it's time for a special pinball profile i'm your host jeff teels you can find everything on pinballprofile.com your subscriptions past episodes and more we're also on facebook we're on Twitter and Instagram at pinball profile. And you can email us pinball profile at gmail.com. This pandemic is driving us nuts. No question about it. We certainly want everyone to be healthy and safe, but it is taking its toll on a lot of people, a lot of different businesses. And in the pinball community, many of our favorite locations are really suffering. Sadly, some have closed and we're trying to find ways to help these places out because they mean so much to us. Maybe it's the first time you see a new game. Maybe it's where your league gets together. Maybe it's just a great hang. Maybe it's all of the above. So we're going to focus on one specifically, but you can apply this to any city that you are in and any location because they are likely feeling the same struggles. We're going to Toronto. We're going to Cabin Fever and joining us right now, Robin Harrison. Hey, Robin, how are you? Hey, Jeff, I'm good. How are you? Good. Thank you for asking. It has been a struggle over the last six plus months, no question about it. And it first began when, like every other place, you were shut down for a while. Yeah, in the middle of March, I started to feel that the threats and the rumors about this were going to be a little bit more serious than we had originally thought. And I originally thought that maybe it was going to be mid-April or beginning of May before I was going to be able to reopen. So I was not expecting the extended break that happened during this initial lockdown. In Canada, there was certainly a little bit of relief with the CERB program, unemployment and things like that. But it's different for business owners. You still have expenses and it's more than just rent. Yeah, it's crazy. A lot of the options are loans and people don't really think that loans are for everything other than a business. It goes against the idea of what a business is meant to be. And I just had a landlord that, you know, I had a really good deal on my rent. So I was not too upset that he wasn't giving me a break, but all expenses continued as normal, even though I was completely shut down from being able to do any sales for that long. So let's give people an idea of what else is involved. It's not just rent. It's not just rent. There's a general operating cost of what it costs you to have that brick and mortar home base. And it's everything from paying your water bills to property taxes for some small businesses to garbage pickup to your gas, your hydro, your security system. All of those bills keep going even if you don't get to open your doors. Not to mention the inventory and whatever stock you may have that's just really sitting there and not generating revenue and then, of course, having to maintain that once you open up. It's been a struggle for you and many others. Absolutely. When did you finally open up again? I was trying to think back. I think it was maybe three or four days before August. I feel like it was very close to the beginning of August, maybe the civic weekend, which would be the beginning of August. But I've got it written down somewhere for contact listing. But yeah, beginning of August. And I was just a hair close that if I had gone one more month, I don't think I would have opened at all. Wow. Yeah, it was very close. So you talked about the contact listing. When you did open up, cabin fever looked a little bit different than it had in the past because a lot of safety protocols had to be in place, and you certainly took care of that. And how did it work when you opened up? It was kind of weird because I found as a business owner, I was not getting much information about my type of business model. I could find information about entertainment centers, and I could find information on bars, but I had to kind of go to the extreme with both and create this sort of like merger security, be as safe as possible, try to be as thorough as possible covering both ends of the spectrum. So it's everything from cleaning like you would at a restaurant to severe contact tracing like you would at a restaurant, but also the cleaning and the sanitizing and the separation of games it goes into if it was an amusement place. So Cabin Fever, I believe the capacity is maybe 50 or less? 30 is my legal limit of what I can have. 30, okay. I was late to the liquor license game, and they would start to become very stringent on how many people they would allow for a liquor license. So it was 30 before COVID, 35 could feel very uncomfortable, but I've been running at a capacity of 10. Okay, and that's based on the guidelines, correct? That's based on me being able to provide very, very good spacious seating for people, because even though the games have shower curtains between them, a very high-tech solution to this. I think it's great. Oh, you know what? I absolutely love it, and I want to keep some form of that up. It feels very fun to play in two shower curtains, but it's all about the seating. So it's not about how many people can be standing playing pinball responsibly. It's how many people can be sitting down with their masks off, enjoying their beer between games. Do you have the same amount of games as you did before the pandemic began? I do. I've got the exact same games. I've even switched out Congo for Walking Dead since I reopened. But I've still got nine pinball machines. and now with a reservation-only system of 10 people that can come in. It's the very, very tight-knit experience everybody really wanted Cabin to be, but it was sort of forced upon me by these restrictions. Taking the reservations seems to be a correct way to do this, and I know that when you first opened up, it was tough to get in, in a sense, because you had, again, that many fans and so many people love Cabin fever. I think it's to make people feel comfortable about coming into a space and doing something where if somebody is not sanitizing properly or people aren't paying attention to the rules, it could be considered a high-risk activity. So to make people feel very comfortable about it, it literally looks like cabin is closed. I have curtains that are down, and you are not allowed in with a mask unless you have a reservation. So if you are booked in, you know who's going to be the other nine bodies in this space when you are here, and I think it helps to create a little bit more of a sense of security about even coming out and enjoying pinball at this time? This is what you have to do in these times. We are unfortunately in the midst of a second wave in Canada, and numbers have been going up for the past few weeks. The Ontario provincial government hasn't done any restrictions as far as your type of business, any further restrictions, we should say. You know, they've scaled back on some of the other places like fitness centres. Yeah. Can this business model continue if we go another three, six months of this? This is the age-old question. Well, the age-old as of the new pandemic, but is the idea of a coin-operated location dead? And I think it's going to be a tough sell as a business going forward because people are becoming a lot more aware of things that we used to do without paying attention, such as just playing a four-player game without sanitizing your hands between. But I do think that it's creating a safer version of this. And if you can make it through, I do think that this is and always will be a business model that, you know, everybody wants to be a part of it. Everybody wants to do leagues. I keep getting asked questions about tournaments, and it's not logical right now, but it means that the interest, at least to the customers, is 100% still there. Well, I know there are some fundraisers that have happened, and you have a lot of pride in it. It's not something that you initiated, but again, because of the fans of Cabin Fever and yourself, Jeremy Wilson, a longtime patron of Cabin Fever and passionate pinball player, created a GoFundMe page that started out with a smaller amount that has since increased because, again, 150-plus people have donated to Cabin Fever to see some sort of sustainability for you and that wonderful location. For those who don't know, who's Jeremy? Jeremy Wilson has been a regular of mine for years. Old school pinball guy. He's been in it and buying and restoring games since the 90s. But I didn't realize that he wasn't a part of any of the leagues, which is why a lot of people are unfamiliar with him. But he has been a regular of mine and knows everything about pinball. And I was eternally grateful for him for deciding that he didn't care if it made me uncomfortable in doing this. This GoFundMe because, to be honest, I didn't realize that if it does close down, it would put me in a position where I wouldn't be able to reopen. And he didn't want to see that happen. And everybody rallied behind him to make sure that that didn't happen. We see a lot of GoFundMes for other locations and people buying gift certificates and T-shirts and things like that. And that's possible, too, for Cabin Fever, correct? Absolutely. I'm just trying to figure out another merch situation. I don't do gift cards just because I don't want anybody to have a gift card and not be able to spend it. And who knows where anybody is going to be in the next little while. But for every other small business, I think people are just kind of everybody is so ingrained in what is going on in the world that they sometimes forget that their little tiny locations of where they go and play pinball are probably having the same awful, horrible time of wondering if this is sustainable right now. And it's a very, very tough place to be. I know you've been good as far as helping other places too. In fact, I mentioned Tilt earlier. I've seen you at Tilt before. I think Marty Robbins, when he was with me and we were eating dinner just right near Tilt, went into Tilt and you were there, again, supporting another location. I remember going to New York City and you were there and Jack Tadman, who we will hear in a second. We checked out some of the locations like Sunshine. And again, Cabin Fever, by the way, started off as a little record store and coffee shop, if you will. But boy, the pinball bug has grown and grown. Absolutely. Head back to those old Instagram posts. You can take a look at what it used to look like. I don't think I really was aware of how supportive the pinball community has or was. Like I knew that they were amazing people and that they were awesome and they were great and they look out for each other. But I just, it took me about a week to just sort of process what had gone on. And even with the pinballers, which is Mike, Lisa and Carter Castleman doing that fundraiser for me on Twitch, which was amazingly fun to be a part of. And it was great to see people that were donating and just interacting on a pinball level of well-wishing. And even the north version of City Pinball, which is Matty F who runs it up in North Bay, he did his donation of coin drop or the free play drop to me as well, just to show a point of solidarity for us down in the south. It's been great, very humbling. Fans all across the world, Robin of Cabin Fever and what you've done there, because it is such a wonderful niche place, and I look forward to every time I go there. We've had major tournaments there, IFPA pre-World Championships events, and Johannes Ostermeyer won a big tournament there. So you've certainly made your mark on the pinball community, and I hope with the GoFundMe page and some of the other donations that people are doing for yourself, it makes it a little easier, and hopefully you can have a little sigh of relief at least over the next few months. Oh, absolutely. Even with just what the GoFundMe is right now, if I can stay open at a limited capacity, it pretty much guarantees that I will make it to spring. And that is a huge weight lifted just to know that you're not going month to month for the slowest months of the hospitality industry. It's quiet anyway for us. So it's always a bit of a worry. So it definitely does help make it towards what is going to happen in the future as opposed to worrying month to month about whether or not you can pay rent. And I can't imagine how many hours you work in a normal work week because, I mean, it's you. It is just me. Pre-COVID, I had an employee who worked on one day of the week, and I was open six days. But because of the limited capacity and not everybody is comfortable coming out, I'm currently running at four days. So I actually am working less during this, but I'm spending more time doing bookings because everything is reservation-based. So somebody wants to cancel. Now I've got a spot. Now I've got to find out who can fit in there. So there's so much time that goes into reservations, but I think that it's so important to keep it a comfortable experience that it's worth the effort. And let's give a big shout out to the person who operates those games, makes them as wonderful as possible in Dan Beeson, because Dan's games are top notch. He always makes a point to having having the best games here. And, you know, people are when's the next new game coming out? And it's like it's not the time. It's not the time. But yes, absolutely. He spends an amazing amount of time just maintaining the games and making sure that the quality of games that I've got here are good enough to hold IFPA 15 pre-tournaments. Well, Robin, I wish you the best of luck. We love what you're doing. Cabin Fever is just a spectacular place. Just like you're listening right now and thinking of your local place, that is what Cabin Fever is to us in the greater Toronto area. And I haven't told you who's coming up next, so have a listen and hear a lot of other people who want to give praise to Cabin Fever and what you're doing. All right. Amazing. Thanks so much, Jeff. So that and all of the interviews you're going to be hearing right now were recorded prior to October 9th. On October 9th, the Ontario government changed its rules based on the second wave that's happening in the Toronto area. And sadly, Robbins Cabin Fever and many businesses like that are closed for 28 days. So she was operating with 10 people being scheduled, now a minimum of 28 days. As of today, Sunday, October 18th, the good news is the number of cases in Toronto have gone down significantly. So hopefully this won be a long period of time but the sad news is cabin fever is shut down So let continue with some of the recordings I did earlier just over a week ago I'm trying to think the last time I saw this person. It was definitely on the Internet. Was it a selfie cam jam? Was it maybe a live concert at Red Rocks? Was it the Stanley Cup finals? Could have been your Tinder profile, Jeff. You never know. Which way did I swipe? Ed Ed Robertson joins us from Barenaked Ladies. how you doing bud i'm good good to talk to you again and i wanted to bring you on because i know that cabin fever is important to you and you're the kind of person who goes all around the world and sees different arcades so you really have a good idea of what cabin fever is compared to others well if people are unfamiliar with cabin fever it's the perfect hole in the wall pinball bar It is the perfect place to go. They always have the new games, but really diverse collection that includes some older games. And Robin, who runs the place, is like the absolute dream den mother for the misfits of Toronto pinball. It's just a perfect location. Homey, friendly, lots of great players go there and blow these games up, and it's just a great spot. Well, I know you like playing location pinball, and the most important thing is that the games are tip-top and they're running, and that's definitely the case with what Dan Beeson does at Cabin Fever. Dan Beeson is just a great dude all around. And yeah, they keep those games in tip-top shape. They get played a lot. So it's also a good resource if you're thinking about owning a game. Dan's a good guy to talk to as an operator whose games get played a lot to know what you've got to look out for to keep a game running well. So Dan's given me a lot of good tips over the years of ways to mod the game and tweak the game so it plays longer and better. And that's a good point, too, because Dan, who also looks after Tilt in Toronto, knows what games are being played the most as well, too. So you're not going to see any duds at Cabin Fever because he knows which games are pumping those quarters and loonies here in Canada. Well, and what I love about a place like that is real estate is limited. So they change up their collection a lot to keep it fresh and keep people engaged. and that's a place where people from all over the city and even outside of the city will come to play pinball. It's kind of a dream pinball bar. Perfect size, not too big, very homey, but a really nice collection in there and I can't say enough good things about Robin who just has the perfect vibe in there. She's very welcoming and friendly and she's good to the community. It's hard to believe going back not even that long ago when these places didn't exist, especially in the greater Toronto area and you're from Scarborough. It was hard to find these places. I know it took Montreal a long time before something like North Star can happen. And you travel all across the world. You've probably heard of other places too. And we're going to acknowledge those on this program too that are suffering with COVID-19 and the pandemic and restrictions. Some of these other places that you think of when you hear of cabin fever suffering, that maybe people have reached out to you and said, hey, maybe can you give us a hand here or have you heard about such and such? Well, yeah. I mean, you know, the way I've tried to help out those places, some people spotted my electric bat arcade shirt in the last thing I posted on Instagram. That's because I just reached out to them and bought some merch because I know places like this are suffering right now. You know, I don't even know if I've been there. I just think they had a cool shirt and I want to support location pinball as much as I can. You know, that's how we're going to grow this hobby of pinball is by having pinball on location for people to play. Not everybody is as lucky as I am to be in a successful rock band and have these machines in my house. So when you find a place that's just got a great vibe and got great quality machines in 100 percent running order, ready to play like I want to support that. I think of, you know, Lyman's Tavern in D.C. I think of the Pyramid Scheme in Michigan and 82 in Los Angeles. There's just so many great location spots that I'm lucky I travel for a living. Not in the last year, but that's one of the things I love to do when I'm traveling with the band is seek out location pinball and play. You're like me, too. We are fortunate. A lot of people listening will have a machine or machines at home. But when we do go to different cities or even the ones we live in, we do like to seek out these locations. And good examples, too, with Electric Bat and what Rachel's doing there. It's heartbreaking for me to hear of what Robin's going through. And thankfully, the GoFundMe page has really helped her, as she mentioned, get her through to hopefully at least spring. And hopefully we can have a vaccine by then or restrictions loosened, whatever the case may be. But it is tough everywhere. And location pinball is extremely important because it is a lot of people's first exposure to pinball and new pinball. Yeah. And when we get through the other side of this weird experience that this pandemic is, we want those restaurants we love to be there still. We want those pinball bars that we love to be there still. So if it's possible for you to help out these places, I think it behooves you to do so because, as I said, on the other side of this thing, we want to have those things in our lives. Helping can be in any form too. Just spreading the word is helping. If you are passionate about the place in your city, your community, let other people know about it and maybe some others can help as well. Well, Ed, I appreciate you coming on and thanks for everything you're doing. Boy, you've been, like many people, kind of kicked in the teeth as far as tours postponed and travel and all that kind of thing that is exciting for us as fans, but it is a business for you and the crew that you employ. It's been tough, but I really appreciate what you and the band has done as far as charity work, the selfie cam jams I mentioned, and everything you're doing online. Well, thanks for saying, Jeff. But, you know, it has been a weird year. Yes, we've canceled a lot of tours, but I'm the luckiest guy on the planet. I love my job. I have been handsomely rewarded to do it over the years, and I've been put on a forced hiatus, which has allowed me to spend an enormous amount of time with my family and enjoy my fantastic pinball collection. So shed no tears for me. On the other side of this pandemic, I'll be back out rocking again. And I'm just glad that I'm able to help out in the way that I can. Like you said, with the selfie cam jams we're doing, helping out Robin and Cabin Fever. Like I'm a lucky person and I'm glad I can help. Well, I appreciate you taking the time here in the last full month of your 40s, too, before that disappears. I want to thank you very much because I know this is an important time for you as you turn to the other side next month. It is true. Hitting the back nine on October 25th. Was it October? I thought it was November. No, time is short, my friend. I am nifty nifty. Look who's almost 50. I thought it was November. Oh, the clock is ticking. Well, happy early. Can you even remember your 50th anymore? Is it so far in the rear view that it's a distant haze? Hey, look there, 1970. All right, we're in the same club, all right? And I don't know how you're going to celebrate yours. At least I got to go to Australia. I mean, that was pretty fun. That's pretty nice. That's pretty nice. I am going to celebrate it exactly the way I've been celebrating this whole weird year. I'm going to be up at my cottage hitting the ball with a tennis racket for my dog and playing pinball. Living the life. Indeed. Hey, thanks, Ed. All right, Jeff. Take care. We talked about how important location pinball is because, really, it is almost like a second home. That is definitely true for our next guest, Jack Tabin, who lives right nearby Cabin Fever. And, really, Robin, you, Jack, your family, a real tight-knit group. I mean, Robin really is part of your family, isn't she? Yeah. My son calls her Auntie Robin. We used to go there when I was younger, when he was a year old, and she would keep him entertained so that I could play pinball. She'd feed him oranges and yogurt and pick up socks when he threw them off his feet. And, yeah, I mean, he's grown up only knowing her as Auntie Robin. Well, Robin really gives that good feeling to everybody that comes there, but certainly with your family and your son. Go back to the first time you went to Cabin Fever. Yeah, it's funny. Again, having so many children, all these stories seem to revolve around children, but it was the first time that my wife and I had been able to really get out after having our first kid. And we were just exploring our neighborhood. We didn't even know it existed. We went to a, this was a Warren Zevon tribute concert in our neighborhood, and then we're walking around and we saw a pinball machine in the window. It was Rolling Stones, the new one, maybe not the best machine, but still, you know, at that point, just excited to see any sort of pinball on location. and went in and played and actually didn't think much of it. But over the years, Robin has grown her place and changed it. I mean, it started off as just a coffee shop, and there was one pinball machine, and eventually there were two pinball machines. There was a Kiss and an ACDC. She got her liquor license. It was always a record store, too. and the place Robin has grown with the place Cabin has grown and through the changes that have come to Cabin Fever, Robin has really created a community there and it's a community that she, Robin, is at the heart of. Whether it's Robin, whether it's yourself, there have been a lot of great tournaments at Cabin Fever. You like to organize them. You had the big one, of course, the IFPA 15, the pre-event. it's just such a cozy atmosphere. And we've heard from other people talk about what it means to them, even the first time they show up there. But as far as the games are concerned, and we've mentioned this as well, Dan Beeson just keeps them tip top. And I think because of these games, because of the variety that Robin brings in at Cabin Fever, it has definitely helped your game big time. I mean, you're an intergalactic champ and a top 100 player in the world and always at the IFPA World Championships. Cabin Fever is a big reason for that. Yeah, for sure. I mean, Cabin's been instrumental to my development as a player, just in terms of having a place to play with, you know, a welcoming place with great machines. But more importantly, it's helped me realize the importance of a community and my role in that. And having a place where, you know, Robin jokes that Cabin is a safe space for nerds. And, you know, I really like that. But what it is, is it's a pinball player's pinball bar in an incredibly welcoming environment. You know, it's a place for people with a common interest to get together and share an appreciation and love for pinball. So, you know, that is infectious, and it's been affirming for me to be there and see people, you know, when that light bulb goes on, and they realize that it's more than just flipping flippers. So, yeah, it's helped me, but it's helped me also see, you know, more important aspects about pinball and, even more broadly, more important aspects of community and being a part of that community and having a role in improving the community. You and Robin have done that. The City Pinball League is something that has been around for not only a few years, but it's moved around, but really Cabin Fever is now the home for City Pinball. But what is amazing about that is you have this cross-border relationship with the City Pinballers from the GTA, the Greater Toronto Area, have gone to Buffalo, and the Buffalo pinballers have come to Cabin Fever, and you have these great back-and-forth annual battles, and really friendly, it's streamed. It's so cool that you can do that with another country, if you will. Yeah, absolutely, Jeff. There's a tendency, especially amongst more competitive players, to get caught up in competitions and points, and it's nice to have that relationship with Buffalo where, yes, it's a competition, but it's as friendly as a competition can be. and we try to take different City Pinball members down there every year. I mean, Nick and Kevin have done a great job with the Buffalo scene, and it's just so much fun for us. I mean, we look forward to it. I don't think it's going to happen this year. Maybe we'll find a way to do it virtually, but it really is one of the highlights of the pinball season for me and hopefully for them and for whoever else our league goes down there. Well, your City Pinball League has grown. Cabin Fever is a big part of that. And we're all hoping that Cabin Fever can survive this pandemic. The GoFundMe page that Jeremy has set up has done very well, but they could always use some more support. And that goes for any pinball location in any city that you may be in as you're listening to this podcast. But Jack, I know it's important to you and it's important to me. I don't play there as often as you do, but I don't want to see a place like Cabin Fever go at all because I enjoy every single time I go there. In fact when I in Toronto and I bring guests I make sure I stop by Cabin Fever Yeah I mean places are special because the people behind those places are special and they work tirelessly to make those places great There so many other pinball places that are in a similar position. I mean, in Canada, we have North Star in Montreal. Adam Kisler's worked tirelessly over the years to make that a Montreal mainstay. And it's not just about the revenue. Like Cabin is Robin, North Star is Adam. They have given of themselves to build something for others. It's not just money. I mean, it's one of the reasons that it's so difficult for them to see it, you know, happen in the way that it's happening and to have the challenges that they have. The pinball community is very generous, and we're all doing what we can to help great locations like Cabin Fever. Jack, all the best. Good to hear from you again, buddy. Yeah, thanks, Jeff. We go to Ottawa right now and talk to maybe one of the biggest pinball families next to the Sharps. I mean, this whole family, they can play. Some would say they're pinballers. Oh, they are on Twitch. Lisa Castleman joins me right now. Hi, Lisa. How are you? Hi, Jeff. Thanks. That was a really nice intro. You like that? I do. We're really happy to be a family that plays pinball, but I guess not realizing that other people see it that way, too. And thanks. Thanks. We really enjoy it. I mean, it's great to watch you on Twitch, but I know that the family is very, very passionate. You have a big family, first of all, but the players I know, of course, yourself, Mike, your husband, Carter, who, by the way, beat me in the Ontario finals. A wonderful young player. What is he, 13, 14? He's 13, yes. Okay. He's grounded, by the way. And also, Paige is a wonderful player, too. And the reason I want to bring up your entire family is because yourself and Paige, Cabin Fever is special to both of you two because you both participated this past year in the first ever Ontario Women's Provincial Championship. That's right. And Cabin Fever is really special to us for that. We really appreciate that Robin had opened up the location for everyone to play and that really stood out for women and made our mark in pinball this year. And it was a special occasion, too, because normally, you know, Cabin Fever is a bar and whatnot, but they made special provisions so that younger players like Paige could play. That's right. Or she had fake ID, one of the two. It's just because she made it into provincials, I think. Not ready for the fake ID yet. Sure. Oh, yeah, sure, Mom. Your kids don't do the fake IDs. Come on. I didn't. What a saint. Okay. Oh, wait a minute. You were, by the way, in Ottawa, so you were allowed to drink early in Hull, Quebec. because the legal drinking age there was 18, so that's why you didn't need a fake ID. I grew up in Burlington. Oh, that's right. You're in my, that's right. That's right. So, no, I did take my fake ID to the Windsor Casino, and that did not go over well. Yeah, casinos might have a better tracking system, but... They have really bright lights when you get in there. All right. Well, Lisa, yeah, what you did just recently on Twitch was very, very special. You had your family, again, the pinballers on Twitch, do a little fundraiser for Cabin Fever. We did. We saw the GoFundMe that morning and it was like instant. We said, we're just going to do our first charity stream. We don't want to see any pinball locations closing because of COVID. So we feel for everybody. But they, you know, they reached out to the community and we thought, what a great thing to give back to Robin, who's such a great owner and a woman in business. So we need to lift those people up and make sure that when this is over, they're still there and we still have a place to play and get together and really appreciate the games together. It was very nice and for something so impromptu you did quite well for our fundraiser. You know the whole community came out and supported our endeavor as well we got some great donations from from other people so we really want to thank them for doing that we had some great prizes and then of course our chat and our pinballers community who showed up and watched and cheered us on and it was a really fun six hours of playing and we had everyone in there in the chat with us the whole time. So that was great. And Robin was there and answering questions about Cabin and talking about how things have affected her in the business. It is tough. We talked to her earlier before I was talking to you on this Skype call, but it is a tough go. But people like yourself, your family, and others really across the world are stepping in for not only Cabin Fever, but whatever their local establishment may be. It's really wonderful. So showing back the appreciation for what those locations have given to us before the pandemic has hit. We'll ensure that they are around when it's over. I don't know how you and Mike and the family got into pinball, but really for all of us, it has to be location pinball. Because you don't just go buy a pinball machine before you play a pinball machine. You have had to seen it somewhere. And it's places like Cabin Fever that has opened up the IFPA and leagues and friendly play and just casual interest in pinball. Yeah, for sure. I mean, we grew up when there were still smaller arcades or bowling alleys that had pinball, but now the evolution of what it's become to have a barcade where you can go, you know, sometimes kids are allowed, but other times they're not, and to be more of an environment that is about socialization and playing pinball at the same time, it's pretty incredible for us to have that. Well, thank you. Thank Mike, Carter, Paige, your entire family. I know Brooke, I think I just saw her little graduation picture there, so I think she's starting to play too, isn't she? She is, now that she's had time to focus on it. She's found some games that she's really enjoying, and she's putting up some good scores. So look out, there could be another pinballer making their way into competitive play. The Castleman family, names to watch out for in the IFPA. But thank you again for all you've done for Cabin Fever. Thanks very much, Jeff. It was really nice chatting with you. Cabin Fever is a place you like to show off when people are visiting Toronto. When actor Jason Sudeikis was filming a movie there, I got him to come by and flip a few games, and he certainly enjoyed it. In fact, he called Dan Harmon, the creator of Rick and Morty, who was just filming a podcast in Toronto at the time. He said, stop by. So what does Dan do? He tells everybody, all right, thanks very much. I'm going to Cabin Fever if you want to join me. And 100 plus people did on a weeknight. A lot of fun. Good memories. But when others visit Toronto, and I know that they love pinball, I have to bring them to Cabin Fever. Not only is cabin fever a staple in Toronto and Canada, but it's international too. Case in point, our next guest, who when he visited Toronto, went there every single night. Apparently that's all there is to do in Toronto. Here he is. Don't adjust your sets. This is how he sounds. Ryan C. from Australia joins us. How are you? G'day, Jeff. You sound nice all the time. I think people get that we're friends. You know, when you did come in 2018, it was kind of a whirlwind North American trip for you. You started off in Vegas, spent a little time in jail there before going to TPF, then to New York City, and then you ended up in Toronto for a few days. And cabin fever was a big part of that. Yeah, you would think after a two-plus-week trip, I would be sick of pinball. But I realized kind of when I went to New York and that feeling was cemented when I went to Toronto that hanging out with pinball people is the best. And you've got a nice, cool place to hang out. And you introduced me to Cabin Fever. And I kind of messed up my schedule a little bit. So we were meant to hang out the entire trip, but you had to fly off after the first night. And, I mean, Toronto is a massive city and it's a huge city and there's all these events. But I ended up and ended my night at Cabin Fever every single night. So yeah, just to go back, I picked you up at the airport dressed in full Australian garb. We then got something to eat and went to a comedy place called Yuck Yucks, got heckled, did some heckling, sat in the front row. It was a lot of fun. Then we went to Cabin Fever. So this is late at night and we were there for quite some time, spent time with Jack Tabbin, Dan Beeson, and of course, Robin. And you really liked that. We went home. We recorded a podcast with Martin from head to head. By the way, it was like four in the morning in Canada. And then the next day, I had to fly to Chicago for the Stern Pro Circuit, sent you back to Toronto. You went to a Raptors game and played a pinball tournament, but still wound up with cabin fever. Yeah, I've never really been a person in Australia, in Melbourne, my home city, to hang out at bars. and people have their local. And I guess I never experienced that. And hanging out in Cabin Fever made me realize what people kind of like have a second home and live at a place because I made friends with Robin and we just sat there and chatted all night. And of course, the other locals, Dan Beeson and Jack Tadman, just cool people to hang out with, drink beer, talk pinball, play pinball. It was amazing. I'm sure you have places like that in Melbourne as well. Cabin Fever is very special here. And everyone who's listening to this podcast, We're obviously focusing on cabin fever, but I do want to remind people, think of your local place and think of the struggles they're going through right now with COVID-19 and how, if you can, help them in any possible way, that would be wonderful, like what Jeremy Wilson has done with the GoFundMe page for cabin fever. But think of your local place, and you'll probably hear people like Ryan, like the other guests we've had on, talk about their passion for their local pub, pinball joint, and Cabin Fever is that special place for sure. Yeah, and you talk about passion, and I remember like it was yesterday, the quality of machines that were in there at the time. You had Walking Dead, Attack from Mars, Metallica, Monster Bash, and Dialed In, and then you had some older ones as well. And I remember I was talking to Dan Beeson, and we were playing Dialed In, and I looked at the scoop, and there's a little bit of wear on the scoop, and I said, hey, Dan, how come you haven't put the Cliffy on there? And he kind of just laughed, and he's just like, I would rather the machine get worn down to not play right. And I kind of put a smile on my face because he's a pinball player himself, and that's how the pinball machines played at Cabin Fever. So the point is the Cliffy unfortunately makes that scoop and the SIM card very difficult when you put that on there. So yeah, you know what? Just play it the way it's made. If he wants to sell it later, throw a cliffy on it after the fact. Are you like that with your machines? Because you're an operator yourself. I think it's a fine balance. If you can do little things that don't affect the gameplay. Luckily, there hasn't really been anything like the dialed in scoop. But my scoop has been like worn in enough when I bought it that it was okay. But I don't think to the level of Dan Beeson, like he didn't care. Like I told him about the resale value and he's just like, ah, no, I'd rather it play well, you know, full stop. So, yeah, I think he's in a league of his own there. That's how good the machines are at Cabin Fever. Now, what about what's going on in Melbourne and some of the places that you operate at? Well, they're all closed. We're in a harsher lockdown than the rest of Australia. I have talked to people and operator friends in other states, and even though things are open again, I think pinball machines, it's purely a numbers game. So the more people you have going past your pinball machines, the more they're going to get played. So if there are capacity restrictions of 50% at a time, then guess what? Your pinball machines, which cost the same amount, are still only going to make 50% of the revenue. So unfortunately, things are going back to normal in the rest of the country, but its revenue is going down. So it's quite a scary time we're living in for pinball operators. Ryan, are you seeing some sort of support mechanism for some of these venues that host pinball machines, some of these arcades? What's going on in Australia as far as making sure once we get out of this, they'll be there? Not as of yet, Jeff. There haven't been any places that have permanently closed down that were owner-operated. Most of the venues that have closed down were just people pulling their machines. But I guess to ensure that doesn't happen, people in Australia and people worldwide need to support pinball locations. Because if we don't want this to be the second death of pinball and if there'd be another uprising, just don't let it get to that point. Ryan, thanks very much for sharing your stories of cabin fever and your memories there when you were in Toronto. We will catch you on Jesse J's Pinball Adventures on the Pinball Network. Thanks, Jeff. As mentioned earlier, we're talking about cabin fever specifically, but it really does apply to any place in your community that hosts pinball. And we're going to go to San Francisco right now and talk to someone who's actually been to cabin fever in Toronto a few years ago when he was visiting. He knows his way around pinball, one of the greatest photographers in all of this hobby. Gene Wong joins us right now. Hey, Gene. How's it going, Jeff? Good to hear from you, buddy. How are things in San Francisco? Joel? They're going well, as you know, everything's a little bit crazy right now. But on the pinball side of things, we just this week, actually, I think like a day or two ago, Free Goal Watch just started opening up at a limited capacity. So that's been pretty exciting because in the city before that, only Outer Orbit, which is a fantastic little pinball restaurant bar, I guess it's a restaurant more, but they've been the only place that's had kind of public pinball to play, putting out one machine every day for the public to play. and you can also rent it out for a private session with your own little pod. But, yeah, location pinball is always my favorite, and it's nice to know some of the things are kind of reopening slowly here. But it's been a long time for a lot of people that haven't played pinball in a long time, and obviously that's not the biggest deal in the world right now, but, you know, we want to support our passion. I'm going to talk about Free Gold Watch in a second, but Outer Orbit, I don't know much about that place, and you said they bring one out. They bring a game outside? Yeah, yeah. So they have a, you know, it's a restaurant primarily, but it's also a pinball bar. And, you know, obviously we can't be indoors much. And so they've been bringing out a machine out on the sidewalk. It's kind of covered, so obviously it doesn't get sun damage and stuff. And they've been doing that for a little while now, and it's been really popular because, you know, as a pinball person, we're a little bit addicted to the game. A lot of people from all over the city and even people have been coming up from, like, Monterey. There a crew from Monterey that comes up every once in a while just to play pinball here because there just not a lot of pinball to play on location right now And they have some pretty good machines They brought out a good one today Yeah today I was just out there with my friend Eric Wagensoner He actually has a credit in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, if anybody knows the secret flipper codes that just showed up today or in the last code update. But he and I were playing, and Andre Massacoff just happened to drop by because, like I said, it's one of the few places you could actually play location pinball, and they had Rick and Morty out. They've had a lot of other different games. They try to rotate during the week. They'll have one machine and then maybe a request game on a Sunday, so they might rotate it a little different. But they're actually having their anniversary party this weekend, so on those days they're actually having Rick and Morty on free play the entire time. So I think that's going to bring out some more people to get some more games on that since it's a pretty new machine. Well, good for them, and this is just another example of how difficult it is to run any kind of pinball facility. You said Free Gold Watch, which is a place that's very special to everybody in San Francisco, the home of City Champ, and the first place I stopped on my Pinball Profile World Tour one year ago. So they've been closed this entire time? Yep. Some people may or may not know they're a print shop. That's actually their kind of primary business that a lot of people might not be quite as familiar with. But some of the merchandise you see even at Pinburger Replay, they've had shirts that they've made for other tournaments and such. But the print shop side has been able to function at some level, But the arcade portion has had to be shut down until literally until this week, until a couple of days ago. So it's been people are pretty stoked about it. And the word gets out pretty quick. So the folks are pretty excited to get back in there. I assume in San Francisco there's a capacity issue. You can only have so many people. Yep. Right now it's, I think, 20 percent maximum capacity. So I think at Free Gold Watch that means I think their maximum capacity is like 100 something. But so you can only have like 20 people in there at a time. And they're making sure, you know, it's the same rules like masks on, social distancing, you know, they've got hand sanitizer, all that kind of stuff. So they're trying to make sure that they're doing it in a safe way. It is a tough haul everywhere around the world. So not just in Toronto, but here's an example in San Francisco, which has produced so many great players like yourself. I think of Leslie and I think of Andreas, who just had a birthday last week. And you mentioned Andre and Eric and Louise, so many good players out of San Francisco. You can only imagine what it's like in other cities, too. And we're talking about Cabin Fever. You were there a few years ago. I saw that you were in Toronto, and I said, hey, I'm coming to get you. We're going to check out this cool place, and I know you fell in love with it. Oh, yeah, that was great. That's like my favorite type of location, pinball. I mean, it's dark in there, not in a bad way, but I don't like playing in an overly bright location. I remember going in there and just being like the moment we walked in, I was like, oh, man, this place is like totally the right vibe. It feels very intimate, but it's not too crowded or anything. And it's got a lot of funkiness to it. It's got a real personality to it. And meeting, you know, Robin runs a place. And I think we met with Dan run some of the machines there. I can't remember. Dan Beeson, the operator. Yeah. Yeah. And then, you know, Jack Tadman showed up and it was just like a very neighborhood kind of like just like that's kind of like what I want pinball location pinball to be. and that's what I love about going out and playing because I mostly play on location. So obviously I'm not doing that right now, but when you took me there, I was like, oh, man, this is like – it was instantly my favorite place to play in Toronto even though I hadn't really been to a lot of places in Toronto. But, like, I knew from the – just from stepping in there, I'm like, this is my type of vibe. Robin was so welcoming. They had some good beers. And I liked that mix of games. They had, like, a more eclectic mix. It wasn't just the newest machines. They had some older ones. And it's just like when I get back there, I want to go back and play there. But I've only been there that one time, but I totally remember it. And so I'm glad you're kind of, you know, shining a little light on them because they definitely deserve it. And I did see that you helped donate with their GoFundMe campaign. So that was really kind of you, Gene. And so many people have done that, over 150, in fact. And if we can get a few more by listening to Pinball Profile, that's great. But that also being said, help whatever location, pinball, whatever venue is in your town, because they would need the same kind of help that Cabin Fever needs as well. Yeah, I agree. I think that's the thing that all of us can do. I mean, obviously, I think it's great if other people can help support a place like Cabin Fever. I was happy to support them because I had been there. I know what kind of a great place it is. But obviously, you want to support your local spots as well. And so, you know, they might have a GoFundMe. They might not. You might want to just reach out and see what you can do. There's so many great locations throughout the country. And location pinball, I feel like, is something that is really where kind of the magic happens, where you get new people involved, where you can really share the enjoyment of pinball with other people. Not everyone can have a pinball machine, so that is their go-to. That is their hang, and we need these places too because they're a lot of fun to bring this community together. I think I know why you like the Cabin Fever. If I recall, there were a lot of vintage cameras on display there. Do you remember that? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm obviously obsessed as a photographer, and they had a lot of old, cool stuff. And they might have had some Polaroid cameras too because I'm pretty obsessed with Polaroid photography. So, you know, we went in there. We were just playing, having some drinks. I don't think I had met Robin until a little later. She might have been just busy, you know, doing other things. But I was like, oh, this is like just the, you know, the decor and everything. Like it's just I think a lot of people that are into things like pinball appreciate maybe older things or the analog nature of things. And that's that's what I definitely like that about Cabin Fever. It was a good time when the bar closed. They locked the doors and you may have stayed a little longer, if I recall. Oh, yeah. I like that. I didn't know if I should mention that because I don't know if everything was technically allowed or not. It was closed. It was fine. Everything's good. No cops are listening to this anyway. Come on. Yeah, yeah. And we had a lawyer there, right? We did, actually, yeah. Yeah, that was a great night. That was super fun. And even though I was, I think I was there technically for work, so I probably had to get up early the next morning for a shoot or something, but it was definitely worth it. Sure. You showed up with some of those Polaroids from cabin fever, didn't you? Whoops. Oh, yeah. Hey, Gene, thanks for reaching out and hope to see you soon. Hope I can get back to San Francisco. Hope you're doing well health-wise and all your friends there in the Bay Area. Thanks so much. And the same to you. And hopefully this can bring a little more awareness to cabin fever and hope people can also think about their own local places and do what they can to support those. Even though we're focusing on cabin fever, this really does apply to any local establishment, wherever you may be listening. I thought I would take advantage of the nearly 2,000 people on our Facebook group and ask people to post any pinball locations that have been open or closed or hurt by this pandemic. Obviously, they're a lot hurt by the pandemic. But because of the large size of the group, a lot of people made some good posts too. And I'll read those now. Ken Walker talked about Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois. Is open. They're open seven days a week. You can find out more at gallopingghostarcade.com. Christopher Doyle mentioned the Pinball Arcade at What's Brewing has been closed since March. That is a long time. It is the only major location for pinball in San Antonio, Texas. It hosts the Alamo City Pinball League, the Bells and Chime League, as well as many local tournaments. So if you'd like to help, they started doing limited reopenings just this week. Again, that's What's Brewing in San Antonio, Texas. This is some good news, actually, this year, and it's a new pinball location opened by Fred Richardson, Bang Back Pinball Lounge in Columbia, South Carolina. A great hangout spot. They, in fact, had an Avengers launch party, doing some fun non-IFPA tournaments. Emoto Harney did a wonderful video. There's all kinds of good stuff on Facebook, but check that out again in Columbia, South Carolina. Thanks to Crystal Gemnick for posting that. We heard earlier this year that a Bari game bar in Charlotte, North Carolina had closed, but news from Abby Terhune, they are working on a new location. Fingers crossed. That would be amazing. We all know about Washington State and all the wonderful pinball locations in that area in Oregon too. Jeff Dillaman told us that every arcade in Washington State currently shut down. Flip Flip Ding Ding, The Icebox, 8-Bit, Coindexters, TikTok Shorties, Houndstooth, The Triple Knock, Adaball, Waterland Arcade, etc. Washington State is a very special place for pinball. So many wonderful players and leagues and a real hotbed for the growth of pinball. Look up some of these places. I know that Flip Flip has a GoFundMe. And again, you can find that on our pinball profile page. Brian Dye mentioned that in West Virginia in Morgantown, Starport Arcade and Pub could use some help. Mitch Curtis, who was recently on Pinball Profile, is doing another one of those outdoor pop-up parties with New Avengers. That actually ran this weekend at Bone Up Brewing Company in Everett, Massachusetts. Matthew Russell mentioned that Arcadium Retro Arcade in Sherwood Park, Alberta has been open, but numbers are way down, so they could use some help as well. I've never been to this place, but I vow I will be there the next time I'm in that city. Kickback Pinball Cafe in Pittsburgh. Elizabeth Cromwell does a wonderful job running that location. You can reach out and buy gift certificates. I know I've done so because, again, that's a place I really want to go to. Can you imagine? I mean, think of how good the games are at Papa and Pinberg and all that. You don't think the games are going to be great at kickback? Of course they are. David DeLuga, the Garcade in Wisconsin is still open but could use some help. Thank you, David DeLuga, for that. Gar Nelson is the owner. In Brooklyn, Kate Martin, you can always see her posting from Buttermilk Bar. They are open. Lots of safety precautions, obviously, in that area. So check out Buttermilk. While you're in Brooklyn, maybe Jack Bar. Also, there's Solid State. Christian Largen wrote that the city restricts capacity. But serious players are out. Sunshine has an Avengers LE. Greenpoint Brewery, they've got Deadpool and Jurassic Park. Christian's been photographing quite a few venues, not only in New York City but around the world, and we saw a little bit of that in this week in pinball. Neil McRae writes from the UK, said Flip Out Pinball Club in London, still open, book in advance to attend at flipoutlondon.com. Oh, I hope I don't butcher this name, forgive me. Oivin Moll of Trondheim, Norway writes that Pop Bumper, join him, closed for a few months, back up, running again. July was okay, but the numbers are obviously way under half what they used to be because of capacity restrictions. Tish Edwards wants everyone to know that Level 1 Bar and Arcade in Columbus, Ohio is open. We've heard a lot of people recently on this program talk about how wonderful that is, Jen Rupert and Kim Martinez, so check out Level One Bar and Arcade. Closer to home, Eric, a longtime member of the Tri-City Pinball League, he has a lot of locations that have unfortunately closed permanently. Fingers crossed we'll see some of these pop up again as we get closer to a vaccine and restrictions are loosened. Jessica Kent talks about the famous Logan Arcade in Chicago. They've got a GoFundMe page organized by Melissa Giles. Don Johnson writes that Kid Force Collectibles is open. You can check that out just in the western suburb of Cleveland. Chris Harvey writes Tokens Taproom in Dover, New Hampshire has been open for a little friendly competition. They do a pin golf on Wednesdays at 7.30. Also, Freeplay Arcade Bar in Providence, Rhode Island is open. Pinup Arcade and Bar, Che Curnow tells us that they are open in Waterloo, Ontario. Aaron Nicholas, RetroVolt Arcade and Riverside Game Lab, both in SoCal, hit hard by the pandemic. Brian Broyles has worked hard at Portal Pinball. Masks required at that venue in Kenesaw, Georgia. Find out more at portalpinball.com. Earlier this summer, the Silver Ball Saloon in East Rochester, New York, sadly closed its doors permanently. Can't thank Bruce and Kat Nightingale for such a wonderful experience and really a model of how pinball locations should be. We're going to miss that place. Dan Bitterlick writes from Vancouver Island that there are multiple locations on the island. Peacock Billiards have games available. The new Powerhouse is open on Saturdays and Sunday, and Quasar's Arcade is open to group bookings. David Boucher talks about the basement, Toledo's Geek Easy Pinball. David DeSlover, who we know from Ulex Store, great sponsor of the Pinball Profile World Tour, talks about the final venue of that tour. or in fact, Beaks Bar and Grill in Monroe, Michigan. They are back open. Nine pinballs in the lineup, and they were good when I was there. Justin Troughton, who actually was at that event, he lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He said Pinball Pete's is open. 30 pins there. I'm not going to try to say the proper name because I'll definitely butcher it, but Dina Lindsay from JDL Pinball talks about free play in Hürten, Germany. 35 pins. They were closed until August, now open the first Saturday and third Sunday of the month. You can register at freeplay.ruhr. All of these links, by the way, are on our pinball profile page. In Texas, it was sad to see Buffalo Billiards in Austin close down, home of the Bat City Open. In Dallas, Regeneration Arcade and Pizzeria, Realms of Arcadia and Freeplay Denton all had permanent closures as well, or change of their business model. Thanks to Jim Boo for mentioning that. Beth Trofka mentions that they're playing in De Pere, Wisconsin at District 82. 100 pins by the end of the year. Current play for a limited number of players for league and tournaments. Registration required. They are open to the public every week on Flippin' Fridays. Check out district82.com. And finally, Ryan Clancy had mentioned, unfortunately, Bounce Milwaukee is closed. But on our Facebook page, there's a link where you can make some donations. So that's what I have posted on our Facebook page as of Sunday night, October 18th. There are many more. Please add to that list. Feel free to share it with others. And let's hope we can get through this because we want to see these locations survive. Thanks to everybody who participated today on this program. You can find everything on pinballprofile.com. Past episodes, subscriptions, and more. And you can email us, pinballprofile at gmail.com. I'm Jeff Teolis. I'll talk to you next week.