Tommy Chong promotes new book and hip-hop street cred

Tommy Chong, counterculture hero and champion to medicinal marijuana advocates, made a stop for his tell-all  "Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography" at the Barnes & Noble Santa Monica Promenade Wednesday night. The septuagenarian is, obviously, one-half of Grammy-winning team Cheech & Chong, whose 1978 film "Up in Smoke," stands as the seminal pothead comedy. (Sorry, Judd Apatow and friends.)

Lean, tan and seemingly fit for a dude his age, Chong, who once played a protective convict called Squirrel Master in a 1998 Dave Chappelle flick -- a role he referred to as “scary” and “sorta prophetic” -- gave a half-hour routine mixed with family talk, tales of the good ol' days and jokes about his nearly nine-month stint in prison. (He was released in 2004).

For true fans who didn't want to accept Cheech & Chong's unexplained break-up in the '80s, there is good news: An upcoming Live Nation tour, says Chong, has reunited the Canadian- and L.A.-bred pair.

“Cheech & Chong's Light Up America...” tour comes to the Gibson Amphitheatre in December and ends at Radio City Music Hall in New York the following month. According to Chong, the show will contain mostly classic stand-up and album bits.

The range of fans who crammed into the small venue are a testament to Cheech & Chong's continued popularity. Hip-hop has also embraced the duo in lyrics heard over the years.

“Isn't that something?” Chong said when asked about the lyrics that name-drop the duo, even using their names for a potent strain of marijuana. “I'm honored. They gave me street cred up the yin-yang. When I was in jail, they used to play hip-hop with Tommy Chong [in] it. I was thrilled. Wasn't that Dr. Dre [who mentioned us]?”

Cheech & Chong never recorded a rap album, but they earned their place in music history more than 30 years ago with a Grammy win for the 1973 comedy album, "Los Cochinos." They garnered other Grammy nominations over their nine-album career, with album cuts that cracked Top 40 radio and songs such as the Lou Adler-produced “Basketball Jones,” a comedic song inspired by a seat-of-the-pants car ride to a Lakers game with Jack Nicholson.

-- Camilo Smith

Listen to Chong's story about getting raided by the Feds in Gardena.

For more, see Tommy Chong at Book Soup on Saturday at 5pm. Also, check legendary comedy team Cheech & Chong at the Gibson Amphitheatre on December 6.