RePlay Magazine Podcast - Eddie Adlum Part 2
RePlay Magazine Podcast - Eddie Adlum Part 2
As host publication RePlay Magazine celebrates its 50 years of covering the coin-op industry, it’s only right that Randy Chilton sits down with Publisher Eddie Adlum for a two-part episode. The wide-ranging interview begins all the way back in the East Bronx, where Eddie was born and raised. Eddie shares tales from his teenage years, about his band The Castle Kings (which had two singles for Atlantic Records) and his two 1970s horror films, Invasion of the Blood Farmers and Shriek of the Mutilated. He walks listeners through his early days at Cash Box magazine where he worked for 11 years before founding RePlay and where he first met some of the “earliest fellas in the jukebox and games business.” Sit across the virtual table from Eddie and hear about his colorful encounters with entertainment legends Elton John, John Lennon, Willie Nelson and Diana Ross, and industry icons Bert Betti, Nolan Bushnell and Al Kress (aka “Kressie”). He’ll tell you about the early days of the “video game” and how that term came to be in the first place. Eddie also talks about RePlay Magazine itself and its relevance today: “You know more after you looked at a RePlay every month than you did before you picked it up.” There’s a whole lot to know about Eddie Adlum, too, so do yourself a favor and watch!
Kineticist’s take
Eddie Adlum reflects on 50 years publishing Replay Magazine and his journey from 1964 Cashbox to founding the industry's preeminent publication.
Synopsis
Eddie Adlum, founder and publisher of Replay Magazine (celebrating 50 years), discusses his early career in the coin-op industry starting in 1964 at Cashbox magazine, his brief music recording career with the Castle Kings (including a Phil Spector-produced record), and the early figures who made Replay's launch possible. The conversation covers his transition from New York gritty operator community to founding Replay, encounters with celebrities like John Lennon and Elton John, and the people who shaped his career in the jukebox and game industry.
Highlights
- Eddie Adlum joined Cashbox magazine in 1964 after leaving the Army/National Guard
- Replay Magazine has published approximately 599 issues over 50 years (11 issues in first volume + 12 per year for remaining 49 years)
- The Castle Kings' 'You Can Get Him Frankenstein' sold 1,365 copies and lost money
- Phil Spector helped Ahmet Ertegun write clean lyrics for the Frankenstein record and produced it with Atlantic Records
- Eddie invested approximately $18,000 of his own money to launch Replay Magazine
- Key figures in Replay's founding included operator list contributors Lenny Schneller (U.S. Bigots), A.D. Palmer (Wurlitzer), George Hinker (David Rockola), Al Rodstein (distributor), and Millie McCarthy (NY State Operators Guild president)
- Eddie worked at Cashbox for 11 years covering the coin-op/pinball/pool table section
- Eddie met John Lennon at Cashbox in Hollywood and gave him a signed photo for his babysitter named Gabriella
Entities
- Betson Distributing· company
- Castle Kings· organization
- A.D. Palmer· person
- Ahmet Ertegun· person
- Al Kress· person
- Al Rodstein· person
- Bert Betty· person
- Eddie Adlum· person
- Elton John· person
- George Albert· person
- George Hinker· person
- Ingrid Adlum· person
- John Lennon· person
- Keith Snodgrass· person
- Lenny Schneller· person
- Little Richard Penniman· person
- Millie McCarthy· person
- Phil Spector· person
- Tiny Weintraub· person
- Vic LeVay· person
- Cashbox Magazine· publication
- Replay Magazine· publication