"It feels so good," he said. "When you've been together with someone as long as we were together, there's a oneness that can't be broken."
....For the pair who first hooked up in 1968 in Vancouver — when the Canadian-born Chong was running an improv theater group out of a topless bar — the staying power of their older material, especially the success of the DVD release of the first Cheech & Chong flick, 1978's "Up in Smoke," has been gratifying.
"We've seen our audience grow and grow, even in the 20 years since we stopped creating stuff," Marin said. "The albums and the movies have become a rite of passage for each generation as they grow up."
Chong noted that a little stoner humor from the masters of the form should be a welcome tonic for the turbulent post-Sept. 11 era.
"This is going to be just what everyone's been needing," Chong said. "'Up in Smoke' sort of put the '60s in perspective. Now we need to put the '90s and 2000s in perspective and tell everyone that you can still laugh a little." [Hollywood Reporter] Though Up In Smoke was pretty good, none of the films really captured the spirit of their classic records, which were a series of mini-productions rather than live standup like most comedy records. I'll never forget the first time I heard "Dave" ("Dave's not here!!"), "Blind Melon Chitlin" ("gonna go downtown, gonna see my gal, gonna sing her my song" - yes, the group was named after this character), "Sister Mary Elephant" ("class, class, class, SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!") Classic. The essence of doper humor is the creation of an arificial state of innocence (aka "stupidity") through which Truth can emerge - that and munchies jokes.
Article comments
1 - Al Barger
Nice Dreams is the essential Cheech and Chong document. That had the best cast of characters built up around them, especially Stacy Keach and Paul Reuben. There's a whole little world built up in there.