I just recall tons of pot smoke as they rode along. I love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't recall the name of that one.

on the highway, thinking they wouldn't attract the cops' attention if they went 5 mph??? I laughed so hard at all their movies. So silly and so funny.

Good times. Good times.

...besides being hilarious, the production of the movie helped to jump-start the Los Angeles punk scene of the late 70s-early 80s, which I was involved in. Those were great times!

I've met Cheech several times, he's a nice, regular kinda guy.

last forever.

...in '83, helping to set up a July 3-4 smoke-in outside of the US Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles.

My band, The Hundredth Monkey, performed, along with Black Flag (with Henry Rollins on vocals), Chuck Dukowski's band Würm (Chuck was bass player from Black Flag), and a bunch of other bands I can't recall now.

Also, the legendary pro-cannabis advocate Jack Herer, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, was one of the speakers we had on stage that weekend. Jack was still writing the book at that time, and I'd hang out with him back at my art studio in Pasadena, and he'd tell me about the book he was working on.

The smoke-in went off without a hitch, with zero police interference -- a good time was had by all.

On October 30 of '83, we set up a "Rock Against Reagan" event at the same Federal Building, which featured again, The Hundredth Monkey and the great Minutemen, and an interesting band from back east (Ohio?) called Stick Against Stone.

This time there was a massive police presence, including snipers in surrounding hi-rise buildings, and a counter-protest by pro-Shah of Iran supporters, who, unlike us, had no permits for their demonstration. The difference between the July 3-4 event and that of October 30 was startling and frightening. I'm guessing the TPTB did not want another repeat of a peaceful, fun and informative event as we had in July.

By the end of 1984, D. Boon of the Minutemen was dead, and the first wave of L.A. punk had passed. It was downhill all the way, from there.

Now I'm 61, with the brain of a 16 year old punk rocker with 45+ years of life experiences, good and bad -- but mostly good.

(Cue the Mary Hopkins' song Those Were The Days my friend, we though they'd never end.)

point of reference in life is back in the 70's early 80's. And then it all started fading. Those were magical times!!! The death of David Bowie has really shaken me up too! I love his last videos, so true to form!!!

...they were playing a David Bowie song as I got in line at the checkout.

I had to fight back bursting into tears!

Didn't expect that to happen.

that day. And I had also just gotten the CD on Amazon, and they had given to me a free MP3 stream.

I was in the garage and for some reason on my PC. He walked in and stood next to me, made some comment about the PC speed or something. I said can you stay awhile. He just looked at me, turned, looked back and walked on down the road. It was just really vivid.

I think it was the result of having watched his last two videos on youtube earlier that day. I woke up after that and stayed up, it was almost morning. I cried when he died. He had just synced into my brain for so many years.

...nobody I know expected it.

He left a tremendous body of work -- timeless stuff.

Somewhat back on topic, at least we still have Cheech & Chong, although I heard recently that Tommy has some kind of health issue.

Saw them perform live with (the Lonnie Jordan version of) WAR, in 2014. They all were great.

Hope Tommy gets better quick.

...he was pronounced cancer free within a year of the original diagnosis, but he announced in June 2015 that it had come back.

Here's a link I found: http://www.celebstoner.com/blogs/tommy-chong/2013/05/06/tommy-chong-im-cancer-free!/

right before Christmas, the same day Joe Strummer died, but not same year...

He was one of the unfortunate 27 club in rock.

Memory isn't what it used to be...if it ever was.

I happen to see them right before he died, so I remember it well. Heard the news on MTV of all places.

Fucking sucks. I did not have enough film to take a bunch of shots of them but managed this one...

...but I'm not seeing it. (Wish I could though.)

Playing at the Metro in Chicago, Nov 1, 1985.

.


When "Next Movie" came out, I wasn't sure how to take Cousin Strawberry. But, after a few viewings, I really dig that character. I saw it the other day, and I still laugh at it. They use "shit" "bullshit" "chickenshit" "horseshit" It's funny how he says "Holy sheepshit" and others will say 'Holy camel shit".


.

Tom Skerritt played the role...He was a Vietnam Vet who occasionally "flipped out" and thought he was back in Vietnam.
(I loved it when he was walking quietly down the stairs, thinking Cheech & Chong were burglars, and at the bottom of the stairs he stepped on a glass which went "Crunch&quot

In "Next Movie"..Cheech's cousin was named Red & was, of course, played by Cheech himself.
It was Red who liked to say "Holy Sheepshit"

.

Strawberry was the one who shot his bird, didn't he?

.

You mean, like now?

--imm

Last edited Sat Jan 16, 2016, 07:40 PM - Edit history (1)

were in a green house full of mature marijuana plants and a cop helicopter was forcing the roof to come apart. The roof was painted to look like a swimming pool.

It just gets so weird towards the end.

Here's a scene that is a trip to watch even if you're straight. I can't imagine what it must have been like filming this scene. Tommy Chong directed the movie and you can tell even he's cracking up during the filming. How would you write something like this in the screenplay?

That's Tony Viscarra on the nod, a very young Michael Winslow doing the sound effects, veteran character actor John Steadman as the laughing old timer and Evelyn Guerrero is Cheech's girlfriend.

At the beginning of the scene, Cheech's girl friend who worked there was trying to signal him to "Go Around" to the back where she was, but Cheech thought she meant that she wanted to go "Around the World",,,which is a reference to a particular sexual act.

"Up In Smoke" & "Next Movie" are both great comedies.

I just think "Next Movie" was a little less corny than "Up In Smoke"...but I've seen them both many, many times.

BTW, I think Stacy Keach was great in "Up In Smoke"
I'm glad he got that role, especially after being busted for possession of cocaine & subsequently "blacklisted" by Hollywood

Their reunion show on stage in Austin doing their greatest bits. They are not only on stage but in the line outside playing fans trying to get in and in the balcony playing the part of two gay characters. Bush bashing in Texas is always great and Tommy's wife also gets in on the fun.

on video. It would have been awesome had I not pretty much known all the lines already. Between myself and my buddies, we'd had all their albums for years.

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