TOMMY CHONG ROLLS INTO CHARLOTTE

Comedian Describes Time In Jail And His Philosophies Of Life

Break out your rolling papers. Legendary stoner comedian Tommy Chong
is in town today and Saturday to perform at the Comedy Zone uptown.

Chong rose to fame with the classic 1978 ganja-loving film "Up In
Smoke," co-starring his former comedy partner Cheech Marin. Chong has
stayed in the spotlight by continuing to do standup comedy and as a
regular on "That '70s Show," which recently ended a seven-year run.

But one of his recent gigs was a nine-month sentence in a California
prison, followed by a year's probation, after he pleaded guilty in
2003 to conspiring to sell drug paraphernalia.

Chong, who is 68 and has five kids and two grandchildren, lives in
L.A. with his wife and comedy partner Shelby. A documentary about
him, "a/k/a Tommy Chong," is getting ready to debut in New York City,
and he has a book, "I, Chong," coming out in August.

In a phone interview from his home, he told us about his time in
prison, the importance of comedy, and what he thinks about marijuana.

Q. At your standup shows, do audiences automatically love you? That
only lasts a few seconds. Then you've got to be funny. It's so
important that people have comedy in their lives. There's so much
horror going on in the world that it's much easier to digest if it's
wrapped in comedy. That's what we comedians do, we show people that
no matter how bad things are, there's something to laugh about.

Q. How did you end up on "That '70s Show"? They found me. I had
turned down a lot of TV. One of them was Dharma's father on "Dharma &
Greg." But when "That '70s Show" called, I really liked the title so
I told them to send me a tape. I saw one episode and said I'm in.

Q. How did the young actors react to you? I've got a grandkid that's
older than some of the kids on the show, so I was definitely the
senior member. They had no clue who Tommy Chong was. None of them
smoke dope in real life. In between takes, they'd ask me if the 1970s
were really like this.

Q. What were the 1970s like for you? There was an innocence in the
'70s that I don't really miss. Everyone now is so much more
knowledgeable. My entertainment career in the 1970s was really about
the 1960s. The 1970s were disco and President Nixon. I was like the
hippie from the 1960s. Cheech and I were ignored by everyone. When we
did "Up In Smoke," Paramount didn't even know they owned it. Then the
next thing you know, it's the No. 1 movie and it made us a force.

Q. What was it like to be in prison? I actually enjoyed jail. I was
welcomed with open arms. I was like the camp pet. Everyone knew me
and wanted to talk to me. I approach everything like a writer. I
wanted to see and hear everything and document it all. What I didn't
enjoy was seeing my family suffer because I was behind bars. My wife
visited me every week.

Q. What is Shelby like? She's my partner. She's my Cheech. She opens
the show. She's very good and very funny. She's earned her stripes.
There was mainly a male audience when I performed alone, now its 50-50.

Q. Any life philosophies you want to pass along? The fun is in doing
something, it's not in having done it. That's the secret of
everything. If you can't enjoy yourself in what you're doing, do
something else.

Q. Do you still smoke pot? I did, but I quit when I went to jail and
while I was on probation. It made me into being more of a marijuana
activist. Pharmaceutical companies and liquor lobbyists throw
millions of dollars a year into political coffers to keep marijuana
illegal. They think it's just hippies who smoke it. But there are a
lot of other people who smoke it and they don't want anyone to know.
For those people it's like being gay and you're afraid to come out of
the closet. PREVIEW

Tommy Chong

Before his new documentary and book comes out, see the famous
comedian in action on stage.

WHEN: 8 and 10:15 p.m. today and Saturday.

WHERE: Comedy Zone uptown, 516 N. College St.

TICKETS: $23 and $38.

DETAILS: 704-348-4242; www.thecomedyzone.net.