (Al Garber, Steve Sharlin), but framed as celebration of their values and legacy. Strong emotional resonance around themes of human connection.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.068

0:00
Welcome to episode 31 of the Spinner's Lit Pinball Podcast. I'm your host Spencer Klingon And tonight's episode, episode 31
0:31
The Odyssey Or the way back How's everybody been doing? Dealing with the apocalypse Nah, it ain't that bad The zombie apocalypse No zombies yet either This really isn't how I had it planned Hope everybody's doing well out there All the listeners Just, you know what man? Like I talked about last episode, which is this episode is going to be way more upbeat and positive. So stay calm.
1:02
Be kind. Be loving to each other. And remember what's really important is family, friendship, love, all good things. I knew this was coming for a while, a couple of weeks. Nobody said anything. But, you know, you know in your gut, you know when something's up. I just got word about 40 minutes ago. Current time is 9.22 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
1:34
And that's Friday, May 20th, 2020. So I just got word about 30 minutes ago that the Golden State Pinball Festival coming up in May has been canceled. You know, it's not a shock. It's not a surprise. if y'all have time jump on their facebook page offer you know some encouragement uh you know the board members the volunteers they put so many hours into this and believe me they're
2:05
just as uh hurt by this as you know any any just you know the vendors or just people just come to the show you know the people that bring games everybody man this is our show and uh it's it's real important to us but it ain't the end of the world and it's only 420 days you like that no kidding it's actually 420 days until the 2021 golden state pinball festival may 15th through 17th in beautiful sunny low-dive california hallelujah so we got that look to look forward

Spencer Klingon@ 20:10 — Core philosophy about pinball's true purpose, attributed to deceased community members Al Garber and Steve Sharlin

  • “You know and if you're scratching your head thinking I don't think I'm one yeah, you are guess what you're one of the cool kids You're one of the family too”

    Spencer Klingon@ 20:42 — Inclusive statement about his community and values within the pinball family

    • Barry Orsler
    person
    Casey Kasemperson
    Deadflipperson|organization
    The Spinner Is Lit Pinball Podcastorganization
  • ?

    design_philosophy: Core philosophy that pinball's value lies in community fellowship and human connection rather than gameplay mechanics

    high · Spencer attributes this philosophy to deceased community members Al Garber and Steve Sharlin: 'They knew this better than anybody. They always knew it wasn't about the game. The game was a vehicle to bring us together. It was about fellowship.'

  • ?

    content_signal: Deadflip content creator streaming pinball gameplay around May 2020

    medium · Spencer mentions: 'There's some cool new streams out. I know Deadflip did a new stream. I can't remember what game, but I know they did a new stream.'

  • ?

    venue_signal: Flipper Flapper Fun Company arcade maintained strict inventory of Valley pinball machines only, rejecting higher-maintenance Gottlieb and Atari titles

    medium · Spencer recalls asking operator why Gottlieb and Atari games weren't carried; operator responded: 'because those games are way too high maintenance'

  • $

    market_signal: During COVID-19 lockdown, digital pinball options (Pinball Arcade, Williams Pinball on phones/tablets) served as alternative to physical machines

    medium · Spencer recommends to listeners without home machines: 'check out some of the online stuff for phones and tablets. You know, the Pinball Arcade, Williams Pinball. There's a bunch of good ones out there.'

  • ?

    regulatory_signal: Pest control industry classified as essential service during COVID-19 emergency by State of California

    high · Spencer states: 'I work in a field that technically, according to the state of California, is a crucial necessity, even in times of emergency. Pest control. Technically, because we are health and safety'

    • 2:42
    to hey guys there's still the uh seattle show in june so far as far as i i know that's uh still a go uh you know the the uh northwest pinball and arcade show there's still uh california extreme in july haven't heard any word on that being canceled there's other shows out there coming later in the year so support those shows and uh for now just keep flipping at home and if you don't happen to have a game at home,
    3:12
    check out some of the online stuff for phones and tablets. You know, the Pinball Arcade, Williams Pinball. There's a bunch of good ones out there. Those are two I play with. And, of course, I have a few games, too, I get to play. So, you know, I'm fortunate there. Anyway, I'm going to go way back tonight. Get it way back, you know, with Peabody and Sherman. and I'm going to talk about my discovery of pinball because really there's not a lot.
    3:46
    There's some news. There's some stuff going on in the pinball hobby, but I just figured I'd take you down memory lane from my own history in pinball. I'm going to go all the way back. I'm 54 years old now, and I'm going to go all the way back to when I was – I want to tell you I was five. I might have been six. I was really young, and I grew up in a small town, in Northern California, Oroville. Look it up on Urban Dictionary. You'll find lots of wonderful things about it. When I was a kid, it was kind of idyllic, or I thought it was.
    4:16
    It was the whole universe to me. Well, it was a real small town. We had one single-screen movie theater and a single-screen drive-in that was open during the summer. And there was pinball everywhere. And this was in the early 1970s. We had a bus station, like a Greyhound station. And I remember going there with my dad. and there were probably, I want to tell you, 10 or 12 electromechanical pinball games and maybe like a gun game or a pitching bat. I would always play the pitching bats.
    4:47
    I love those. And then not too far from my house where I grew up, there was a pool hall, probably six or seven blocks away. And I remember going in the front, there was pinball machines. And again, maybe a gun game, a pitching bat, an air hockey table, a foosball table and then a little later on when I was getting a little older you'd see early video games like you know Pong and Tank Battle and Stunt Cycle stuff like that but there was always pinball
    5:17
    every mini mart every 7-eleven the little corner grocery just three blocks from the house I grew up in always had a pinball machine or two I still remember uh I was probably 10 or 11 and they had a maybe 12. They had an Eldorado at this little, it's called the Corner Market. And they had an Eldorado I used to play the hell out of that And then one day it was gone and they put in an EM Joker poker and you had to roll it to win a free game It was $100,000 for a game.
    5:49
    I got to where I could roll that thing pretty steadily. Around 1978, just as the video arcade boom was really hitting, and every town in America, and probably every town in Canada, probably every town in Mexico and everywhere else in the free world had an arcade and but I mean there was always pinball everywhere and a few video games you know pizza places the burger places we had like three pizza places in town and all of them had a couple of pinball machines and a few
    6:22
    video games and then there was a new they were building at one end of town and there was a new shopping center and it was kind of like professional plaza like those dentists and insurance agents, but then they had a whole row of the strip mall that was like, you know, submarine sandwich places, a yogurt place. There was a straw hat pizza. And then they built a McDonald's. Well, in this professional plaza part, they opened an arcade and that arcade was called
    6:55
    the Odyssey. And it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Cause you know, most of the places we went had like tile floor were well lit uh were kind of you know like the pool hall as i got a little older and i would go there with my cousins or my friends it was called spankies and we weren't supposed to go there because you know you could smoke and drink beer and it was a seedy place at this time in my life pinball was not nerdy it was seen as rebellious like you were a hoodlum or a troublemaker if you played pinball it was you know looking back now it's kind of funny
    7:30
    um but this odyssey place was different and they had of course a ton of video games this place was huge ground up brand new all the games were brand new i mean just out of the box i remember going there and they weren't open yet they were having a private party for family and friends who'd help set up the arcade and the owner came out to the door and talked to us and said if you come back next Friday, we'll be having our grand opening, and we did, but, so we went back, and they had
    8:09
    probably, they had an air hockey table, they had a foosball table, and they had probably, I want to tell you, 25, 30 video games, maybe more, this place was big, and they had one, two, three, three rows of pinball machines. So I'm going to say probably about 25, 26 pinball machines. And they had Gottliebs.
    8:40
    And this is right at the point of the system one. Right at just the apex of the beginning. I think I didn't even use that word correctly. Anyway, it's been a long week. But it was right at the beginning of solid state. So it always got leave system one games and Valley games of the day Williams games of the day. And they had a whole bunch of Stern games as well. They even had a couple of Atari games. I remember they had a space riders and then a little later they got in a Superman used to play that a lot.
    9:12
    There was a Williams Phoenix there. Barry Orsler's first game. I put four years of college money in that thing easily. You know, there was a flight 2000. there was Mata Hari, there was a Flash Gordon, there was a Hulk, there was Solar Ride, there was, I mean, just Flash, all these great games of the day, and that place was magical. I still remember there was a jukebox, and they'd taken out, well, first it was like some weird mountain scene or
    9:43
    something, it was like the scenery, it was just like a print in the glass above where all the, where all the songs you could pick from were. Played 45s. And then in 1980, when Empire Strikes Back came out, they took a scene from that, and it was the Millennium Falcon flying over a Star Destroyer with TIE Fighters chasing, and they put that in there. And they were playing, you know, there's a cool song. I still remember songs that we would play. There was I Was Made for Loving You from Kiss. There was Knock on Wood, which was some disco.
    10:15
    A lot of disco, man. it was between 78 and 80 maybe 81 this place was open and uh um tragedy by the bgs i remember that got played a lot uh do you think i'm sexy by rod stewart some other stuff but anyway this place i mean because again i i grew up in a small town man of like it's a time like 7 000 people and this was the spot for friday and saturday nights man and uh you know i was hitting the junior high and the place was magical i mean it was the universe to me at the time well after about
    10:51
    a year and a half the original owner just i guess you know he'd made his money or whatever got tired of it not sure so he sold it to the two two of his employees who got money together with their parents and they changed the name to the advanced 2001 now just probably five months four months before it sold, the original owner got a whole new batch of games in, probably eight 10 new pinballs changed a few of them the old ones out and got probably 20 new video games So we had stuff you know like in the beginning there was stuff like you know Starship One from Atari and Lunar Lander
    11:30
    And then, you know, just before it was getting ready to sell out, he got like Asteroids and then Defender came in and all these great games of the day. So it's probably 81. And, you know, we used to have a blast there, man. Spent way too much money. But, you know, it's still a quarter game then. even all the pinball recorder games. Used to play a lot of Nugent, Dracula, Galaxy a lot of Phoenix Flash so many great games
    12:00
    Flash Gordon and they were all brand new then well they lasted maybe another year they just didn't really care they didn't get any new games play started kind of going downhill so it's around 81 right as they were just kind of started to fade away a new arcade just probably a couple miles away in another new strip mall with a kmart and albertson's grocery store moved in and that place was called the flipper flapper fun company it was more well lit it was smaller it was still a great arcade
    12:35
    and it was right next to the round table pizza that had just moved in so that was a plus and down the street from that was a submarine shop uh candies royal subs wonder if that place is still there um and there was a 31 flavors so that became our hangout on friday and saturday nights but uh the original odyssey man all it was dark like all the windows were tinted out it was always real dark in there they had cool music cranking up i mean that place was rocking all the walls
    13:08
    had mirrors on them so it just looked really cool and it was just a great place to be a kid in the golden age of arcades um had a thought so i'll flash back flash back to around summer of 1976 so i was still 10 i wouldn't be 11 until december and there was a 7-eleven and Me and my dad would go to 7-Eleven, and they had a surfer, Gottlieb surfer, the two-player version of Surf Champ.
    13:39
    We played the heck out of that game. And for a while, they had a Big Ben in there from Williams. Really not that great of a game, as I recall. And then they got rid of the Big Ben, and they put in a Gottlieb Buccaneer. Pretty cool single-player wedgehead. Loves me some wedgeheads. Well, I had a love affair with that game ever since. So if I look to my right as I'm sitting at the Kitchen Table Studios, I look out into my game room and see my 1976 Gottlieb Surf Champ, the Holy Grail.
    14:09
    Dreams do come true, ladies and gentlemen. So as the late, great Casey Kasem used to say, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. Anyway, I'll fast forward. So the Flipper Flapper is more well lit. They only got valley pinballs. One day I asked the guy working there, hey, how come you never get any Gottliebs or Superman from Atari? And he just looked at me and said, because those games are way too high maintenance. I'm like, okay. I didn't know any better at the time. I was just a kid. But they have some great Valley games. Future Spa, Xenon, Rolling Stones.
    14:43
    Actually not that terrible of a game. And there was a few others I don't really remember. The ones I played the most were Xenon and Future Spa there. And occasionally Nitro Groundshaker. and that arcade lasted through high school until I took off and joined the Navy then it went away they had locations in every little town around where I lived probably four or five but it's still a great arcade they had all the great video games of the day you know Donkey Kong Jr Pac-Man
    15:14
    Ms. Pac-Man all that stuff had a lot of fun man a lot of good times there throughout high school it was a great great place and that's just kind of something you reminisce and thinking i was thinking about that today i was listening to one of the podcasts on the podcast network they spent the whole episode talking about classic sterns which they made some great games and i remember all the great game classic sterns i played at the odyssey uh dracula nugent flight 2000 um galaxy i remember that was there i'm trying to think of the audio the stern pinballs there
    15:49
    they may have those are the ones i remember them having the most um all good games man a lot of fun but that's just kind of my little own trip down memory lane figure i'd share that with y'all give you something cool to listen to while uh the whole world is grounded i don't know about you but i'm waiting for mom and dad to go to sleep i'm busting out of here and go create some mischief i'm not kidding either i'm gonna drink milk from the carton run with scissors cow tip hell i might even wax the steps of the old folks home and yell fire. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Gotta have a sense
    16:24
    of humor, man. That's what keeps everybody sane. In tough times like this, gotta laugh about it. It's gonna be okay. I swear to you it is. You know, we're gonna have our show next year, the 2021 Golden State Pinball Festival in beautiful, sunny Lodi, California. It's gonna be the best show we're ever gonna do. I'm not kidding. I'm gonna blow the roof on the place. I'm gonna get naked get a long blonde wig and a horse we are riding the streets of Coventry hell Yeah, it's gonna be epic telling you so take the time
    16:57
    You know kind of reevaluate things man Stop for a second take a breath look around and think about what really most important to you We all love pinball It all a part of our life But what the most important thing to you about pinball I'll tell you what it is for me. Two things. When I'm playing, it takes me back to a time when I was young. Like my surf champ. Remember a time when my dad was young. And, you know, possibilities seemed endless.
    17:28
    the world was my oyster and everything was good now it's not always good now but you know what we're still breathing we're still above ground our feet are still planted i think we're doing pretty good the other thing is it's the friendship it's the love i miss my league right now terribly and it's not because i miss playing pinball i can play pinball at home i miss my friends part of my social network you know so i'm reaching out to them here and there a little at a time
    18:01
    checking up on everybody i'm gonna remind all my listeners all you pinheads out there you know check up on people maybe an old army buddy college roommate you know a friend you haven't talked to for a while an old neighbor you know a relative just pick up the phone and call hey how you doing you doing okay you need anything sometimes man maybe they just want to jabber maybe this one event for 10 minutes. Right now, there's a lot of people that are sheltered in, and there's a lot of lonely people out there. So do your part, man. It only takes a minute. I'm telling you,
    18:35
    if you're not at work, you have time. Trust me, because I know a butt ton of people that are sitting at home right now. Now, I work in a field that technically, according to the state of California, is a crucial necessity, even in times of emergency. Pest control. Technically, because we are health and safety so i'm keeping busy uh and it's right right in the beginning of our busy season too so no rest for the wicked and then helping out at home doing my part but i'm making
    19:08
    sure every one of my customers i'll spend a little time extra with them not just running in doing my job i'm actually sitting down with them just talking to them how are you doing everything okay you got enough of everything do you need anything you know i'm i'm going a little bit extra making sure are they okay and just talking to them it seems to be working pretty good um because sometimes that's all people need you know it's just somebody to talk to just somebody to listen
    19:41
    maybe you can just be talking about the garden or telling stupid old jokes but uh that human connection, man. And that's what pinball is really all about. You know, great, great people that are no longer with us, but are with us in spirit. Two of them I can think of, Al Garber and Steve Sharlin. They knew this better than anybody. They always knew it wasn't about the game. The game was a vehicle to bring us together. It was about fellowship. And what's the show about?
    20:15
    Yeah, it's about pinball, but isn't it really more about community you get to see it's a big family reunion You get to see all the people sometimes you only get to see once a year I can sit here for an hour and name names of people That I only get to see at the show every year that I consider family Y'all know who you are and if you're scratching your head thinking am I one? Yeah, you are Okay You know and if you're scratching your head thinking I don't think I'm one yeah, you are guess what you're one of the cool kids
    20:48
    You're one of the family too, and I'm always glad to see you Always and I miss you miss all of you. You're all important to me. You're all part of my pinball family Anyway, I don't really have much else to talk about that I can think of tonight. There's some cool new streams out. I know Deadflip did a new stream. I can't remember what game, but I know they did a new stream. I saw something about it. I'll look at it later. I got a lot of other stuff to do before bed tonight.
    21:20
    I got to work tomorrow. But check out the streams. Check out all the podcasts. Most likely you have time. Hug and love the people you're close to, man. And reach out to people you haven't had a connection with for a while you know even just a text like hey thinking about you hope you're doing okay you know uh sit back have a pint or a cup of tea wait for this whole thing to blow over it's good advice well that's about all i have for now so everybody enjoy this show um you can always
    21:57
    reach me at the spinner is lit at gmail.com one word the spinner is lit at gmail.com so you can send uh you know requests comments you know death threats whatever you got i hope everybody's doing okay man and if the sound of my voice helps you get through the day man that's the greatest gift you could ever give me anyway you guys know the words say them with me play pinball keep america strong
    22:36
    Talk about!