Tommy Chong learned the invaluable lesson of humility
By La Rue Novick, Staff Writer
Martha Stewart may have gotten more publicity and a crocheted poncho from her time in prison, but Tommy Chong learned the invaluable lesson of humility -- and he got a wallet.
The pot-smoking counterculture hero of the '70s (made famous with then partner-in-crime Cheech Marin), Chong spent nine months in a California prison for selling bongs online to an undercover agent in Pennsylvania.
"I feel no animosity toward anybody," Chong, 67, said earlier this week by phone from Denver. "If anything, I learned humility. I learned not to put my face on a bong. And I learned it's not so much forgiveness as it is understanding.
"Like, I understand why the Bush administration went after me the way they did. I totally understand it. They're so crooked they needed any kind of diversion they could get."
Now, about that humility?
"Being humble is very important in life. That's the lesson I learned," Chong said. "You see it all the time on the basketball court. Remember Shaq? He guaranteed a win. And now, it'd been better if he had said nothing."
Ouch.
According to Chong the philosopher, everything is ordained.
"What happened to me was supposed to happen to me," he said. He was released in 2004. "It was inevitable. And now I've got to figure out what to do with my power. I've been given a lot of power through this (publicity) and I've got to use it wisely."
So, what is he doing with this power? He's become an activist to get marijuana legalized, or at least get the laws that criminalize pot use eliminated.
"It's a racist law. It's a pure racist law designed to subvert an entire culture," Chong said. "It would be like the Nazis in Germany when they went out to eliminate the Jews. There's no difference."
Chong said people, especially religious groups and the judge who sent him to prison, demonize marijuana. They have strong beliefs based on fear and the devil, who doesn't exist, according to Chong.
"You can conjure up an image that is so real that it will affect your life," Chong said. "It's according to your belief. If you're afraid you're going to have a car accident, you're going to have a car accident. If you're afraid you're going to be raped and mugged, you will be raped and mugged. Fear breeds those irrational things in the universe."
Chong has strong beliefs, too (other than pot being legalized). He believes in the Almighty. But only one, not two. Not three. Just one.
"See, one is real," he said. "It all starts with one. It actually starts with zero. Zero and then one. And that's the binary system. That's what computers are based on. And it's also what our DNA is based on. So, that's what I believe in. I believe in realness."
Since Chong's arrest and time in prison, he and his entire family have stopped smoking pot. His kids are doing better. He's got two grandkids. And, he and Shelby, his wife and official comedy partner since 2000, are still traveling the states performing at comedy clubs. They'll be in Ontario tonight.
Shelby and Chong have actually been together 30 years and married for four. When asked if it's ever difficult to travel and perform together, Chong said not at all.
"We get along so good when we're on the road," he said. "I mean, we have our direction differences (he chuckled). But it's all done with love. And I love her to death and she loves me to death and that's just the way it is."
What about a Cheech & Chong reunion movie?
The first script was rejected, Chong said. He submitted a second script that needs a little more work. But Cheech isn't as onboard as Chong thought he'd be. Cheech separated himself from the whole Cheech & Chong thing years ago.
"He doesn't want to be that character," Chong said. "Well, I don't know how you can do a Cheech & Chong movie without Cheech & Chong."
But Chong figured it out. He wrote in a Cheech Jr., who carries half the movie. Cheech will appear in the movie, too. Just don't expect a lot from him.
"Cheech really got ruined in that Don Johnson thing," Chong said, referring to the TV series "Nash Bridges," which starred Johnson and Marin. "He really got an attitude playing a cop. And, he's still got that attitude. When we first met, he was a hippie. Now he's the opposite."
As for when Chong might retire from doing stand-up, Chong said he doesn't want to stop. He's been on the road for 12 years with Shelby. (He did 12 years with Cheech, too, back in the day, before they did a number of successful movies.) Chong and Shelby perform at least once or twice a month.
"I like my stand-up life," Chong said. "I'm a little younger 67 than most. It's all about having a young heart. That's all."
Fans should expect the same kind of stand-up comedy.
"When you get a show, you just make it better," Chong said.
