por Antonio Mejías-Rentas
Cheech and Chng
REUNITED: One of the most popular comedy teams of the 1970s and 80s will tour this fall, putting an end to a sometimes bitter 25-year feud.
Richard “Cheech” Marín and Tommy Chong will hit 22 U.S. cities starting Sept. 12 in Philadelphia and ending in Denver on Dec. 20. Presented by concert powerhouse Live Nation, Cheech & Chong: Light Up America will hit prime venues in major markets, including Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C.
Marin, 62, and Chong, 70, announced the tour at Los Angeles’ Troubadour’s nightclub where they honed their marijuana-inspired comedy act in the 70s and developed their “stoner” characters. Cheech & Chong won a 1973 comedy Grammy for Los cochinos and their first movie – the 1978 hit Up in Smoke, made $100 million. The pair last performed live in 1981 but continued recording and making films through 1985. In spite of their acrimonious and well publicized split, the two have been cordiaUn public 4and have hinted at a reunion tour in the last few years.
Cheech – whose nickname comes from the word chicharrón— said the pair’s stoner humor will surely appeal to today’s youth. “We’ve had the younger audience all along,” he said. “Every time they get to that certain age, they go through that Cheech & Chong period watching the movies, listening to the records. So, it’s almost like a rite of passage.”
Cheech and Chong continued to perform separately after the split, mostly in television series.
Marin, born to a Los Angeles Mexican-American family, is a well-known collector of Chicano art. Part of his collection is currently on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Chong has long advocated the legalization of marijuana, and in 2003 was arrested and jailed for selling drug paraphernalia.
IN COMPETITION: One out of five films representing the U.S. at this year’s 85th annual Venice International Film Festival marks the directing debut of Mexican writer Guillermo Arriaga.
The Burning Plain, also written by Arriaga, was among 21 competing films announced last week. The festival takes place Aug. 27 to Sept. 8. Hispanic Link.
