CHEECH AND CHONG: THE FATHERS OF STONER COMEDY RETURN TO THEIR CANADIAN ROOTS

Words of wisdom from those seemingly ageless stoners:

"For some reason, we're timeless," marvels Tommy Chong.

"Yeah, we're like the immigration problem. We're never going to go
away," pledges Richard (Cheech) Marin.

Right they are. Cheech and Chong, credited by many with creating the
stoner genre of film and comedy, have been sparking together, and
apart, for more than 40 years. Clearly, the pot hasn't killed them or
their careers.

The duo will probably go several tokes over the line when they make their
Just for Laughs fest debut July 16 at Theatre St. Denis. Presumably on hand
to serve as gala hosts, the pair will be doing excerpts on stage from
Cheech and Chong: Get It Legal, the followup to their hit reunion tour,
Cheech and Chong: Light Up America.

Doubtless, the St. Denis theatre staff are hoping patrons don't
attempt to do their own rendition of Up in Smoke, Cheech and Chong's
stoner-flick classic that has probably allowed countless future
generations to live blissfully ever after.

Even for those who weren't born in the tandem's heyday, Cheech and
Chong are cultural icons -curios? -who still resonate. It's no
accident, Cheech observes in a phone interview: "We hypnotize people."

Many of their fans weren't even born when the duo separated in 1985 to
pursue solo careers. But they got back together as a comedy unit a few
years ago in, of all places, Ottawa.

The Canadian connection is strong. The L.A.-raised Cheech, 64, and the
Edmonton-born Chong, 72, first started as a joint act in Vancouver in
the late 1960s and soon conquered the continent with their
countercultural shtick, relating mostly to their ever-chill states.

Their stoner shtick paid monster dividends: They cut nine hit discs,
including Big Bambu and Los Cochinos, the latter winning the 1973
Grammy Award for best comedy album. They also made nine hit flicks,
including Up in Smoke, which grossed more than $100 million at the
gate. The guys also materialized in Graham Chapman's pirate spoof
Yellowbeard and Martin Scorsese's off-centred After Hours.

After the messy split in the mid-'80s, Cheech showed up in such flicks
as Tin Cup and the Spy Kids trilogy, as well as the tube drama Nash
Bridges. Chong popped up in comedy clubs and on That '70s Show. They
planned to get back together for a movie in 2003, but Chong had to do
nine months in the jug after pleading guilty to charges of
distributing drug paraphernalia in the U.S.

"We don't fight with each other any more," Chong says. "We've got our
wives to fight with now."

What is intriguing is that the same issues that burned when the pair
first started out continue to sizzle today: the legalization of
marijuana and Latino immigration crackdowns.

"I did Born in East L.A. almost 25 years ago, but the topic is still
as relevant today -even more so," says a no-nonsense Cheech, of the
film comedy that he wrote, directed and starred in about a legal
Latino in L.A. who is deported to Mexico.

"And, of course," Cheech cracks, "there are less people smoking dope
now than ever before."

"But that's what keeps us in the news and still working," Chong
interjects.

Chong still maintains a residence in Vancouver: "I go back frequently to
put out the garbage and to mow the grass."

We'll leave the latter remark to your own imaginations.

But there are some among us who thought it might be fitting for Chong
- -who has spent considerable time in the town -to be involved with the
Vancouver Olympics opening ceremonies, like so many other Canuck
celebs. Really, what a thrill it would have been to catch Chong
lighting one of those mega-sized Olympic torches -certainly the
biggest bong he would have ever lit.

"I was never asked," says the man, who refers to himself as a "walking
drug test."

The pair -their voices, anyway -are set to be unleashed shortly in an
animated feature film.

"We're playing around with a few titles," Cheech says. "But I think
we've settled on Avatar 2. It has a nice ring to it."

They are also working on a live action feature, set in Mexico and
slated for release next year. The working title: Grumpy Old Stoners.

Ah, old habits die hard. But lucrative though those habits may be,
they do invite much scrutiny -mostly for Chong -from customs officials.

Because of his bust, Chong is invariably on a watch list. "When I came
to Ottawa, I was greeted by agents in flak jackets with automatic
weapons and sniffer dogs," Chong claims.

"Then they found out that I was Canadian and they had to let me
in."

Cheech muses that he has been largely spared these hassles at the
border: "They've tried to get me for narcotics smuggling, but I
usually hand them back to Tommy at that point. On the other hand, they
did think I was a terrorist in Edmonton."

Chong does, however, believe that pot will be legalized in parts of
the U.S. and even Canada within the next three years. But that's a
good news/ bad news scenario:

"Once they do legalize it, we'll break up for good," Chong laments.
"We won't have an act any longer."

Cheech and Chong are presiding over a Just for Laughs gala, July 16 at
7 p.m. at Theatre St. Denis, 1594 St. Denis St. Tickets begin at
$45.50 and are available at 514-845-2322 or hahaha. com.