Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast

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Episode Summary:

John Popadiuk, also known as J-Pop, created some of the most interesting and whimsical playfield designs of the 1990s. He went from a god tier Bally-Williams designer to a start-up pinball company owner and finally to a pinball pariah. John once described his journey as "a long tale of woe in some cases, but also tales of glory in others."

His name was once included with other Pinball Legends, but in 2022, J-Pop had been reduced to a pinball leper. People would often say, 'What could J-Pop have done with Bally-Williams had never closed'? Now, the question most likely heard is 'Where did it all go wrong?' Does J-Pop deserve all the criticism and abuse that has sullied his legacy?

This month, we go Down the Rabbit Hole With John Popadiuk.

Sources:

Wikipedia: John Popadiuk. Here, Zizzle. Here.

YouTube. NWPAS 2012 Seminar #08 – John Popadiuk. Here.

Pinball Mag, Nick _O. John Popadiuk – Pinball Designer. Here.

Pinball Shenaigans. Alice in Wonderland Prototype. Here.

Pinball Profile. Episode 326: Michael Hanley and Shane Jackson. Here.

Coast 2 Coast Pinball. An Evening with John Popadiuk. Wayback Machine. Here.

Dan Cowles and Kristi Highum. Zombies, Yetis & Pinball. Dec 2014. Here.

Greet, Kayla. Skill Shot – Zombie Yeti Artist Profile. Here.

Pinball Super Nova. John Popadiuk: Another One Bites the Dust. Here.

Pinball News. American Pinball Goes Public. Sept 2016 Here.

Horacze, Stan. Popular Science. The curious story of Magic Girl. Apr 2017. Here

The Pinside Stuff: Here. Here. Here.

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

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Topic starts at 8:38

Episode Summary:

Ramps are mesmerizing and hypnotic and create excitement deep inside when you shoot them. You can almost feel the ball rolling around a bend in a ramp. Too many people Pinball IS Ramps. In fact, when one of my non-pinball friends saw my Tron for the first time, he said 'Woah, I wanna shoot that ramp'. The only goal he had the first time he played pinball in 25 years was 'shot that ramp!' The undisputed king of the ramps is, without a doubt, Dennis Nordman. This month Dennis Nordman, Let Talk About Your Ramps…

Sources:

Pinside at Pinside.com

IPDB. Dennis Nordman's Game List. Here.

Special Force Girls. Here.

Blackwater 100 – 1988. Here.

Peterson, Cassandra. Elvira Wikipedia. Here.

Demo Man Promo Video. Here

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

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Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles

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Episode Summary:

There are many stars inside the pinball industry, but few create such an emotional ripple in the hobby when they pass. Lyman Sheats gave so much for pinball and always wanted to give more. A perfectionist who was often too hard on himself, Lyman was always looking for ways to improve his games.

This month Ron and Dave talk all about the beginnings of Lyman's tournament dominance, his Data East codes, his first days at Bally-Williams, coding Attack from Mars, teaming up with George Gomez, Lyman's drive for perfection, "In Lyman We Trust", the Masterpiece that is Batman '66 by KaPow Pinball, and his untimely death which rocked the pinball community.

Source:

Pinside at Pinside.com

IPDB. Lyman's Games List. Here

Past Podcast Appearances:

TOPcast Episode #50

Slam Tilt Podcast #100, #180, #181

Head-to-Head Pinball Podcast #73

Pinball Profile #199

Pinball Wizard Turns 50

LoserKid Pinball #78

Final Round Pinball Podcast #50

The Today Show, Lyman Sheats. Here

DeadFlip Streaming. Lyman, Jack Danger and MKV Playing Batman 66. Here

Replay FX Seminar with Greg Dunlop. Here

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

Want to Support the Show?

Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles

Or pick up a tee shirt at https://tinyurl.com/kz5xt4hc

Episode Summary:

The '90s saw the biggest leap in pinball mechanics and technology that the hobby had ever seen. The Dot Matrix Display and how Bally/Williams leveraged it made the pins from the previous decade look like a horse and buggy. The purchase of Bally by Williams created a competitive shark tank, forcing designers and engineers to continuously one-up each other.

But as the 90s marched on, the industry contracted. Designers exited or moved on to other areas, and junior designers took their place and built some of the best machines Bally/Williams had produced, but sadly, the sales numbers didn't reflect that.

Ron and Dave chat all about the final years of Bally/Williams including Adam Rhine's Dot Animation, Congo's amazing shot layout, J-Pop, Attack From Mars, Dave saying 'spider' correctly after listening while editing, George Gomez giving a poetic definition of 'Flow', Chicago Gaming Company Remakes, and can the magic of Bally/Williams be replicated?

Source:

Pinside at Pinside.com

WMS- IGT Settlement Agreement. Here.

This Week in Pinball – George Gomez, Armed and Dangerous. Here.

TOPCast Pinball Show: #10 John Trudeau, #63 Keith Johnson, #40 George Gomez, #28 Adam Rhine

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

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Episode Summary:

The early 1980s were a boon for pinball manufacturing. Bally and Williams had transitioned to Solid State early and evolved their platform. Gottlieb struggled with System 1, and as soon as they found their stride with the new System 80 board set, pinball was dying in the early 80s. By the mid-80s pinball was clawing its way back, but Gottlieb never regained it's industry dominance, however it did give them more creative freedom.

Join Ron and the better co-host Dave as they talk photo translites, horrible synth music, Jon Norris' 8-Ball Deluxe, releasing games at warp-speed, shallow code, ripping off established licenses, Don Johnson jackets, and which System 80b games are the most underrated.

Sources:

Pinside at Pinside.com

Wikipedia. Gottlieb. Here

Kriesel, Dennis. This Week in Pinball. The Dawn of the Solid-State Era. Here

Kriesel, Dennis. This Week In Pinball. Mylstar Electronics: Gottlieb's Forgotten Year. Here

Gottlieb Developments. Here

IPDB. System 80b Game List. Here

PinWiki – System 80 Repair Guide. Here

TOPCast Pinball Show: #10 John Trudeau, #34 John, #55 Jon Norris.

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

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Episode Summary:

The Bally-Williams Era has often been considered on of the most mechanically exciting times in the Pinball Hobby. In fact, many of the games of this era still carry a hefty resale price on the secondary market. The magic of pinball and the world under glass was brought to life by Bally-Williams.

Many pinball personalities who purchased assets from the major manufacturers spent years trying to finish incomplete games or bring back a 'new Bally-Williams'. They all failed because Bally-Williams was unique, it was an industry powerhouse where creativity, competition and magic were created.

This month we cover, our favourite 90's mechs, Dr. Who's Meat Slicer, Pat Lawlor's Magnum Opus, Rod Serling (or Ron Sterling), Code going too far, Gofers, Jpop and Williams dying again.

Sources:

Pinside at Pinside.com

Podcasts: George Gomez. Here, Pat Lawlor 1. 2. 3, Barry Oursler. Here,

The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

Want to Support the Show?

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Or pick up a tee shirt at https://tinyurl.com/kz5xt4hc

Episode Summary:

When we last left Steve Ritchie, pinball was dead. It was done. Williams, gone. Bally, gone. Gottlieb/Premier, gone. The last manufacturer standing was Sega which ended up being sold to one Gary Stern and became today's Stern Pinball Inc. Steve Ritchie was ready to make a return to pinball after a hiatus, but the pinball landscape was different than when he left. He soon showed everyone he still has the touch.

Join us this month for a super-packed episode as Ron and David talk about Terminator 3, that strange Elvis mech, the epic Spiderman game, everyone getting let go in 2008, the perfect version of Terminator 2, aka AC/DC, a section about Star Trek that goes on far too long, what the hell happened to Star Wars, the underrated Black Knight toy, the barren Led Zeppelin, and the recent Jersey Jack coup!

Sources:

Pinside at Pinside.com

Wikipedia. Steve Ritchie. Here

Internet Pinball Database: Steve Ritchie Game List. Here Special When Lit Podcast –

Ep. 11Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

Want to Support the Show?

Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles

Or pick up a tee shirt at https://tinyurl.com/kz5xt4hc

Episode Summary:

Pinball was suffering in the late 1990s. Home gaming consoles dominated households. In the decades that preceded the 90s, people ate at home and went out for entertainment; society was changing. As a result, arcades suffered. Pinball needed something to jump-start sales. They needed to draw in a new video game that would engage youth. Pinball 2000 was the answer to that call.

Join Ron and Dave this month as they talk about how Pinball 2000 was created, Pat Lawlor and George Gomez vs. JPop, Pepper's Ghost, Adam Rhine and animations, Neil NiCastro-Unmotivational Speaker, Lucas Films' NDAs, Dave's hatred for Jar Jar Binks, and how Jar Jar tanked, nearly killing pinball.

Sources:

Pinside at Pinside.com

Internet Pinball Database: Revenge from Mars. Here, Star Wars: Episode 1. Here,

Wizard Blocks. Here, Playboy. Here

TopCast: George Gomez. Here, Adam Rhine. Here, Tom Uban. Here, Cameron Silver. Here, Pat Lawlor. Here

The Revenge from Mars Launch Seminar. Here

Revenge from Mars Promo Video. Here

Infamous Expo Star Wars Seminar Video. Here

Want to Support the Show?

Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles

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Episode Summary:

Barry Oursler is a William institution. As a designer he kept the line going at Williams during the massive decline that the coin op industry experienced in the early 1980s. He designed 35 games including Space Shuttle, which 'saved pinball.' During the decade after Space Shuttle, Barry continued to design and collectively sold over 135,000 pinball games for Williams during his tenure. Barry WAS Williams in this era.

Join Ron and Dave as they talk about Barry saving pinball… or did he? Hit pins such as Space Station, FIRE!, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Dirty Harry, Junkyard, amazing mechanical wonders, the controversies around Popeye Saves the Earth and Jack*Bot, and Barry's legacy to the hobby we all love.

Sources:

Pinside at Pinside.com

Internet Pinball Database: Barry Oursler's Game List. Here

Wikipedia: The Challenger Disaster. Here, Doctor Who. Here, The Great Chicago Fire. Here, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. Here

The Pinball Blog. Pinball Heroes – Barry Oursler. Here

Pinball Magazine. Interview: Pinball Designer Barry Oursler. Here

Donna Oursler's passing. Go Fund Me. Here

Versus the Goat Podcast – Barry Oursler. Here

The Pinball Podcast – Barry Oursler. Here

Teolis, Jeff. Pinball Profile. Here

Anghelo, Phython. Proposed Popeye Game Theme. Here

Tim Kitzrow. Here

Head 2 Hear Pinball Podcast Ep 50 – Joe Kaminkow. Here Super Awesome Pinball Show: S1 Ep 4 – Joe Kaminkow. Here, S2 E24 – Zophia Ryan. Here

TopCast with Barry Oursler. Here

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

Want to Support the Show?

Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles

Or pick up a tee shirt at https://tinyurl.com/kz5xt4hc

Episode Summary:

George Gomez has created some of the most well-received pinball machines our hobby has ever seen. He got his big break with Williams Pinball, but the current Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Stern Pinball had a big career before the silverball. His mixture of experience prior to pinball built his unique style of pinball creativity. In fact, one of the toughest critics around, Python Anghelo, called George a "good guy and very passionate." Woah!

Join Ron and Dave this month as they follow George Gomez from the Cuban Revolution to Midway, making games like Satan's Hollow, Tron, and Spy Hunter. Then, in a shift to a toy company, Marvin Glass and eventually Bally-Williams where he made a splash right away in the shark pool! Look out, this episode has an hour of arcade talk…

Sources:

Pinside at Pinside.com

Internet Pinball Database: George Gomez Game List. Here

Gorf Lens with Hidden 'Gomez' Letters. Here and Here.

Computer Space. Here. Gameplay. Here.

Satin's Hallow. Here. Gameplay. Here.

TopCast – George Gomez. Here.

Morrison, Matt. The Pinball Show: Interviews Ep 1 – Tom Kopera. Here.

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here