Tommy Chong Discusses New Book

Edmonton-born Tommy Chong discusses his new book, The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint with Lee-Anne Goodman of the Canadian Press:

In last year’s documentary A/k/a Tommy Chong, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, comedian and social commentator Bill Maher, among many others, accused the U.S. government of making an example out of Chong for petty political reasons.

But thanks in part to his spirituality and, undoubtedly, his unabashed appreciation of the calming effects of marijuana, Chong approached his sentence with good humour. He says he didn’t mind his nine months in prison because it allowed him to focus primarily on writing the book.

"If you’re a guy like me, it’s not so bad . . . I’m an old man, I’m a writer and I’m writing my book, I’m Tommy Chong, and I’m doing time with my fans," he says.

Being Canadian, Chong says, also helped.

"When you grow up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and spend 20 years with Alberta winters, everything else is so easy. Nine months in a California jail is nothing compared to nine months of a Canadian winter," he says with a laugh.

"Canadians, we appreciate sunshine and the things that really matter in life. People say to me: ‘Don’t you get tired of signing autographs?’ No! Being famous, that’s pretty easy."

You can read the full article at this link.

Photo: Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press.