Philosophy
My Fellow Comedists,
This week saw the feast day of Saint Tommy. Tommy Chong turned 71. Actually, I'm not sure if it was a feast day or if I just really has serious munchies, man.
Born to a Chinese father and a Scotch-Irish mother in Canada, he received his first guitar at age eleven and became a professional musician. His band was personally asked by the mayor of Calgary to leave town and they went to Vancouver where Chong bought an after-hours venue called "The Elegant Parlor." There he started playing with Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers who would get signed by Motown.
While performing, he caught the comedy bug doing short bits between songs and he left music to concentrate on comedy. He used his brother's club, Shanghai Junk, as the launching pad.
Working the circuit, they were signed by Ode Records (a part of Warner Brothers) for whom they recorded seven classic albums. The success of their albums led to movies casting them solely as the bumbling potheads they became famous for playing.
Here's a classic bit from their stage days, Ralph and Herbie.
Happy birthday, Tommy Chong. Thanks for all the laughs.
What are your favorite Cheech and Chong moments?
Live, love, and laugh,
Irreverend Steve
- The Feast Of Saint Martin
My Fellow Comedists, This weekend, we celebrate the feast of Saint Martin. Martin Lawrence turns 45 today. There is a long tradition of African-American stand-up comics who were major players in every generation, from Moms Mabley to Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory...
- The Feast Day Of Saint Demento
My Fellow Comedists, Today is the 70th birthday of Barry Hansen, better known as Dr. Demento. Long before we had YouTube and e-mail to help comedy go viral, Dr. Demento and his syndicated radio program were our primary vector for infectious laughter....
- The Feast Of Saint Pigmeat
My Fellow Comedists, This week marks the feast day of Dewey Markham, better known as Pigmeat from one of the characters he played in his routine, "Sweet Papa Pigmeat." Born in Durham, north Carolina, he started in show business as a tap dancer, but quickly...
- The Feast Of Saint John
My Fellow Comedists, This weekend would have been the 52nd birthday of John Belushi, the Hunter S. Thompson of comedy. He was born in Chicago to first-generation Albanian-Americans in Chicago, growing up just outside the city. In high-school, he was a...
- The Feast Of Saint Lou
Friends, This week we celebrate the feast of Saint Bud. Born Louis Francis Cristillo, he grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, a tough town where he was a well known basketball player and an amateur boxer before becoming turning to show biz. He got a few jobs...
Philosophy
Feast of Saint Tommy
My Fellow Comedists,
This week saw the feast day of Saint Tommy. Tommy Chong turned 71. Actually, I'm not sure if it was a feast day or if I just really has serious munchies, man.
Born to a Chinese father and a Scotch-Irish mother in Canada, he received his first guitar at age eleven and became a professional musician. His band was personally asked by the mayor of Calgary to leave town and they went to Vancouver where Chong bought an after-hours venue called "The Elegant Parlor." There he started playing with Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers who would get signed by Motown.
While performing, he caught the comedy bug doing short bits between songs and he left music to concentrate on comedy. He used his brother's club, Shanghai Junk, as the launching pad.
"It was a topless joint and I didn't have the heart to fire the strippers, so when I turned the show into a comedy troupe known as 'City Works,' I put the girls in the skits. We had the only topless improvisational theatre in Canada."Other comics tried out their chops at Shanghai Junk, among them Richard Marin, who worked under his nickname "Cheech." Chong invited him to perform with City Works and the two found a chemistry that was comic gold.
Working the circuit, they were signed by Ode Records (a part of Warner Brothers) for whom they recorded seven classic albums. The success of their albums led to movies casting them solely as the bumbling potheads they became famous for playing.
Here's a classic bit from their stage days, Ralph and Herbie.
Happy birthday, Tommy Chong. Thanks for all the laughs.
What are your favorite Cheech and Chong moments?
Live, love, and laugh,
Irreverend Steve
- The Feast Of Saint Martin
My Fellow Comedists, This weekend, we celebrate the feast of Saint Martin. Martin Lawrence turns 45 today. There is a long tradition of African-American stand-up comics who were major players in every generation, from Moms Mabley to Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory...
- The Feast Day Of Saint Demento
My Fellow Comedists, Today is the 70th birthday of Barry Hansen, better known as Dr. Demento. Long before we had YouTube and e-mail to help comedy go viral, Dr. Demento and his syndicated radio program were our primary vector for infectious laughter....
- The Feast Of Saint Pigmeat
My Fellow Comedists, This week marks the feast day of Dewey Markham, better known as Pigmeat from one of the characters he played in his routine, "Sweet Papa Pigmeat." Born in Durham, north Carolina, he started in show business as a tap dancer, but quickly...
- The Feast Of Saint John
My Fellow Comedists, This weekend would have been the 52nd birthday of John Belushi, the Hunter S. Thompson of comedy. He was born in Chicago to first-generation Albanian-Americans in Chicago, growing up just outside the city. In high-school, he was a...
- The Feast Of Saint Lou
Friends, This week we celebrate the feast of Saint Bud. Born Louis Francis Cristillo, he grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, a tough town where he was a well known basketball player and an amateur boxer before becoming turning to show biz. He got a few jobs...