Cheech Is Not My Real Name
...But Don't Call Me Chong
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4.7 • 6 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Get a look into the mind of Cheech Marin–one half of the renowned Cheech and Chong comedic duo–and follow through the highs and lows of his personal and professional lives.
An unborn baby with a fatal heart defect . . . a skier submerged for an hour in a frozen Norwegian lake . . . a comatose brain surgery patient whom doctors have declared a "vegetable."
The long-awaited memoir from a counterculture legend. Cheech Marin came of age at an interesting time in America and became a self-made counterculture legend with his other half, Tommy Chong. This insightful memoir delves into how Cheech dodged the draft, formed one of the most successful comedy duos of all time, became the face of the recreational drug movement with the film Up in Smoke, forged a successful solo career with roles in The Lion King and, more recently, Jane the Virgin, and became the owner of the most renowned collection of Chicano art in the world. Written in Cheech's uniquely hilarious voice, this memoir will take you to new highs.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The comedy duo Cheech and Chong defined "stoner humor" in a series of wildly successful LPs in the early 1970s and later in equally popular low-budget films with jokes based on "observing this hippie revolution that was going on all around us," as first-time author Marin describes in this enjoyable and insightful autobiography. "We didn't become hippies," he writes. "We were hippies." And though their comedy was often lowbrow, Marin's descriptions of how the duo perfected their act in a range of venues, from their early days in Vancouver (where they met) to countless sets in the famed Troubadour club in Hollywood, makes a strong argument that behind the stoner facade were two seasoned entertainers who, when improvising, "were like jazz musicians." But the Cheech and Chong team is only half of Marin's story. After an honest description of the duo's break-up ("I didn't necessarily want to be in control. I just didn't want to be controlled"), Marin describes the development of his solo success as an actor in films such as Tin Cup and Machete. Bookended by looks at his youth growing up poor in South Central Los Angeles and his development as a now well-known collector of Chicago art, this memoir is fun, wacky look inside Marin's imagination.
Customer Reviews
The best audiobook
Actually, this is the only audiobook I’ve listened to in its entirety. It helps that Cheech is the one narrating. He is such a fascinating person. I met him some years back at an art event, and the book didn’t disappoint in highlighting significant points of his career. I didn’t want to leave my car for work as I listened to him talking about his films, family, and of course, the era of Cheech and Chong. I would listen to it again.