While collaborating on a few articles for Theme Park Geekly, we had the opportunity to get to know Joel Bullock, otherwise known as the Coaster Critic.
Nick: I’ve got to start off with the obvious- how did you get into theme parks and roller coasters? What fuels your passion for the amusement industry?
Joel: I grew up in the Virginia so I went to Kings Dominion the most as a kid. I was too scared to ride anything larger than the junior woodie which was called Scooby Doo at the time. Later, as a teen, I was dragged on to larger roller coasters like Anaconda and Rebel Yell. There was no easing my way into it. We started with the local legend in the backwoods of the Old Dominion area called Grizzly. I guess the challenge and adrenaline rush of it all became addictive. I ended up loving roller coasters and started traveling to other parks.
Coaster Critic on Loch Ness Monster
Nick: For those who don’t know, what is the Coaster Critic site and how did it get started?
Joel: I had found a lot of coaster news and information sites, but not as many sites with detailed or opinionated coaster reviews. I’ve always liked to write (mostly fiction) and I’ve always enjoyed a nice detailed review. I’d buy those new car guides every year whether I was in the market for a car or not. And I used to love watching Ebert & Roeper review movies whether I was interested in the movies or not. In 2006, I started The Coaster Critic’s Blog as a way to merge my passions for writing, roller coasters, and reviews. On the site, you’ll find roller coaster reviews and my take on what’s going on in the amusement industry. I say amusement industry, but the majority of the content is focused on roller coasters. And, I don’t try to report or cover all the latest news. I have another site for that. TheCoasterCritic.com is mainly just my take on what interests me most.
Nick: Where did the idea for Theme Park Geekly originate?
Joel: As I was thinking through the idea for a different project (Theme Park Hype), the idea for Theme Park Geekly was born. I was having a Twitter discussion with Jake from Coasterdom.com about a place that had opinionated, editorial style, non-newsy articles. Similarly, years ago there were a number of us theme park bloggers who would take a topic and respond to each other while linking to the other posts. The whole idea jelled together as I thought about traditional magazines like Rolling Stone or Time and how they’re different from newspapers. They give in-depth articles, interesting interviews, but no breaking news. That’s what I wanted. And, I thought it’d be best to do it with other writers and site owners and make it a community magazine.
Nick: What do you do outside of running a bunch of coaster websites? Do you have a day job?
Joel: I do have a day job. I’ve been in the Internet Marketing field for about a decade. Wow, I’m getting old. I like working with numbers so I’ve spent most of my career working with Web data and web site usage analysis. I enjoy spending time with my wife and two young daughters. I haven’t been to Disney World since I was 8, but I know thanks to them, I’ll be back in the next couple of years. I like reading and picking up new skills and I’m almost always listening to music.
Nick: Since this is for Coaster101 and you are the Coaster Critic I have to ask- what is your favorite coaster? Least favorite?
Joel: My all-time favorite roller coaster is Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa. I love everything about it. It’s a looping coaster. It’s in a picturesque tropical setting and it uses the terrain well. Kumba’s so smooth and fun that you can ride it over and over. On a different note, the best ride I’ve ever ridden is Bizarro at Six Flags New England. When I rode it, it was a non-stop adventure with exciting highs, lows, speed, and ridiculous airtime. But, I haven’t ridden it in its new form. I need to get back up to New England. The best and probably also my favorite woodie is El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, but The Voyage is right there too. I separate my favorites from my bests just as you might when you consider your favorite movie. One of my all-time favorites is Happy Gilmore, but it’s far from the best movie I’ve ever seen.
Photo by the CoasterCritic.com
I’m not often asked about my least favorite coasters. Rides on Predator at Darien Lake, Exterminator at Kennywood, and Cyclone at Six Flags New England were some of the roughest and least enjoyable I’ve ever experienced.
Nick: Thanks again to Joel for taking the time to answer our questions. To learn more about the Coaster Critic visit his websites:
CoasterCritic.com – Roller Coaster Reviews & Theme Park News
ThemeParkyHype.com – Social Link & News Sharing Site for Theme Park Fans
ThemeParkSyndicate.com – The Web’s First Theme Park News Aggregator
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