Episode

The Cowboy Philosopher

Podcast: Hidden Brain
Published: May 11, 2026
Duration seconds: 5340
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Canonical source: https://www.hiddenbrain.org/
Audio: https://mgln.ai/e/2/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/stitcher.simplecastaudio.com/df179a36-a022-41e3-bf7c-b7a4efc6f51e/episodes/1ab01c5d-2ef3-48ee-aad2-1b83d50b9636/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=df179a36-a022-41e3-bf7c-b7a4efc6f51e&awEpisodeId=1ab01c5d-2ef3-48ee-aad2-1b83d50b9636&feed=kwWc0lhf
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Summary

In 2009, an old man died in a California nursing home. His obituary included not just his given name, but a long list of the pseudonyms he’d been known to use. In this classic 2019 episode, we trace the life of Riley Shepard, a hillbilly musician, writer, small-time con man and, perhaps, a genius. Then, on Your Questions Answered, psychologist Leslie John returns to answer your questions about when to share a secret, and when to keep it to yourself.