The alcohol-free movement is getting a boost in Chicago, thanks to a pair of comedians associated with a different kind of buzz.
The duo Cheech & Chong, known for their albums and movies of stoner humor, are in town this week to celebrate weed culture in Chicago and promote High & Dry, their new THC-infused non-alcoholic seltzer.
Their new drink is all about providing access to and changing the public’s perception of marijuana.
“We’re not kids anymore and we have a hard time — at least I do have a hard time — just getting around because of my age and all that, and the seltzer allows us, allows anybody, to have that same beautiful feeling,” Chong, 86, said.
“It’s a sensible alternative to alcohol,” he added, noting that the seltzers are made with one key ingredient all humans need: water.
The seltzers come in four flavors: Grapefruit Twist, Magic Mule, Citrus Sunrise and Raspberry Highball. Each seltzer contains five milligrams of THC, or 30 milligrams per six-pack.
“We’re in the business of selling our own beautiful tasting water,” Chong said. “I learned real early in my career that the healthiest people on the planet smoke weed.” He noted NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “who played way past his prime,” and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger “who wouldn’t even drink a 7-Up,” as two examples.
Both Cheech and Chong said they were proud of the progress made in legalization legislation in Illinois, especially as “marijuana champions.”
Cheech and Chong have announced a new line of THC-infused seltzers called High & Dry.
Courtesy Cheech & Chong
Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin spoke to the Sun-Times after attending the Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers game at Wrigley Field. The two sported matching jerseys: Cheech’s with the No. 4 Chong’s with No. 20
“When I grew up in South Central L.A., they had an exact replica of Wrigley Field built two blocks from my house,” Cheech, 78, said. (He’s referring to the “Million Dollar Palace,” home of the old Los Angeles Angels, opened in 1925 as an homage to the famed Chicago ballpark.)
“I wanted to see how it looks against the original,” he said. “It looks smaller than the original, but it was a beautiful place to watch the game.”
Spending time at Wrigley was a dream come true for Cheech, a lifelong baseball fan.
Chong, who portrayed Uncle Leo in “That ’70s Show,” couldn’t speak to his character’s retirement in the Netflix reboot “That ’90s Show,” but said that the original show taught him a lot about reading lines from a script. Cheech & Chong famously improvised all of their lines in the movies they made together.
“I did not [improvise] a line, not one,” Chong said of “That ’70s Show,” except for one episode where he did improvise two words: “It wasn’t in the script and I kind of looked around to see if I was gonna get beat up.
Tommy Chong, one half of Cheech & Chong, poses for a photo.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
“But the writing was so spot-on and it just changed my whole attitude toward writing because, you know, as comedians we always think that no one’s ever gonna be funnier than we are.”
In March, the duo unveiled “Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie,” a documentary (awaiting wide release) that culminates the duo’s five-decade career of doing stand-up comedy and making music and movies together.
These days, Cheech is busy with The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, California, where his collection of Chicano art — collected over “close to 50 years” — is on display.
After traveling the country and eventually the globe with his art, he asked himself: “What am I going to do with this collection?” The City of Riverside approached him with a building they wanted to repurpose as a museum. He was looking for a sign to agree to the deal when he asked the museum’s director, “How big is this space?”
“[It was] 66,420 square feet,” he said. “I said ‘420? That’s the sign.’ “
Five hundred fans have purchased tickets for a now sold-out meet-and-greet with the duo at Binny’s Beverage Depot on Friday afternoon in Lincoln Park, where attendees also will receive a free six-pack of the seltzer, photos and autographs.
The seltzer is the latest addition to their brand of cannabis products and dispensaries — or as they like to call them, “dispensorias” — across the United States.
And while there isn’t a dispensoria in Illinois yet, they hinted that one would be coming to the state soon.