A famous duo says they should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong, best known for starring in stoner comedy films together as Cheech and Chong, say it’s high time they get recognized for their musical talents. The standup comedians often incorporated music in their act, including on songs like 1978’s “Up in Smoke” (from the movie of the same name), the 1973 parody “Basketball Jones” (featuring Carole King, Billy Preston and The Beatles’ George Harrison) and the skit “Earache My Eye” (from the 1974 gold album “Cheech & Chong’s Wedding Album”).
“I think that Cheech and Chong should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Marin said in a new interview on the “Subway Takes” podcast. “Because rock ‘n’ roll is humor.”
“Did he say fame or shame?” Chong joked. “Because I believe either way.”
Chong said “all these rockers have learned our songs” and recorded them. Artists who’ve covered or sampled Marin and Chong include KoRn, Barry White, House of Pain, Eminem, Cypress Hill and the Beastie Boys.
“Another reason is that we’re really good-looking guys,” added Chong.
When “Subway Takes” host Kareem Rahma said Cheech and Chong deserve an Oscar, Marin said that’s more likely to happen before being recognized by the Rock Hall. They do, however, have a Grammy Award (for best comedy recording with their Bruce Springsteen parody “Born in East L.A.” in 1986) and were nominated for six Grammys.
“All great comedians are essentially musicians or they were musicians before,” Marin said. “Peter Sellers, Charlie Chaplin, all those guys.”
Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong perform as part of the Cheech and Chong “O Cannabis” Tour at The Paramount Theater on November 3, 2019 in Huntington, New York. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images).Getty Images
Before linking up with Marin, Chong played guitar for bands like Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers and Little Daddy & The Bachelors in the 1960s alongside Three Dog Night’s Floyd Sneed. Chong’s sister Maxine was married to Sneed, a drummer who died in 2023.
Marin and Chong spoke about their perceived snub on “The Howard Stern Wrap-Up Show” last week, too. Co-hosts Jon Hein and Gary Dell’Abate noted that the comedy partners have worked with many people who are already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, like Harrison, King, Preston, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector and Joni Mitchell.
“I think if there are any comedians that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it’s Cheech and Chong,” Marin said on the “Stern” show. “Because we were there at the beginning of rock and roll.”
Besides standup comedy and music, Marin and Chong have acted in dozens of films and TV shows, including joint projects like “Up in Smoke,” “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie,” “Nice Dreams,” “Still Smokin’” and “Get Out of My Room.” They’re currently promoting their new documentary, “Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie,” detailing their life and career including a breakup in the ’80s.
According to futurerocklegends.com, Cheech and Chong have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1997. They have never been nominated.
To be eligible for induction, artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible.
Five to seven performers are selected every year, along with “specialty” categories that can include early influencers, music producers, industry executives and others. In the performers category, any artist is eligible 25 years after releasing its first single, EP or album.
More than a dozen nominations are chosen annually by a committee of music industry professionals that includes inductees, academics, journalists. Nominees are then voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals. Fans can also vote online or in person at the Cleveland museum, with the top five artists picked by the public making up a “fans’ ballot” that is tallied with the other professional ballots.
But what counts as “rock and roll?” Some have argued over artists being considered “rock” as past inductees include Public Enemy, Jay-Z, Donna Summer, Madonna and Dolly Parton.
“The definition of ‘rock and roll’ means different things to different people, but as broad as the classifications may be, they all share a common love of the music,” Joel Peresman, then President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in 2013.
After KISS rocker Gene Simmons famously objected to hip-hop artists being considered for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, rapper Ice Cube defined rock as a “spirit.”
“Rock & roll is not an instrument. Rock & roll is not even a style of music. Rock & roll is a spirit,” Ice Cube said when N.W.A. was inducted in 2016. “It’s been going since the blues, jazz, bebop, soul, R&B, rock & roll, heavy metal, punk rock and yes, hip-hop. And what connects us all is that spirit. That’s what connects us all, that spirit. Rock & roll is not conforming to the people who came before you, but creating your own path in music and in life. That is rock & roll, and that is us.”
