I listen to a variety of podcasts during my daily commute and when I’m working on pinball projects (usually on weekends). Of the pinball related ones I most consistently listen to:

Slam Tilt! (guilty pleasure #1): My fav I like the expertise and tech knowledge they bring to the show and their campy attempts at humour. Would agree that they seem tired lately and should take a step back. I hope they keep at maybe once a month or so. Would love a tech focussed podcast with Zach and Greg?, those guys really know their stuff.

Head2Head: very well done and can be good to great. Don’t mind a long podcast if there’s a reason for it. Not a fan of the negative slam the top 100 segment since they rarely have enough experience on the games it’s just a farce and a waste of time. Lately Martin has sounded like he’d rather be somewhere else so maybe it’s time to ease up a bit for these guys as well.

Special K: I auto download this so I can listen to episodes he deletes after he sobers up. Which is of course one reason he deletes episodes... His interviews are generally quite good he’s not afraid of putting folks on the spot a bit (without being too rude) which can lead to some compelling listening. However I can’t tolerate his solo episodes at all. It’s like you’re stuck in his head while he loops through the same boring negative crap over and over and over. Not a fan of how he conducts himself personally either, he lacks (necessary) healthy boundaries. My advice for him would be to stop drinking altogether.

I guess I’ll be in the market for a new regular once Slam Tilt! goes on hiatus. Any suggestions for someone who likes the repairs and technical topics?

You sound very “fustrated” by these criticisms...

Forgot about Spooky, though it’s more of a “pinball manufacturer lifestyle” podcast than anything else, I do enjoy listening.

Also love the EM Dungeon - I had it on in the car the other day and my son is “what are you listening to?!?”

I just started to listen to their latest episode. Unfortunately after 40 minutes of them discussing a bunch of non-pinball stuff and recapping their last two episodes, sprinkled with a healthy mix of passive-aggressive whining from one host about how Special-K stole their interview guest "but I'm fine with it" -I'd had enough. I switched over to the lastest Slam Tilt! episode instead.

Is there a particular episode of Special When Lit that you would recommend as being a better "first listen" than the current one?

REACTOR 4-ever!

...oops, not a pin.

That interview was on-point!

I was hoping you'd ask who did the writing for the callouts and such for MM, the humour in that game is so well done.
Any ideas?

Well that explains it. Hire those guys again please!

Yes. DP was a miscalculation on the source material IMHO. Should have an adult mode.

I tend to think that it's ridiculous to expect all new pinball games to be completely asexual in nature. Look at any other popular media (Movies, TV, god help us music) and it's filled with sexuality and sexual themes. Why does pinball have to be this antiseptic wasteland of banality? That's not its heritage and not every game needs to appeal to every player anyway, they already don't so if it fits the theme, then why the heck not?

It's complete and utter garbage, like most of his non-interview opinion pieces.

Mostly agree. I guess not everyone is as clear in their thinking/understanding of these things so maybe it was useful to spell it out.

The HUGE thing that Special K misses about the hype train is that it can be really FUN to be on it! ...and that's the whole point, isn't it? Spend your money how you like and if jumping on the pre-order LE bandwagon sight-unseen is your thing, go for it!

Honestly, I don't see Special K actually enjoying much related to pinball these days, except his nipples get hard if he can find or manufacture a "scandal" to focus on. His idea of humour is always cringy as hell too. That H2H laugh track is just stalkerish/creepy - and he wonders why Ryan might not be his buddy anymore? He seems to be envious that H2H have a genuine blast doing their show and he, well, doesn't. Hard to party by yourself I guess. I kind of pity him when so often his behavour is a huge cry for attention/help.

Having said that, when he's upbeat and professional it's a much better experience for everyone involved. Since he's apparently not going to go away anytime soon, here's my advice for improving the show: Don't try to be explictly funny, not your strength. It's okay to be positive about the hobby while still being "realistic". No need to make anything personal, keep it professional. Try not to dwelve on the negatives excessively, everything in life is a mixed bag of good and bad. Find a regular partner or two to join you, the shows with others on them are always better and it's a lot easier to have fun with someone else to bounce energy off of. Oh, and the biggy, avoid compulsively posting episodes in the "heat of the moment". Sleep on it and then decide if it meets your criteria before posting.