Actually, when I went to film school, the very first movie I saw in my very first class was actually Born in East L.A.
Cheech Marin: Oh really? Oh, that’s sweet.
It’s a really, really excellent film. Was there any difficulty in setting up your own solo projects after the duo broke up?
Cheech Marin: It kind of evolved naturally out of Cheech and Chong. When we were together we did Born in East L.A. as a record, and that was its own story. It was torn from the headlines. It was actually a real story of a kid who got deported even though he was an American citizen. It just kind of naturally flowed into that story.
And Mr. Chong, I think one of my favorite movies of yours as a solo career was Far Out Man.
Tommy Chong: Oh, you saw that?
I thought that movie was hilarious.
Tommy Chong: Thank you. I think so too.
What do you remember about making Far Out Man? There aren’t too many interviews about it.
Tommy Chong: Well, Reynaldo Rey, the guy that played the club owner, I think he stole the movie. He was great in it, especially when he had a heart attack. He snorted Niacin and he had a stroke, and we had to bring him to with a guitar that shorted out. [Laughs] He got his heart started with a guitar that had a short in it. I think that was my favorite scene.
What’s it like being on the road again, doing publicity together for the first time in a while?
Tommy Chong: It’s been tiring, but it’s fun. It’s fun being Cheech & Chong.
Cheech Marin: I need a nap every once in a while.
Tommy Chong: Yeah, he had one just a second ago.
Cheech Marin: Yeah, while you were speaking.
I’m a boring man.
Tommy Chong: Cheech, actually, when he’s driving and stops at red lights, he has a little nap.
Cheech Marin: It’s narcolepsy, from my narco days.
I know you guys are really close to it, but is there any bit or any film that you’ve done together that still makes you laugh, or that you’re still really proud of?
Cheech Marin: Actually all of them. I like all of them. Up in Smoke, it stands up. It’s amazing. It holds up better than any film.
Tommy Chong: I think Still Smokin. I’m the most proud of Still Smokin because it was done for less than a mil, and [in] less than a month, and it really preserved our standup act. Had we not made that movie, there were a lot of events that would never saw the light of day. The wrestlers and all of the craziness.
