I happen to catch the "I like me" documentary about #JohnCandy on Netflix, directed by Colin Hanks.  It's a wonderful trip down memory lane.  In my case, I studied at Second City in Chicago (took classes for a semester) before I moved to LA.  I joined a group of improv actors in the Harvey Lembeck workshop, but was an avid fan of SCTV during my years at Boston University and beyond.

Charles Grodin and I had that in common - he loved Johnny LaRue (John Candy) and all the other characters, and late in life, Chuck would make DVD copies of his favorite bits and send them to his pals.

I have a dozen or so. 

As a film director I got to meet a bunch of people... and in this interview with John - you'll hear that I don't say the last name of the actors that I'm referring to, because it's more fun if Jennifer gets them accurately.

And she does (once I let her know who we're talking to.)

I had just watched the documentary, so the people in it are #SteveMartin (who needs to lighten up on the sobriety), #MartyShort (get your heart checked), Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin (who never changes),  Joe Flaherty, #EugeneLevy (the skeptical one) #CatherineOHara (the dreamer he's visited) Harold Ramis... #BillMurray, #DanAykroyd, #JohnBelushi, #TomHanks... I remembered to mention his lovely wife Rosemary and his two children, both whom are very touching in the doc.  (Sorry I didn't mention his brother in case he views this.)  I asked these questions without Jennifer knowing who I was talking about (except she saw Tom Hanks and saw Bill Murray when I said their first names.  That happens.

So this is an extreme yet excellent example of what we've been doing for  every week for over ten years.  See the film HACKING THE AFTERLIFE on Gaia or Amazon prime for examples. 

Jennifer doesn't know anything about the doc about John's life, doesn't know anything about John Candy's life - and I made some errors, like giving Harold Ramis credit for directing Stripes which he cowrote (Ivan Reitman directed it) Harold directed him in Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation.  (A movie that John Hughes told me in person he hated the film but clearly he like John in the film). 

As noted, I went to high school with John Hughes, and he was pals with my brother, and super close friends with his wife - who was close to both John and Nancy.  

My brother was also pals with Bill Murray in high school, and although I didn't say it in the podcast, I'll say it here - Bill Murray gave me - a brother of his high school pal - free tickets to the dress rehearsal at SNL for years.  I mean - for years -I took friends, including Luana Anders to the show.  And once, had the chutzpa to wait to see him after the show, give him a bottle of wine, and introduce him to Luana... 

It was funny because he really didn't know me - I was just there to thank him for leaving tickets for "Elvis Martini" for all those years, and I think he was miffed I'd stuck around to thank him. Little did he know that the Luana he met - the very same Luana - is the moderator of our podcast from the flipside.

If I was going to point to one show that demonstrates the ability of Jennifer talking to people offstage - it's this one.

She works with members of the FBI, NYPD, LAPD on missing person cases, works pro bono a third of her practice, has been doing this for a long time, and indeed, they're making a show about her on Fox as we speak.

I've written 13 books about the flipside, I do offer guided meditations, and Jennifer does these "wine and spirits" evenings in Manhattan beach that anyone can attend and isn't expensive, or they can book her directly. She works with members of Steve Jobs and Kobe Bryant's families - and they've given her permission to say so.

So sit back, watch her talk to John Candy about all his pals onstage and off, mock Tom Hanks, tease Steve Martin, make fun of Bill Murray's golf game - all of it is not coming from me or Jennifer.

I don't know how else to say it - have been filming people talking to their loved ones for over 15 years via hypnotherapy, guided meditation or mediums like Jennifer.  The story never changes.

They aren't gone; they just aren't here. 

Enjoy.