Senior Planet talks to…Walter Day

Eighteen years ago audiences were introduced to Walter Day – the self-styled “king of esports” who verified the scores of die-hard arcade gamers competing to break world records – in the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.   It was impossible not to be charmed by this self-effacing fellow, especially when he confessed that his real ambition was…to sing love songs. Today, at 75, Walter has finally achieved that dream.  Here he tells SENIOR PLANET why it’s never too late to follow your heart:

Q: What inspired you to start writing love songs?

WALTER: Back in 1985, I had a glamorous girlfriend who broke my heart when she suddenly broke up with me. And within weeks, I began hearing music play inside me. It was like I was channeling a radio station. I thought they were absolutely beautiful. And before that phenomena of hearing all this music ended, I had written 138 songs in notebooks and tape recorders. And even though I wasn’t a singer, I vowed that someday I’d get up on stage and perform those songs for the world.

Q: And in new documentary, “Arcades & Love Songs the Ballad of Walter Day”, we see you perform those love songs for the first time. How did it come about?

WALTER: I was at an event in Pomona, California when this man named David Reichelt – who invented a mobile game called Color Switch – recognized me from the King of Kong movie, and asked what happened to my music? I told him it was still a dream but it just hadn’t happened yet.

So he decided on the spot that their company, Color Switch would pay all the expenses and produce a ten-song album for me. Next thing I know, I’m in a recording studio actually doing my music after all these years. I’m practicing singing, and actually making it happen.

Curious? Here’s a sneak peek at the trailer:

Q: How did your debut live show in Fairfield, Iowa in February 2023, end up becoming the subject of this film?

WALTER: The people who did the King of Kong movie 20 years ago, heard about me actually doing the music. They really liked this story of a man who never gave up his dream, who kept his vision and suddenly, at the end of his years, proved that it’s never too late.

Q: How did your former girlfriend Shane react when she discovered she had inspired all these love songs?

WALTER: When we broke up 40 years ago, I never told her about the music. It was my own personal experience. But we’re in a small town, so we would run into each other every so often, but I never told her. So when I called her up a few years ago, I sort of blindsided her – because she didn’t even know about the 138 songs – so that was a complete surprise to her.

Q: Did you hope to win her back with your songs?

WALTER:  As far as being involved and being a couple again, we’re in our 70s, so we’re not going to run off to Las Vegas together! But we are bonded as dear friends who are more like brother and sister, who are just going through this amazing experience that’s connected to the movie.

Q: Do you have any regrets?

WALTER: I do have one – you know how people treat each other on the internet? There’s so much negativity. I regret that being there and its a shame. I wish that had never happened to the world. My own goal in life is to treat everybody exactly as I want to be treated.

Q; What’s your secret to aging with attitude?

WALTER: I have a big secret. I live in Fairfield, Iowa – a town of 10,000 people. And in this town, over 4,000 of us practice Transcendental Meditation. There’s almost nothing better you can do to retain your youth, health and vitality, than to sit down 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening and do Transcendental Meditation. It’s different from any other meditation out there. It’s incredible. The hemispheres of your brain coordinate and start working together, and that’s what allowed me to bring my music to life.

Q: How many years have you practiced TM?

WALTER: About 56 years. It completely transforms your health, your state of mind, the clarity of your mind, your creativity. Students love it, and their grades go higher with TM, because they have clearer focus and higher energy levels. Anyone can do it – and you can find your nearest center at TM.org.

Q: How do you hope fellow seniors will react to the documentary?

WALTER: I think I’m an example of how, whatever dreams you have – don’t believe that it’s over yet – because you can still bring those dreams to life and prove that it’s never too late.

Q: Are you still looking for love?

WALTER: Absolutely. At 75, I still believe in true love.

 

NB: Arcades & Love Songs the Ballad of Walter Day is in theaters across the country through May.  The global TVOD/digital release date is June 9, 2025.

PHOTO CREDIT: Monkey Wrench Films

 

Gill Pringle began her career as a rock columnist for popular British newspapers, traveling the world with Madonna, U2 and Michael Jackson. Moving to Los Angeles 27 years ago, she interviews film and TV personalities for prestigious UK outlets, The Independent, The i-paper and The Sunday Times – and, of course, Senior Planet. A member of Critics Choice Association, BAFTA and AWFJ, she wrote the screenplay for 2016 Netflix family film, The 3 Tails Movie: A Mermaid Adventure. An award-winning writer, in 2021 she was honored by the Los Angeles Press Club with 1st prize at the NAEJ Awards.