It's been a while since we've had two guests on at a time. In the early years, it was much more common. Don't know why I switched other than it burns up more guests this way. Either way is fun, though. Tonight Darcy Michael makes his annual visit. This is his third trip to our little show and it's always lots of fun. He is one fun homosexual. But I guess that's redundant. Jane Stanton, on the other hand, will be making her first appearance. She and Darcy are good pals so it's a perfect match. Darcy has a new CD to promote and just finished taping an episode of The Debaters on CBC radio, and Jane has a Teen Angst show she'd like to talk about. Among other things. So tune in tonight and listen, won't you? Please?
All right, it's nap time! My favourite time of day!
PS The Cheech & Chong show was surprisingly good. I really enjoyed it. Read my review here.
THIS JUST IN: Darcy Michael's car broke down so he won't be joining us tonight. He said he'll call in, though. See, this is why I have two guests booked! I knew there was a reason.
Showing posts with label cheech and chong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheech and chong. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Marin & Tommy
Ever wonder if Cheech & Chong would have made it as big if their names weren't alliterative? I mean, what are the odds two guys with 'ch' names meet and take the comedy stoner world by storm? The mind boggles.
In last week's Georgia Straight, I wrote the cover story on the comedic duo, who met right here in Vancouver. It's the definitive biography, if I do say so myself. Treat yourself to that fine bit of writing. Go ahead. You deserve it.
It was fun putting the story together, if a bit rushed. One thing I was really hoping for was to talk to former RCMP narc, Det. Abe Snidanko, who C&C immortalized as the Clouseau-like cop on their trail in the movies, Sgt. Stidenko, as played by Stacey Keach. I actually did talk to Snidanko, who's now retired, but he wouldn't talk. “I don’t give interviews. Thanks anyhow,” is all he would offer. I would have loved to have heard his opinion on the stoners, and to find out if it's true he was shipped off to Turkey for 17 years after he became well known.
Here are some other morsels that didn't make the story.
I spoke to the pair on Cheech's cellphone as they were driving (or being driven) from Portland to Eugene, Oregon. So it appears they genuinely do like each other. Remember, for years and years they didn't have a lot of nice things to say about each other. Cheech went on and on about how easy it's been getting back on stage with his old buddy. There were virtually no awkwardness on stage. And they did next to no rehearsing beforehand. "It took us like 30 seconds," he said about how long it took to get their rhythm back. "I'm not kidding you. It was scary. Like when you have a tattoo and you go get it off you have a scar that looks like the tattoo. It was beyond easy. It's part of our DNA."
Cheech never said one way or the other how important the comedy was back in the heyday, but he did mention something that suggested he knew the gimmick was equally important in their quest for fame: "Wherever we went, we attracted an audience. And most important, we attracted a reaction from everybody. In L.A., we played black clubs in the black sections of L.A. because they paid money. The white clubs would convince you to do hootenanny night. So we started honing our act in black clubs. And we kept ourselves alive that way."
Chong, the prime mover of the duo, hinted that their stoner image was, at least in Cheech's case, just an image: "We became stoners more than starting out stoners. Actually, Cheech was almost celibate. He was like a priest. He never did anything. Then he started smoking a little bit. We became stoners. Our audiences made us become them. Because your audience really dictates your material. And when we found out stoner material and rock'n'roll really go good together, we hit upon the golden secret, the golden key. Stoner material and jazz and rock'n'roll and music... Stoner material and music really go hand in hand."
I personally was interested in Chong's musical background and his reminiscences of the early Vancouver music scene. I guess I'm just amazed any time someone has more than one marketable talent when there are some of us who don't have any. As is well known, Chong was in a group that was signed to Motown and he owned a club here in the city, taking credit for the burgeoning blues scene at the time.
"Tommy Milton and I had a club called the Blues Palace and we brought up Ike and Tina Turner to open it. They came up and more or less set the blues standard in Vancouver."
As a kid in the '70s, I never got into Cheech & Chong. I may have heard some of their albums but wasn't interested. I'm not sure why because I certainly was interested in any and all comedy I could get my hands on. But not them. I'll get a full immersion on Friday when I attend their reunion tour and report back on what I thought. Not sure how I'll refrain from inhaling the whole show, but I'll try my damndest.
In last week's Georgia Straight, I wrote the cover story on the comedic duo, who met right here in Vancouver. It's the definitive biography, if I do say so myself. Treat yourself to that fine bit of writing. Go ahead. You deserve it.
It was fun putting the story together, if a bit rushed. One thing I was really hoping for was to talk to former RCMP narc, Det. Abe Snidanko, who C&C immortalized as the Clouseau-like cop on their trail in the movies, Sgt. Stidenko, as played by Stacey Keach. I actually did talk to Snidanko, who's now retired, but he wouldn't talk. “I don’t give interviews. Thanks anyhow,” is all he would offer. I would have loved to have heard his opinion on the stoners, and to find out if it's true he was shipped off to Turkey for 17 years after he became well known.
Here are some other morsels that didn't make the story.
I spoke to the pair on Cheech's cellphone as they were driving (or being driven) from Portland to Eugene, Oregon. So it appears they genuinely do like each other. Remember, for years and years they didn't have a lot of nice things to say about each other. Cheech went on and on about how easy it's been getting back on stage with his old buddy. There were virtually no awkwardness on stage. And they did next to no rehearsing beforehand. "It took us like 30 seconds," he said about how long it took to get their rhythm back. "I'm not kidding you. It was scary. Like when you have a tattoo and you go get it off you have a scar that looks like the tattoo. It was beyond easy. It's part of our DNA."
Cheech never said one way or the other how important the comedy was back in the heyday, but he did mention something that suggested he knew the gimmick was equally important in their quest for fame: "Wherever we went, we attracted an audience. And most important, we attracted a reaction from everybody. In L.A., we played black clubs in the black sections of L.A. because they paid money. The white clubs would convince you to do hootenanny night. So we started honing our act in black clubs. And we kept ourselves alive that way."
Chong, the prime mover of the duo, hinted that their stoner image was, at least in Cheech's case, just an image: "We became stoners more than starting out stoners. Actually, Cheech was almost celibate. He was like a priest. He never did anything. Then he started smoking a little bit. We became stoners. Our audiences made us become them. Because your audience really dictates your material. And when we found out stoner material and rock'n'roll really go good together, we hit upon the golden secret, the golden key. Stoner material and jazz and rock'n'roll and music... Stoner material and music really go hand in hand."
I personally was interested in Chong's musical background and his reminiscences of the early Vancouver music scene. I guess I'm just amazed any time someone has more than one marketable talent when there are some of us who don't have any. As is well known, Chong was in a group that was signed to Motown and he owned a club here in the city, taking credit for the burgeoning blues scene at the time.
"Tommy Milton and I had a club called the Blues Palace and we brought up Ike and Tina Turner to open it. They came up and more or less set the blues standard in Vancouver."
As a kid in the '70s, I never got into Cheech & Chong. I may have heard some of their albums but wasn't interested. I'm not sure why because I certainly was interested in any and all comedy I could get my hands on. But not them. I'll get a full immersion on Friday when I attend their reunion tour and report back on what I thought. Not sure how I'll refrain from inhaling the whole show, but I'll try my damndest.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
November 23: Patrick Maliha
I remember when Patrick Maliha was just a standup comic. Today, he's still a standup comic, but he's also got his hand in everything else. Not only does he run almost every comedy room in the lower mainland, giving Mark Breslin a run for his money, but he does movie reviews on TV's Urban Rush and an afternoon talk show on CFUN radio. I, for one, hope Patrick does his movie reviews for ever. Because whenever somebody questions how I can review comedy without ever having done it myself, I always point to Maliha and his movie reviews.
Tonight – it's tonight already?! – Patrick joins us for what is sure to be a spirited hour of conversation. Always opinionated, Maliha is also the only guest in our four-year history who uttered the 'c' word live on air. Ah, that's co-op radio for you! I betcha he's never done that on his CFUN show, the pussy.
***
I didn't see any live comedy this week, but I did interview Cheech & Chong for a story coming out later this week in the Georgia Straight. Yeah, that's right. They got a guy who's never smoked weed to interview the most famous stoners in the world. Hey, if Patrick Maliha can review movies without ever having made a film, why not?
They're playing the Queen E. on Dec. 5.
Tonight – it's tonight already?! – Patrick joins us for what is sure to be a spirited hour of conversation. Always opinionated, Maliha is also the only guest in our four-year history who uttered the 'c' word live on air. Ah, that's co-op radio for you! I betcha he's never done that on his CFUN show, the pussy.
***
I didn't see any live comedy this week, but I did interview Cheech & Chong for a story coming out later this week in the Georgia Straight. Yeah, that's right. They got a guy who's never smoked weed to interview the most famous stoners in the world. Hey, if Patrick Maliha can review movies without ever having made a film, why not?
They're playing the Queen E. on Dec. 5.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Survey Says...
Okay, I'm hooked on this blog thing. I fought it and fought it for years when people were telling me to get a blog. And now look at me. I can't be stopped. See, this is why I don't join the cult of FaceBook. I have just enough self-discipline to not join. If I ever succumbed, I fear I'd never leave the house.
So anyway, there's a new survey. The old one expired today with a grand total of four responses. But I see this thing blowing up sometime soon. I predict at least six replies this week.
When we started the radio show lo these four years ago, we started what was to be a regular segment called Funny/Not Funny. The idea was to rattle off a list of comedians and get the guest to give an opinion on each one. I think we've probably done the segment fewer than ten times total. But I always enjoy it. The answers usually break off into a deeper discussion of comedy. So here's my attempt to renew the format, only in the form of a survey. The only way I could figure out how to do it is to allow you to click on as many of the ones listed as you think are funny. The fewer the votes for a particular comic, the less you think he's funny. Or something like that.
The list is culled from upcoming acts to Vancouver. Steven Wright is playing the River Rock Show Theatre on November 1, Louis CK is at the Vogue on November 14, Dame Edna at the River Rock on November 14 & 15, Cheech & Chong at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on December 5, and Kathy Griffin at the River Rock on January 10. I didn't include the Just For Laughs tour at the Orpheum on November 14 because chances are you've never heard of anyone performing that night. 'You' in the general sense, of course. I know you, the individual, are hip to everyone.
So vote to your heart's content. It's election season, afterall. This will give you practice.
So anyway, there's a new survey. The old one expired today with a grand total of four responses. But I see this thing blowing up sometime soon. I predict at least six replies this week.
When we started the radio show lo these four years ago, we started what was to be a regular segment called Funny/Not Funny. The idea was to rattle off a list of comedians and get the guest to give an opinion on each one. I think we've probably done the segment fewer than ten times total. But I always enjoy it. The answers usually break off into a deeper discussion of comedy. So here's my attempt to renew the format, only in the form of a survey. The only way I could figure out how to do it is to allow you to click on as many of the ones listed as you think are funny. The fewer the votes for a particular comic, the less you think he's funny. Or something like that.
The list is culled from upcoming acts to Vancouver. Steven Wright is playing the River Rock Show Theatre on November 1, Louis CK is at the Vogue on November 14, Dame Edna at the River Rock on November 14 & 15, Cheech & Chong at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on December 5, and Kathy Griffin at the River Rock on January 10. I didn't include the Just For Laughs tour at the Orpheum on November 14 because chances are you've never heard of anyone performing that night. 'You' in the general sense, of course. I know you, the individual, are hip to everyone.
So vote to your heart's content. It's election season, afterall. This will give you practice.
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