What a weekend. A pinballers dream!!

[Pinballace]

Python Anghelo, the famed designer and artist of Williams and Capcom drove down from Chicago and spent the weekend at my place.  He shows up Friday night (okay Saturday morning) 1:30am, I finally get to bed at 4am.  We get up Saturday and head to Al Warners (the Pins and Vids Al) for a pinball party (and interview with Python).  Al is all set up to do the interview and little does he know that it will turn into a "Cooking with Python show".  Turns out Python is quite the chef, in fact an absolutely fantastic chef. 

Python was the hit of the party, no, he was the party, over 50 show up and Python is non stop story after story, joke after joke.  The funniest one for me (although it really wasn't suppose to be funny) was when he was talking about people who are in the pinball hobby/business today that are "vampires who just want to suck blood out of the pinball fun".  His best example would be...this past Chicago Expo those "fat pigs" selling garbage products in the corner of the hall. 

We get home from the party at 3am.  Sunday we spend the whole day going over some of the work I have of his that he did while working at Williams and Capcom.  I needed 3 Red Bulls just to keep up with the conversation.  Not the he talks fast but the conversation jumps from subject to subject faster than I can keep up.  Sunday evening he cooks a gourmet dinner for the wife and I.  After dinner we end up staying up til 5am with more stories and jokes.  I don't think he stopped for more that 2 minutes the entire weekend. 

Sadly I had to say farewell this afternoon.  But we do have plans to meet up at his place in Michigan next April...can't wait. 

The man is pure gold!     

[Pinballace]

Unfortunately I was drinking a soda when he gave this to me...fortunately I didn't spew on the sketch...

[Caveoftreasures]

Bride of Pinbot at age 75 in his hand writing it says when u enlarge the photo. Classic.

[pinnies4me]

Great story James, thanks for sharing!! All I've ever read about Python suggests he is quite the character, you're lucky to have made acquaintance with one of the industry legends like that.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

Cool, I love how he always thought outside the box
Come up with an idea and let someone else make it work

[Strangeways]

An absolute privilege to meet characters like Anghelo. I certainly would savor any time spent with such people. So much energy and passion. Imagine him being given a blank canvas and no restrictions, to create another pinball.

[Pinballace]

An absolute privilege to meet characters like Anghelo. I certainly would savor any time spent with such people. So much energy and passion. Imagine him being given a blank canvas and no restrictions, to create another pinball.

Sunday he was continuously grabbing paper sketching ideas that he had for pinball.  Some really really cool stuff.  Wish I could share but him and I are going to be doing some projects together so he asked that I not disclose.  All I can say is Python is NOT finished with pinball.      

[Ant68]

Awesome story thanks for sharing ,
It amazes me how some people are just born with inspiration and passion.
That's a weekend to remember for ever .
But is he going to JJP is the question .

[Pinballace]

Python's passion for pinball as a designer and artist is second only to maybe Roger Sharpe or late Harry Williams himself.  It was really cool how he explained his reason for the storybook he made for each of his machines.  He says most designers think of the player as the one who controls the flippers, he wants the player to think of himself as the ball, the flippers are the means which the player takes the journey into the game. 

He gave me an original Pin*Bot backglass poster and pinned his original "Pin*Bot" poem in the player score windows (to be read in player sequence)....

[ktm450]

Great stuff, he is certainly a character, I remember listening to a few interesting interviews he has done