Christmas has Santa Claus, the Fourth of July has Uncle Sam, and 420 has Cheech and Chong. Or at least it should. I can think of no better ambassadors of the almighty herb than comedy legends Cheech and Chong.
Formed in Vancouver, BC, in 1969 by Canadian comedian/musician Tommy Chong and L.A.-born Richard “Cheech” Marin (who had moved to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War draft), the duo began performing in clubs with their unique brand of free-love, counterculture, and cannabis-inspired comedy. Cheech often played the fast-talking, streetwise schemer, while Chong embodied the clueless, Zen-like hippie stoner.
Their self-titled album, released in 1971, peaked at #28 on the Billboard charts and was followed by six more successful albums throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. I’ve listened to a few of these, and while not everything holds up, their character-driven drug culture satire remains undeniably charming.
Some of their songs aren’t bad either. I mean, “Basketball Jones”? That’s as good as any earnest soul ballad from the 1970s. Which isn’t surprising, considering the song features musical backing from George Harrison, Carole King, Ronnie Spector, Billy Preston, Darlene Love, Michelle Phillips, Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voormann, and Jim Keltner, to name a few. It was even good enough to be covered by Barry White and Chris Rock for the Space Jam soundtrack.
But I’ll always know Cheech and Chong best for their movies, even though, for years, the only ones I’d seen were Up in Smoke and a few scenes from Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie, pieced together from sporadic airings on Comedy Central. These laid-back, seemingly improvisational slapstick comedies are the ultimate stoner comfort food.
So what better way to celebrate 420 and over 50 years of Cheech and Chong than by revisiting their six theatrical releases from 1978 to 1984, along with their 1985 short-form video Get Out of My Room, their 2010 concert film Hey, Watch This!, and their 2013 straight-to-DVD animated film.
Cheech and Chong even have a new documentary, Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie, in limited release right now, which I’ll probably check out when it hits Peacock on April 25th.
So, without further ado, it’s time to turn on, tune in, and drop out into the list:
