Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.430280922
EAN: 9781416953456
Edition: 1st Simon Spotlight Entertainment Hardcover Ed
ISBN: 1416953450
Label: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: 2008-08-12
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Studio: Simon Spotlight Entertainment

Dave's Not Here, Man

But America's favorite stoner comedian, Tommy Chong, is back and funnier than ever as he takes us on a nostalgic trip through his career with partner Richard "Cheech" Marin. Over the course of their decades-long partnership, Cheech and Chong performed to sold-out crowds across the country, made nine hit albums, starred in eight blockbuster movies, and created memorable and iconic characters that still resonate with fans today.

But the good life didn't just appear in a haze of smoke. It all started during the late 1960s in a strip club in the fragile heart of Vancouver's Chinatown, where Tommy was winding down his career as a Motown recording artist and starting an improv comedy troupe, and Cheech was a draft-dodging, pottery-throwing, underground music reviewer. Together they came to define the hippie-era counterculture, and theircelebrated movie debut, Up in Smoke, remains one of the highest-grossing Warner Bros. films ever.

In his very own unauthorized autobiography, New York Times bestselling author and pop culture hero Chong reveals his unique relationship with Cheech and recalls the inspiration for their most beloved bits. He introduces famous guest stars like Peter Sellers, John Belushi, Jimi Hendrix, Dan Aykroyd, John Lennon, Diana Ross, and Jack Nicholson, and examines the influences that had the greatest impact on his comedy -- from R&B musicians and Redd Foxx to Lenny Bruce and (of course) marijuana. Finally, with keen insight and utter candor, he explores the rift that has separated the legendary comedy team for more than twenty years.

From pot smoking to politics to the universe at large, Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography is the closestyou'll ever get to sitting in a van made entirely of marijuana, trading stories with an unlikely legend, and feeling...well...funny.

Customer Rating:
Summary: The limited wit and dubious wisdom of Tommy Chong
Comment: I'll admit: I've never really been a fan of the so-called "stoner" humor that was Cheech and Chong. I never particularly liked their records nor their movies other than perhaps 15 minutes worth of each of their first three, where the best scenes are pretty much recycled. While Chong's book has some interesting anecdotes, mildly amusing at times, basically what we have here is a rambling chronicle of Cheech and Chong (with emphasis on their early days) told through the blood shot eyes of the latter, who wants to make sure we understand that he was the much greater creative force of the two. After reading the book, it was obvious to me why Richard "Cheech" Marin, who we all know was, by far, the superior actor(based on all the subsequent body work) wanted to get away from his partner who, to put it mildly, suffered (and probably continues to suffer) from a case of arrested development. That being said, I had Tommy Chong sign my book at the Border's Book Store near my work, and he seemed like a nice guy.

Here are some of the pearls of wisdom we learn from the author in his biography "Cheech and Chong":

1. While Chong was married (to his first wife) and had a baby, he moved in with his girlfriend and had a baby with her too. He justified having two families by stating that he was a "black man" (having played with alot of black musicians) "and that's what black people do." Rascist and not funny.

2. Smoking alot of Marijuana is good. Really good. Marijuana will help you through all of life so you should smoke it constantly even when you're driving, because, unlike alcohol, someone under its influence actually drives better (I kid you not -- this is what he actually says in the book). To his credit, he does say cocaine is bad.

3. All of the "brilliance" of Cheech and Chong, including almost all the writing of the skits and movies, was Chong and not Cheech. Chong feels unappreciated by this confusion.

4. Chong reminds us a number of times that he was the one who directed the movies, all of which he apparently considers comedy classics. If only.

Anyway, this account of Cheech and Chong will, no doubt, please fans, but for the rest of us it's only slightly amusing.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good reading for C&C fans
Comment: Chong provides a very interesting walk through his life and career and tells some good "behind the scenes" stories, but I would have liked more detail in certain areas. More info on how they made the movies and albums would have been nice. It would also have been interested to hear Cheech's side of some of the stories, but it is understandable why that isn't in there. Still, it is a very entertaining read overall.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Must read for any fan
Comment: Although there times when Chong, repeated stories, it was a funny, an insightful view into a wonderful career

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