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Episode 153 - Sean Flaharty's Coaster Odyssey
26 Plays9 months ago
This week on the premier comedy roller coaster podcast, Ben and Zach are joined by Sean Flaharty to talk about Rec.Roller-Coaster, Top Thrill 2, YouTube and much more!
You can find Sean's YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC74P4rJUa80ZSdWW9GiaTw
Actually, we're the worst roller coaster podcast!
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Transcript
Introduction and Slayer Reunion Discussion
00:00:41
Speaker
I'm Zach and please don't ever kick me in the balls. I'm Ben and I'm Zinnen. And I'm Sean and I'm incredibly surprised to hear that Slayer has reunited as of a few hours ago. Holy shit. Yeah. I heard about that too. Are you going to go see him? Uh, I don't know. I've seen him twice and that was, you know, like in 2014 and
00:01:11
Speaker
It was incredible, but, um, I don't know. We'll see if they're playing around here maybe. Yeah. I mean, first of all, I guess to really drive the point home. Yeah. I was, I was going to do that, but I didn't want to scare the entire audience. So they can take it.
Concert Memories and Tour Speculations
00:01:31
Speaker
Shouts to metal Mikey. I don't know if he, if he's a Slayer guy, but he's a big maiden guy. So, Oh, there you go.
00:01:41
Speaker
But yeah, I saw they're they're going to be playing riot fest here in Chicago. Yeah, and louder than life and Louisville. So, OK, that makes sense. I am going to just go ahead and since we're recording, I'm just going to throw it out into the atmosphere. Another round of big four shows with Metallica Slayer, Mad contracts.
00:02:06
Speaker
I would love to see it. Heck yeah. I didn't get to see any of the, uh, the big four tour. Same. So, I mean, Hey, if they're reunited, maybe. Yeah. We can speak it into existence here. Who knows there. There we go. There we go. I'm, I'm, I'm totally up for that. But anyway, um, I guess I'm guessing that's just the, um, Tom needs some money.
Slayer's Reunion and Band Dynamics
00:02:34
Speaker
tour. Yeah. I know he hates touring, so something had been offered considerably large for that to happen or so it was broke. Well, did you hear that Carrie King put a band together and it was basically Slayer minus Tom?
00:02:57
Speaker
Uh, kind of. I mean, I know I think Phil from machine heads playing in it and, uh, well, of course, Carrie, I didn't see who the drummer is. I thought that was Mustaf. Okay.
00:03:10
Speaker
I was just thinking about, so when they announced that, like, um, so I first saw, uh, Bostoff, Bostoff or Bostoff. I don't know how to pronounce the last name, but whatever. Yeah. I saw him in the very first show I ever saw at the Newport music calling here in Columbus, which was in, um, August of 91. I think it was, uh, excellent. This was headlining and this band called forbidden was opening up and I was a huge forbidden, uh, fan and the drummer of that band is Paul.
00:03:38
Speaker
And he had like a broken wrist and he was still doing all the crazy shit with like this busted wrist. Wow, damn. And then when he joined Slayer, I'm like, oh, this is going to be simple for him. So. I mean, he was playing with Slayer the one time I got to see him, which was on their final tour.
Farewell Tours and Pantera Rumors
00:03:57
Speaker
Nice. Which is back in 2018.
00:04:01
Speaker
It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I've learned and you know this as well that a farewell tour doesn't really mean a farewell tour until pretty much anybody's in the ground, you know? Well, even then, um, Hanuman. Well, yeah, I didn't like the static X thing and all that stuff, which I am very curious. I kind of want to see that live and see how that that goes. That and, um, Pantera. Holy fucking what?
00:04:28
Speaker
Yeah. See, like the Pantera thing, there's always been rumors that Zach was going to be a, you know, there would be this like thing of Pantera, but I don't know how to feel about that because I was such huge fans of Diamond Vinny and Vinny up to the date. I was like, yeah, no, Pantera is done. Yeah, exactly. You know, I mean, I've been to like their grave sites and stuff, you know, just to pay tribute when I was in the Dallas area and, um,
00:04:58
Speaker
I think maybe, I don't know if I told you this, I was supposed to be at that show that night here at the El Rosa here in Columbus. Oh my gosh. And I started a new shift at Nationwide Insurance and they wouldn't let me have it off. So me and another coworker started the second shift and then when I was leaving, I got the calls that, hey, something's happened.
00:05:16
Speaker
at Del Rosa tonight. But anyway, long story short, I have video that I've never uploaded of me hanging out with Dime in Columbus on the vulgar display of power tour. Holy shit, get out.
00:05:32
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's a very brief it's only like a minute or two But it's me him saying I always always used to have these bands say hi to my brother on video Because my brother would never go to the shows. So I had all these bands like faith no more and testament and Well dime and Rex from Pantera saying hi to my brother Dime was making fun of my blue blockers then he took him from me and gave him back to me later in the day But yeah stuff like that man but
00:06:02
Speaker
Maybe come up with a different channel or something for that stuff. Uh, well, definitely, um, email Sean, if you can find his email on his YouTube, YouTube channel, then find his email address there, watch a video while you're there, but find his email address and let him know you want to see some old school fucking hard metal videos.
00:06:30
Speaker
Yeah, that's literally the only way to contact me. That's it. That's it. And, you know, full transparency sake, that's the way we got a hold of you in the first place. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You're a hundred back man. Was that 2020? Probably cold call email. Yeah. I was, I think I got the email while I was at Kings Island.
00:06:55
Speaker
And I asked somebody who I was with, hey, do you know much about that your favorite coaster sucks?
Podcasting, YouTube, and Content Challenges
00:07:01
Speaker
And he put his hand over his head and said, you're not going to be on that show. And I said, no, no, no. I said, is it bad or good? And they're like, dude, like, they'll pull out the bad side in you. And I'm like, then let's do it.
00:07:20
Speaker
I mean, I guess if that's the reputation we have, that's just the reputation we have. Yeah. So, uh, hats off to Dan if he's hearing this right now. So yes. Thank you, Dan. I guess the approach is any reputation is just a reputation, which is better than nothing. So that's the last man. There is no such thing as bad press. There was a musician I used to work with who, who would say, hate me or embrace me. Either way, you're listening.
00:07:51
Speaker
I'm like, Oh, that's it. Yeah. I mean, what else is there? You know, but yeah, it's, it's been, uh, it's, it's just been, uh, I just been doing this. So the last podcast you guys did, or maybe there's another one that you've recorded since the one I just listened. Um, but number, first of all, thank you for the mention. That was very kind. And then, um, Ben, you said you watched one of my old Euro stuff. Was it the 2002 stuff?
00:08:17
Speaker
I think so. The ACO. There's been a couple of times where I've just been like stuck in an airport or like bored at home. And I like long form content without ads or like sometimes I just want to watch something that I don't have to think about because YouTube like you get stuck in those like recommended lists and then like you just get into like ads and oh yeah short videos and just like irrelevant stuff so. And how many fucking VPNs do I need to buy?
00:08:47
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I, I have the YouTube premium, so I don't see the ads. So I forget like when I literally, I mean, I forget that when I upload long form stuff, um, I have it set though. It's supposed to only have an ad at the beginning and maybe one at the end, but like people have been like, dude, I'd love your stuff, but there's an ad every minute and a half. And like, I have no control over that, you know, um, but I'll do too much long stuff anymore. So.
00:09:16
Speaker
Yeah, like the coaster. I mean, like any like older coaster tour stuff I just find fun to watch because it's hard to find. I mean, I guess some of the newer YouTube's do like a vlog style, but it's not the same when.
00:09:33
Speaker
I guess like it's a video seem different when you're like recording selfie mode when you know it's going on a YouTube vlog versus just like older form content when like that wasn't a thing. Yeah, you're just doing it for like your friends and things like that. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I totally understand that. I mean, it's just
00:09:51
Speaker
I've noticed a lot of people that do like the vlogging stuff, they have to like kind of get into character. And then I see like two sides of the person and I'm just like, man, I don't know if that would be just kind of a strange on-off constantly. And I've watched people like
00:10:14
Speaker
not be very nice to people that watch other stuff too. And I, that just is a big turn off. And I'm just like, Hey, you know, you have your style. Other people have their style, but treat everybody with respect. You know, this isn't a Hollywood movie we're talking about here. So not to mention if somebody's fucking cool enough to check out your stuff and support you.
00:10:42
Speaker
you know, the exact least you could do is be like, Hey, thanks for sporting. Yeah.
00:10:49
Speaker
What the heck is going on? Sorry, my cat is freaking out over this piece of plastic. So, um, anyway, uh, yeah, I've just, I've watched the, the, the, both the good and the bad. And I've met a lot of bands growing up. Like we're talking about the band stuff earlier that I've also met people that were really nice and people that were incredibly rude. And that's how people are, you know, they're, that everybody was the same, boring world, but, um,
00:11:19
Speaker
I don't know. I guess I don't relate to the... And getting back, yes, you are right. It is different the way that people record it. And because they have an audience now, they get money now. If they don't do the right thing, they're going to lose views. And I think that's where the issue is. I just wish that the whole view thing would just go away.
00:11:42
Speaker
money in terms of making a living money was on the table. I think that changed everything about everybody at a theme park who brought a camera that wasn't just like a parent.
00:12:00
Speaker
Agreed. I mean, I learned the hard way. I learned the hard way that you're not supposed to do certain things on YouTube. Nothing major, but if they think, hey, this is not good for our channel, they have every right to take it down. I have no problem with that. I just wish they would do a better job of explaining why. And so you have to be very careful what you post an upload nowadays.
00:12:27
Speaker
100% of everything on my channel is just stuff that I recorded. I'm now to the point where when I had some downtime, I decided, you know, I'm just going to go deep comb through the archives again, upload stuff that I haven't just from back in the day and have now uploaded so much stuff that I'm now in February of 2025. So,
00:12:52
Speaker
There's a video coming out like every week and a half until 2025 of old stuff for this. Wow. Just, just crazy, really cringy, geeky coaster things just to warn you. But I know that's right up your alley as well. So enjoy. And where can everybody find this? Just my YouTube channel, Sean Flirty S-E-A-N-F-L-A-H-A-R-T-Y. That's all I have.
00:13:18
Speaker
So go fucking subscribe. Yes, please do. Most of my subscribers come from India. So if somebody from India is listening to this right now, welcome. Interesting. Yeah. It's all because of that Griffin off ride video. That's where all the views come from India. Most of them wild. Yeah. Who would have guessed? I wonder if there's it's, it's like a, would you ride this type of meme over there or something?
00:13:49
Speaker
Um, a lot of it there's so the problem is, um, and I can show you the exact number, but I've, I've had the file over like 20, I think 700.
00:14:01
Speaker
copyright claims for that video. And it's not, I don't care if people use it. It's just that they take it and do all kinds of crazy stuff to it, like speed it up and reverse it and stuff, you know, without asking. I'm just like, Hey, so I'll, YouTube will say, do you want us to take this down? And I'll say yes. So send them, you know, I'm not very popular with some people because of that, but Hey, you know, just ask, you know, I got no problem with anybody last using that stuff. Just ask, put a credit somewhere. That's it.
00:14:32
Speaker
And that's a note to all of our listeners that have their own YouTube channels. Right? Yeah, exactly. Don't do it for views. Views at one point is now people think they're more, they're better of a person because they have a higher number. And I just don't understand that. But that is to say, if you're working on some sort of video project that involves, um,
00:15:03
Speaker
I said at this point, it would be archival footage on Sean's channel. Then he's saying all you have to do is reach out and ask. Yeah, that's it. And the only reason I asked for credit. Yeah, exactly. If. If you if you ask for credit.
00:15:28
Speaker
then, you know, yeah, I'll take a credit. It's not a mandatory thing, but just allow people to figure out where the original came from. That's it. That's it. No ego. Well, there's like a domestic violent thing going above me. Where are you at right now? I'm in a residence in Omaha. Oh, wow.
00:15:51
Speaker
Hey, I just heard, I just, I heard this woman like screaming and like pounding. She's like throwing shit. Are you sure it's not like some sort of fantasy playing out? No, I don't know what the fuck, but that was, that was terrifying.
00:16:16
Speaker
She was just repeatedly stomping and screaming and shit was hitting the walls because it's a hotel, so walls are thin. Well, are you going to go check it out? Yeah, I was going to say, maybe you should call. I'm going to poke my head out.
00:16:35
Speaker
Be careful. Wow. I've had something similar happen at the fricking super eight near Carowinds years ago where there was a woman like smashing the lamps and stuff in the room or the lights and yelling at her husband and we went down and we're like, we're not staying here. There's no way. So they put us on a different floor. It's totally stopped now.
00:17:03
Speaker
So, well, somebody got murdered. I don't know. That was weird. Editor's note, cut that joke.
Roller Coasters and Forum Nostalgia
00:17:13
Speaker
Yeah. Editor's note, keep this as evidence. That Ben was on the call.
00:17:36
Speaker
So, holy shit. All right. I know I came up with a whole list of shit of interesting coaster top. Yeah, I got to look at it again because I have to see. And the very top of the list is one that I think definitely we ought to dive into. And that is that officially wreck dot roller coaster, the longtime. Original. Coaster forum, I suppose.
00:18:06
Speaker
Yeah, email group slash forum. Is shutting down. Now it will it will remain in an archival state. But no new content can be contributed at this point. Well, unless something else picks it up, I would think, I mean, I don't know how that works, or do you think it's done done? I mean.
00:18:36
Speaker
Well, so I think it's just the Google or whatever the service, whatever Google service it is, they're, they're turning it down. Which also makes me wonder, like, I wonder how many other message boards other than RRC were also still alive. Yeah. I used to go to, gosh, there was only a few of them, um, coaster buzz. I used to go to,
00:19:03
Speaker
Uh, ultimate roller coaster, I think was another one. And then that was pretty much it for me. I didn't, I didn't go to many, there were so many to choose from. And, uh, a lot of them, I didn't know what they were. You know, somebody would say, Hey, do you know this? Like, well, there was, there was a couple like six flags, great America ones, wasn't there? For instance.
00:19:26
Speaker
Yeah, it's game world. That one still exists. Shout to the game world. Not super active, but it's still there. I remember the very first forum I posted on for Coasters was Thrill Network. Oh, yeah. Not sure whatever happened to that place. But through there, I found no TPR are in the gap and. Because your buzz.
00:19:54
Speaker
I know. I was on Coaster Force. I think Coaster Force was the first one I ever posted on. That was probably like 2002. Wow. Maybe. And then through there I went to Theme Park Review. I never have been on the Theme Park Review forum. I was on the website many years ago when it was like a photo website type thing, like a trip report.
00:20:22
Speaker
Yeah. But I've never been to the forum, but, um, rec roller coaster. I mean, do you guys, do you guys remember the RRC stickers before they even had RRC buttons? I don't think I saw them in real life, but I remember seeing like people's pictures of other people wearing them. Oh, okay. Okay. Cause it's the very first event I ever met like another RRC year in person was, um,
00:20:49
Speaker
the blue streak bash. It was a dusk till dawn ERT at Kanye Lake. Whoa. What, what the hell? Ben, did you just fart? I guess I did. Wow. That was impressive. I didn't realize that would pick him up.
00:21:10
Speaker
That was a barking spider, man. That was a mouse on a Harley, dude. That was impressive. I almost thought it was like one of those old school door stoppers. That's what I thought. Wow. OK. Oh, no, it was actually a fart knocker. Somebody has to sample that.
00:21:33
Speaker
I've been doing like this weird like noise music stuff for like whenever I want to do like a live stream of my channel I can have like a countdown clock because I just do them spontaneous I don't like really announce some weeks in advance or maybe I should I don't know but I I took that that that sound from dragster the the big you know launch sound and
00:21:58
Speaker
I spread it out over three minutes. So there's like this crazy, like, it sounds like a piano. Yo, those fucking textures have got to be nuts. It's crazy. It sounds like a piano is getting its cables cut in a way, like going up the piano gets higher. But I'm curious if I just blew the surprise. So anybody hears, it's going to know what it is. But I'm curious that anybody that's not listening to this would be like, what the hell is that awful sound?
00:22:26
Speaker
Well, my question to you is, have you taken that and then resampled a small part of it? No, that's a good idea to a MIDI, like have it stretched out over a MIDI like almost like a like a sampler, you know, have it stretched out over a keyboard so you can get it in different frequencies. Yeah, different. That would be good, too. I also hit a back mask. I do this in my videos sometimes where
00:22:57
Speaker
You'll hear this man's voice talking in reverse. And what that actually is, is when I was going through my archives, I found this POV that I recorded at the California version of Splash Mountain with Chris Murray in 2002. And we got stuck at the bottom on the lift, and they played the like, please remain seated.
00:23:22
Speaker
prayer rabbits up to his tricks or something like that. You know, the themed e-stop messages. And that's what that is in reverse. Wow. I hid it in there. I'll have to send it to you tonight. It's just, it's, it's, it's a five minute thing of nothing, but it's just very noisy. Okay. Question for you. Yeah. Did you ride rocket rods? Yes, I did. I have a POV on my channel. Get the fuck out of here. Yeah. I got a POV on my channel. I only read it once the time I shot the POV.
00:23:52
Speaker
April 2000 when I wrote it. The thing at Disney, right? Yeah. How was it? Strange. I didn't understand it. It was like, um, now correct me if I'm wrong. When it first opened, didn't it do like wheelies? I think not intentionally because of the weight distribution of the car itself.
00:24:19
Speaker
and how weirdly designed the entire thing was. OK, because by the time I got there, it wasn't doing it. It wasn't doing it like when I got there, but.
00:24:32
Speaker
Like I was there with like some of the locals that go there all the time and they were just like, we want you to ride this because we want you to tell us what you think. And I wrote it and I'm like, it's like fun. I never rode the people mover, so I couldn't really like compare it to that. But it was fun. It was just really strange, like the sound effects and stuff.
00:24:55
Speaker
And I don't know, man. I'm shocked. I was at the park in last April and I was shocked to see that track still there. Yeah, just fucking empty and dead and doing nothing. Yeah, but I think they're going to be doing something with it. That's my guess. All right. So, OK.
Disney Parks Experiences and Technology
00:25:15
Speaker
All right. So then I'll pose this to you. I don't know how much of a Disney fan you are particularly, but you may know that they do their, um, bi-annual fan conventions where they do, they tend to load up their park announcements. Yeah. And that's coming up in August. So.
00:25:36
Speaker
Do you have any predictions ranging from mild to all the way out there balls to the wall? I don't see. I mean, I love what Disney does, but like I'm not like the biggest Disney fan for thrills.
00:25:56
Speaker
That it's having said that my favorite park in the world is Disney Park, but it's because it doesn't feel like a Disney Park. It's Disney Sea. It's just something completely different. Now, I don't know like I would have they announced that they're going to put like another galaxy's edge anywhere? Nope, not as of yet. OK, because I definitely could see that happening. I just don't have any idea where it would be.
00:26:23
Speaker
Probably if they announce it, my guess would probably be studios in Paris. Oh, OK. If I just had to pick because they don't own.
00:26:41
Speaker
the Tokyo parks, right? Those are owned by somebody else so they can choose what they want. Yeah, it's a weird thing. The contrast between both those parks is crazy. Like one feels just very similar to the American Disney parks, or the other one just feels completely different.
00:27:03
Speaker
I'm going back this year and, uh, I'll be able to do like, um, beauty and the beast and stuff like that. That was being built when I was there last time. So that ride looks amazing. I'm purposely not looking at like POVs, like not studying it. Um, that's what the thing I've been on this last couple of years is not learning everything about a ride and, uh, being very surprised like for your first ride. So that's what I kind of want to do with that. For sure. Well, I will say it looks amazing.
00:27:34
Speaker
I got to ask that. Have you seen the video of the Tiana animatronic? I don't believe so. Look that up when you have a chance. OK. Because. The movement is so fluid. And they brought back a full face animatronic to the States. And on the frozen ride, you know,
00:28:03
Speaker
how weird the screen or, um, seven doors mind train. Oh yeah. I've done the seven doors. Yeah. You know how weird those screen faces are? Yes. Yeah. So like the, the Tiana animatronic has a real face. Oh, interesting. And the movements are like really good. So, um, no, I haven't. Do you know, do you know Justin Garvanovic?
00:28:32
Speaker
I don't think so. He runs the European Coaster Club. Um, he, he, when he did seven dwarfs, he took pictures with a flash of those faces. And if you take a picture of the flash, the, the face turns black. It's just a black face with like a red nose. That is nightmarish. Yeah. It's really disturbing looking. I don't know if it was just his camera, but he put it, he put the images in the first drop magazine. I remember seeing him in there. I mean, Lord, that is,
00:29:03
Speaker
Horrifying, but that's what I'm saying It was an interesting idea, but like It didn't work so easily more than what mystifies me because it's like it didn't work once Why would you do it more than? Fucking once yeah, you went on the seven doors mind train, right? And no Wait, which one is that in Magic Kingdom the small mind brain? No
00:29:33
Speaker
The Snow White one? I don't think so. Has those really strange cars. Yeah, they rock side to side, kind of like an arrow suspended. They really can't feel it very much. Not when the ride's going, but if you purposely rock them when you're in the station, you can. Oh, there you go. Wait, what's happening to the ride?
00:29:59
Speaker
Oh, nothing. I was just saying the animatronics on there don't have faces. It's kind of like, have you seen like those LED masks? Yeah, it's like that. And it just purged like the face of like. Bashful or dopey or sleepy or sneezy or whatever, you know.
00:30:29
Speaker
I think they use that in the Mickey's Runaway ride too, correct? They do. Yeah. But it doesn't look as weird there because they're cartoons. Like cartoon looking cartoons. You know what I mean? Yeah. I don't think they use that in Rise of the Resistance anywhere. I think that's all like... Now, when you wrote that, did you get the Kylo Ren animatronic? Yes. Okay.
00:30:55
Speaker
I made, this is silly, I made a promise to my friend Rick who's a Disney Imagineer that I wouldn't ride anything or experience anything in the galaxy's edge unless I was with him for the first time. Like he was like, let me take you through it for the first time. So it's taken until last year for me to go through it. Having said that, on my first ride on Rise, I got that big kind of ending scene with what you're talking about.
00:31:25
Speaker
but I didn't record any of it because he told me, put your camera down and get the experiences. You only get one first ride experience it. So like by the time I went back and wrote it a second time to record it, I got that second ending. That's not as good. I've only gotten to experience it in a mode.
00:31:49
Speaker
And like, I've heard it frequently runs in B mode now, and I'm very glad for all the people that have to experience it that way. Yeah, I mean, it's a strange way. If you've only seen the B mode, then I don't think it would be that big of a difference. But if you saw the first one, then you're like, oh, you know,
00:32:11
Speaker
Because there's so much that happens on that ride that it's like sensory overload. So if something's not working, they do a pretty good job of like distracting you from it. But if you've ridden it several times and gotten to see different things, I mean, um, I think the cost for just one of those was $1.1 billion.
00:32:30
Speaker
And I mean, what, and they put, they built two of them and maybe a third one on the way soon. Who knows? I mean, if they ain't fixing the Yeti, they ain't fixing Kylo Ren. Oh, that's you know, the first time I wrote it, um, you know, the scene in the elevator with, uh,
00:32:49
Speaker
The lightsaber comes through the roof. Oh, that shit's fucking crazy. It is. It didn't work the first time I did it. And I could tell the people I was with, they were like, oh, well, we'll try it again. And I was like, well, what did I miss? Because I purposely didn't want to look at anything on that ride. I was in a coaster enthusiast like party once and they played a POV of that like on the screen.
00:33:11
Speaker
And I'm like, oh, crap, I don't want to be like the awkward one and leave the room. So I sat there and watched it. So I knew I knew what it was going to do, but I didn't know like the order of what I was going to do it in, you know. I mean, I see one of the most impressive parts of that ride is when the stormtroopers shoot you and a little piece of the ceiling disappears. Yeah. Yeah. Just a tiny little chunk. Yep.
00:33:38
Speaker
Yep. Just little things like that, that the average guest wouldn't know, but people like us will, I mean, that just goes to show you people that are like us build those rides. There's type of rides. They put little things in there that people like us would notice or definitely the Disney, you know, diehards for sure. I mean, yeah. Cause those little details are the parts that you go, Oh, this really is, it feels real.
00:34:05
Speaker
It's immersive, you know? I think there's seven different manufacturers that made that ride. I think that's what I was told I found. Maybe that number's off. That's crazy, think about. Ben, have you been on Rise of the Resistance? No, there's all that Disney stuff recently that I've not been on. Didn't you go to Disney World? This year, no. No, like last year?
00:34:33
Speaker
No, no, I haven't been to Orlando and like, I can't do math. None of the star Wars, none of the, not Tron, not, uh, yeah, I mean, 2019, 2019, I think is when the, oh wow.
00:35:01
Speaker
Disney seems like a such a hassle now. Like I was in a, like I was unemployed for like four weeks and I went down to Florida and they hit a bunch of parks, but like I thought about Disney and I'm like, this is such a hassle now. Like I just kind of skipped it. Yeah. I'm the same way. It's just, it's just gotten too big for its britches, so to speak. Disney world is kind of like that, but to me, like Disneyland,
00:35:29
Speaker
is like, that's my number one park. Oh, wow. That's that's wild, dude. Well, the thing is, Disneyland is still like a day like I know it's you should probably some more than a day there, but like it's still kind of a day park. Disney World is like you got to make a reservation six months in advance. You got to like get up at five a.m. and reserve all the rides you want to ride.
00:35:55
Speaker
Even then, you have to like plan for multiple days in case you don't get a reservation. It's just too, I don't know, it's just too much. It's not quite like that right now. Although it does still suck. I mean, wasn't there a time, though, at Disney, you basically had to reserve your ride. Fastpass is like six months in advance. Yeah, that was Fastpass plus. Right now they're doing Genie plus an individual lightning lane.
00:36:25
Speaker
And basically all the rides are on genie plus, but you still only get one per day. And they sell out. Even if you bought a genie plus each rattle sell out and then like Tron and guardians of the galaxy and seven door doors. And rise of the resistance are all individual lightning lane where you have to pay like 20 to 30 bucks per ride.
00:36:56
Speaker
And you can only go on it one time. I just wish this whole Cheetah Line system for every park would just go away.
Theme Park Management and Fast Pass Critiques
00:37:06
Speaker
It was designed for a system that wasn't broke to begin with. If you put high capacity rides and have a great crew, there's no need for that other than the extra money. You know what I mean? And now it's gotten to the point of where I do most of the trips
00:37:22
Speaker
the coaster trips that I do by myself because so many other people, if I'm at a park with want to do that and I don't want to do that option, you know. I can see the benefit of doing it, don't get me wrong, but it's just, it's gotten out of hand. It's, I mean, it's just, it's just gotten out of hand.
00:37:40
Speaker
Well, like I would almost pay, I would rather pay more per visit and not have to deal with it. Especially thinking how, I mean, the most ridiculous fast lane thing I saw was at Kings Island once for, it was like Halloween games, probably in 2019. And I was waiting in line for the beast and it was a full queue, but even a full queue really shouldn't take more than like,
00:38:06
Speaker
45 minutes without fast lane. And I got up to the station and they were basically letting like 90% full trains of just fast lane. Yes. Because the fast lane line hit like 45 minutes. And so then like someone came up as like, Oh, you got to clear out the fast lane line. And so then like the standby line just didn't move for an hour.
00:38:32
Speaker
So I just wish they would just at this point, just like get rid of it and just charge more per day. I don't know. It's just. Or like Cedar Point, I mean, like back in the day or before Fastlane, like. Like a half, like a full queue line from Millennium Force was like maybe 45 minutes with three trains. Yep. It wasn't that bad. And now it's like two hours. Yeah.
00:39:01
Speaker
It's just crazy. I remember when Six Flags Worlds of Adventure was still around, an opening year for X-Flight, the Vekoma flying coaster. I was there with somebody from out of town that just wanted to credit, so we were like, oh, we might as well just wait it out. And we were there on a Saturday.
00:39:19
Speaker
And they were wanting one train on a Saturday with a full queue. And that thing only has seven rows and four of those rows, they had reserved for the cheat to lines people and nobody was using it. So they didn't, they didn't fill his rows up. So most of the time the trains were going out with three or four empty rows. It was ridiculous. Oh shit. Yeah, it was, it was, it was disgusting. And that's, that was the last day I ever went to that park.
00:39:48
Speaker
Under that management. Yeah, the mid 2000s like Six Flags era was it was pretty dark. Oh, yeah, because it was all about Bill, Bill, Bill. Yeah. Yeah, there was no like QC at that time.
00:40:13
Speaker
Yeah, it was, it was scary. I mean, it was weird seeing Geauga Lake turn into that Six Flags blunder and just watching it just get down the toilet. And then when you would, when Cedar Fair took over, it was promising, but then it just, it was just, boom, gone. Yeah, they only ran at what, like one year, two years? Yeah. Yeah. It's crazy to me that like,
00:40:41
Speaker
In that time is the time, the one time I got to visit Geauga Lake, like in 06. Oh, when it was back to Geauga Lake again? Yep. Oh wow. Right after. Early, early villain was good. Yeah. Oh yeah. For sure. Like when I go to a media day, it was incredible. And then, uh, and then they just didn't take care of it.
00:41:08
Speaker
And Ace had a toaster con there and it was running terrible then too, from what I remember. We were having a discussion about this. Did, do you know, did villain originally run with PTCs?
Coaster Trains and Ride Experience Changes
00:41:20
Speaker
No, no, it ran with the Gerstlauer trains from the very beginning. And then it, they were going to, from what I remember,
00:41:29
Speaker
Uh, the year it ran, like in the summer, it was like three months old. Somebody came back into the station holding the lap bar completely. Undetached from the ride.
00:41:40
Speaker
Yes. And so that's when like, I don't know if you, if you guys noticed the change, but like the Gerstlauer lap bars on their wooden coasters had like these weird tabs on the top of them added. And that had some sort of screw system in there to keep that from not happening again. And during that point they were like, Oh, we're going to have to, they were going to, I think they were going to take a train off of raging wolf bobs and throw it on, um, villain. And I don't know if that actually happened or not.
00:42:11
Speaker
But then Raging Whirlpobs had its weird derailment thing, like the last day it was open. I remember hearing about that. Yeah. So I know there was some CCI coaster that originally, because I know, so Legend had Gerstlowers that went to PTCs. Wasn't there a CCI that opened with PTCs and then went to Gerstlowers?
00:42:38
Speaker
Yes, it was the boss. They didn't have the Gerstlauer trains ready. Oh, that's what it was. And they put Eagles trains, if that's what you're thinking of. I know they ran PTC trains for media day on, on, um, the boss because the, the G trains weren't ready yet. That's what it was. Okay. Yeah. And I think, um, I think it was, there's one park
00:43:06
Speaker
It might've been Lake compounds that wanted our CCI recommended G trains and they were like, no, we want PTC trains and we're going to get them. Like they put their foot down and said, we're not wanting these G trains. I know like people always kind of argue that like legend was better with the Gerstlauer trains. Um,
00:43:34
Speaker
I don't know. I think they, they seem to run like the same speed. I kind of go back and forth. Like I kind of like, I kind of like the Gerstlauer trains. I feel like you get better air time with them. They're lighter. They're definitely lighter than the PTCs I think. And they definitely track differently. Legend with Gerstlauer train. It ran, uh,
00:43:56
Speaker
It was a little bit more of a airtime driven ride, I felt. And then when they put the PTCs on, they also re-profile the section before the double helix on legend to make that run a little bit quicker. So, um, I don't know. I never, I didn't.
00:44:14
Speaker
Another thing that Holiday World did that they changed is because opening year, Legend is such a laterally intense ride that the bars on those things would just dig into your sides. So there was a term called Legend Legs, if you guys remember that, where everybody had bruises. Then in the middle of summer, they retrofitted the bars to have like cutouts for your legs so that you wouldn't get those bruises from the laterals. So I know Holiday World tried everything to keep those trains
00:44:43
Speaker
favorable, but then when they had to go for capacity, they got those two PTCs. I mean, I know even watching the old POVs, you can tell those last turns, um, into the brakes or way flatter when it first opened. Oh yeah. And then, and now like when GCI did the, I think it was GCI did that whole repro filing. Now they're more banked. It feels like that last section feels more like a GCI now. I totally agree. Yeah, it's still good though.
00:45:11
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I haven't written in a couple of years, but still, but that's, uh, they, I would have been very interesting to see what would it, it would have been very cool to see what would have happened with the, if those coasters got timber liners on them, just to see what that would have felt like, you know, so, yeah, that probably, I think it would have killed it. Cause I wrote Hades 360. Yeah. Hades 360 open with the, or yeah, it originally had the timber liners.
00:45:41
Speaker
of the year that it went 360. And I remember the pacing, it like killed the pacing completely. That's probably why they changed that third hill or that hill coming back. They lowered one of the hills. I haven't ridden it since they've done that. Yeah. I mean, it would almost roll back on that hill. And then the whole last finale kind of was, was a lot slower. Oh, wow.
00:46:08
Speaker
Who knows what's going to work for wood coaster trains or so much? Yes. Sorry, didn't mean to cut you off. But you're good. I have a two part question, though. Yeah. Did you ride Megazaff? Many times. Do you think it should be RMC'd right now? Not right now. Oh, you guys are crazy.
00:46:36
Speaker
Uh, I would love to see that thing come back, but I think it's too, I don't know. Some of the biggest questions I get from my channels from that park. So didn't it, didn't it have like, uh, I don't even know what term you call it. Like a Quinn tuplet up ending where it was just like seven bunny Hills in a row. It was kind of like that weird Phoenix thing it does. Um,
00:47:05
Speaker
They had, yeah, the ending reminded me like Phoenix's ending with the helix. They had these like little micro pops of air.
00:47:14
Speaker
And like the pacing on that ride was just, it was designed well. It just, the pacing was just continuous. It just kept on, it seemed like it got faster. And I wish more people would have got to ride that thing because there, there wasn't, there wasn't a ton of reviews from what I remember. Like I didn't know anything about going on that ride before I wrote it for the first time. Well, it was on the open like four years, five years, something like that.
00:47:39
Speaker
Like I'll be honest, of the wood coasters I didn't get to ride that were around in my lifetime. Hold on. Excuse me. Of the wood coasters I did not get to ride that were around during my lifetime. The only one that I think beats that out in terms of how badly I wanted to ride it is, and I'm sure you're about to school me on this one, the Texas Cyclone.
00:48:10
Speaker
Oh, wow. That's interesting. Okay. Uh, I was never a huge fan of that coaster. Um, I wrote it the first time in 98 and it was terrible. It's when I had this weird coffin car type things. If you remember this, uh, Morgan. Yeah, it was like, it was terrible. It was like writing a wooden coaster. Why they're sitting in a phone booth. And, um, it was terrible, but then like,
00:48:37
Speaker
I went back, I think it must've been the final year is before they announced that it was closing. I know that, but they had taken those off and it was such a better ride. And I really enjoyed that ride, but I only got one more ride on it. I wish I would have written it. It was, it was, if I'm not mistaken, the largest of the cyclone clones, perhaps, statistically wise, maybe I'm wrong there. I mean, I just remember hearing
00:49:06
Speaker
A lot of people talk about that one as opposed to most of the other cyclone clones. Apparently it had opened up and it was very aggressive. And I never, I got it later in its life. So I never got to write it right when it was new. And that's probably why, you know, that's why Coasters back then got the reputation they did.
00:49:30
Speaker
It's the reason my Magnum ended up on top 10 lists or the beast. Yeah, that's true to this day. Yeah. That is true. I 100% agree. I mean, that's the thing about it. There's a lot of, uh, kind of folklore that surrounds this stuff too. You know, when, uh, people get on, like you said, the beast is not for everybody. Enthusiasts in general, you know, they're very polarizing on it, but.
00:49:58
Speaker
The people that don't know anything about it, they usually leave that ride and they're just like, wow, something like I've never experienced before. I think that's why the park enjoys it so much and they haven't altered it.
00:50:09
Speaker
And look, that's not to bash anybody who enjoys or rates those rides highly. That's not an indictment on anybody's opinion. Exactly. What it just demonstrates is that the most amount of people rode those rides earlier on before they became what they are now, whereas if you ride them for the first time in 2024,
00:50:39
Speaker
you're getting a very different experience than the person who rode the beast for the first time in 1984. Right. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Well, like I always joke too, it's like boomers who were like doing acid in the seventies and rode the beast opening year back before like anybody knew what the ride was. So just imagine like,
00:51:06
Speaker
It's a 70s. You have no idea what the ride is going to do. You sit down and like here on acid and then like you just ride that ride. It's probably totally different. They get back to the station. They're like, I don't think the ride's over yet, man.
00:51:22
Speaker
It's probably it wouldn't yeah I didn't get to ride the beast until 1990 and the main reason I didn't write is because number one I was terrified of coasters, but most importantly I couldn't see what the beast did other than its lift tail I needed to know what it did and anybody that I know that wrote it that was just like oh dude It just goes really far away and comes back, and I'm like what I mean is there hills is there loops You know what is it? Oh? It just goes really far and comes back and that scared the hell out of me and
00:51:50
Speaker
I'm like, I don't get, I'm not getting on that tour until, you know. Are there hills? No, not really. Are there loops? No. No. Yeah. But what does it do? Not much except follows the terrain. It kind of goes far and kind of like, have you ever driven really fast in the woods?
00:52:12
Speaker
You know, part of my favorite thing about that ride is if you ride it on a summer night, you can feel the temperature change as it goes from the top of the lift to the bottom of the valley. You can feel that it's 200 foot difference. You can actually feel that it get colder as it goes down the valley till you hit the second lift. It's always a trip to do that.
00:52:35
Speaker
I mean, I gotta say for as much, and I don't feel like I've given it shit. I just feel like it's overrated in general. Yeah, I can, I have no, I totally agree with that. It's not, it's kind of ego, you know, if that's, there's coasters that can have egos, but you know what I mean? It's all folklore. It's what makes it what it is. If it opened up today,
00:53:03
Speaker
with nobody knowing its stats or anything. Everybody be like, what the hell? And what is this? But I caught it on a October night in 2019. It was running fucking fierce. Was that the, that was the day I met you, I think. No, that was 2020 when I met you. Yeah. Year before. Yeah. But same time of year though,
00:53:34
Speaker
Like, yeah, it can have decent rides. I've written son of beast with Chris Murray and we had an actual decent ride on it. Yeah, it was, it was fierce, man. It was the best ride I ever had on the beast. Yeah, it was good. I enjoyed it. I still don't think it's the best roller coaster I've been on. No, it's not.
00:54:01
Speaker
Yeah, I just, I'm not trying to discredit anybody's opinion. Oh no, no, no. That's, that's what makes this whole thing interesting. Anyway, you know, um, if everybody said they like sky rush, you know, how fun would sky rush be? It would be boring if everybody had the same experience, you know? Yeah. I also think that people mistake the term overrated as being shit talk.
00:54:29
Speaker
Yeah.
Coaster Terminology and Records Debates
00:54:30
Speaker
There was this, well, there's that, and then there's this, all those, do you remember this bizarre thing when, like, Millennium Force kind of introduced us to, like, the overbanked turn, or, you know, Intamin did, right? Yeah. And I just remember there was this whole group of, like, specifically younger enthusiasts that were calling any turn on the coaster an overbanked turn.
00:54:51
Speaker
And, um, somebody was describing the little zigzags that go through the cop cars on Italian job. Oh, the thing's loaded with overbank turns. And I'm like, what the hell? Like what happened? Like the, the coast, like the, the coaster education system, whatever that is, just fade off. I mean, I always just get a kick, but I'm not making funny remains. You know what I mean? Like everything's changed and I just don't know why it's changed. Well, now that you brought that up,
00:55:21
Speaker
I'm going to circle back to something that we kind of were talking about basically since the beginning in this show. And that's the term hybrid in the roller coaster world. Gotcha. What what the fuck is this? I was watching some video.
00:55:47
Speaker
And somebody was talking about like Steel Vengeance and Iron Gwazi. Yeah, those are great examples of hyper hybrids. And I'm like, what? I mean, it's all marketing term when you get down to it. But apparently.
00:56:09
Speaker
We're now counting the support structure? Well, you know, this wasn't an issue when Jim and I opened, I don't think. That's what I'm saying, I'm like... I mean, even Six Flies calls Medusa at Mexico a Medusa steel coaster. Right, and it's right in the name! Steel Vengeance! Iron Gwazi! Iron Rattler! Like...
00:56:35
Speaker
It's a strange, I fell into it at the very beginning. I was calling like those types of RMCs like hyper or hybrids at first, but then a couple of people were like, well, no, there's a different way to look at that. If it's running on steel track, then it's a steel coaster. If it's running a wood track, you know, there's so many different things. One thing I agree on, I'm very happy that we can argue about that. This means there's more coasters being built.
00:56:59
Speaker
Uh anytime somebody agreed but at the same time I I just don't there. Um, okay, so um Apparently, you know There's all these different coaster records that everybody can go for At any time for something that's new they can just load up on records. Okay, but
00:57:18
Speaker
somebody I know that had to approve those records for Guinness said that Six Flags wanted to have like this, and I'm paraphrasing here, but some crazy record like the world's longest floorless coaster on the West coaster that's painted blue. Like they were throwing like colors for records and things and trying to get these records because somebody had a similar ride. And I'm like, where's it going to end? You know,
00:57:45
Speaker
I think, uh... Well, I think, um... What was it? Was it Evil Knievel? When Six Flags opened that ride, it was like, um...
00:58:02
Speaker
Vertical drop roller coaster on the East Coast without a holding brake. Yes It was it was um, it was Daredevil dive it was they they they marketed the little trim brake at the top and said the southeast first vertical beyond vertical drop coaster with a
00:58:26
Speaker
Trim break because then Dollywood was like hey, we have mystery mine and it does the same something similar So they yeah, they had to come up with some crazy It's just ridiculous Thing you know we were talking about the RC stuff and I remember when people are trying to guess Millennium Force and the only thing I knew about it is gonna be a giga coaster because someone said that was gonna be the marketing thing that they were choosing and
00:58:52
Speaker
that was going to be put on the car. I'm like, what the hell is a giga coaster? Right. So it, it doesn't say anything about the ride itself. Just, it's all, it's all marketing thing, man. So when parks do that stuff. Yeah. I always thought it was based off of just like what the rate, uh, what the tracks were. Yeah, it can be. I mean, I,
00:59:21
Speaker
I have no problem with anybody that wants to say things differently. You know, just, uh, well, I count this as a coaster and you don't, you know, that type of stuff, more power to, it doesn't affect me at all. You know, if you want to count, um, if they painted the track on still vengeance yellow one time and counted as no coaster, go for it. I don't care. Doesn't bother me. Yeah. I don't.
00:59:47
Speaker
I don't care what people count because that's, that's a fruitless, uh, but, but can be entertaining debate to be had. But I am saying though, that if we're going to quantify what it, if, if we're just going to talk about how to qualify roller coasters broadly, I mean, if the supports are an element of it, wouldn't we have to include footers?
01:00:17
Speaker
Yeah, I see. There you go. It's, it's a never ending spiral of, you know, things that you could throw in there. And I noticed on your original list, you, you, you talk about, you know, top thrill to as a new credit. Um, what is your take?
01:00:36
Speaker
Well, I was prompted to say that, because it's already been a debate, but I wanted to bring it up with you, especially because I saw this week, the park posted on TikTok that their official take is that it is a new credit. I've written it before because surprise, surprise. Of course, the park says it's a new credit if you've written it before.
01:01:03
Speaker
You know, it's going to have to be one of those things where I'm going to have to write it and decide then because like Phantom's Revenge, I counted that different than Steel Phantom because over 50% of it was different.
01:01:17
Speaker
And if over 50% of top thrills different, you know, it comes to this silly equation and percentages for me. I shouldn't ever think even, even remotely be thinking of it that way, but I don't know. I, I, I, I'm going to have to write it because what, what is original on the ride top hat, right? Yeah. The top hat. Um, I think.
01:01:41
Speaker
I think technically the launch and the brake track is. All of the support structure for the launch and brakes. And potentially the supports for the station. Maybe the station building. OK. Hmm.
01:02:02
Speaker
Well, I guess it goes down to like is, um, is lightning rod a new credit with the eye box? Oh, wow. Yeah. See, um, I don't know. I mean, there has to be, well, maybe there doesn't have to be a line drawn, but for me, if like they took lightning rod completely out and rebuild it, it would be a different coaster. Like they did Hulk. I counted that two separate things. Cause 100% of everything on that coaster was replaced.
01:02:29
Speaker
But for, I don't know, see? Well, I would just like to point out that the whole point of this discussion is that not any one of us or this podcast, none of this is claiming to be the credit police here. So what we say only applies to our personal beliefs. Yeah, and shame on you for those that do put that shit on people. That's stupid. Well, it also kind of like, what the hell is Cedar Point doing?
01:03:00
Speaker
being like, yes, this is a credit. Because they're drawing a line in this hand about what is and isn't. I had some fun on Reddit yesterday on that someone posted that TikTok on Reddit, on the roller coaster Reddit, where they said like, it is a new credit. And I'm just like, no, it's not. And they cut 55 down votes and it is so many people.
01:03:29
Speaker
People, people want, you know, there's, I don't know if people think that by, by riding more coasters, there's this magical thing that happens and you're, you're, you're gifted.
01:03:41
Speaker
you know, a house or something for hitting a certain amount of numbers, but it's so big of a thing now. It's just, it's so weird to me. I mean, I think we're kind of like all in the same group here. Like we're kind of like the last of like the analog, so to speak, where we got to see this hobby.
01:04:04
Speaker
merge into what it is now and still remember exactly how it was when it was. So for the younger generation that doesn't know how it is and like they watch, you know, one of like the old POV videos from 2001 or whatever and say, Oh my God, it's so shaky. I can't watch it. Well, I'm sorry. Your phone has a, you know, this process where it makes it completely smooth. That's not how things were back then. You know, I think it's hard for people to realize that stuff. Who knows?
01:04:39
Speaker
So I'm breaking out the replies I got to this comment. It's pretty funny. You people, people, people replying in like full five paragraph, like essay response telling me I'm in the wrong hobby and like, Oh, Jesus. Why? What, what, what, what happened? Like what happened?
01:05:08
Speaker
Also like that subreddit does not understand. This is a place of inclusion. This is a place of inclusion. Get the hell out. Oh my God. I think that's like one of my most downvoted comments ever. Congratulations. You have put the FU in fun. That's the thing is like,
01:05:36
Speaker
Okay, so then pipe screams a credit then? Well, see, that's the weird thing. I think Cedar Point counts it and Kings Island doesn't or something like that. It was like that for a while. But if you're going to count top thrills being a new coaster, then why aren't you telling people that you lost a coaster as well? You know, if top thrill of the original wasn't around, what they, nobody, well, obviously they know what, you know,
01:06:02
Speaker
A lot of people know because of bad press, but like I said, there's no such thing as bad press. They're going to clearly define what a credit is.
01:06:14
Speaker
Because like I I do think that you can draw Some line I guess like you have I don't know and this is just me being a dick but like there is like we do have like empirical units of measurement for a reason for some things like if you Buy a pound of bananas the supermarket you put it on the scale. It's like well, it's upon a bananas it's not oh, it's actually point five pounds of bananas because I
01:06:41
Speaker
Insert reason like the same with coasters like well I guess it's like when people count like when they rename roller coasters and new credits because it's a new experience or yeah we knew a guy that counted when they flip the trains around backwards like that's a new credit.
01:07:02
Speaker
Yeah, Sean, I guess I'll put it to you this way, right? This is the closest one to one comparison we have. And that's going to be kind of a good pun in a way, right? Because X, X2, is that two different credits? I didn't count it as two. To me, the train difference doesn't make it a no.
01:07:27
Speaker
If it's got a different set of trains, if it goes from sit down to stand up, they painted it and there was music Metallica and Frank Sinatra. So if Helen Keller were to ride that coaster, would she be able to count it as another one? Because she's not experiencing that stuff either.
01:07:47
Speaker
I mean, that's a good question, but you know, I mean, I don't know. How does Helen Keller count credits? Well, I'm just saying that's terrible episode. Oh, I feel so terrible now. That was bad. Oh, Ben, by the way, did you move to Duluth?
01:08:07
Speaker
partially part-time. Okay. Well, I know I'm not trying to like change the subject or anything, but the only reason I wanted to ask you is because I've worked in Duluth a couple of times, I don't know, 10 years ago. And that's kind of a cool city with the, um, the, I don't know if they still have them with the walkways that like everything together that are elevated, like inside.
Personal Life Updates and Coaster Experiences
01:08:24
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's a, it's a cool city. Um, like my boyfriend and I just bought a house out there. Um,
01:08:33
Speaker
And so we're going out there part-time for now. I don't know what's going to happen if we'll be there full-time, but yeah, I love it. I love that place. There's a mountain coaster right around there too I've ridden, so... Yeah. Yep, there is a credit. It's, um... Well, what means to credit?
01:09:00
Speaker
It's a, it's a really cool mountain coaster because before I remember it starts at the top and goes all the way down the ends with the lift. Yeah, that's, that's right. It's, I think that one and the one in Glenwood are the only two I can think of that do that. That there's that, that crazy, crazy one I rode last year in Anakista in Tennessee, that, that, that single rail one. Is that one any good?
01:09:29
Speaker
It's, dude, I was not prepared for that. Like, um, that I feel, I mean, if I'm being honest, it felt like I kind of got ripped off. So it's like $40 or something just to take the, the sky right to the top of the park. And there's all kinds of stuff to do up there. Um, but then like the, the, the mountain coaster and one other attractions, like another 15.
01:09:56
Speaker
So you pay that and then like they were weighing me and I just, I was, I, I made it, but they were like, yeah, you know, depending on who's running the opera, it was just this really kind of loose process. Uh, but like, I mean, everybody was very, very cool. Don't get me wrong, but they were just like,
01:10:14
Speaker
Hey, this is the most intense one that's in the, in the, in the area. And you know, everyone's going to say that about their thing, but that, that one truly is the most intense one. There's it. I mean, I don't know if it's not banked, right, but there's like the laterals I've never felt ever on one of those coasters before like that. And it's, it's like you're riding on a pipe. You're not riding on like a track. The pipe coaster. Dingle rail, baby.
01:10:43
Speaker
Not to be confused with pipeline. Yes, exactly. Yeah. What's up with the RMSD scene? That's a single rail, first single rail. And like, there's been many single rail prototypes throughout the century. Yeah. There was a, there was a single rail coaster at Kings Island.
01:11:02
Speaker
Yeah. That crazy fricking ghoster coaster. I wrote that fucking thing. Yeah. I wrote it too. It was not male friendly. I read, I read like three different versions of it in Japan. The first time I was there too. It was. It was made by Caprio. Is that how you made the company's name? And it had a vertical lift, like an elevator lift. And then just to just like kind of weird figure eight thing. It didn't have like any uphill sections.
01:11:32
Speaker
They closed it in, uh, they took it out in 90 or no 2005. I mean, it had like an hour of the capacity of like 200 or something. Yeah. I wrote it the year it closed then. Damn. Yeah. Cause I think it opened like a 98 or something. Yeah. Shit. Yeah. That is a full on single rail. Yep.
01:12:03
Speaker
Even the, um, what were those, uh, those like, uh, quote blaster coasters. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Yep. Yeah. Really? So good. Hershey park. I wrote that one too.
01:12:21
Speaker
I've got footage of that being released even lower hourly capacity. Yeah, that thing was terrible that I did that one. The one that was at Carowinds and then the one that was at Hard Rock Park. Which that one was made by Premier. I think. Oh, I wish I went to Hard Rock Park. I missed it by a week. Oh, man. You know,
01:12:51
Speaker
You know, editor's note. You know, Chris Belson, right? I know that name. I don't know if I've met him. And if I have, I'm I'm absolutely terrible at names. I'm more definitely a visual guy. He was a Navy guy, if that helps at all. I do remember that. I remember he was at a no coaster con. I was at once, but I don't think I met him. Oh, OK.
01:13:18
Speaker
Anyway, yeah, he he and I had a trip planned. We were going to go because we were like he was like, hey, I think this place might close. You want to go? And I'm like, yeah, let's do it. So he like booked the flights and the rental car. And he's like, well, just in case they close, we'll go to Carowinds instead. Well, we went to Carowinds. Oh, gosh. Yep, it happened to be
01:13:47
Speaker
That was that weekend where they were supposed to be open and then they announced like, Oh, we're not opening. Oh, that's, that's terrible. I mean, I was there, I think it was a Friday in the summer and there was nobody there and perfect weather. And I knew the people I was there with where had hyped the park up to me and they're like, Oh, this is the new islands of adventure. You know, it's going to be,
01:14:15
Speaker
Wait until you see what this place is going to do, the expansion they want to do and all this stuff. And it became very clear before the middle of the day that that place was going to not survive. I mean, it was very clear, at least to me. It was just, they just didn't advertise out of Myrtle Beach. Nobody knew about it. Wasn't it like crazy pricey to get in there too at the time? No, I think
01:14:43
Speaker
Well, I mean, I think I paid, I think tickets were like 40 bucks, but then they lowered them to like 25 at one point or something to get people in and it didn't work. Like I remember being told there was like a expansion. They were going to like extend the layout of the maximum RPM at one point and stuff like that. But I don't know if that actually was going to happen or not. That's they were talking about things to improve it.
01:15:15
Speaker
I remember people from the area we got were like very defensive about that park. At least in the circle we hung out with at the time. Remember that? Especially in the gap, like you made a joke about Hard Rock Park failing and people like really offended.
01:15:37
Speaker
That's so weird. I know they really I think that's that was partially because like that was their local park. And it was a new thing. Yeah. Man, I forgot about those years, all those DVDs and stuff that Tommy put out. Yeah, I mean.
01:16:07
Speaker
I still have, I think three or four of them. I think I have them all still, um, that I'll just bust out randomly to like, you know, older enthusiasts that I'll be hanging out with be like, remember this? And we're watching me just like, how the hell, like if he uploaded that today, there's maybe canceled so quickly. Yeah, we busted that one out at a, our cabin meetup two years ago.
01:16:36
Speaker
That's funny. Oh, Hollywood, Hollywood Nights. No, we did it. Yeah, we did a cabin at Dollywood and did a whole weekend. Oh, I remember. You guys talked about that. Yeah. There's a live episode. All of our listeners can go check out recorded at that very cabin.
01:16:59
Speaker
with our friends from the probably defunct, but possibly not ride this one podcast. But yeah, that was a good time. Um, also we did a live recording in a
01:17:23
Speaker
an old theater here in Illinois, in Lake Egan, right near Great America. When I heard that, I was just like, holy crap. Like, how the hell did you guys get that pulled off? I mean, no disrespect to anything, but, you know, that's awesome that you guys got to do that.
01:17:44
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And I want to be very, very, very clear in this announcement publicly here on the podcast that I did speak with our friend who runs the Belvedere Cinema in Waukegan and go support the Belvedere Cinema in Waukegan.
01:18:09
Speaker
And as we understand it, ACE's CoasterCon will be at Great America in 2025. That's what I just heard. And I mean, we have been approved to record a podcast there during those dates. Oh, no. Well, that'll be saucy.
01:18:38
Speaker
Look, all all I'm saying is. The cinema's manager has approved a live recording, a 10 minute drive away from Great America during the coast at Great America. Just saying. They can be fun. I think it'll be a great time. I think it'd be a blast
01:19:09
Speaker
to have a. Wild audience, you know. You got to find a hook to get people to go there. Free shoes. Yeah, that works. We just get catering for 50 people. How big is the theater?
01:19:39
Speaker
Um, the bigger one probably holds 70 people. The smaller one holds like 40 maybe. Nice. Yeah. Cause he, he, uh, our, our friend who manages it will run a movie earlier in the day. And I made some suggestions. I said,
01:20:05
Speaker
They said, what what movie should I run before you're recording? I said, I don't know, roller coaster. Beverly Hills Cop. No, three. Yeah. You know, any of those ones that feature a good coaster scene. He did vacation for our first recording there. Oh, nice.
01:20:36
Speaker
Did you, you know, you knew the YouTuber Adam the Woo, right?
Fan Trips and Unexpected Adventures
01:20:40
Speaker
Yes. Uh, I am a fan. I am as well. I watch all this stuff and, uh, I don't know, it was last summer. He was doing the vacation movie locations and he went to Cousin Eddie's house and the guy that owns the house like flipped out, man. That was hilarious. Yeah. Grow off. That's not a movie that adults like nowadays or whatever. He was yelling at him. I was like, holy crap.
01:21:07
Speaker
Yeah, Ben, if you haven't seen that one or any of our listeners, definitely go find the Adam Lew video or the Cousin Eddie's house. I think like the title of it's like, do not go to Cousin Eddie's house. I would also heed his warning, but and I think. If I'm not mistaken, it's in Colorado.
01:21:35
Speaker
Yeah, oh no, it's actually, yeah, no, it is in Colorado, but it's supposed to be in Kansas. Yeah, it's supposed to be in Kansas. Ben, it's in that part of Colorado that you could easily mistake for Kansas. Okay, I'm going to check this out quick. Like when they're at the house, you don't see the guy freak out. It's like when they, after they drive off, they're at like the intersection, like down the house, the guy follows them down and just starts screaming at them.
01:22:06
Speaker
And like, they're just like, yeah, okay. You should do a road to nowhere on one of those movies too, if they were able to do it. I almost thought he was going to start firing like salt rocks or something. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was, it was uncomfortable to watch that. I was like, wow, man, you know,
01:22:32
Speaker
Yeah, I was a little alarmed. Like I was scared for Adam Lew's safety. Well, I mean, I knew it was all right because he uploaded a video, right? But I was still like, but at the same time, I'm like, man, dude, this is this kind of like this could have gone way worse than what it did. I mean, I mean, people like that are just they're all, you know, they're all bark.
01:23:00
Speaker
I mean like I got in trouble once in rural Wisconsin because I was following a friend through like like a long like country roads.
01:23:14
Speaker
I lost them and so I ended up following a random person. I didn't realize it. It's like midnight in the middle of nowhere. I'm tailgating and flashing lights because I thought it was my friend. They're going fast and they're going through stop signs and then they pull into their house and I pull into the house and follow them. I was like, oh shit, that's not my friend.
01:23:38
Speaker
And so then I quick spin off and the guy like runs up to my car and he's like trying to like open the window. He's like, get out of here. Get the fuck out of here. I'm like, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I thought I saw in my friend. And then it took like, it took like a minute and he's like, Oh, like, Oh shit. Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. And I'm like, no, no, no. Like I totally understand. Like I'm sorry. Jeez, dude. That's scary right there. That's terrifying.
01:24:09
Speaker
There was, uh, it was like, it was like a family with like a wife and like, there was a kids in the backseat and stuff. And I felt so bad. Do you guys know the YouTuber, uh, coaster Bob 62?
01:24:27
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. Okay. He lives like 15 minutes from, he lives in the Columbus area, Columbus, Ohio area. And him and I went down to Kings Island for one of the Winterfest things on Friday the 13th, go figure a couple of years ago. And forgive me if I said this in one of the previous podcasts I did with you guys, but
01:24:43
Speaker
we got back to like my house where his car was at like 1230 at night and he was taking his like camera gear out of my trunk and putting it in his car so he could leave and we heard that we saw this like car come down like this street and then like stop at this other car and so like a boulder at it and like take off and we're just like did we just witness that so we go down there to like investigate because nobody was around there's just this big boulder sitting in the road
01:25:12
Speaker
and all of a sudden the car comes back and its headlights are facing Bob and I and there's like this lost cat poster on this
01:25:22
Speaker
Telephone pole we're looking at it at not at this point 1 a.m. And not that that looks suspicious Anyway, the guy gets out and just starts bashing all the glass out of this car right in front of us. I'm recording it and Takes off We start hearing like gun ricochets like on the buildings around us. So we duck behind this This truck and Bob takes off running through down the street into the darkness. So it was safe but
01:25:49
Speaker
Man, there was a point I was getting to for the story and I just forgot it. What were you just saying before this? I almost assaulted a family unknowingly. Oh yeah, anyway, I didn't know the people that were like...
01:26:05
Speaker
at the house that the guy was beating up he beat somebody's car up that had nothing to do with it apparently and I felt so bad for just the cops came and had their guns point point on us and everything only time I've had a gun like pointed at me it was it's fucking crazy and in the whole time I'm thinking like this poor family I think this guy showed up and just
01:26:27
Speaker
did this to somebody's car and not realizing it wasn't his car, but somebody had to suffer because of that. So I can understand when people get paranoid like that stuff. You're lucky Ben. Yeah. I think it also helped too. I was like 18. So I just had like long shaggy hair and I'm in like a, I'm in like a geo and just like, I think it was very clear. Like after a moment, like I wasn't a threat, but
01:26:57
Speaker
That's still scary though, you know? Yeah. That family's probably still talking about that story. Almost got run over by a truck. Oh man. Yeah, there was this, um, back when I was overweight, uh,
Coaster Comfort and Technology Innovations
01:27:21
Speaker
I had, um, my mom was like really, this was like when I was like at high school, my mom was obsessed with buying me like tall size shirts. So like, and I was like, I'm tall, like, but these were meant, like when you go to a big and tall store, it's made for like, you know, like huge people. And so I'm wearing this like giant black t-shirt that's like down on my knees and I'm like, I'm overweight at the time.
01:27:47
Speaker
It's like we were we were leaving the wizard and there's just like like some girl like walking down the path and like I almost run anywhere in the kind of like, you know walk away and then this one girl's like look how you almost got hit by a truck Geez Oh boy, sometimes you need to wake up call. Yeah sometimes
01:28:15
Speaker
I know when I was in Japan in 2005, it was the heaviest I'd ever been. And I got really sick when I was over there in 2019. I'd lost weight when I was there. And one of the rides that we were getting in line for, and they tested me in the test seat, and that had never happened to me before. And it was a Hollywood dream, the B&M at Universal there.
01:28:41
Speaker
And I cleared it, but I was just like, oh man, I, you know, I gotta get healthier. So that was kind of like a, an awareness moment for me for sure. I mean, to me for those, I feel like that those B&M clamshells are almost one of the more restrictive restraints for people. Cause like,
01:29:06
Speaker
people who don't even have like a large waist will get denied just because of their legs. Yes. Sometimes like, I've also noticed like some parks have a much tighter, um, like limit than others. Like shambalas are really tight for some reason. Uh, the ones that are the weird trains that are on steel dragon or the tightest of the B and M, uh, ones I felt, and they also have a shin bar on that. The other B and M's don't.
01:29:39
Speaker
How do Steel Dragon run with those B&Ms? Well, I didn't get to ride it with the Morgans, so I never, I didn't, I can't really compare them, but it does, it's strange because you're sitting, because we all know what a B&M hyper or a B&M giga seat feels like. It's a very, you know, usually pretty comfortable seat. So when you sit down in them, you're like, oh yeah, these feel like Diamondback strains, just like the two seats that are sitting side by side.
01:30:06
Speaker
But then like when you're on the coaster, it doesn't feel like a B&M at all. I mean, it's, it's a bouncy ride and there's some like laterals on it that those, those trains don't provide a lot of lateral support. So your, your body kind of moves side to side more than what you would feel on a typical B&M. But I mean, I only got two rides on it back in 2019, but I really enjoyed it. You know, it surprised me. So there's that.
01:30:33
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I mean, I haven't written it, but just comparing like the videos I've seen, it seems like when they got those new trains, it runs a little faster, especially on the second half than it did when it first opened, at least in the videos. Yeah, maybe so. I mean, it's a strange ride. I mean, I'm so used to Magnum. And then when you're riding it and you're like, man, we still have another Magnum to go when you're halfway through. And then in
01:30:58
Speaker
Don't even get me started on that thing that's being built, um, elsewhere in the world. That's going to be twice, almost twice as long as a steel dragon. Think about that. Are you going to go ride that? Uh, if I can't, I mean, I, I think I would, I want to for sure. But I mean, I, there's certain things like I'd have to cover up my tattoos and stuff like that. Like some of the parks in Japan. Um,
01:31:24
Speaker
It's, I know people that will not go over there for various reasons, but, um, I don't, I truly think in my lifetime, we won't see a coaster built bigger than that. Um, but I can be very wrong. I thought Magnum was records. We're going to be broken, but here we are. So I think the problem with that whole trip ideas, imagine,
01:31:47
Speaker
You book the flight, you travel all that distance to get out there, and then it's like down for maintenance or something like exactly like I would have to be there for like a wall. Yeah, you definitely yeah, you definitely need like a very flexible trip on that. Oh, for sure. And I don't think I would book a trip there for the first year.
01:32:12
Speaker
I mean, I kind of want to in case something bad happens to it and they have to shut it down for good. But like at the same time, I don't want to make sure all the bugs are worked out. Yeah, that one's going to be interesting. I mean, like I do think it'll at least test. I mean, Oh, for sure. That's the thing. Like, I mean, I feel like Intamin is totally, I mean, any coaster manufacturer is probably capable of doing that if they have enough money to do it. But
01:32:41
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out. Like I guess I don't even think I don't think the speed is really an issue. But I do think maybe the wheels, like just the the heat and the wheels will be kind of interesting to see how that happens. Yeah, because it doesn't have like. Something like 400 at LSM is going up that big hill, some crazy number like that. Yeah.
01:33:10
Speaker
That's crazy. Those will probably get overheated too. I think there's a new type of LSM that's supposed to have some sort of cool in it. I read something somewhere. I don't remember where it was at, but it's like liquid cooled or something. Yeah. I mean, it would have to have something like that, I would think. I mean, with that length and those, I mean, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens.
01:33:38
Speaker
Someone also pointed out too that there's a road that goes to the top of that mountain. So if like something happens and it gets stuck, they're going to have to said they have, they're going to have like a shuttle bus that has like a ride out to the mountain and then evac people and then bring them back. That's kind of like what happens on the beast at Kings Island. If you get stuck on the second lift, they come and get like usually a van or something like that. Now that's a new credit.
01:34:08
Speaker
who is the beast van credit yeah for real that is a credit yeah i mean i've been on vans around that ride but never from an evac so some of the old like son of beast announcement footage has they drove us back in vans to the bottom of the first drop where they announced the ride
01:34:25
Speaker
being the absolute coaster geek I was back then. I'm like, Oh my God, I'm on that road. I've seen so many years, you know, but the, I was trying to find a picture of this, the, that, um, the bi coaster that has the new, those new over the shoulder lap bars. So I was trying to figure this out. Have you, have you been out to Italy? No, I haven't been there. I haven't been there or Spain.
01:34:55
Speaker
So there, there's like a tenant version coaster, um, just outside of Rome. It's the, it's a, it's like, it's a tenant version with a cable lift and it has the lap bars, but it's, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's not the like, they're not the bulky over the shoulders. It's like a very minimal, it's basically just like a very thin bar. Um,
01:35:18
Speaker
And I was wondering what the Debye returns are because that one was crazy. As far as laterals and restraint support, there's no lateral support on that ride. And when it goes to those four inline roles, you can feel that it's kind of like the, I don't know, Intamin has a very distinct
01:35:43
Speaker
I don't know how to, how to describe it. It's almost like unintentional, like fucked up on heartlined laterals. Yeah. You can feel like your upper body get thrown way outside of the train. Like it's not supposed to. Yes. And like in those roles, like what happens is like your upper body gets thrown outside of the train and like, you cannot pull your body like back to the center of the train for like the whole duration of the roles.
01:36:11
Speaker
I can't see, I can't imagine what that would be like because I've only done the, the one that has the shoulder restraints at Thorpe park. Yeah. From I, so from what I heard, like the, if those roles feel like the Mosasaurus roles and they're a lot faster than the ones on Colossus. So like you're getting like that, you're getting like airtime and laterals and like your upper body is like thrown outside of the heart line.
01:36:37
Speaker
And it doesn't, it's not, I mean, it's for an enthusiast, it's fun, but like, yeah, it definitely feels like kind of a fuck up. Also like I've noticed this too, like on, on dragster, if you like lean outside of the train, when you're going down the spiral, you can feel like where your upper body is like getting thrown out to the side. And if you didn't have the lap, are you'd probably get ejected. Think about that stuff for just a second. I mean,
01:37:08
Speaker
See, and that's another thing. So Top Thrill 2, you know, there's trains to me. Now, given I haven't studied them very much, but do they look taller than the ones that were on Top Thrill, the original? Yeah, part of that TikTok, they said that the heartline will be higher.
01:37:31
Speaker
So are they going to have to modify those, those, uh, supports that you're coming through that's that twist on the way down? Because those always look very close. No, I don't know. Yeah. I don't think they're modifying, but I mean, I would assume they would have like figure that out. Hopefully I would hope, you know, that would be terrible. You know,
01:37:56
Speaker
Here they are on media day and then, oh, well, I mean, obviously people are going to be running before media day or whatever, but then again, I mean, they had the modified millennium forces restraints after it opened. Yeah. Yeah. Like, um,
01:38:12
Speaker
Like I know if you have your arms, like on Draxor, like if you have your arms up, you're probably okay. But if you lean out to the side and stick your arm out to the side, I feel like you might be able to hit something. Yeah. Yeah. That's like the beast. Like, um, if you have your hands sticking straight up on the beast on the, unlike in the double helix tunnel, your hands will not hit the top of the, of the tunnel. You're plenty clearance between that. However.
01:38:43
Speaker
stick your hand out to the left, yeah, you're gonna get dinged. I got hit really hard on Balder. The clearances are not high like they are here. It cracked a couple of my nails, actually, for just having my hands straight up, not out. Yeah, it's happened to a few people, I know. There's a beam, and you can see people's, where they hit their hands. It's on one of the smaller airtime hills, like halfway through the ride.
01:39:12
Speaker
Yeah, I was like, whoa, we won't be doing that again. I mean, but it's my fault. I had my hands up, but you know, clearances are different. You on, on the thunder dolphin in Japan, you can hit the section of the, the tractor goes by you just not even trying. I watched a couple of people do it. I know that's, um, I know that's a thing on icon at black pool. I've seen videos of people doing that. We're in one of the,
01:39:39
Speaker
In like one of the heart line rules, you can like full on just touch the track of the interlocking track section. Wow. I know it was always a big thing on Kumba to touch the grass and the helix at the end. Yeah, when I when I wrote it to serial, the grass was cut. Oh. I mean, it's crazy. I'm just going to officially real quick say
01:40:10
Speaker
leave all arms, hands and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Yep. She has to throw that one out there. I've witnessed some crazy stuff. People not being safe. And I've done stuff that was parks said was safe to do. And I would never do it again if offered, you know,
01:40:38
Speaker
You know, I feel like, I mean, like, that's the most rides are okay, but it's always, it's always seems to be intimate rides. Yeah. That's the problem. Yeah. No, you're right there. You're right. Like any, I guess like any moment where I felt like not that I was going to die, but I guess I'll go with intimate rides. It's not like a feeling that I'm going to die, but it's kind of like, Oh, like I could die just doing something slightly less safe than, you know,
01:41:09
Speaker
This could be the ride I die on. Well, uh, speaking of Intamin, what does anybody know what they're doing with, I thought that Intamin stand up a Drake manners getting Flora list coats trains, but to the best of my knowledge, I never done Florida's trains before. Maybe B and M's doing them. I don't know. I thought that thing was done. No, I thought they were, I thought they were,
01:41:39
Speaker
making it a floorless or sit down or something like for this year, unless that's changed. I didn't know they were actually like doing any major modification to it like that. I assumed it was just done. Oh, okay. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I,
01:42:01
Speaker
most of what I read is just through comments on, on, on the channel, you know, through my video or someone else's. And when I read stuff like that, I don't, it's hard because they don't put a lot of this comment sections don't provide links. So you got to kind of look for yourself. So yeah, I mean, it's possible they're going to convert it. I haven't really kept up a ton. I remember them saying that it was closing, but like,
01:42:32
Speaker
That's that, uh, that's the coaster that they allowed us to ride standing backwards for ERT. Did you do it? Yeah, I did it once. I'll never do it again. It was terrible. I love the front facing forwards, but then I wrote in the back and then the guy told us, uh, um, don't put your head face forward. Don't rest your head directly onto the head dressed or you'll break your nose.
01:43:02
Speaker
And you have to keep your head sideways. So I'm like, wow, what a great first instruction. And then, um, you, you grab the post that the restraints and everything are on and just wish for the best. And it just, it just beat the hell out of me. I was gonna, I was gonna say too, with the, with the YouTube comment, like, um, YouTube comments are kind of like the Dippin' Dots guy of the early 2000s.
01:43:30
Speaker
as far as like reliable sources of information. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
01:43:37
Speaker
There's stuff that I delete when it causes too much controversy sometimes when people would get threads or, you know, comment threads out, get them a little bit too out of control. And then you got to step in and be like, guys, remind everybody again, it's a, it's a ride. It's a roller coaster. It's, it's here to provide us fun. Stop taking the shit so seriously. Like stop, you know, that's what the internet's for. I know.
01:44:06
Speaker
Mom died on this ride. What was that sound? Did you guys just hear a weird sound? Hello? Yeah, I heard it. Maybe it's on my end. I didn't hear it. It was like a chime, like something was telling me to look at something and there's nothing on my computer telling me to. Nevermind. Okay. Yeah, I heard that. Phantom chime.
01:44:35
Speaker
And this is the only thing I really have. Oh, you know what? I bet you somebody added a, no, nevermind. I was gonna say, maybe somebody posted a comment somewhere if it was a notification, but Craig, but I don't see anything. Yeah, man. You guys got all kinds of time. All these, all these, uh, like hashtags, these are all just separate rooms. I mean, yeah, but they're,
01:45:05
Speaker
It's more like, um, a forum and they're different threads. Gotcha. Okay. Yeah, I understand that. Nice. Like. Discords basically forms now. Man, where's the time gone? I don't want to be that old man, but I am. No.
01:45:32
Speaker
It's all good. I did this compilation with this younger enthusiast. Hold on. I think it's Theme Park Avenue. Are you guys familiar with that channel? No, I don't think so. Oh, OK. Are they cool?
01:45:46
Speaker
I guess, I mean, he had emailed me and asked me to provide a story, just like one of the craziest things that's ever happened to you at a amusement park, like an audio thing, and he was going to make a compilation video. And I guess he just released it, but I didn't. I haven't checked it out yet. I haven't had time. I'll watch that tonight. But when I see stuff like that in
01:46:08
Speaker
it feels kind of like passing the torch. You know what I mean? Like there are the younger groups that come in and want to know how things were done back in the day. And that, that to me, that's kind of cool. It's, it's the stuff that everybody just jumps in, not knowing everything about this and just automatically automatically assume that there are some sort of, um, professor and all this stuff. Yeah. Yeah. And I, I agree. I think,
01:46:41
Speaker
I appreciate the passing the torch mentality. Yeah. I think it's important, man, you know, all those people that we grew up hanging out with that are in the industry now that, you know, are designing roller coasters or coming up with a new food item or whatever, you know, um, they're, they're the future of this hobby and this lifestyle and, and, uh,
01:47:09
Speaker
I'm glad that there's people out there that care about it still. Not worried about all the other stuff, the eco stuff. I do it for the clicks. Do it for the clicks. Oh boy. We want hearts.
01:47:40
Speaker
Thumbs up, like, comment, subscribe. Oh my gosh, my video doesn't have 10,000 likes before the first hour, therefore I'm less of a person. Oh, it was me. I mean, I still think that the biggest problem in terms of the hobby was like, as soon as people were like,
01:48:08
Speaker
Oh, I can make a living doing this. Yeah. Now I'm, I'm being completely transparent here. I can add revenue from a couple of my videos, but it's no trust me. It's nowhere to live anything off of. And I don't think I would ever want to be a channel where this would be my main source of income because then you got all the tax stuff that you have to deal with, you know, owing,
01:48:38
Speaker
Um, I think like Adam the boo, I think he says he puts one third of his income away every year just for just what he owes and taxes. And it's just, I don't know. Anytime you put a money aspect to something, sometimes the fun gets sucked out. Absolutely.
YouTube's Influence on the Coaster Community
01:48:58
Speaker
I feel like the one, like one channel that does it right and probably makes a lot of money is a theme park crazy.
01:49:09
Speaker
Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Peter. And the thing is like on that channel is like, he kind of is, I wouldn't say it's like a joke, but it's like, uh, like that channel is like a kind of click bait top 10 channel, but it's like done well. And it's like for that reason, but it's done well. And he's like, not an asshole. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I've never, I've never met Peter in person, but I've collaborated on a couple of live streams before. And, um,
01:49:40
Speaker
He uses a lot of my footage for stuff, but I think he does great, great stuff. He does stuff that, yeah, it's a list video, but it's done in an original way where there's too many people that have clones.
01:49:56
Speaker
that, Oh, look what, look what Peter did here. We have to do something, follow the same font, follow the same type of thumbnail, everything just to get that. They want to jump on that and then beat themselves up when they don't get those same results that they are the results they were looking for. That's what needs to stop right there. Yeah. Like, I guess like the other thing with, I always find kind of weird is, is the, like we were saying before is like the,
01:50:26
Speaker
being a character in a vlog format for ad revenue is also, cause it's, it's like, uh, I don't know if you're like, if you're an enthusiast and that's your hobby, like every minute you spend doing your hobby, you're in that character and everything is about work. Yeah. And like, it's just not, I don't know. This is not fun.
01:50:50
Speaker
I mean, one of the reasons I stopped my massive log series is because I was tired of spending too much time just recording at parks and not spending time actually talking to people I'm at the parks with and, and, and,
01:51:09
Speaker
just becoming a more huge, like on a human level, because, um, I don't think everybody realizes sometimes when you kind of get distance from, distant from that. And because they're so ingrained in everything, that's part of their life, whether that be social media or whatever. But if you stand back and cut some of that shit out and just look at them on human level, it's amazing how much more clear stuff becomes, you know, um,
01:51:35
Speaker
But you know, I mean, we're kind of preaching to the choir here. I think a lot of people do relate to that, but I feel sorry for the people that don't and, um, literally lose sleep and get stressed out and have high blood pressure because the yellow train on Millennium force isn't running as fast as the blue train did it one year. You know what I mean? Well, the thing about people like that is that
01:52:01
Speaker
even if they chill out about that particular thing, they're still going to be that way about something. Yeah. Yeah. Unfortunately. Yeah. I mean, I'm, I don't shy away from telling anybody that I have shed more than my fair share of friends. Um, not because of, of
01:52:26
Speaker
things like I didn't agree with the rankings or anything like that. I don't care about any of that stuff, but just they were taking things a little bit too far. And after being shown and explained to them, Hey, you know, calm down, you know, you're, this isn't a little bit too extreme. And then it goes completely different direction and even more extreme. That's when I just have to bow out and say, Nope, I don't want part of this anymore.
01:52:52
Speaker
because I want this to be fun. This has to be fun. I do this because it's fun. You know, why can't you do this because it's fun? I think some people just potentially lack the capacity to remove the, I don't know, somewhat competitive element. Oh, it's definitely competitive.
01:53:22
Speaker
It doesn't like, yeah, it doesn't need to be. I certainly don't look at it that way. You know, I, but I'm, I know I'm in the minority when it comes to. And see, there's some reason or fucking person out there. That's like easy for you to say you've been on a million coasters. Yeah, I know. I get that shit. Yeah.
01:53:48
Speaker
Well, easy to say that don't get angry because my video only has 20 views. You know, you had a video that had a lot of you as well. Why does that make me a better person? It doesn't. Somebody can be an enthusiast having ridden one coaster as somebody that's ridden 2000. Yeah. And none of that is reflective of how like impassioned you are about something.
01:54:14
Speaker
Yeah. Your credit count is basically akin to like, how much money have I invested into this hobby? Or how, how incredibly stupid you are to do some of these rides. You know what I mean? Um,
01:54:30
Speaker
Things like the stupid stuff, like I wouldn't ever, ever in a million years think about writing something like that blue flash. Okay. And then when I finally got on the damn thing, when it moved to the Columbus area, I'm like, well, that was stupid. Like I could have been seriously injured on that, but no, I needed the credit, you know.
01:54:52
Speaker
or anything, any scenario like that. I spent $60 in 2008 to go to the Lego land in California for 35 minutes to write a small tiny curse. Okay. But it was fun. That's some enthusiast shit right there. Am I, am I shamed? Hell yeah. I'm ashamed, but you know,
01:55:21
Speaker
Well, if you had a good time, how ashamed could you really be? That's true. You know? Yeah, it brought back the memory never to do it again, but hey, you know, you learn as you go. Sometimes those memories are the most fun ones. Absolutely. But I also feel like those are the ones some people are completely missing.
01:55:47
Speaker
Agreed. Agreed. It's the same type of thing, and I know you understand this. Now, when I go to a concert, I'll go and record maybe 10 seconds of the partner set, just so I have a memory of it. I don't like to record the entire show, per se, okay?
01:56:04
Speaker
Having said that, all the people that record the entire shows, concerts with their phone, they're not experiencing the actual concert because they're really looking at it through the screen. And it's the same type of weird thing like when somebody rates a coaster but has never ridden it but goes by just a video. Perhaps I'm old school. You have to be physically there to experience something.
01:56:34
Speaker
Well, that's going to change with VR. You know, people are about to start claiming credits because they watch the POV with the.
01:56:46
Speaker
Apple vision pro dude, when I was at Fuji Q in 2019, um, it was kind of a shitty day. The second day where there was raining and they were closing, they, they do this really cool thing at that park that when rides close to the weather, they announce them like on, on the, on the PA throughout the park, like they say, if you want to ride Fuji Yama, it's going to close cause the rain's coming in 20 minutes. Like they do that with all their big rides. So at the park and, um, uh,
Virtual Reality and Coaster Simulations
01:57:15
Speaker
Dododampa closed and Fujiyama closed, but then they had this tent where you could go into this this this tent with VR goggles and sit in a seat that moved around and quote-unquote ride those two coasters that were down and It's the same thing. I don't know if anybody would actually count It wouldn't surprise me There is an enthusiast that you know that I know
01:57:43
Speaker
a certain president of the American coaster enthusiasts at one point, um, that had the craziest way of counting ever seen, um, walked by an SLC and counted it because he's written one before. Oh, okay. Yeah. I've never, he's the only person I know that's ever counted that counted like that. I'm like, okay, more power to you. I mean,
01:58:10
Speaker
At a certain point, I can't really blame that person. Well, we are talking about SLCs, so. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. I'm like, yeah. Oh, a boomerang. Yeah. Well, I'm at the park. I rode other rides there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I've been on a boomerang. I've been on that one too. Sure. Chaching.
01:58:40
Speaker
Yep. Like can't. Can't exactly. I mean. I don't I'm I'm somewhat concerned where I count, so I wouldn't count it that way, but I have no problem if somebody does. It was just this very I was like, oh, OK, I wouldn't count it that way either. I'm just saying. I can see it. Yeah.
01:59:10
Speaker
I've heard people can be as conservative as like, oh, only Batman the Ride counts once, only one. Oh, wow. Yeah, I'm not that bad. Like, um, like mere racing coasters only count as one, like Racer at Kings Island. Uh, well, I fall into that. I only counted as one. And the only reason I do is because you use the same support structure.
01:59:39
Speaker
I know it's so stupid, but, but I count like lightning racers too because it's divided. It all becomes to a physical thing. It's ridiculous. I shouldn't be counting to begin with. I thought I'll be coming up somewhere in Japan this year. I'll get, I think it's only five coasters away, but coaster 11, coaster one, one, one, one. Okay.
02:00:07
Speaker
And I want to take a picture with just devil horns up as one, one, one, one. And then after I get that, I don't think I'm going to count anymore. That's fair. Number reset. Yeah. Or just stop counting all together. I mean, I'm sure there's stuff I've missed that I haven't had on my list of stuff, but I just do it because for me, I don't do it for anybody else, but there's a lot of people that do that stuff. Just, uh,
02:00:37
Speaker
I don't know for cloud or something. Who cares? Who knows? What fucking cloud is there in roller coasters? I don't know. I think to be honest, perhaps those old discovery channel shows and stuff had something to say to do with that. Okay. Because when people watch those things, um, there was like this weird rush to want to be on those shows.
02:01:07
Speaker
The one that was filmed at Cedar Point the year dragster, but it was it was during coaster con and The family they originally had for that it was very clear that they weren't going to be Able to do the play-by-play like they were actually Genuinely terrified a top throw dragster like they they had a trouble getting in line for it, so they didn't use them to record it The stuff, but I don't know man. I mean I
02:01:39
Speaker
I don't know. There's something to say with people that know their stuff, but at the same time, you don't have to be on top of your house with a megaphone. Saying, I've done this many coasters, so therefore I'm better than you, you know. Do you know who Kat is here in the States, enthusiast?
02:02:05
Speaker
She doesn't Cincinnati she's been one of my friends for decades She's got the highest track record everybody in this country and the second in the world I think I'm definitely the highest of any woman and she you would never know if you were ever talking to her You would never know she doesn't talk about it That doesn't get her anything yeah, I mean Yeah, I mean
02:02:34
Speaker
Other than a peruse or a loon. Well, like even you're talking about the Discovery Channel, like that's awesome you were on there, but like short of you've been recognized. From like those shows. Yeah. Oh yeah. Back then. I did.
02:03:00
Speaker
Just in some very small circles, not like I couldn't go to like the store or anything like that. Yeah, but I mean, yeah, but it wasn't like, I thought it was awkward when that stuff happened. You know, I wouldn't personally want to know anybody would strive to have that happen to them.
02:03:19
Speaker
And I'm assuming whatever production company didn't pay you like a day rate or a speaking role rate or anything, right? For any of those Discovery Channel things? Yeah. Oh, no, no, no. You literally sign a release and then you... I mean, what you get paid with is just basically an ERT on a closed park. You know what I mean? Yeah, exactly.
02:03:46
Speaker
What it all amounts to at the end of the day is you got recognized a couple of times. Yeah, that was it. Yeah, there's nothing that comes to that, you know. I mean, it's the same thing with the YouTube stuff. Like when we did that case to the kingdom, the YouTube panel thing, it was just so. It's like I. How many high fives did you get on your way to the stage, though? Zero.
02:04:16
Speaker
I don't think I even, they wanted us to run out like a basketball game. And I was like, I'm not running in this heat. Screw you people. You know, no, I don't care how, how much you want us to run out there. I ain't running. It was so hot that day. It was so hot. Oh, side note about that Discovery Channel. And I think the keys to the kingdom. Yeah. Dan Lavelle's appearance in that one Discovery Channel show where he's writing Goliath.
02:04:47
Speaker
or was it X is Goliath. Okay. So clearly cause he's doing another first drop and he's like, uh, it's weird. We realized we were both on those shows. Uh, why we were in Japan. We didn't even realize we're on the same shows together. This type of shows.
02:05:15
Speaker
Yeah. I didn't realize that was that dude until like a couple of years ago. And I was like, Oh, wow. Yeah. We, I mean, we've had, we have some of the same like friends, like he was really close with Mike Cali and Chris Murray and all those guys and even Rick. And, um, one night it was, it was a really bizarre night. We were in Tokyo. We were sitting, we were sitting in this Airbnb and we were like on the top of the,
02:05:42
Speaker
the top level, um, roof just out there. Cause our air conditioning and our Airbnb was terrible. And the only time we can get fresh air, we go outside and just sit for a couple of minutes. So we were up there and that's when we put two and two together. Oh my gosh, your friends with this person, your friends with this person. Oh, you did display by play. Oh, you did display by play. And then, then we had an earthquake, right? We were talking about that.
02:06:07
Speaker
Oh wow. Yeah, it wasn't a big one. I mean, it was one of the first ones I'd ever been in, you know, but still, but that's how I remember that night. Just the weird things we were talking about the old times. And, and then he, he's also in the same boat. He was just like, I don't know why some of this younger generation, they see all this whole stuff and they see that and they're like, Oh my gosh, you guys, you guys are probably millionaires because all that stuff you did on discovery channel, huh? What are you talking about? You know,
02:06:34
Speaker
Wait, you aren't a millionaire, Sean? Yeah, exactly. I don't understand. Something happened in the last, I would say, 10 years that it just switched. And it's unfair to just throw it on social media, but I know a lot of it has to do with that. But like the need to want to be known is greater than it's ever been, at least what I see from an outsider. And just be original.
02:07:06
Speaker
That's pretty tough. I think it's easier for a lot of people. Well, for a lot of people, yes, but it's easier than I think they think it is. You know, I agree, but it's also way easier to just go look at what that person's doing. That's true.
02:07:31
Speaker
Sometimes I recommend like I, I drove from Ohio to California and back, excuse me, 4,800 miles round trip, uh, just in December. And I stopped in Phoenix and visited my mom and my uncle and stuff like that. So it was great trip. But I tell people, you want to clear your mind and kind of level, um, perspective, do a cross country trip by yourself. Just you and your car. You know what I mean? It just,
02:07:58
Speaker
It really can do wonders for your mind and keep you in check, I think. Yeah, I love it. I've done lots of solo drives across the country. It's like my favorite thing to do. It's so peaceful. And I just wish that some of these people are so bent up and they need kind of reset, so to speak, do stuff like that.
02:08:24
Speaker
this world would be a better place if there was a lot more options like that, I think for people. I agree. I think people need to be more reflective in general.
Personal Insights and Safety Concerns
02:08:39
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I've never done that. So I think I'd be too afraid to do that. I would be worried I'd have like a big trip.
02:08:49
Speaker
or bad. You heard it here first. Sean Flaherty says to eat mushrooms. No, don't. If you do, don't do it. I mean, I can't eat them. I would be too freaked out, but. I'm looking at your list here to see if whatever burnout.
02:09:06
Speaker
not like dude. So I remember somebody gave me shit because I described a coaster in Japan as an acid trip on rails. And someone was like, Oh, so you do do acid all the time. Then I was like, no, never.
02:09:30
Speaker
I mean, look. Doing those things at a theme park is also not, uh... That does not seem like a good situation for that. No, I mean, I know people that have done that, done tripping and stuff and gone to parks and ridden crazy rides and stuff, but the hell, there's a dark ride theme to an acid trip. That thing at Hard Rock Park, that's totally what it was themed to.
02:09:56
Speaker
Um, what was it? What the hell was that name thing called? Yes, that one. That thing was trip, but I don't know. Wish I could have written that. I want to see if there's a POV of that one. Cause, uh, it was a, it was a trip override. Literally. They blew a smoke ring in your face at one point. That's awesome.
02:10:25
Speaker
I'm looking at our list again, our tentative list. As somebody who hang, who hung like pink Floyd posters in their room as a teenager, I really wanted to go on that ride. Nice. You, I think you would definitely, both of you guys that might've been your favorite ride at the park. That park was so strange.
02:10:52
Speaker
I see you have Epic universe. I'm not looking at anything Epic universe. Like I haven't watched any video or pictures or anything. It's big. It looks amazing. I'm excited. Uh, and there's a very, very good chance I'll get the ride. Um, well, the Epic universe, does it, it's going to have a Nintendo land, correct? Yes. And it has the Donkey Kong coaster, right? Yep.
02:11:19
Speaker
Okay. So the one in Japan is just about to open. Yeah. I'm hoping to get the one in Japan this year before this one opens up. Yeah. That shit looks wild, dude. Uh, Keith McQueen did the, the, um, the patent for that. That dude's creative as fuck. Oh yeah. He's easily one of the most creative people I've ever met. Yeah. Yeah. He's, he's just,
02:11:49
Speaker
I mean, not only does he do those crazy writing animations for Cedar Fair and Six Flags and like, you know, Bush and SeaWorld. Um, he designed, he designed the Lhasa Coaster and Hagrid's his first day on the job. He did the layout for a forbidden journey. So just imagine designing that stuff. That's crazy. Yep.
02:12:20
Speaker
And the, what's your, what's your favorite version on the world, by the way? Oh, shit. The fighting's happening again. Uh oh. Oh God. Not whichever one's happening above Ben. What time is it there? Uh, it's almost bed night. Dude.
02:12:50
Speaker
Maybe that's like their kink. Yeah. Maybe, maybe it's just like a prostitute. Cause I spent about one third of my year in hotels and I have heard all kinds and terrible stuff. Yeah. Maybe she's like, you better give me a hundred dollars.
02:13:17
Speaker
I hear like yelling and smacking like she's trying to make a point. One hundred dollars. I hope I don't get like a bullet through the. Oh, I was going to say I was. I mean, are you staying in a bad area? No, I mean, it's fine. There's a. There's a few car dealerships around me. Go ask if they want to be on a podcast.
02:13:50
Speaker
There's how you go viral. Yeah, I just, I just killed someone. They all be under podcast, but it just, I'm going to try some, I don't know if this will pick up or not. So this is some Geraldo Rivera shit right here. I'm just another shit.
02:14:21
Speaker
Was that gunshots? I was going to say, Doc. Who was him just farting again? He stood on, he stood on the office chair. I'm going to do something here. Don't, don't fart. Don't drop your sink in the mic and the thing. Are you putting your phone under their door?
02:14:51
Speaker
I'm putting it against the ceiling. Okay. Let's see if you guys can hear it. I don't hear anything. No, put your, are you on an iPhone? Uh, I'm a iPad. Yeah. I was saying wherever the microphone is, it's usually on the bottom. If you put the bottom of it, like the actual very physical bottom, it's kind of an awkward thing. Maybe that's
02:15:22
Speaker
Maybe, I don't know. I don't know where, I don't know where like, wherever the microphone is rested on. Maybe, maybe that won't work. I'm thinking more along like, like back in the day when you used to have like a, a tin can to make it go. No, I can't hear anything. Negative. Damn.
02:15:50
Speaker
But like, but like, who does that at that time of night? You know what I mean? One hundred dollars. Very distracting. Hey, I'm doing a podcast. Yeah, well, then you're definitely going to get shot.
02:16:21
Speaker
You know, don't do that. There's some crazy people out there. And I was going to say, it's like midnight here and I'm getting pretty tired. Hey, it's 1 AM here, but I still got a couple of things I have to work on. And then, uh, Oh, well, well, thank you guys for bringing me back on. This happened very quick. Did it not?
02:16:48
Speaker
Well, apparently us saying it on the podcast spoke it into existence. Absolutely. You guys and our good friend, Josh. Yes. And big shout to ribs. Very good friend. Fellow metal head.
02:17:10
Speaker
Yes. And for all of our sake, if it works that way on this podcast, then additional big four tour. Yes. Yes. Everybody's still alive. We can do it. Yes. Let's see it happen. It's like, it's like ramping up.
02:17:38
Speaker
Well, good, Ben, you'll have a show to go to bed to. Well, I was gonna say, I hope you don't have to get up early tomorrow morning. Yeah, we'll see all this. It's not above me, it's actually right next to me. Oh, shit, that's even scarier. Well, in that case, I'd turn the lights out and pretend you're sleeping.
02:18:04
Speaker
Oh, shit, they're throwing furniture now. I hear that. I can hear that. Oh, I hear that happening. Did you? Yeah. Oh, shit. Oh, my God. Holy hell. You know, when I call the front desk. Yeah, I think that that's what I would do. If I was you. Yeah, I might have to do that.
02:18:35
Speaker
All right. Well, we'll let you solve your problem. Yeah. It's been a blast. I hope I'm not foreshadowing anything. What a way to end. I mean, it's a dark turn in this episode. Oh, we can totally hear that. We could totally.
02:19:05
Speaker
It sounded like a cabinet. It ramped up to like it. I mean, I didn't hear anything for like the last hour or so, and now it's picking up again. It's like, yeah, that's a nightstand. Oh, they're all right now. Oh, shit. OK, everybody whisper your favorite sister. Oh, my God, they're in the hallway.