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PINBALL EXPO AFTERMATH

Poor Man's Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·analyzed·Nov 2, 2021
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029

TL;DR

Drew thanks dozens of Pinball Expo attendees and celebrates the tribe community's turnout and bonding.

Summary

Host Drew recounts his experience at Pinball Expo, spending most of the episode thanking dozens of community members, podcast guests, industry figures, and 'tribe members' (Patreon subscribers) he met in person. He shares anecdotes about interactions with manufacturers (Stern, JJP), media personalities, volunteers, and fans, with particular emphasis on the tribe community's camaraderie and the memorable experience playing Guns N' Roses pinball with tribe member Joe Hood.

Key Claims

  • Gary Stern appeared dismissive or uninterested when Drew introduced himself and mentioned the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast

    high confidence · Drew describes Gary Stern's immediate departure after a brief acknowledgment, saying 'he immediately muttered something and started shuffling away as fast as he could'

  • Eric Minier from JJP agreed to appear on the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast and seemed cautious about higher-ups at JJP

    medium confidence · Drew states Eric 'looked over both shoulders like maybe, you know, the higher ups at JJP were watching' when asked if JJP has 'banned' the podcast

  • Multiple tribe members attended Pinball Expo and were easily identifiable by custom coins made by tribe member #2 (Martin)

    high confidence · Drew repeatedly describes tribe members 'flashing their coins' and the moment being one of his favorite memories

  • Playing Guns N' Roses at Pinball Expo with Joe Hood (tribe member #17) blew/damaged the speakers on the machine

    high confidence · Drew describes turning up 'Welcome to the Jungle' multiball selection so loud 'we actually blew the speakers...they did not sound as good once we were done'

  • At least 5-6 tribe members attended Pinball Expo 2024, including members #2, #5, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #17, #19, #20, #28, #31, #34 and more

    high confidence · Drew goes through tribe member numbers sequentially, confirming attendance and sharing stories with each

Notable Quotes

  • “Gary, I don't think you're sending your Stern employees on the Poor Man Pinball Podcast anytime soon.”

    Drew@ 18:03 — Captures an awkward interaction with Gary Stern that Drew found memorable and humorous; reflects potential tension or indifference from Stern leadership toward the podcast

  • “Joe goes, fuck this. And he turns it up as loud as it'll go. And we actually blew the speakers.”

    Drew @ ~35:00 — Describes a memorable, visceral pinball moment with tribe member Joe Hood playing Guns N' Roses that Drew considers one of his best pinball experiences

  • “That is fucking amazing. And then they brought their other third wheel, they call him the third wheel pinball guy, Steve.”

    Drew@ 35:07 — Highlights the tribe's role in creating new friendships (Joe Hood and Ari becoming best friends through the tribe)

  • “How do I get in the tribe? I told him, sorry, it's not happening. No offense to him. It's just because of his position in pinball.”

    Drew@ 36:37 — Reveals that the tribe has exclusive membership rules; mentions someone (likely Chris Kaneda from JJP) attempted to join but was denied due to 'position in pinball'

  • “You guys are fucking idiots. But I love it. I love our tribe of idiots.”

    Drew (quoting his wife's reaction)@ 29:50 — Shows the wife's reaction to the tribe coin tradition and Drew's affection for the community despite its eccentric nature

Entities

DrewpersonZach MinneypersonDoc FinlaypersonKerry HardypersonMatt ListerudpersonJoe FoxpersonJeremy SmithpersonGlenn WechterpersonKen CromwellpersonEric Minierperson

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Tribe members' custom coins made them highly visible and recognizable at Expo, generating interest from non-members who wanted to join; demonstrates organic growth and FOMO around exclusive community membership

    high · Drew describes tribe members 'flashing their coins' repeatedly, and Chris Kaneda asking 'at least a dozen times' how to join; 'I might have some legs' comment about tribe expansion

  • ?

    industry_signal: Potential tension or indifference between Stern leadership and Poor Man's Pinball Podcast; JJP representative appeared cautious about higher-ups when asked about podcast ban

    medium · Gary Stern's dismissive response; Eric Minier 'looked over both shoulders' suggesting concern about JJP approval

  • ?

    content_signal: Drew actively recruiting industry figures and media personalities as podcast guests; Eric Minier from JJP verbally committed to appearance

    high · Multiple mentions of inviting people to appear; 'Eric Menier, I'm holding you to at this time'; Jason Fowler and others encouraged to come on show

  • ?

    event_signal: Large turnout of Poor Man's Pinball Tribe members at Expo 2024; at least 13+ numbered tribe members confirmed in attendance

    high · Drew goes through tribe member numbers (#2, #5, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #17, #19, #20, #28, #31, #34) confirming attendance

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Jersey Jack Guns N' Roses pinball created visceral, high-impact gameplay moment for Drew; speaker damage indicates aggressive play intensity

    high · Drew states 'one of the best experiences I've ever had in a pinball machine'; 'we actually blew the speakers'; entire multiball sequence with 'Welcome to the Jungle' at max volume

Topics

Pinball Expo 2024 attendance and social experienceprimaryTribe community engagement and member camaraderieprimaryIndustry figure interactions (Stern, JJP, other manufacturers)secondaryJersey Jack Guns N' Roses pinball game experiencesecondaryPodcast guest recruitment and relationship-buildingsecondaryPinball community networking and friendship formationsecondaryMerchandise and tribe exclusivitymentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— Episode is overwhelmingly celebratory and grateful. Drew repeatedly expresses joy at meeting community members in person. Only mildly negative moment is Gary Stern's dismissive interaction, which Drew treats with humor rather than bitterness. Heavy use of 'super cool' and expressions of love for the tribe and community indicate high satisfaction with the Expo experience.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.183

0:00
Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games, we got everything you want, honey we know the names, we are the people that can find, whatever you may need, if you got the money honey, we got your disease, the jungle, welcome to the jungle, once again, the jungle. This very special episode of the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast is brought to you by Flippin' Out Pinball. If you went to Pinball Expo and you saw all those great games and you said, hey, I really
0:30
want one, let's call Zach and Nicole at Flippin' Out Pinball, 812-457-9711. You want that Godzilla? Call Zach. You want that Jersey Jack Guns and Roses? Call Zach. How about that brand new awesome Cactus Canyon from CGC? Call Zach. Stair climbing escalera? He can do that too. How about a new awesome game from Raw Thrills? He can do that. He's got Big Buck Hunter. He's got all kinds of great stuff. Call Zach 812-457-9711. Flippin' Out Pinball.
1:00
Zach and Nicole are the best distributors on the planet. We are also brought to you by pinballprices.com. Doc Finlay, I had such a great time with you at Pinball Expo. I can't even express it in words, but holy cow. Pinballprices.com. Check it out. Doc Finlay records every single sale that he can find on the internet and in person, anywhere he can find it. The Out Pinball Podcast is a production of the Out Pinball Podcast Network, LLC.
1:53
The End Inst подсчеттером Teil 1 VOCAL Video Subtitle Computers Minimum Kevin iets JayunkySnowy
2:53
We are getting some new shirts and some new merchandise up on Silver Ball Swag so you guys can all look forward to that. Next up on our list here is Kerry Hardy. Now, I had the pleasure to meet Kerry Hardy in person and it was as awesome as I thought it would be. We smoked some cigars, we drank some beers, some Malort, we'll get to that a little bit
Jack Danger
person
Gary Sternperson
Tim Leeperson
Joe Hoodperson
Billy YJperson
Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
Stern Pinballcompany
Flippin' Out Pinballcompany
Guns N' Roses Pinballgame
Godzilla LEgame
Pinball Expo 2024event
Poor Man's Pinball Tribeorganization
  • ?

    product_concern: Jersey Jack Guns N' Roses machine speakers damaged/degraded during Expo play

    medium · Drew: 'they got ripped or something. They did not sound as good once we were done with it'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Drew's enthusiasm for Guns N' Roses game significantly increased after hands-on Expo experience; considers purchasing despite previous uncertainty

    high · Drew: 'I'm a pretty big Guns N' Roses fan. I'm not like a super fan, but holy shit, I might be making some room for that'; game moved to 'maybe list'

  • ?

    personality_signal: Jason Fowler (former podcaster) made appearance at Expo but declined to return behind the mic; Drew speculates about future potential appearance

    medium · Drew: 'He came out of retirement, not really, he's not getting behind the mic anytime soon, we asked'; 'I'm sure he would [come on Poor Man's]. He'd come talk some shit with me'

  • $

    market_signal: Flippin' Out Pinball (distributor) active at Expo with game promotions and sponsorships; expanding product offerings

    high · Episode sponsorship; Drew mentions Zach Minney owns Godzilla LE and multiple other games available through distributor

  • ?

    community_signal: Tribe community directly enabled new friendships among members (Joe Hood and Ari became best friends through tribe interaction at Expo)

    high · Drew: 'they are best friends because of the tribe. That is fucking amazing'

  • ?

    venue_signal: Galloping Ghost arcade allowed after-hours access to tribe group during Expo; venue is actively filming TNT content

    high · Drew: 'they invited us we got to play a bunch of pinball at Galloping Ghost'; 'they were in the arcade filming you know one of the TNT videos'

    • 3:27
    later, and all around just a great guy. And the next day he grabbed my ass. So Kerry Hardy, thank you for grabbing my ass. How amazing is that? Then we have this amazing gentleman, Matt Listerud. He and I have started some conversations on Facebook. He's been a fan of the podcast. He's a great Midwesterner just like myself. Hey Drew, I got something for ya. And this was on Thursday night I believe.
    3:57
    And sure enough, I said okay, yeah, we're down in the hall, we're playing dollar games. And he came down and no shit, he had a bottle of bullet bourbon for me. So the man just gifts me a bottle of bullet bourbon. So Matt, thank you very much. And then on top of that, when I had to break down or remove my game, he helped me with that as well. Matt Listerud, thank you so much for everything. It was really cool hanging out with you and I really appreciate it. Moving on here, we have Joe Fox. Joe Fox, what an amazing guy for pinball. I love his sarcastic wit, making fun of Zach and other guys.
    4:39
    We hung out one night, it was Joe and Zach and Glenn Wechter and some other people, Schmitty. It was great and I'll get to some of those other guys later. The Dogecoin Podcast For You Susan Richard Anderson, Phil Harden, O brain chair,
    5:13
    Richie Gernard, Jacira Conley, blancs apertura, � With aut celui D. S. Ricky partisan,
    5:43
    Robert Parretti, staten Wdymski, illegal and Jeremy Smith is a powder coating genius. I've heard I haven't used them yet, but I probably will in the future. You may even hear him on the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast and maybe as a guest host in an upcoming episode. Who knows?
    6:14
    But great people, fond memory there. I was talking to them and as I'm talking to them for 20 minutes or so, tribe members kept walking by and flashing their coins and saying, Hey, Drew, what's up? And they just walk by and they're just like, What the hell is this? So once again, more on that later. We're going to have a whole section here soon on the tribe. And I'm going to go through all the tribe members and thank them for the awesome time that I had at Expo. And I know a lot of them did as well. So we have very cool.
    6:45
    So Jeremy Smith, a huge shout out to you, Sarah. You're so sweet. So nice. I was really glad I got to talk to you guys and super, super cool. So thank you for helping make Expo spectacular. Troy South, better known as Troy Smith. We just said hi. He was out there one night with Zach and myself and Schmidty. The nights are all a blur, so if I don't get these nights exactly right, hey, nobody's going to care. Nobody listens to this shit, so you know, whatever. But holy cow.
    7:16
    Just to see Troy Smith again, just to say hi was pretty awesome. And I had this really cool experience on Saturday when I was coming out of the restroom and another gentleman came out and he saw my poor man's pinball hoodie. And he said, hey, are you affiliated with the poor man's pinball podcast or are you just wearing their hoodie? And I said, well, sir, nobody just wears this hoodie. So as soon as I said those couple of words, he said, oh, you're true.
    7:48
    And I said, I guess I have a distinguishable voice. I don't know. But I said, yeah. And then we started talking. So this is Chris from Washington State. Chris offered to blaze me up in the parking lot, which I politely declined, only because I was traveling home shortly. So had I been there, I would have gladly took him up on his offer to blaze up in the parking lot. But that was really nice of you. We had a really nice conversation. We talked for a while. And yeah, he was just a fan of the show and he listened and he was a great, great dude to talk to you.
    8:18
    So Chris from Washington State, this is your shout out, buddy. You're here. The Loser Kids! We ran into, as soon as we got there, we ran into Josh and Scott and they happened to be with Jeff Teolis, so that was really cool. I spent some additional time with Josh, which was awesome, and just had fun, just kind of talking to him. I slapped a sticker on Scott and he didn't look too pleased. I took a poor man's pinball sticker, I put it over his Loser Kid logo on his bowling
    8:48
    shirt and that was fun for me. I'm not sure what he was doing there. It was really not fun for him. But get over it, Scott. It was funny. And Jeff Teolis, he just has that silky smooth voice and it was just kinda cool just meeting him and seeing the Canadian out in the wild, or the Canucks as they call them. Then we have Todd Tuckey and the Twins. So we got an autograph from Todd. He was handing out his cards. We took these pictures. He was great. We saw him at dinner.
    9:20
    The next morning we ran into the twins and Todd again and they invited us to Galloping Ghost and they said it's not even open right now but we can get in there so that was super cool we took a bunch of tribe members and we went there and we ended up going to the pinball section they were in the arcade filming you know one of the TNT videos so we actually didn't see them there and they were there with Kerry Hardy and some other people but but very cool they invited us we got to play a bunch of pinball at Galloping
    9:50
    East, West, Sierra Las Vegas, perché
    10:20
    And I can't remember who else was there at the moment, but Steve Beaty was drunk and it was so great because it wasn't me this time. He didn't do anything stupid. He was just really drunk and it was funny. And Steve Beaty, I know what it's like and it was great hanging with you, man. So that was just pretty awesome. Ken Cromwell, he got about six inches taller since the last time I saw him. And if you guys don't know what I'm talking about, check out a picture of Ken Cromwell.
    10:51
    He got the faux hawk that goes all the way to the ceiling. It's freaking awesome and Ken Cromwell, stand up dude, it's good to see him again and connect. So I hope you guys are following along. I hope no one's cut out yet. I know this might not be the most exciting episode in the world, but you know what? I'm still catching my groove. I got some really good ideas from some people that we're going to be implementing soon here I'm here with the Pormatespinball podcast but I thought it would be really cool to keep sharing with people.
    11:22
    Eric Minier! I got to meet Eric Minier in person, we talked for a bit... he's very gracious, a very nice guy... I invited him, again, to the Pormatespinball podcast. He agreed and, so we'll see what happens in the future... I asked him if JJP has banned us... But then he looked over both shoulders like maybe, you know, the higher ups at JJP were watching. So I don't know. We'll see where that goes. But Eric Menier, I'm holding you to at this time that you will come on the poor man's pinball podcast and drink and shoot some shit with me.
    12:02
    As I'm taking a drink. John Borg. John Borg walked by and I don't even know what time of day it was, but I was with a couple of people and I think it was Joe Fox. And he just said, hey, Mr. Borg. And John said, hey, and then he looked over and he saw me. And John Borg, if you guys don't know, was the guy that I was talking to when I got really drunk at 2019 Expo. So I don't know if he meant this as a joke, but he kind of looked at me and he said, are John, are you okay?
    12:34
    And I said, yeah, yeah, John, I'm fine. Because I hadn't been drinking at that point. So you know, he walked on by with a smile. So I think he was making a joke at my expense, which John Borg, well done, man. That was that was great. That was really, really great and really memorable for me. So who else now? We got Darryl Van Landewit and Amanda Schrader, his girlfriend. I play tournaments at his house. You know, we chatted, we had a good time.
    13:29
    I'm a big fan of Bill Webb. He is a great guy and he invited me down to his Chicago area which he has done a couple of times in the last few weeks. I'm always happy to be able to talk to him. He is a wealth of knowledge for pinball, restorations, fixing, all kinds of stuff. Just an all around good guy. Bill Webb, thank you so much. It was great seeing you again. Here is his co-host on the Freeplay Pinball Podcast, Amanda Hamilton. She was great. I got to meet her in person. I'm going to go ahead and do a couple of their episodes and enjoy them.
    14:01
    So just super cool to meet some of these other media members and see them in person and just get to talk to them. So Amanda Hamilton, shout out. Mr. Jack Danger. My interaction with him was short, but it was very Jack Danger-esque. I just said, hey Jack. And he said, oh, hey dude, in his casual way. So it was just kind of cool. Jack Danger. The Out Pinball Podcast is a production of the Out Pinball Podcast Network.
    14:55
    I going to be talking about a couple of games here later in the episode But, you know, just really, really enjoyed playing that. And, you know, it's on my maybe list because I still love the theme.
    15:30
    I kind of like what they did. I like to support Jack. So, yeah, we'll see where that takes me. But, you know, it's in today's world. 爆 Oh.. why
    16:07
    Steve Fabry, Steve Fabry, Fabry, Fabry, Faberge Egg, Steve Fabry, met him in person, really cool, he's got an awesome collection, I think we featured it on one of our, I don't even remember what we called that segment, what was it, just game room, game room porn, that's right, so he was one of our contestants, I guess it was, it wasn't really a contest, but game room porn, Steve Fabry, super awesome, so glad to meet you man, that was cool.
    16:37
    Jerry Thompson and his wife Jennifer. I met them at the last Pinball Expo. I might have been a few in the bag then. I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But I got to connect with them again and they are so generous with their time and they sat and they talked with me for a while. I found out that Jennifer is a realtor as well. So that was kind of cool. We talked a little bit about that and I told Jerry how great his sound is and his games and I'm loving it.
    17:07
    Gary Stern, Big Head Honcho at Stern
    17:37
    Let's do this shit, right? I said, hey, Gary. He said, what? I said, hey, Gary, I'm Drew. And he goes, oh, hey, Drew. And I said, I'm part of the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast. He goes, oh, yeah? I said, yeah, have you heard of us? He goes, oh, yeah, I've heard of you. And I said, well, it's good to meet you. And then, and then he immediately muttered something and started shuffling away as fast as he could. And that was it. So, Gary Stern, I don't think you're sending your Stern employees on the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast. I'm not sure. Shuffling away as fast as he could and that was it. So, Gary Stern, I don't think you're sending your Stern employees on the Poor Man Pinball Podcast anytime soon.
    18:09
    I could be wrong, but it was just really funny because either he hadn't heard of us and he just said it to be nice or he had heard of us and he goes, why the fuck is this guy talking to me? So, I really, really enjoyed that. That's going to be one of the moments that's going to stick with me for probably quite some time. Then I had this great little interaction with Amoto Harney. We were leaving for Galloping Ghosts, as I said before. We were in the parking lot. We were picking up people.
    18:39
    I had Tim Lee and his wife and Kaz in our car. And we pull up to the front, I think, because we got Kaz from the front of the hotel. And Amoto Harney happened to be standing outside. And I said, hey, Amoto. And she said, oh, hey, how's it going? And I said, hey, we're going to Galloping Ghosts. This is a production of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders.
    19:27
    He is does seem to be selling a few more units and just just cool to cool to meet him Who else do we have here? We have Penn Stadium Scott. So one of the nights that we were out hanging outside you know smoking drinking doing whatever it was getting late and Scott comes rolling up on a Like hoverboard one of those like one-wheel hoverboard dealies and we're like, what are you doing? And then he's like, oh I do this late at night, you know I get on all my gear, helmet and all this stuff and then after I'm done making some orders at like 1 in the morning I go cruise down the streets of Cincinnati for a while and then I come back and fill some more orders.
    20:09
    And we're like, oh that's cool, but why'd you bring this to the hotel? We still don't know. So then he like says I'm going to bed and then he cruises in there and cruises down the hallway on his hoverboard. So Scott from Penn Stadium, cool to meet you man, and good luck on that hoverboard. I hope you never have to use that helmet. William Oding, I already said that, you know, I had lunch with him, talked to him a little bit. We're talking a little bit about adding some things to Silver Ball Swag.
    20:40
    Super cool once again to meet you, so glad. In this episode of Pinball Expo, we have a guest appearance by an amazing man, none other than Jason Fowler. He came out of retirement, not really, he's not getting behind the mic anytime soon, we asked. He came to see his friends, it was super cool, I know I've said that many times because you know why, Pinball Expo is fucking super cool. So you're going to hear it 20 more times, so buckle up kiddos.
    21:12
    Jason Fowler, I mean, everyone knows he's just, he's just a nice guy, great guy, was an awesome podcaster, great ambassador for pinball. Um, didn't like the drama, got out, totally understand that. Um, but wow, great, great, great to see you, man. So Jason Fowler, uh, I'll say welcome back? Question mark. Um, we'll get him behind a mic. Maybe he'll come on the poor man's. I'm sure he would. He'd come talk some shit with me. Matt Morrison, another pinball media dude. He was one of the guys I recognized from his voice. I didn't recognize the name. I started talking to him. I'm like, oh, I know you. I've heard you plenty. So Matt Morrison, great.
    21:52
    And then the other one, the same thing, was Joel Engelberth, who is on TPN and does just another pinball podcast. I hope I got that right. I'm not doing fact checking because I've never done fact checking. So, um, get over it. Sorry, Joe Engelberth, if I got that wrong, but, um, the one thing I didn't get wrong is Joe Engelberth is a super, super, super dude. So, so that, that rounds up my list of people that, um, I met that I really hadn't met in the past.
    22:27
    Um, a couple of them I have, but, but a lot of them, it was, it was the first time, especially in person. I may have chatted with some of these people and different things, but in person, very cool. So sorry, I had to take a drink. I'm not editing that out. But now I'm getting to the nuts and bolts of Pinball Expo. And while all those people I just mentioned are super cool, there's that word again. The next group that I'm going to discuss here before I get to one of the greatest moments in my pinball career, half joking,
    23:01
    The tribe members. So as I mentioned before, we had so many tribe members come out to this thing and I had great, great interactions and a couple of really, really good stories. So I'm doing pretty good on time here. I'm only 23 minutes in. I'm talking about the tribe, so that's good because this is the nuts and bolts. I'm going to try to keep this whole thing under 40 minutes, but we'll see how it goes. So now, kind of in order, I'm going to go down the list of the tribe members in their order, number order, and how those interactions went.
    23:39
    So we have Martin, tribe member number two. His wife Jennifer was there. I think it was Friday night and we were all really drunk. Jennifer, Martin, myself, I ran into them and we just, we were having so much fun. And it was just great. You know, Martin is the guy, if you guys don't know, he's done some of our intros. If you hear that low voice on, you know, welcome to the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast and some of our cut scenes and different things, he's done a ton of audio for us.
    24:15
    So it was so great to meet him in person because it was one of those things again where I've heard his voice a million times, you know, because like I said, he's been such a big Glenn Wachter and I, Tribe member number 7. Glenn helped me and several others.
    24:45
    We finished two bottles of bourbon in 48 hours. He brought some with him. We polished that off the first night pretty easily. There was five or six of us, so it wasn't like crazy, but then that bottle of Bullitt that we got from Matt Lesterud on Thursday night we polished off on Friday night. What can I say, Glenn? We had some great times. It was amazing hanging out with you again. Glenn Wekter, there might be a few more stories coming about him, who knows?
    25:18
    crushing confidenceati 목 Hiçit How to Use MGC Online taxes online
    25:52
    http://www. kho.ncs.gov.jt.gov toll I'm here with my friend, Jeff Meyers, who is a volunteer for MGC. He's been helping for many, many years with the event. He's one of the main volunteers. He helps Dan Luce and run this thing. He's the heart and soul of that. So he couldn't get away for both weekends. So he's only a couple hours away, so he drove to come down.
    26:26
    He had a flask and shot glasses. So he comes in, we see him and give him a big ol' hug, and it was so good to see him. We had some shots, we had some laughs, but then he had to go. But I will be seeing him in a couple of days here because MGC is in my backyard. He'll be here for the whole weekend. So Mike, I love you, man. I talk to Mike all the time, so I'm really glad that he came out. And like I said, this weekend we're going to do it up again at MGC. I'm tired, man.
    26:56
    I'm tired. I'm hungover. It was a long week. It really was. Like, I came home on Saturday. I was planning on coming home on Sunday initially. I mean, it was, it was just long. It wasn't even the drinking. It was just, it was long, but, but so, so worth it. I hope I'm not boring you guys. And you know what? If I am, I guess it doesn't matter because, uh, it's just me. I don't even have Ian to tell me, Hey, speed things up and get going. This is, this is kind of cool. It might not be the most entertaining with just me behind the mic, but I'm in control.
    27:27
    I run this shit. Anyways, moving on. Sean Fraden, Tribe Member Number 8. So right now, one, two, three, four, we're on Tribe Member Number 5 that made it out to this thing. This warms my heart. Sean Fraden, he lives in the area of Illinois. He just popped in because like I said, he lives in the area, so it was just great. I met him first at Pinball Expo 2019.
    27:58
    He's Tribe member number eight, so he's been around a long time and I'm just glad to touch base with him. Super cool, Sean. There's that super cool again. Dave Brennan, number nine. This is actually kind of a funny story. So Dave Brennan said hello. I talked to Dave quite a bit, so that was just like, oh, hey, Dave. And then, um, project pinball had the Hot Wheels game that you, what is it? You pay $2, that's the donation, and then you try to get the high score.
    28:32
    And then, you know, the winner gets the game. I don't even remember what it was cause I didn't even do it. So we're standing by the game. I think it was when I was with Jeremy and his wife, Jeremy Smith and his wife. Anyways, Dave said, Hey, Drew, do you got $2? And I said, yeah, no problems. I pulled $2 out of my pocket and I flip it to Dave and then I turn around and then like I'm like, Dave, where the hell did my $2 go? You just took $2 from me. No, not really. I mean, it went to a good cause.
    29:02
    Project Pinball is just kind of funny because I'm like, oh, now Dave, the American pinball tech is fixing the game because something's wrong with it. And you know, I don't know. It was good. It was funny. Daniel Donnell, number 11, he forgot his coin. If you guys don't know all the members of the tribe, once again, due to Martin, tribe member number two, he makes these awesome coins for us, which I'll take a picture of mine. I'm going to put it up on that poor man's fan page so you guys can see how cool it is
    29:33
    to be part of the tribe. And that was one of my favorite moments was when tribe members would pull out their coins and they were so proud. And I told my wife that and then my wife responded in the most predictable way and I'm sure you guys already know but once again there's no one here so I'm just gonna say it. You guys are fucking idiots. But I love it. I love our tribe of idiots. And most of them are smarter than me by the way. So Daniel Donnell, you know, he was there.
    30:06
    He forgot his coins so we were giving him shit about that. 10. Tim Lee might be my pinball BFF Don be alarmed Ian is still my hetero life partner He always will be But as far as pinball goes and somebody who I talk to literally every day or every other day about pinball text messages phone calls different things He chats with my wife I chat with his wife We not swingers nothing like that Not yet anyways
    30:57
    Hey, this is Dr. Matthew Smith speaking, Best 해주 addition to the Nick包的人 leva podcast from the New York Times outlist for drdversucks.com. Dr. Matthew Smith is one of our favoriteirlogists. He is also a member of the New York Times Hotline Group. I think it's an amazing idea. I think it's good fun for all of us. So I talked to Jeff and Will about it, Silver Ball Swag, we're going to get that set up. So I'm really excited.
    31:37
    So yeah, he shows up with a shirt and some people, lots of people came up to him and then they found me and they ribbed me and it was just great fun. I mean, how cool is that? So this whole Drew Sucks at Pinball thing, which is true by the way, has just taken off and it was just so great. And then, you know, Tim Lee and I hung out for most of the time and we went to, you know, lunch and dinner and hung out and drinks and all this different stuff.
    32:11
    So Tim Lee, I love you, brother. I'll talk a little bit more about our lunch experience at a special place later when I get to that drive number. Joe Hood, number 17. So this, I think I just said that that was my favorite story, but this one might top it actually. So Joe Hood, he has a backpack and we were calling him our beer meal. So the whole expo, he goes to his car,
    32:44
    you know, stocks up this beer and he's got this backpack and we're just grabbing beers from it. It is amazing. Then in poor man, tribe fashion, We're playing Zach's beautiful Godzilla LE. And this isn't even the best story, by the way. This is just one of them. He's playing Zach's beautiful Godzilla LE, and he has those little grenade bottles, the little beer bottles, and he happens to break one right next to the machine. And we're like, oh great. Now the tribe's gonna be, we're already outcast.
    33:16
    I mean, I don't know where we even go. If you're an outcast and you get outcasted, where do you go? I don't know. So we're like picking up glass and shit by this Godzilla alley. I'm like, what the fuck? So that was just kind of cool. But then the next night we are playing Guns and Roses and I get a multiball. One of the song, you know, you guys know how it works. I pick Welcome to the Jungle and I start playing it. I'm just loving this.
    33:46
    Joe goes, fuck this. And he turns it up as loud as it'll go. And we actually blew the speakers. I mean, they were working, but they, they, I don't know, they got ripped or something. They, they did not sound as good once we were done with it. But, but the whole point was, that was one of the best experiences I've ever had in a pinball machine. And I know I've might have said this before about other ones, but this is, that game is awesome. I only played a standard I'm a pretty big Guns N' Roses fan.
    34:27
    I'm not like a super fan, but holy shit, I might be making some room for that because that experience was just one of the best pinball experiences I've had. So hats off to Joe Hood creating that visceral experience for me with GNR. And then of course he was with Ari who is tribe member number 28. The reason I skipped ahead with some of these tribe members and went to him was because
    34:58
    you know him and Joe Hood are like best friends now and the thing that you guys need to know about this, they are best friends because of the tribe. That is fucking amazing. And then they brought their other third wheel, they call him the third wheel pinball guy, Steve. There's a couple of videos of him on the Poor Man's page, so check it out if you see some guy and you're like, who's that? That's their friend Steve. And he was fun to hang out with. He's sarcastic. He's kind of like Norm Macdonald, rest in peace.
    35:31
    He's got that deadpan. And there was one video where he just flips off the camera and he goes like, fuck you I don't know, he's just, he's a trip. He was, he was cool to hang out with too. So that is Joe Hood and Ari, tribe members 17 and 28 and their friend Steve, who I just got to meet and thought, what a great trio. So, so Kansas City, watch out. Those three are coming for you. Billy YJ, number 19. Can you believe all these tribe members made it?
    36:02
    This is, this is great. Another great moment was when I was talking with Kaneda and he didn't think the tribe, he didn't, I mean he knew there was a tribe, but when he saw all these people and he saw the coins, he was legitimately jealous and he asked to be in the tribe at least a dozen times and I'll talk more about Chris later. Chris Too Cool for School, Calaris, Mr. Kaneda himself.
    36:34
    But yeah, he asked to be in the tribe. How do I get in the tribe? I told him, sorry, it's not happening. No offense to him. It's just because of his position in pinball. But no, the tribe is a real thing and there are now more and more people who saw it, especially after what happened at Expo. So super cool. And one of the big reasons for that is this next one, Billy YJ, tribe member number 19. This guy has been just flat out a rock for the poor man's tribe.
    37:08
    He does so much, he's given so much. Billy YJ, I give you so much shit, just like I give a lot of the tribe members, actually most of them. But Billy YJ has been amazing and once again, broken record. I'm so glad I got to hang out with you in person because he's from Atlanta so you know we're pretty far apart but yeah Billy YJ I'm glad that you know we had so much fun making fun of Tim Lee and giving him so much shit and just just everything you do for the tribe Billy YJ so thank you so much I haven't really gotten too sappy on this but yeah you're you're one of a man I might cry not really but I still love you number 20 Chris Groves in there we did not know he was gonna
    37:53
    I'm going to be there. He's kind of distanced himself from Facebook a little bit. We haven't talked to him much, but for no other reason than he's got stuff going on in his own life, as we all do. He saw me. We gave each other a big old hug. It was just so cool to connect with the pin turn himself. He was wearing a festive Hawaiian shirt that was just pumpkins, so in Grosvenor style. And that mustache, man. What is going on with that mustache?
    38:23
    That is truly a mustache. Check out the pictures, there's a few of them. The mustache is epic. And believe me folks, there are more tribe members. We're not done yet. Can you believe it? I mean, I'm serious. So many people came out to this thing. It's so awesome. Number 31, Tish. Lots of people know Tish. She runs some Bells and Chime leagues. He is just an amazing ambassador for pinball. Her husband, Tom, and her joined us for dinner.
    38:54
    We had a, called it a tribe dinner. We always got together one night, but yeah, it was just so great to meet her in person as well, which once again, broken record stuff. But yeah, Tish and Tom, thank you so much for just doing what you do for pinball. I mean, they've been in the, you know, arcade and pinball scene for, oh God, I don't want and more. If you want to learn more about this podcast, please click the link in the description below. It's a great way to learn more about the podcast. If you want to get in touch with us, please subscribe to our channel and give us a like. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Take care. Bye.
    39:24
    Bye. I'm not joking. I like it. We had some conversations about it. PPN. I might have some legs. Anyways, number 34, KAWS. KAWS has been a correspondent for the Pinball Network, American Pinball's correspondent.
    40:03
    Great dude. We had a lot of fun with KAWS and busting each other's balls and just having fun and talking pinball and talking shit and it was great. I do gotta say though, Coz, you know that joke about the PPN and TPN? Zach was really trying to give you away like a poker chip. I think Zach thinks that he owns you. I'm just fucking with you guys. So just no one take what I'm saying seriously, as if you guys ever did. But no, Zach didn't make a joke.
    40:34
    He's like, you want Coz? He's like, you can have Coz. I think it was in response though, because much like Kaneda, see, as much as Zach doesn't One minute. They have some similarities. Now, we'll get into more of that later but Zach is also a little jealous that he can't be part of the tribe because, you know, he's a part of a lot of stuff in pinball but unfortunately, he can not be part of the tribe. So, sorry Zach. Number 35, she's one of the most special ladies to me in pinball, Rachel Lilge. She is far and away pinball's best hugger. When you see Rachel Lilge, ask her if you can give her a hug. She gives the best hugs.
    41:20
    Um, she has been stepping up as this amazing host of Tribe Multiball on PPN and she's just an all-around pinball ambassador like a couple of our other Tribe members. I mean, the way that she talks about it, loves it, um, tries to get everyone included in it. Um, you know, she's a super competitive player, but she's also laid back, which, which I find that particularly amazing because, um, you know, a lot of these, like, you You know, top level players and stuff, they're so intense and so fierce all the time.
    41:54
    They forget how to have fun, but she does not. I just love Rachel to death. And we were talking in the hallway, she's doing really well in this tournament. And this is after she kicked Daryl's ass, as I mentioned earlier. And she had just smoked, you know, smoked up in the parking lot. And she comes and she's talking to me. And then at one point, halfway through the conversation, sorry, Rachel, I don't mean I'm sorry to embarrass you, but it was just funny. She's like, she's like, oh, she goes, what was I saying?
    42:25
    And then I reminded her and she goes, oh yeah, I just got to keep my brain going when I'm smoking. And it was just, I don't know, maybe it's not funny to you guys, but it was just cute and funny. And, uh, Rachel, thank you for everything you do for the tribe. Thank you what you do for pinball and thank you for being a good friend. And my wife loves you and my son loves you. So that's like, wow, that's a lot of love. So, um, 36, Jeremy Schmitz. Uh, in a couple of years I've known Jeremy. Um, it is physically impossible to photograph this man without a Cooler's Light in his hand.
    42:59
    Um, he's another beer mule, much like Joe Hood. Um, if you're anywhere with, uh, Jeremy, all you need to say is, hey Jeremy, can I have a Cooler's Light? And he'll say, sure. If you ask him for anything else, you won't get it, because he doesn't drink it. He doesn't have it. I'm going to see you this weekend at MJC, so not much more to say there, but Jeremy's a good dude and ask him for the Cooler's Light.
    43:31
    Now we have two more, so I don't even know how many that is. I didn't count these up, which I will do here momentarily, but for now we are on Tribe member number 38. Scoots Tony Scuddero is an Illinois native I don't know if he's native but he lives there now um they have this amazing deli that his grandfather started 70 years ago
    44:04
    okay so Scoots said everyone calls him Scoots everyone calls everyone his family Scoots that's just like the last name nickname so it's kind It's kind of funny if you ask for scoots when you go in this deli, they say which one. So it's kind of weird but it is what it is. So Tony, so we go to Scudero's Deli and I'm there with Billy Wyjay and Rachel and Tim Lee and his wife and I might be missing some people, I'm sorry. It's kind of a blur but we go there and he feeds us, you know, he brings out pizza, he
    44:39
    brings out sandwiches, he brings out cookies. We had cannolis, we had all this amazing food. So if you're ever in Melrose Park, which is a suburb of Chicago, go check out Scudero's Bakery and Deli. Just great food. They had the Tim Lee Tuna Melt Special for one day. Nobody ordered it because it had Tim Lee's face on it. And who wants that, right? But it treated us to dinner or lunch.
    45:09
    We went back the next day for lunch again because it was so good. He wasn't even there. We're like, we don't care and we just, you know, we bought all this good stuff. I brought stuff home for my wife. My wife absolutely loved it. I brought home cannolis and tiramisu and they bake everything fresh there, the bread, the pizza, you know, it's just, just an amazing place. So Scoots, super generous, just a loving guy, great tribe member, loves pinball, loves his family. I took Billy, YJ, and Rachel, they were there Wednesday night I believe, took them to the firehouse, he's a fireman.
    45:44
    So he works at the firehouse up the street from his deli and they got to go to the firehouse and there pictures of them with the gear on and stuff it was just so super generous host You know it always fun THANKYOU F-BIM & The
    46:20
    The Pinball Prices Dot Com What a dude. He comes up to me, he has his mask on so I don't recognize him and he says, can I hug you? And I said, mmm. And he saw my hesitation and he pulled down his mask and then I'm like, oh it's Doc. I'm like, of course you can hug me man, great. So yeah, super cool to see him. Him and Billy YJ came together because they're both from the Atlanta area. So that was very cool. And yeah, Mr. Pinball Prices Himself Dot Com. Doc, so, so great to see you. I'm here to interact with you in person.
    46:53
    Can't wait for some more of our tribe meetups. And that is, you know, the tribe members. I mean, so we have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. 18 tribe members made it to Expo. I can't really put it into words. I keep telling people, it warms my heart, it warms my heart. I mean, that's the best way I can put it because just so, so wonderful to see everybody and
    47:30
    then to see how this thing has taken on a life of its own and people are, like I said, people want to be a part of it. They see what's going on. Like I said, we had several people, some high profile, some not so high profile ask about how they get into the tribe and You guys know the drill. It's the five pillars of excellence, which I totally have forgotten. But the important part is the pinball family. And by the way, before I get to the last couple of interactions that I had here, I just want to say that we will be inducting some more
    48:03
    tribe members actually soon. And I do have some real plans now for what's happening. I know I've been teasing and not quite sure what's been going on, but after talking to I've met a lot of people at Expo and out of Expo and kind of figuring out where my voice is and what's going to happen. I think I've landed on something very cool that I'm going to try out which I think everyone will enjoy and it will be interactive. So that is, and every time I said that to somebody they said, yeah, that's it. That's what you got to do.
    48:37
    I'm going to be doing this podcast by myself. Like I said, this is a first. I hope you guys enjoy it. But what I have planned will be something that's interactive, more about the community, more involvement from you guys and girls. So I'm really excited to launch that soon. If you guys haven't heard, my wife got a new job, so she needs an office in the basement. What that means for the podcast and the reason I bring it up is because now she said I need this fucking office in the basement is exactly what she said.
    49:11
    If you guys know my wife, you'll understand. So now she's streamlining this process of getting the basement done because she needs a place to work within the next couple of weeks. So I actually have some contractor friends of mine that are going to help speed up this process because I just haven't been able to get it done for a lot of different reasons. So anyways, once that happens, even before that happens, I think I can start with some of this interactive stuff that I want to do. So I'm really excited to do that. I will be reaching out to some of you guys about asking for some volunteers to help out
    49:42
    with different things. Because we're, you know, we'll call it rebranding. You know, we're going to be the poor man's pinball podcast. That's not changing, but it's going to be a, you know, a different experience and a different way of doing things. I can't do it without you guys because the community is kind of the crutch of the crux. Sorry, not the crutch, the crux of all of this. So yeah, really looking forward to that. So you guys can look forward to that as well.
    50:13
    But now we have the last two gentlemen. Last three actually. First I want to say Nicole Many. Kind of funny when we first got to Expo, they were setting up the booth. I had my mask on and I said, oh, hey, Nicole. And she looked at me and she goes, oh, hi. And at first I'm like, oh, she effing hates me. Then it turns out, you know, it's just my mask was on. She didn't really know who I was, you know, so she's kind of said hi.
    50:45
    And I was like, oh, it just it just seemed kind of lackluster. And I, you know, I was like, yeah, I understand why I was, you know, whatever the whole incident for 2019. The next couple of days went by and we had some amazing times and then something kind of unique happened which I'm sure everyone has heard about by now. I want to give my recanting of the tale which I think is amazing and Nicole and I actually laughed about it the next day and had some really good what I thought were bonding moments between her and I so it turned out to be really great.
    51:17
    And Nicole, I'm so glad I actually got a chance to talk to you while I was sober this time and get to know you a little bit better. And that was great. So Chris Kaneda was there and we got to talk. You know, we talked a little bit, just him and I. We talked with some of the tribe members. We talked in these different groups. And I just want to say again here publicly that for, you know, there's a lot of Kaneda haters out there. There you go, hashtag Kaneda haters.
    51:50
    There's a lot of controversy with them, certainly, and I definitely understand why. But Chris has always been cordial with Ian and I at the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast. We've never had a reason to dislike him. So I just want to say, give him a chance. He can be crass and crude maybe at times, but he's always treated us well. So there's certainly, you know, no animosity from the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast. But I just, you know, it was kind of interesting to get to meet him in person and, you know,
    52:27
    see what he's all about. And, you know, he's a human being like the rest of us. So sometimes I think we forget that because we have these larger in life characters, which kind of leads into the story of, you know, so we're sitting around just shooting the David Van Es, Troy Whit equipesper исследante, an Live 64 Jaheliiologists,
    53:04
    So, um, no pun intended. Um, so I, I go walking over with him. So now it's, uh, Kaneda and Zach standing toe to toe. And then Nicole and myself are opposite them. So there's this little group of the four of us and, uh, you know, uh, Chris to his credit was incredibly humble, um, seemed very sincere. He apologized to Nicole, you know? And he talked about this on his show, so this wasn't like some big private thing.
    53:37
    I mean, so I'm not, there's no trade secrets here or anything like that. He apologized to Nicole. He apologized to Zach. He said he was going to try to do better as a person, you know, and he can only control his own actions. It got a little contentious for a while. And then, you know, I made, you know, what I thought was a great joke. And I said, hey, guys, hey, guys, wait. I said, Zach, you don't want to go on his show. Chris, you don't want to go on Zach's show. Why don't we all get together on the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast and hash it out together?
    54:11
    And they both started laughing and Zach goes, what the fuck, Drew? He goes, you're just looking for ratings. And I'm just like, yep, I'm no dummy. So that was kind of cool. I was proud of myself for that one. But anyways, you know, they talked for a while and, you know, Nicole and I, we were joking we're the mediators. It was really great. We interjected when we thought it was getting a little too much and kind of reeled them both in. And at one point, I think it was Chris was just going to walk away. He's like, screw this, whatever.
    54:41
    And then they talked about it. They shook hands. We took pictures. You saw them on the page, I'm sure. Poor Man's Pinball Podcast fan page. Some very cool pictures of the three of us. And then one with the four of us with Nicole there. So just really cool. Well, it was just kind of neat to be a part of that and I just want to say that as far as their craft and what they do, I respect both those guys immensely. Chris is very entertaining.
    55:12
    Zach is very entertaining. You know, they're both doing great things for their fans and I think the competition is healthy for pinball. I just think when we get into too much mudslinging and name calling and stuff, not saying they're We're doing it all the time. It just, you know, in general, that stuff just needs, there's no part of that. There should be nothing like that in pinball. You know, we can, we can have healthy competitions. We can take jabs at one another. And they both agreed on that.
    55:42
    Um, cause that's just fun. You know, it's kind of like Drew sucks at pinball, Tim Lee sucks at pinball, you know, but at the end of the day, like, um, you know, it, it has to stay above the belt. I mean, we, we just, we, we can all do better, I think in some capacity. The Out Pinball Podcast is brought to you by The Out Pinball Podcast Network.
    56:26
    Brno I'm John Popadiuk, and I'll see you next time on Pinball Podcast.
    57:14
    I'm going to get off the soapbox, but, um, amazing experience. Chris played, uh, November rain on the piano and, uh, Albert, uh, orbital Albert tribe member said it best. Um, I don't care what you think of Kaneda. I was there, Glenn Wechter was singing vocals.
    57:49
    It was a very cool experience, Chris. Thank you for entertaining us once again. That man can play some fucking piano, let me tell ya. There were some wet panties there for sure. See, I probably shouldn't say shit like that, but once again, I don't have anyone to rein me in, so here we go. Yeah, so great, great hanging with all you guys at Expo. I really enjoyed it. And I can't wait for more of these shows.
    58:20
    I can't wait for MGC. I can't wait for TPF. I'm in negotiations with my wife right now to be able to go to that because if it's half as cool as Expo, holy shit. And once again, I think I played like 20 games of pinball. So it's not about that. I'm getting a Godzilla and a Guns N' Roses by the way. I hope my wife isn't listening and by that I mean I know she's not but yeah. And Kaneda said it best on his last episode, like if you're gonna have just two games in your room or your home or whatever, those are probably two of the best because I didn't
    58:55
    talk much about it, I'm not gonna talk much about it now but now that I got to play Godzilla, holy fuck is that game great. I'm going to have to at least move out one pin, which is fine because, you know, I don't need all these pins.
    59:29
    You know, that was the other thing, and I hate, ah, Kaneda's right again. You don't need all these pins. I mean, they're great, don't get me wrong, and I'm not even waning a little bit, but you know, it's just me that plays them at the house. So you know, for one guy, you know, we have friends over occasionally, I don't need, you know, 20 pins. I do need, I do need a good selection, but you know, I don't need 20 anymore. I thought I did. You know, maybe, maybe eight, maybe 10, maybe six.
    60:02
    I don't know. But, but Godzilla and Guns and Roses are in a league of their own. So very, very cool. And it's not just because they're new. They really have done something special. Like that, that might be Stern's best game from the first plunge. It just, it gives you wood. So anyways, so thank you for listening to all my rambling. My first solo episode, I've gone an hour. I'm going to edit some stuff out. You know, an hour is a good time, I guess.
    60:32
    I don't know. But thank you for bearing with me. Thank you for everyone who gave me love at Expo, whether it was a hug, a handshake, a fist bump, showing me a tribe coin, whatever. I'm going to be talking to some of you guys on Facebook now and connecting with you. What an amazing experience. So I hope you enjoyed the episode. This is episode, we're just calling it episode expo. I'm not even putting an episode number on this one.
    61:02
    Thanks for hanging in there guys and I'll talk to you soon.