Schiess drops his gaze and becomes quiet for a moment. And, I mean, the artwork is such a fantastically underappreciated American art form." The machines are so straightforward, it's a lesson in physics. You could teach kids about electromagnetism on old pinball machines. Every machine is a clear reflection of its times. "My museum would incorporate that history. Until the Depression hit and the whole place was sold to the Navy, it was just huge. People came from everywhere - it had a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, and a huge Playland on the beach. Neptune Beach was Coney Island of the West. "Alameda was a huge tourist destination in the 1920s and '30s. "My real goal is to tell the history of Alameda through a pinball arcade, " Schiess says, leaning forward. The way Schiess sees it, older pinball machines are not obsolete. Lucky Ju Ju's proprietor, Michael Schiess, 50, has no interest in machines made after the 1970s. All of the pinball machines in the Ju Ju were built before the age of video games. Visitors who listen closely will notice something about the orchestra of the Ju Ju's arcade noise: the pings and thuds and thwacks lack the digital shriek of most game rooms. It's kind of like my home away from home." "One day, I was walking by and I heard some noise so I went in, and I was like - BAM! - this is awesome," said Billy (who also answers to the more gothic-sounding "Val.") "I come at least one night every weekend. It was the sound that attracted Billy, a lanky teenager in a tie-dyed shirt and large silver skull rings. There is little conversation inside the Ju Ju even the worst players quickly assume the attitude of hardened pros, dramatically banging the sides of machines and cursing when the balls bounce the wrong way. Middle-aged men and young boys, along with 20-something hipsters of both genders, stand in the classic pinball player stance: feet shoulder-width apart, hips angled away from the machines, back slightly arched, eyes focused on the moving balls. On most Friday and Saturday nights, the room is full - with about 25 visitors. CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ Show More Show Less Surviving on donations, the Juju is barely scraping by, but Michael has greater aspirations than just one room filled with the pings and thuds and occasional epithets of the pinball crowd: he wants to open a science/history/art museum centered on Alameda's former arcade splendor. CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ Show More Show Less 04_eblpinball_kocihernandez CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ/CHRONICLE Mark Shiess, brother of owner, plays a machine.Michael Schiess, Exploratorium and Chabot Science Center artist, has rebuilt old, pre-electronic pinball machines and opened the Lucky Juju, a hidden pinball parlor in downtown Alameda. CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ Show More Show LessÄ£ of8 04_eblpinball_kocihernandez CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ/CHRONICLEÄetail of machines.Michael Schiess, Exploratorium and Chabot Science Center artist, has rebuilt old, pre-electronic pinball machines and opened the Lucky Juju, a hidden pinball parlor in downtown Alameda. (L), Michael Schiess, and (R)patron, (on machine) Kate Klonizchii (cq), enjoy a game.Michael Schiess, Exploratorium and Chabot Science Center artist, has rebuilt old, pre-electronic pinball machines and opened the Lucky Juju, a hidden pinball parlor in downtown Alameda. CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ Show More Show Less 04_eblpinball_kocihernandez CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ/CHRONICLE Jem Gruber plays the "Wizard."Michael Schiess, Exploratorium and Chabot Science Center artist, has rebuilt old, pre-electronic pinball machines and opened the Lucky Juju, a hidden pinball parlor in downtown Alameda. 04_eblpinball_kocihernandez CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ/CHRONICLE
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