I am a big fan of podcasts... and I see the OP point about a bit too much of a good thing. I think it all stems from the lack of news. And it seems that every podcaster knows more than what they lead on, because they don't want to burn any bridges. Which I can respect. But yes they all report on the same stuff... it does get tedious.

I like in no special order.

Head2head
Kaneda
TWIP

Just started to listen to Special when Lit, and I am digging it.

Congratulations!

I sat this out for a very long time but I'll just relay a couple things...

He apologized to me personally. I'm not the type to hold a grudge, but I can't speak for others.

He didn't really assault his Finance - he drunkenly, sloppily pawed at her to retard her attempts to remove him from the premises. Still, as this entire thing disrupted the Women's Championship final, and as MANY of the competitors in said final were complaining about his behavior and frankly wanted him anywhere but there...well, let's just say the optics weren't good, and there were audible gasps from many in attendance.

Chris has carved out a nice little niche for himself in pinball. It's not a niche I give a shit about, just like pinball tournaments obviously aren't one he cares about. It's probably best if he just sticks to industry gossip and opinion rather than trying to crobar himself into a scene where he adds nothing and has no interest in. I was happy to see him there until I realized how drunk and disruptive he had become, and forcing him to leave had absolutely been the last thing on my mind.

I'll just say this - remember that Eclipse cruise with Bonnie Tyler that he was so goddamn proud of himself about? The big marketing triumph he worked on for months, and was so proud that he managed to pull off with his team, and was such a resounding success?

Well how do you think he would have felt if after all that work, and at the peak of the event, I drunkenly staggered onto the stage, stripped down and took a big steaming dump right next to Bonnie as she was reaching for a high note?

Well, that's pretty much how I felt at the NYCPC when suddenly, after eight months of preparation and while dealing with about 20 other things to ensure that everyone had a good time and everything was going smoothly, I now had to focus my attention on this bullshit.

I've accepted his apology and I'd moved on by 20 minutes later, when it was all forgotten and we were all having fun again. I just wish it didn't happen, it really sucked, and hopefully he feels the same way.

I find it hard to listen to most pinball podcasts because most of them won't tell you what they honestly think. It reminds me of that Lego movie theme song "Everything is Awesome", lol. What I find somewhat interesting is that video game podcasts don't have the same issue, they're usually very blunt with their opinions. For example, if video game was released as a buggy mess, the video game podcast world would rip it apart on why you shouldn't buy it. On most pinball podcasts they would just say something about the code is early so no judgement, the art is awesome, all this other stuff is awesome, etc...I would much rather hear someone honestly say that the current code is awful and don't buy it in it's current state. And continue to say don't buy it until they fix it.

I’m appreciate the efforts by all of them, prefer interviews so just waiting for one to land time with Pat Lawlor. No real chronicle since his Topcast interview years ago. Seems pretty reclusive, not sure if he realizes (or cares) how many would love his take on the hobby or thoughts on pinballs uptick today.

I'm not sure I follow. The unmentionable podcast has been doing it like 2 years, what's stopping everyone else, financial sponsors?

.....of course, no offense taken...hehehe

I think this came up a while ago in another thread, but it lends itself to this topic so I'll opine a bit on it. The issue is one of access. Video games have an entire journalism industry that has cropped up (and have their own growing pains, such as scandals regarding reviews). People have full-time jobs covering the field, lots of employees at companies information can flow from, etc.

In the world of pinball podcasting, you basically have two choices:
1) Have the industry invite you in (this may be informal or formal). They offer you sneak-peaks, details, and a lot of transparency, but you are hit with an NDA or told the intel is off the record. Nutshell, you know everything, but can say nothing because that's what you agreed to.
2) Be able to say what you want, but often not know anything particularly unique. Also have a harder time accessing industry insiders, since you don't have a strong prior relationship with the organization already established.

For EGP, Tony and I went route #2 (and I'd like to think we've always been honest in our assessments because of it, but that's for the audience to determine). Of course, I see a difference between being honest and being deliberately rude (and maybe we cross that line at times, for entertainment purposes, but truthfulness and brutality do not need to be hand-in-hand). We do not try to get access to upcoming title information behind the scenes, and thus we know next to nothing on those subjects. Our requests for information are sometimes answered but often ignored as well (I don't have Gomez on speed-dial). We do not try to "become friends" with people who work for pinball manufacturers (I think that's the big one... it's hard to say your friend's game sucks for a lot of people and personally it's just easier for me to avoid the situation entirely), but it's a small hobby. Podcasters are first and foremost fans, and that fandom can lead down a path of wanting access and being in the know (and then being stuck with information that cannot be revealed).

Ironically, even with all these steps, I still will get someone out of the blue offering up a detail not for the audience. And it can happen brutally fast (as in, I might get an email that says, "Hey, heard you talking about our next game, this isn't for public consumption but [INSERT REVEAL HERE]"). Seriously, there isn't even an opportunity to say no thanks sometimes, they just spill the beans while telling you it isn't to be revealed. So you either reveal and burn that bridge and disrespect the trust they put in you, or you keep your mouth shut.

I find myself hilariously funny too. Thanks so much for listening!!!

billyboy I find myself hilariously funny too. Thanks for listening!!

I'm late to the party having only started to listen back in June. For me it's simple- twip and head to head.
I do appreciate others but it seems most just read the news from the two mentioned above.

Thanks to all that do it and the strong will survive....well them and kaneda .
Kaneda has like 200 pods or something that's crazy.

I stopped listening to all pinball podcasts and unsubscribed from all of the streamer youtube channels.
I get pretty much everything I want via:
1) Bowen's pinball tutorial videos
2) TWIP weekly updates on my RSS feed

I started with TOPcast. Those interviews remain encyclopedia of pinball information. During that same time period, I as enjoying Gameroom Junkies and Rob and Steve’s Podcast (oops forgot name).

I like Coast to Coast, but I enjoyed it more in it’s earlier days. It remains very good when it occasionally pops up.

My current favorites are

This Flippin Podcast and Head to Head

I do listen to Pinball Profile, TWiP and Special when Lit if I see a topic listed that interests me. I don’t watch any video podcasts.

At this point it’s quantity over quality with these podcasts.

Since I rejoined the hobby in 2013, I think I have listened to every podcast ever done. I found that I could do my dreaded paperwork or read magazines at the same time. NYC locals,one timers, Canadians in cars,lots of drunks,3 hour rambles,a few guys that tragically have passed, all of 'em. Everybody at 1.5x (which drives my wife crazy), skipping through the EM stuff,video and movie discussions and local tournament stories. My favorites are Topcast, Coast 2Coast, Head2Head and Slam Tilt and I like at least ten more. I have never talked with these guys and gals in person, but I feel like we're all friends now. However, I have played very little in this period and it shows. So now that I know everybody and everything, it's time to learn some rules and develop some skills.