PODCAST

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball

Looking for a different pinball podcast which isn’t about current events or pinball news? Silverball Chronicles is a monthly podcast for the true pinball nerd that enjoys learning more about the complicated dynamics, politics and characters that created their favourite pinball machines. Join Ron and Dave as they stumble through pinball history mispronouncing names, chronicling designers, telling war stories, and digging up strange and obscure facts; all while paying homage to the hobby of

games & hobbies

All Episodes

Silverball Chronicles Ep 26: The Architect – George...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2022/10/14

Episode Summary George Gomez is the Creative Architect of pinball as we know it today. Without our Homie Gomie (trademark Zach Meny), Stern Pinball would not be the creative studio it is today. When Stern began to be rebuilt in the 2010s, it was the creative curiosity of George Gomez that enabled the company to … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 26: The Architect – George Gomez Part 2 →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 25: Playing Catch Up:...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2022/09/02

Episode Summary The late 70s were a boom for pinball manufacturing. Bally and Williams had transitioned to Solid State early and evolved their platform, but Gottlieb struggled to keep up. However, by early 1980 Gottlieb knew they needed a new solution and were preparing their System 80 platform. System 80 was a big leap forward … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 25: Playing Catch Up: Gottlieb System 80 →

Silverball Chronicles Ep24: Data East – Fake It Til...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2022/06/19

Episode Summary It is often through failure that we learn and after the collapse of Stern Electronics, Gary Stern did not give up. He collected himself over a year and then would work with Joe Kaminkow and Shelley Sax on building Data East Pinball. Often the butt of jokes on quality, code depth, and artwork, … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep24: Data East – Fake It Til Ya Make It →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 23: Down The Rabbit Hole...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2022/05/17

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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 23: Down The Rabbit Hole With John Popaduik →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 22: Mr. Nordman, Let’s Talk...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2022/03/22

Silverball Chronicles with David and Ron Episode 22: Mr. Nordman, Let’s Talk About Your Ramps Topic Starts at 8:38 Episode SummaryRamps are mesmerizing, hypnotic and create a 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, … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 22: Mr. Nordman, Let’s Talk About Your Ramps →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 21: Inside The Mind Of Lyman...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2022/03/02

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. … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 21: Inside The Mind Of Lyman Sheats →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 20: Pinball Is Dying – Part...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2022/01/05

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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 20: Pinball Is Dying – Part 2: Bally/Williams →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 19: 80s Cheese Done Right –...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/12/01

Silverball Chronicle with Ron and David Episode 19: 80s Cheese Done Right – Gottlieb 80b 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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 19: 80s Cheese Done Right – Gottlieb 80b →

Silverball Chronicles Episode 18: The Mechs That Made...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/10/27

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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Episode 18: The Mechs That Made Us – 90’s Bally-Williams →

Silverball Chronicles Episode 17: Steve Ritchie Part...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/09/04

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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Episode 17: Steve Ritchie Part III: The Return…to Stern →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 16: Millennium Moment-...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/08/05

Episode Summary Pinball was suffering in the late 1990’s. Home gaming consoles dominated households. In the decades that preceded the 90’s, 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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 16: Millennium Moment- Pinball 2000 →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 15: Barry Oursler Saves Pinball

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/06/19

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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 15: Barry Oursler Saves Pinball →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 14: Gomez – This One Has A...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/05/04

Episode SummaryGeorge 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 … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 14: Gomez – This One Has A Lot Of Arcade Stuff →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 13: Pat Lawlor Part 2 –...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/03/31

Episode SummaryPat Lawlor has a demeanor which has rubbed some the wrong way over the years. Let’s face it, as a designer you need to get strong personalities in line, meet corporate deadlines, push your creative vision to the edge and have the confidence in yourself that your product design will sell. Maybe part of … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 13: Pat Lawlor Part 2 – Williams Wreck’n Ball →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 12: Pinball Is Dying:...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/03/14

Episode SummaryBy the Early 1980’s Pinball was dying. Sales in Pinball fell from peaks of 9-10,000 units to 900 units in 2 years. Video was on an upward trend and that is where the coin op industry began to focus. Only 1 full time designer remained at Williams by 1982, Barry Oursler. To help fill … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 12: Pinball Is Dying: Williams In The Early 80s →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 11: Dwight Sullivan – The...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2021/01/30

Episode Summary Dwight is one of pinball programming’s most important figures. Throughout the 1990’s Dwight worked on some of the best-selling games of all time, added a level of polish not seen before, brought a new level of fun and uniqueness that continue to influence programmers today. Have fun this month where we chat ‘Dwight … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 11: Dwight Sullivan – The Creation Of Complexity →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 10: Lawlor – Pinball’s...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2020/12/26

Episode Summary Pat Lawlor is a pinball statesman. He has a long lumbering and detailed way of explaining himself. This deep and controlled thought process is why Pat’s pinball designs and mechanical toys are so detailed and dedicated to being exciting. Some would call Pat a pinball academic, others say he’s a prickly fella. Join … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 10: Lawlor – Pinball’s Rollercoaster Tycoon →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 9: Borgie – Living The 90s...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2020/11/18

Episode Summary John Borg or as he’s affectionately known as ‘Borgie’, entered the industry as a mechanical engineer building ramps and ended up being a designer on some of the fondest remember nostalgia pins of the 1990’s. Join Ron and Dave as they chat about Borgie got to hang out with movie stars, review some … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 9: Borgie – Living The 90s License Dream →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 8: Moving Units Part 2 – The...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2020/10/16

Episode Summary David and Ron are going to finish what they started last month. As mentioned in the previous podcast, from 1975 to 1980 Bally were breaking sales records. It seemed that Paul Faris’s art team could do no wrong but by 1981 the gaming industry’s footing was feeling shaky. In an effort to hold … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 8: Moving Units Part 2 – The Class Of 1981 →

Silverball Chronicles Ep 7: Moving Units – Bally’s...

Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball ·

2020/09/04

Episode Summary David and Ron are here again this month to use an audio medium to talk about visual art… will it work? Art sells Pinball machines. There was no better team ever in pinball as the Art Team at Bally. From 1975 until Bally was sold to Midway in 1983 an eclectic, creative … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 7: Moving Units – Bally’s Art Revolution →

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Silverball Chronicles (TPN) - Pinball

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