No Days Off: Gigi Edition
At the risk of being sentimental (and repetitive), we’ve always said that pinball is about the people. For us? That meant hanging out at Tilt (now Litt) in Minneapolis. Every night after shifts as a door guy at a local bar, I’d head down to Tilt and play a couple games, high on a half J that I smoked during the block and a half walk. My time in Minneapolis could be lonely, but Tilt was one of the places I felt at home. Even on nights when I didn’t talk to anybody, it still felt like I was part of the same scene, the same crew. Those places are so frickin’ important. They’re holy.
It’s obvious that in the years since then, LITT has only grown in terms of fostering a community. Now there isn’t just one or two groups to be a part of — there are legions. Our own Rick Brewster used to say that he didn’t know any of the LITT night owls, because he was only there during the day and for league nights. From 11am - 2am, you’ll almost always find someone flipping at Litt. Kids (gross), old people, goofy dates, punkers, goofballs. It’s sort of amazing to think of how many people one pinball bar can touch.
Gigi Millz has been Nudge from the start
I doubt Gigi will remember the first time we met, but I thought she was someone else. I’d recently been talking with another Tilt regular that I hadn’t met that I only knew by their handle on insta, Babyknife. I had mentioned to BBknife that I was taking pics at Tilt, and that they should stop by if they were around. Long story short, the first thing I ever asked Gigi was if she was someone named Babyknife. To her credit, she didn’t even blink. She said, “Nope, I’m Gigi.” And from there the BOND WAS FORMED.
The best part about working with Gigi is she brings that same warmth and openness to the projects we’ve done. When we needed a model for an article about What Your Pinball Pose Says About You, she read it, dug it, and came ready with ideas. She wasn’t afraid to look goofy or put herself out there. That’s a hard-ass thing to do in front of the camera. She even improved a lot of shit with some Tilt hotdogs that ended up being my fave stuff.
Help out + Get a dope poster
Recently Gigi was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Beyond being an amazing Nudge contrib, they’re an amazing person. We sorta brainstormed on how we could help + feature some of Gigi’s dope photo sesh’s. What we came up with? An amazing poster designed by Bmoen and featuring Gigi. All profits will go toward Gigi’s medical expenses.
Pinball is about people. Now let’s help this person whip cancer’s frickin’ ass. NO DAYS OFF.
