Getting arrested in Tampa: Me, Cheech, and a Cop's Hat

Come back with me to Tampa, 1973.... ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ~/AASl5QA~/RgRm9c7hP4QNAWh0dHA6Ly9nZXRjaG9uZ2NiZC5jb20_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1LbGF2aXlvJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09Y2FtcGFpZ24tZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTkuMjYuMjMlMjAtJTIwR2V0dGluZyUyMEFycmVzdGVkJTIwaW4lMjBUYW1wYSUyMCUyODAxSEI5S1hKREZOQ1BLQk5UWlg4MU42MzIyJTI5JnN1YjE9MDFHR1RWMUpLRjY3NjdaMlIxNjJBMVgzNlEmX2t4PW93aG5RWU0waFd4V18waW9mbU5ucUxyWkFYY3pEMWpKQk1HVnpweUNKZU5Sa1dKWDkxaHIydUIyTG5LLS1oNnIuVnRpalZHVwNzcGNCCmT64UkTZQCO_llSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkyQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAHyQQ~~   Hey Marilyn – it's Tommy... Ever have one of those memories that feel like yesterday, even though decades have passed? And every time you think of it, a little grin creeps across your face? Well today, I got one for you.... It involves a hat, a cop, and a night in Tampa. But not just any hat, a cop's hat. And not just any cop... you'll see. I'm in Tampa, Florida with Cheech in 1973. Me and Cheech were doing a show at Curtis Hixon Hall on the evening of Aug. 25. (It was a Saturday... This'll come up later...) Man, Tampa was a different world back then. As the promoter, put it, "It was 1973 but in Tampa it was 1953." We were still a few years away from "Up in Smoke", but our stage shows were drawing massive crowds... Mostly the kind of folks who ain't big on rules... (obviously) Now at that point, Curtis Hixon Hall had this thing where they required a $5,000 performance bond. Why? Well personally, I'm convinced it was basically a money-grab! They'd invite performers known for, well, colorful performances, in hopes that they'd have grounds to scoop up that deposit because of some "vulgar or indecent language" or something like that. Well... when Cheech and I went there, we certainly got our money's worth! See back then, Cheech and I had this bit called "The Dogs." Here's a version of it here: [The Dogs](~/AASl5QA~/RgRm9c7hP4QiAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9R2pfTXd2c2FiZm8mdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1LbGF2aXlvJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09Y2FtcGFpZ24tZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTkuMjYuMjMlMjAtJTIwR2V0dGluZyUyMEFycmVzdGVkJTIwaW4lMjBUYW1wYSUyMCUyODAxSEI5S1hKREZOQ1BLQk5UWlg4MU42MzIyJTI5JnN1YjE9MDFHR1RWMUpLRjY3NjdaMlIxNjJBMVgzNlEmX2t4PW93aG5RWU0waFd4V18waW9mbU5ucUxyWkFYY3pEMWpKQk1HVnpweUNKZU5Sa1dKWDkxaHIydUIyTG5LLS1oNnIuVnRpalZHVwNzcGNCCmT64UkTZQCO_llSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkyQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAHyQQ~~) Picture this: two grown men, on all fours, sniffing... well, you get the idea. But what sent it over the edge? Cheech decided to pick up a real cop's hat using his teeth and then acted like he was "marking his territory" right on the cop's HEAD. (Funny? Absolutely... a good idea? No. No it wasn't.) I'll give you a second to laugh at that visual. Done? Okay, now get this – that particular cop didn't find it nearly as funny as you did. So, after our show, they decided to arrest us. But the funniest part? The other cops were fighting over who was the biggest fan and who would get to drive us to jail. 😂 (Which was good for us... 'cause while we were being arrested for indecency, our manager was throwing out all the weed we had in the green room! Thank God for distracted cops...) On the way to jail, we were still in show mode - cracking jokes, and having a blast even while getting our mug shots taken. But when we got to the actual jail, things got a bit more real. Remember, this was a Saturday night... All the "frequent flyers" up to no good were hanging out with us in the "drunk tank" they decided to put us in for the night... One guy was passed out drunk using the only roll of toilet paper in the joint for a pillow.. Cheech even asked the jailer for some "pink toilet tissue" in a super flamboyant voice. Then the guy came back and pulled Cheech out of the cell. And put him in an elevator to a lower floor. Suddenly things started getting real. I remember hearing Cheech "sober up" real fast and tell the guy "You know, my dad's a cop... LAPD! 25 Years!" on his way down the hall. Turns out the cops were just trying to separate us because we were having too much fun... This is supposed to be jail after all... But Cheech thought he was gonna get his head cracked open for the toilet paper bit. Ah, Cheech always did have a way to add that extra layer of fun, even in unexpected places. Coming back to the present though, life has thrown us many curveballs. Some we hit, some we missed, but each gave us a story... (An important thing for a comedian) So, next time you're in a bit of a pickle, think of me and Cheech in that Tampa jail, and remember: it's not about the situation, but the story you get out of it. Here's to more wild rides, unforgettable tales, and lessons learned in the most unexpected places. Stay groovy, Marilyn. And always keep your sense of humor close by, because life's too short for anything less. Keep on keepin' on, Peace and love, [Tommy Signature] Tommy Chong     [Facebook](~/AASl5QA~/RgRm9c7hP4QlAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL2dyb3Vwcy90b21teXNhcm15Z3JvdXA_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1LbGF2aXlvJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09Y2FtcGFpZ24tZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTkuMjYuMjMlMjAtJTIwR2V0dGluZyUyMEFycmVzdGVkJTIwaW4lMjBUYW1wYSUyMCUyODAxSEI5S1hKREZOQ1BLQk5UWlg4MU42MzIyJTI5JnN1YjE9MDFHR1RWMUpLRjY3NjdaMlIxNjJBMVgzNlEmX2t4PW93aG5RWU0waFd4V18waW9mbU5ucUxyWkFYY3pEMWpKQk1HVnpweUNKZU5Sa1dKWDkxaHIydUIyTG5LLS1oNnIuVnRpalZHVwNzcGNCCmT64UkTZQCO_llSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkyQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAHyQQ~~) [Instagram](~/AASl5QA~/RgRm9c7hP4QdAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaW5zdGFncmFtLmNvbS9oZXl0b21teWNob25nP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9S2xhdml5byZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWNhbXBhaWduLWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj05LjI2LjIzJTIwLSUyMEdldHRpbmclMjBBcnJlc3RlZCUyMGluJTIwVGFtcGElMjAlMjgwMUhCOUtYSkRGTkNQS0JOVFpYODFONjMyMiUyOSZzdWIxPTAxR0dUVjFKS0Y2NzY3WjJSMTYyQTFYMzZRJl9reD1vd2huUVlNMGhXeFdfMGlvZm1ObnFMclpBWGN6RDFqSkJNR1Z6cHlDSmVOUmtXSlg5MWhyMnVCMkxuSy0taDZyLlZ0aWpWR1cDc3BjQgpk-uFJE2UAjv5ZUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MkBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAB8kE~) Don't Want These Emails? All Good Man! [Unsubscribe](~/AASl5QA~/RgRm9c7hP0SoaHR0cHM6Ly9tYW5hZ2Uua21haWwtbGlzdHMuY29tL3N1YnNjcmlwdGlvbnMvdW5zdWJzY3JpYmU_YT1WdGlqVkcmYz0wMUdHVFYxSktGNjc2N1oyUjE2MkExWDM2USZrPTI2NDdmZjIzZGVjZmQ4NjY3ZWM4ZmNlZjQ4OGY3ZDM3Jm09MDFIQjlLWEpKMUFZUk1KS1hBRVRZMU41NDEmcj1YUG5USkM3VwNzcGNCCmT64UkTZQCO_llSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkyQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAHyQQ~~) Send All Love Letters & Hate Mail Here: Tommy Chong's CBD 274 S 700 W Pleasant Grove, UT 84062