ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The people who shaped your childhood don’t stay forever — but the things they gave you do.
The news of Sam Neill’s death sends Dan and Adrian down a winding road through the actors, musicians, comedians and cultural icons who became fixtures in their lives. From Jurassic Park and a 33-year-old movie ticket to James Earl Jones, Sean Connery, David Bowie, Leonard Nimoy, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, George Burns, Vincent Price, Princess Diana, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Neil Peart, Freddie Mercury, Alan Rickman and more, this isn’t really an episode about death.
It’s about legacy.
It’s about realizing that a voice, a movie, a song or a ridiculous joke can become a timestamp in your own life — and that sometimes losing the person behind it feels strangely like losing a little piece of your childhood with them.
Naturally, somewhere along the way William Shatner becomes “Billy Shits,” Dragonheart is placed on trial, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen receives the faintest praise ever committed to podcast, and Dan reveals that Tom Clancy and Trent Reznor have something in common with the 40-year-old Macintosh currently sitting at his feet.
Because this is still The Con Men Show.
Who’s the actor, musician, creator or cultural icon you still miss?
