Nudge Playlist: Home(sick) for the Holidaze

Hola goofenbachers, welcome home for the holidaze. This has been a crazy year for me, personally. This time last year, I had been diagnosed as diabetic, was a hundo pounds heavier, and was basically dying. This year? My biggest problem is X-Men, which makes me doubt my ability as a pinball player every single damn day.

But for real, that really does feel like my biggest problem. After a rough couple of years, things are good. Nudge is better than ever, I’m super proud of the contributions we’re getting (that you’ll see soon), and I like where issue 5 is headed. Plus there’s something else that I want to tell y’all.

We’re starting Nudgecast: The Official Podcast of Nudge Magazine. I know what you’re thinking: hell yeah, more middle-aged white guys with a podcast! But to be honest, we’re not confident that a lot of you can actually read – so this felt like a natural progression. Plus, you can play pinball while you listen to it. Can’t do that while reading a magazine (but you can take a poop. Try it!)

So what’s it gonna be about? (Asked nobody) We’re gonna feature music and fun articles from the magazine, for sure. We will also interview entertainers and artists about how pinball and arcade culture intersect with their lives. All that with the nudge shein and glisten that you’re used to. Is that how you spell that? Gross.

Hosted by me, Ian (doc), and Shane Told (Silverstein, the Lead Singer Syndrome Podcast), it’s gonna be a lot like reading the magazine, except you won’t have to sound it out to have it make sense, you frickin yutzes. I’ll reveal here who our first guest is (it’s a banger), JACK FRICKIN’ DANGER. Not only will you hear him talk about pinball design, we’ll also hear about his nude pinball art film from college. Yes, for real. In the following weeks we’re gonna have Vogue photographers, comedians, and even NPR hosts (can you believe it). We’ll have more details on how to subscribe, but in the meantime enjoy some of the music I’ve been putting together for bumper mixes.

LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY

Home for the Holidaze playlist

Part of doing a podcast means finding fun bumper music. I’ve been listening to a ton of good NEW stuff recently, so who benefits? Y’all. And your pinball scores. Listen to this to focus you, pump you up, and fuck up multiballs. For real. Scientifically proven by me, a great pinball player and noted headphone user. Yes, yes, I know there are plenty of pinball purists out there who are anti-headphone (I’m looking at you, Elizabeth Weinberg), but for those of you in the club — this one hits. We have new stuff from Tyler the Creator, Billy Nomates, and a buncha other stuff that will either hype you up or get you in your feels.

Screw the haters. Wear the headphones. Listen to the tunes. Score more points. Repeat. It’s inside you. I know it is. So what’s on this damn thing?

Featuring Billy Nomates

Billy Nomates is an English musician with perhaps the most depressing wikipedia page of all time. Here’s literally the first paragraph.

Maries grew up in Leicester and was a member of a number of bands that failed to be noticed. Following a period of depression, a Sleaford Mods gig inspired Maries to return to making music and she moved to Bournemouth to write and compose.[2] Her stage name, Billy Nomates, was taken from an insult directed at her when she turned up at a gig on her own

Like, literally her name means Billy No-Mates. If that’s not someone who could use pinball, then I don’t know who does. I mean, afterall my name was basically Ian No-friends and now look at me after Nudge, I have all kindsa people who will avoid eye contact with me after they hear the noises I make after putting up a billy on Jaws. It’s called progress, guys.

Billy’s music is an amazing mix of new and old. Her voice is straight up Stevie Nicks, but her songwriting falls more into post-punk. Lonely songs that move fast and feel good when wearing black and dragging on a cig as you walk down a foggy street. That’s the vibe. Nothing better than rocking Petrol Fumes while you get your ass handed to you on a vibey lookin’ Tron. Try that or the equally hellaciously good Bluebones found here.

Tyler the Creator

Bro, how long will it be before we get a hip hop pin? And NO EMINEM DOESN’T COUNT. I’m going to be so pissed if given the opportunity, Pinball creators create a WHITE GUY pinball machine. Like, there are so many options. We covered a bunch in the “Your favorite Music Table Sucks” article (yes, we wouldn’t use the term ‘table’ anymore, so lay off, a-hole) but it’s worth saying that there’s so many good options for MODERN options that would both slap AND have a sense of humor.

For those of you who don’t know (anyone over 35), Tyler The Creator is the leader of Odd Future, the weirdest crew of rappers to come out of the 2010s. Most famously giving rise to sensitive goofballs like Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler was always the most outspoken, brash and funny. Think of him like Brian Eddy mixed with Steve Ritchie. Yeah, that powerful. Odd Future dominated the release schedule and even had a sketch comedy show for a minute, making them absolutely RIPE for a pin that would both feature amazing music and have a helluva sense of humor about it.

I digresss tho. Tyler’s new album, CHROMAKOPIA, is full of bangers — but Sticky is the banger of all bangers. We put this one second on the playlist cuz it’s that good. Sexyy Red AND Lil’ Wayne? The Aerosmith pin could never.

Wu-Lu

Wu-Lu is the professional name of Miles Romans-Hopcraft, a British producer with maybe the most British name of all time. His music is wild, a total pastiche of rock and hip hop that at times feels 90s, at times feels 2010s, and at times feels completely out of time. This one has been on regular rotation since X-Men was released and let me just say that when you’re skimming ramps and hitting combos while the guitar runs happen on the verses of Times, it literally feels like you’re traveling to heaven. I guess that means dying, but dying in a really good way where you’re psyched on it. Like they told you you had to eat your way out of a giant pizza? I dunno man.

The mix of rock and hip hop isn’t new, but it’s new combined in this way: namely not douchey. I’m super interested to hear what this generation of musicians does as they continue to combine strange sounds to create new shit — much like Jack Danger and Keith Elwin continue to stand on the shoulders of giants and innovate. Turns out when you’re a student of the game, good things happen. Thanks Keith, Thanks Jack, Thanks Wulu!

The Other stuff

We’re not going to go into everything but damn are there choice tracks from Squid, Sipper, and a million other bands and artists that will get your toes tappin’ and your flipper fingers twitchin’. Ugh, I actually hate that sentence. Pretend like I didn’t say it. Just enjoy the playlist, you freak. See you next week with EVEN MORE PINBALL CONTENT.