Joe Rogan Experience #1303 - Tommy Chong

1. 0:00 – 2:27

   Tommy Chong at 81: feeling young, health, and the “fountain of youth” bit

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      (claps) Tommy Chong, ladies and gentlemen.

   2. TCTommy Chong0:04

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:05

      How are you, sir?

   4. TCTommy Chong0:05

      (laughs) I'm fine, man.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:07

      It's great to see you again, man.

   6. TCTommy Chong0:08

      You too, Joe.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:09

      I tell everybody that one of my first ever experiences with comedy recordings was listening to Big Bambu when I was a kid.

   8. TCTommy Chong0:18

      Oh, yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:18

      My parents had it, and, uh, they'd let us listen to it. We'd open it up like a big old packet of rolling papers-

   10. TCTommy Chong0:24

       (laughs)

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:24

       ... and pull out the albums back then-

   12. TCTommy Chong0:26

       Sure.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:26

       ... the, the actual record.

   14. TCTommy Chong0:27

       Yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:28

       You know? And so I've been a fan for a long time.

   16. TCTommy Chong0:31

       Okay. Yeah. I can tell, man. I can tell.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:33

       (laughs) How are you?

   18. TCTommy Chong0:34

       The lover of the weed. I'm, I'm fine, man. I, I'm... couldn't be better. You know? I'm... I'll be 81 Friday.

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:42

       Wow.

   20. TCTommy Chong0:43

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:43

       That's amazing.

   22. TCTommy Chong0:44

       It is.

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:44

       Does it sound crazy to say? 'Cause I'm 51, that sounds crazy to say. When I say it, I'm like, "Jesus, is that true?"

   24. TCTommy Chong0:49

       (laughs)

   25. JRJoe Rogan0:49

       Fuck.

   26. TCTommy Chong0:50

       I'm 30 years older than you.

   27. JRJoe Rogan0:52

       Wow.

   28. TCTommy Chong0:52

       Wow. That's something. But I feel good, man. You know? All the systems are go again, you know, and that, that makes a big difference in your life, you know?

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:01

       Yeah.

   30. TCTommy Chong1:02

       That's when I found out the fountain of youth is, uh, the pussy.
2. 2:27 – 5:39

   Tango as exercise and intimacy: origins, technique, and why partners dance with strangers

   1. TCTommy Chong2:27

      But my main exercise is tango.

   2. JRJoe Rogan2:29

      Tango?

   3. TCTommy Chong2:30

      Tango.

   4. JRJoe Rogan2:31

      Really?

   5. TCTommy Chong2:32

      I will turn you on to tango. Tango is old folk sex. Y- you... The whole thing about tango is it's so intricate. It was a... The original tango was a, a mating dance from Africa.

   6. JRJoe Rogan2:48

      Really?

   7. TCTommy Chong2:48

      And what they would do, they, the, the tribes, the young kids would get together and dance and flirt with their feet. And so when the slaves got taken, you know, (laughs) from Africa and put on the boats and that, they ended up crossing t- the, the foot dance with the adagio French dance, the dance of the brothels.

   8. JRJoe Rogan3:10

      Oh.

   9. TCTommy Chong3:10

      And so the... So then they ended up with a, a music or a dance called tango, which was a combination. Tango itself is a word that means small drum. It's an African drum. Just like mambo, it's an African word that means, uh, storytelling.

   10. JRJoe Rogan3:28

       Really?

   11. TCTommy Chong3:28

       Yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan3:29

       Dude.

   13. TCTommy Chong3:29

       Yes.

   14. JRJoe Rogan3:29

       Story time with Tommy Chong here.

   15. TCTommy Chong3:31

       Oh, yeah. I... Man, I was in jail.

   16. JRJoe Rogan3:32

       Dropping knowledge. (laughs)

   17. TCTommy Chong3:33

       I had, I had nothing but time. And I wrote a whole paper on tango. So anyway, tango... Like, I go to Argentina with my wife a lot, and it's very tough dance to dance with your wife. You have to dance with a stranger, and she has to dance with a stranger.

   18. JRJoe Rogan3:49

       Why is that?

   19. TCTommy Chong3:50

       I think it's... you're too intimate, too personal. You know each other too well.

   20. JRJoe Rogan3:54

       Mm-hmm.

   21. TCTommy Chong3:55

       If you're a stranger, then all you can respond to is the dance, uh, um, signals.

   22. JRJoe Rogan4:04

       Mm-hmm.

   23. TCTommy Chong4:04

       Like, the, the man has to lead, but he has to lead in such a way that, uh, that you can't see him. You know? He can't pull her around the, the... He suggests.

   24. JRJoe Rogan4:15

       Oh, okay.

   25. TCTommy Chong4:15

       Like, if... And so he'll suggest a certain move, and then the girl, the, uh, her partner will understand that move, and then she can do a couple of steps in that cer- a certain way.

   26. JRJoe Rogan4:27

       Hm.

   27. TCTommy Chong4:28

       Uh, l- like, one is called the, uh, uh... Fuck, I can't remember the, the term. Uh, o- ochos. Ochos, which means back and forth. And, and, and, uh, out of those combinations, once the guy gets the girl going into the ochos, for instance, then he can move on to ano-... He'll, he'll stop her with his foot, and then he'll move on to another series of, of, of moves. And they're all designed, and... But the stranger... Uh, uh, uh, you know, the woman has to really listen to the, the moves if she's dancing with a, a stranger or a teacher.

   28. JRJoe Rogan5:04

       Hm.

   29. TCTommy Chong5:05

       And, and that's how... And then it has to be a close embrace, and the woman has to be cuddled up against the guy. Not always, but for the most part. So you're not looking at your feet at all, and it's all about feel. And so you have to feel the other person's body. And, uh, it can get so intimate, man, (laughs) that you really fe-... After a good dance with a good tango teacher, you really feel (laughs) like, uh, having a cigarette, you know?

   30. JRJoe Rogan5:34

       Really?
3. 5:39 – 8:33

   Learning tango over decades: Paris lessons, Argentina trips, and giving up golf

   1. TCTommy Chong5:39

      I g- I got turned on to it in Paris. I was, uh... Cheech and I were finishing up, uh, The Corsican Brothers, and I was... We, we got offered to do The Siskel Kid. And they sent me the script, and in the script, it said, "Tango dancers." And so there w-... We... Uh, my wife and I, girlfriend at the time, but wife now, we used to drive by this place that said "Tango" in neon lights, and so we stopped and, and took our first tango lesson from this, uh-... George and Rosie, uh, a couple there, and George was too old to get out of bed. He was in the, about in his 90s or something. He was in bed. But Rosie came and met us, and we, and she showed us the first little bit of tango. Well, my wife Shelbie, who is an excellent dancer, she's been studying dance, you know, ev- ever since, uh, I can remember, you know. And so she, she started doing salsa first, and then I found out about that, and I s- I had to learn salsa. But then we started learning tango together, and then she went on to really learn how to dance, how to dance with the pros.

   2. JRJoe Rogan6:47

      Mm-hmm.

   3. TCTommy Chong6:48

      Me, I'm still struggling to be a pro, and it's very hard. It's like MMA fighting, you know. Like, she's a pro, I'm an amateur.

   4. JRJoe Rogan6:55

      Mm.

   5. TCTommy Chong6:56

      And so when I, when we go down to Buenos Aires, like we went down for her birthday, um, I was the video operator 'cause I didn't know how to dance-

   6. JRJoe Rogan7:06

      Mm-hmm.

   7. TCTommy Chong7:06

      ... you know, that well. I- I take lessons almost, uh, for 20 years now. But I still don't have the skills to, to be a, a professional like, like, like that, but, uh, yeah, so I went down and videotaped her, and then I came back, and I made a vow. I says, "This is embarrassing, you know, because people know me from years ago, and I still can't dance." (laughs) And so, so it's- it's about time that I learned, so I, I gave up everything to learn tango, and now I-

   8. JRJoe Rogan7:37

      Really? Like what'd you give up?

   9. TCTommy Chong7:39

      Golf more than anything.

   10. JRJoe Rogan7:40

       Really?

   11. TCTommy Chong7:41

       Yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan7:41

       There's a lot of guys right now that are going crazy. Why would you give up golf for tango?

   13. TCTommy Chong7:44

       Well, actually, it worked out really well. I played a, a tournament of golf last week, and I did the best I've ever done. If you lay off something-

   14. JRJoe Rogan7:52

       Hmm.

   15. TCTommy Chong7:52

       ... you forget all your bad habits.

   16. JRJoe Rogan7:54

       Oh, that's true too.

   17. TCTommy Chong7:55

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan7:55

       And you're probably, uh, really enthusiastic about playing it again.

   19. TCTommy Chong7:57

       Oh, yeah, loved it. You know-

   20. JRJoe Rogan7:58

       Yeah.

   21. TCTommy Chong7:58

       ... I wasn't... And I, I, I did good. I got about two pars.

   22. JRJoe Rogan8:04

       Hmm.

   23. TCTommy Chong8:04

       Incredible for, you know, for me. I'm, you know, I got about a 36 handicap, something like that. But, uh, so but I gave up golf because it was too much energy. It was taking too much energy.

   24. JRJoe Rogan8:14

       Sure, you gotta walk around all the time.

   25. TCTommy Chong8:16

       Yeah.

   26. JRJoe Rogan8:16

       I would also imagine that the tango dancing, all the movement and the footwork would actually probably make you more steady and stable, balance better.

   27. TCTommy Chong8:22

       Oh.

   28. JRJoe Rogan8:22

       So it'd probably make your golf game better.

   29. TCTommy Chong8:23

       Oh, it did. Totally.

   30. JRJoe Rogan8:25

       Yeah.
4. 8:33 – 10:54

   Comedy timing and “the pause,” plus Dancing with the Stars highs and lows

   1. TCTommy Chong8:33

      Well, there's also a, a, a pause. In comedy, uh, the, the... Someone asked me about the secret of comedy, I said, "It's the pause." And, and the tango has a pause too.

   2. JRJoe Rogan8:44

      Hmm. The timing.

   3. TCTommy Chong8:45

      The timing, waiting, waiting-

   4. JRJoe Rogan8:47

      Yeah.

   5. TCTommy Chong8:47

      ... waiting and using that, that, that silence, you know, before you say something-

   6. JRJoe Rogan8:52

      Mm-hmm.

   7. TCTommy Chong8:53

      ... to give people the, uh, time to formulate their own thoughts about what you're doing or to concentrate on what you're gonna say next. And th- and that's, uh, same, same thing with tango.

   8. JRJoe Rogan9:03

      Is this you?

   9. TCTommy Chong9:05

      Yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan9:06

       Look at you.

   11. TCTommy Chong9:06

       Oh, that's me with, uh, Peter.

   12. JRJoe Rogan9:07

       Are you, were you on Dancing with the Stars?

   13. TCTommy Chong9:09

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan9:09

       Oh, shit.

   15. TCTommy Chong9:11

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan9:11

       How hard was that to do?

   17. TCTommy Chong9:12

       Oh, it was incredible. Look at this.

   18. JRJoe Rogan9:14

       Look at you carrying her, every... What the hell is going on here?

   19. GPGuest (unidentified third voice, likely producer/companion)9:18

       Hey. (laughs)

   20. TCTommy Chong9:18

       (laughs)

   21. JRJoe Rogan9:18

       Good lord.

   22. TCTommy Chong9:20

       (laughs)

   23. JRJoe Rogan9:20

       So what are you saying to her there?

   24. TCTommy Chong9:22

       We did it. We did it. We did it.

   25. JRJoe Rogan9:25

       Wow. Yeah, Randy Couture crying.

   26. TCTommy Chong9:26

       I got a 10, uh...

   27. JRJoe Rogan9:28

       Looked like Randy was crying.

   28. GPGuest (unidentified third voice, likely producer/companion)9:29

       Yeah.

   29. TCTommy Chong9:29

       What's his name? Uh, um...

   30. JRJoe Rogan9:31

       (laughs)
5. 10:54 – 13:44

   Cancer, treatment, and recovery: colostomy, radiation, testosterone, and weed

   1. TCTommy Chong10:54

      I think... See, I had prostate cancer and, and, and it was a kind of prostate, it was so slow acting, the lazy ass doctor said, "Well, we, we won't do... We'll just leave it alone, and you'll probably die of something else before that happens." And so they-

   2. JRJoe Rogan11:08

      That was his attitude?

   3. TCTommy Chong11:09

      That was their attitude.

   4. JRJoe Rogan11:10

      Jesus Christ.

   5. TCTommy Chong11:11

      There was a couple doctors. Yeah, it happens all the time, you know, because, you know, prostate can be very slow. And I had a slow o- one, and so... But I had a biopsy when I had went to find out 'cause I was gonna do the growth hormone, uh, and that's why I had checked out my blood to make sure I, you know, I didn't have cancer.

   6. JRJoe Rogan11:30

      Mm-hmm.

   7. TCTommy Chong11:30

      Found out I had prostate cancer, and, but they did a biopsy, and I think that could have done it. You know, the biopsy-

   8. JRJoe Rogan11:37

      Mm-hmm.

   9. TCTommy Chong11:37

      ... they, they come and take a piece of your...

   10. JRJoe Rogan11:38

       So you think that, taking a biopsy could have caused damage-

   11. TCTommy Chong11:41

       It could-

   12. JRJoe Rogan11:42

       ... which could have led to cancer?

   13. TCTommy Chong11:43

       Could have, could have, uh, caused the cancer cell to, to hit the, the rectum the way it did.

   14. JRJoe Rogan11:48

       Oh.

   15. TCTommy Chong11:49

       And so I got a bag now, I got a colostomy bag, you know, so... But now I'm, I'm totally healed now, and, and I'm, I'm, I'm good to go, you know. Uh, the only thing, uh, the... And so I don't know if, if it was the, the lack of weed and, and the stress, uh, and, and the fact that I had prostate, you know.

   16. JRJoe Rogan12:10

       Mm-hmm.

   17. TCTommy Chong12:10

       So when they fixed the rectal, and I got the, the best, one of the best doctor, Kajarian.

   18. JRJoe Rogan12:15

       What'd they have to do?

   19. TCTommy Chong12:16

       They had to operate. They had to take out...... changed the plumbing from the, uh, from the front- from the back to the front. That's a colostomy bag, so-

   20. JRJoe Rogan12:25

       Mm-hmm.

   21. TCTommy Chong12:25

       ... so I- I- I have no more rectum.

   22. JRJoe Rogan12:28

       Wow.

   23. TCTommy Chong12:28

       So (laughs) I'm a- a virgin again. (laughs)

   24. JRJoe Rogan12:31

       (laughs)

   25. TCTommy Chong12:31

       I'm kidding. And then you put the bag around to the front, and, uh, that's all they did there. And then I had- then they- but what they did, they swept the prostate clean with the radiation. They said, "Well, we're down there anyway, so we might as well do the prostate too." So they fixed the prostate. And thank God I never had it taken out because now I can- I got the- the sleeping giant is awoke again.

   26. JRJoe Rogan12:57

       (laughs) Sleeping giant?

   27. TCTommy Chong12:58

       (laughs) Yeah. Yeah. I woke the sleeping giant up. I think it was the weed that did it too, plus my gorgeous wife. But yeah, I started getting these urges, and I thought, "Oh, oh, what's happening here?" And- and I'm doing testosterone. And so-

   28. JRJoe Rogan13:11

       That's probably what did it.

   29. TCTommy Chong13:12

       Yeah, the test- testosterone.

   30. JRJoe Rogan13:14

       Yeah.
6. 13:44 – 15:09

   The bong case and probation years: why Chong went to jail and what it meant culturally

   1. JRJoe Rogan13:44

      Now, when you went to jail, you had a st- and you- your- your case was horrible. I mean, it was- it was so depressing to hear that you were going to jail for making bongs.

   2. TCTommy Chong13:53

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan13:54

      I mean, it just- the whole thing was so sick, in that they were threatening to put your family in jail-

   4. TCTommy Chong13:58

      Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan13:58

      ... and that that's how they sent you to jail. You couldn't smoke pot for a while after that, right?

   6. TCTommy Chong14:03

      For years.

   7. JRJoe Rogan14:04

      How long?

   8. TCTommy Chong14:05

      Uh, probably three years.

   9. JRJoe Rogan14:07

      'Cause you're on probation.

   10. TCTommy Chong14:08

       Probation. Pre-probation, before you went to jail.

   11. JRJoe Rogan14:11

       Mm-hmm.

   12. TCTommy Chong14:11

       Pre- pretrial, because if you get caught, then you end up getting tortured. It- it... well, the whole time I was there, nine months I was there, I couldn't smoke. They tested me all the time. They'd try to catch me.

   13. JRJoe Rogan14:22

       Mm-hmm.

   14. TCTommy Chong14:22

       And they had nothing to catch. And then a year after that, I was on probation, and I never smoked. I can quit. You know, I got, uh, willpower, you know? I can quit. I quit smoking, I quit drinking, I quit eating bad food, you know?

   15. JRJoe Rogan14:36

       But- but- but you had the rec... well, for- one thing that happened that was great was that you became even more of a hero to the cannabis community-

   16. TCTommy Chong14:43

       Yeah, yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan14:43

       ... because people knew-

   18. TCTommy Chong14:44

       Yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan14:45

       ... you truly were a martyr, and- and- and it was- it was outrageous, and it was so- it was so wrong that even people that didn't smoke pot were like, "How the fuck you arresting Tommy Chong?"

   20. TCTommy Chong14:55

       (laughs)

   21. JRJoe Rogan14:55

       "Like, come on, man." Like, all the terrorists in the world-

   22. TCTommy Chong14:57

       (laughs)

   23. JRJoe Rogan14:57

       ... the criminals, the rapists, the murderers-

   24. TCTommy Chong14:59

       I know.

   25. JRJoe Rogan15:00

       ... you're gonna put Tommy Chong in jail?

   26. TCTommy Chong15:01

       Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan15:02

       Like, what- what are we protecting or serving? What are we doing here? Which one? Which one is that?

   28. TCTommy Chong15:06

       Yeah, they were just, uh-

   29. JRJoe Rogan15:07

       It's the same.

   30. TCTommy Chong15:08

       ... showing- showing off.
7. 15:09 – 17:16

   Inside federal prison: unjust cases, IRS fears, and the Taft toxic site

   1. TCTommy Chong15:09

      But once I got in there-

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:10

      Sending a message.

   3. TCTommy Chong15:10

      ... once I got in there, I was in there with a lot of people that were unjustly incarcerated. I was in there with, uh, the orthopedic surgeon for the Rams, and, uh, he- he- he had been in a tax... it wasn't a... it was legal at the time he did it, which was that he had a big car collection, and he- and he wrote off the car collection somehow, and then the IRS changed people, and- and next thing you know, they- they came to him and said, "You owe all this money, and if you don't pay it, you gotta go to jail." And he couldn't pay it, so he went to jail.

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:46

      Oh.

   5. TCTommy Chong15:47

      This is- (laughs) he's a orthopedic surgeon. He's like super straight- straight- one of the straightest guys I ever met.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:52

      Mm-hmm.

   7. TCTommy Chong15:53

      And there was another guy that- that figured out the OJ tax scheme. You know how OJ can keep his, uh- his, uh, money from the NFL?

   8. JRJoe Rogan16:03

      Pension because he's in Florida?

   9. TCTommy Chong16:04

      Yeah. Well, it- it's a- it's a- a law that- that... a loophole that allowed, you know, uh, OJ to keep his, uh, taxes. I- I mean, tax-free money. And so- (laughs) so this accountant figured out how to do it, and he started getting rich people, uh, so they didn't have to pay taxes. And so rather than to- to change the law or do anything like that, they just put his ass in jail because they could. And they put him in there for a year.

   10. JRJoe Rogan16:32

       And he wasn't doing anything illegal?

   11. TCTommy Chong16:33

       Nothing illegal.

   12. JRJoe Rogan16:35

       Wow.

   13. TCTommy Chong16:35

       Except... and then they told him or- "You- you're gonna get out in a year, but you're not gonna do that tax thing anymore."

   14. JRJoe Rogan16:44

       Wow.

   15. TCTommy Chong16:44

       Yeah. No, no, the government-

   16. JRJoe Rogan16:46

       The IRS is creepy.

   17. TCTommy Chong16:47

       (laughs)

   18. JRJoe Rogan16:48

       You do not wanna owe them money.

   19. TCTommy Chong16:49

       (laughs) Especially if you're Trump.

   20. JRJoe Rogan16:51

       Oh. Well, they're coming after him right now, right?

   21. TCTommy Chong16:54

       (laughs)

   22. JRJoe Rogan16:54

       What are they coming after him for now? Their- like, New York State is allowing Congress to subpoena his tax returns.

   23. TCTommy Chong17:00

       Oh, yeah. Yeah.

   24. JRJoe Rogan17:01

       Yeah.

   25. TCTommy Chong17:01

       Deutsche Bank, they got his, uh, accountant. His accountant had nothing to do with the federal government.

   26. JRJoe Rogan17:07

       I tell everybody, why would you wanna be president? Like, why would you wanna do that to yourself?

   27. TCTommy Chong17:12

       Unless you're super clean.

   28. JRJoe Rogan17:13

       Unl- even if you're super clean, they're gonna make shit up about you.

8. 17:16 – 31:49

   Politics detour: Trump/Russia theory, racism, and a gun-control argument

   1. TCTommy Chong17:16

      No, the only reason Trump did it is because he owes Putin so much money.

   2. JRJoe Rogan17:20

      You think so?

   3. TCTommy Chong17:21

      Oh, for sure. For sure. How did this loser billionaire get- get financed over and over and over again? And guess who's laundering money like crazy from Russia? The guy that needs the money. No, the whole Trump family is gonna go down.

   4. JRJoe Rogan17:38

      You think so?

   5. TCTommy Chong17:38

      Oh, for sure. Taxes, man. Al Capone to Donald Trump, you can't evade taxes.

   6. JRJoe Rogan17:47

      So do you think that he owes taxes that-

   7. TCTommy Chong17:49

      He owes Putin. He owes Putin so much money that he's scared to death.

   8. JRJoe Rogan17:55

      How do you know this?

   9. TCTommy Chong17:57

      Common sense.

   10. JRJoe Rogan17:58

       Oh, okay, so it's a guess.

   11. TCTommy Chong18:00

       Well, no, figured out.

   12. JRJoe Rogan18:02

       Okay.

   13. TCTommy Chong18:03

       Uh, let's go down the history. Uh, Comey is a FBI.

   14. JRJoe Rogan18:09

       Right.

   15. TCTommy Chong18:10

       Uh, Mueller, the FBI. Trump was attacking, uh, Obama with the birther thing. Obama's the president. Obama's got control over the FBI, CIA, everybody. So Obama says, "Okay, find out about this Trump guy."So they found out about him. But the thing is, they can't really do anything unless he becomes president. Other than that, he'd just walk away free. No one could (claps hands) decision, no one cares. There's a real broken-

   16. JRJoe Rogan18:43

       He can't do anything unless he becomes president?

   17. TCTommy Chong18:45

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan18:45

       Or you mean tr- the, the FBI can't do anything?

   19. TCTommy Chong18:47

       No, there's no breaking the law. There, there, there's no-

   20. JRJoe Rogan18:49

       Okay.

   21. TCTommy Chong18:49

       ... law that says that you can't deal with Russia.

   22. JRJoe Rogan18:52

       Right.

   23. TCTommy Chong18:53

       Only law that says you can't deal with Russia and be the President of the United States-

   24. JRJoe Rogan18:56

       Right.

   25. TCTommy Chong18:56

       ... at the same time.

   26. JRJoe Rogan18:57

       Right.

   27. TCTommy Chong18:57

       The only time he would break any laws is that if, if he became president.

   28. JRJoe Rogan19:01

       Right.

   29. TCTommy Chong19:02

       And he has to become president, and he became president thanks to Comey, because Hillary was gonna win. No matter wh- what they say-

   30. JRJoe Rogan19:13

       (laughs)
9. 31:49 – 41:38

   Media violence, old cowboy culture, and the path to legal weed business

   1. TCTommy Chong31:49

      I don't know, you were too young to remember, but when I was a kid, the crime comics were banned.

   2. JRJoe Rogan31:57

      They were banned?

   3. TCTommy Chong31:58

      They were banned because they were bad. They showed violence. They showed-

   4. JRJoe Rogan32:03

      Comic books?

   5. TCTommy Chong32:04

      Comic books.

   6. JRJoe Rogan32:04

      Wow.

   7. TCTommy Chong32:05

      And there were people, uh, up in arms about comic books. And now (laughs) you got video games-

   8. JRJoe Rogan32:12

      Yeah.

   9. TCTommy Chong32:12

      ... where, where you get to be a mass killer.

   10. JRJoe Rogan32:14

       Well, how about movies, you know? I mean, so many movies are-

   11. TCTommy Chong32:16

       Movies?

   12. JRJoe Rogan32:17

       John Wick movies, just everybody's getting shot.

   13. TCTommy Chong32:19

       Everybody.

   14. JRJoe Rogan32:20

       Yeah. People love it.

   15. TCTommy Chong32:21

       My, my, one of my favorites is Peppermint, with, uh-

   16. JRJoe Rogan32:23

       Peppermint? What's that?

   17. TCTommy Chong32:24

       Jennifer, uh, Garner? Have you seen... You haven't seen that?

   18. JRJoe Rogan32:28

       No.

   19. TCTommy Chong32:28

       Oh-

   20. JRJoe Rogan32:28

       What is it?

   21. TCTommy Chong32:29

       ... check it out. She's a superhero.

   22. JRJoe Rogan32:30

       Oh.

   23. TCTommy Chong32:31

       Or, or, like-

   24. JRJoe Rogan32:31

       Her name is Peppermint?

   25. TCTommy Chong32:33

       The, the, the name of the movie is Peppermint. Have you heard of this, Sammy? You have?

   26. JRJoe Rogan32:37

       Psh, I'm out of the loop.

   27. GPGuest (unidentified third voice, likely producer/companion)32:38

       No, like, in the last eight months or something.

   28. TCTommy Chong32:39

       Really?

   29. GPGuest (unidentified third voice, likely producer/companion)32:39

       Not that long ago, yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan32:40

       What?
10. 41:38 – 50:54

    Weed as a tool: stigma, fitness tech, and stories of Arnold Schwarzenegger smoking

    1. JRJoe Rogan41:38

       And, you know, I remember when, when I first started smoking weed, I was... Well, I had smoked it a couple of times up until I was 30, and then when I was 30, my friend Eddie, Eddie Bravo, got me high for the first time. I remember I couldn't believe that this was what pot was.

    2. TCTommy Chong41:52

       (laughs)

    3. JRJoe Rogan41:52

       I was like, "This is it? I thought it made you stupid." Like, "Oh, I can't stop thinking about things." Like, yeah, some of the thoughts are a little unorganized and kind of chaotic, but-

    4. TCTommy Chong42:01

       Yeah.

    5. JRJoe Rogan42:01

       ... uh, bu- it wasn't making me lazy. It wasn't doing any of these things that people were claiming it did.

    6. TCTommy Chong42:06

       No.

    7. JRJoe Rogan42:06

       It didn't make me stupid. It made me curious.

    8. TCTommy Chong42:08

       Yeah.

    9. JRJoe Rogan42:08

       It made me want to watch science documentaries.

    10. TCTommy Chong42:10

        Yeah.

    11. JRJoe Rogan42:11

        And eat.

    12. TCTommy Chong42:11

        Yeah. And eat.

    13. JRJoe Rogan42:13

        And eat.

    14. TCTommy Chong42:13

        And eat. (laughs)

    15. JRJoe Rogan42:14

        (laughs) Food tasted so good.

    16. TCTommy Chong42:15

        (laughs)

    17. JRJoe Rogan42:16

        I was like, "I can't believe how good this food tastes."

    18. TCTommy Chong42:18

        I know, I know.

    19. JRJoe Rogan42:18

        It just, it is one of the biggest puzzles of modern times is that even in 2019 with all these states that have legalized it, there's still-

    20. TCTommy Chong42:28

        Sure.

    21. JRJoe Rogan42:28

        ... a bunch of people that think that pot is bad for you-

    22. TCTommy Chong42:31

        Yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan42:31

        ... and that it makes you lazy. And I always say that pot is like any other tool. It's like a hammer. You could build a house with a hammer or you could just hit yourself in the dick if you're fucking crazy.

    24. TCTommy Chong42:40

        (laughs) Yeah.

    25. JRJoe Rogan42:40

        And it's the same thing with pot.

    26. TCTommy Chong42:42

        That's exactly it.

    27. JRJoe Rogan42:42

        Like, you can use pot and it can enhance your life-

    28. TCTommy Chong42:44

        Yeah.

    29. JRJoe Rogan42:45

        ... and it can enhance your relationship and enhan- makes you friendlier, more com- more camaraderie, more compassion, or you could just get stoned all day and do nothing. You got that goddamn phone ringing on your wrist there.

    30. TCTommy Chong42:56

        No, it's... He's got it...
11. 50:54 – 58:41

    Products and potency: Chong’s Choice, specialty pipes, dabs/shatter, and edibles for sleep

    1. TCTommy Chong50:54

       And- and then just flower, you know, I smoke up a couple of joints. Oh, we got a- we got a- a gift bag for you.

    2. JRJoe Rogan51:00

       Yes, thank you.

    3. TCTommy Chong51:02

       Yeah.

    4. JRJoe Rogan51:02

       Thank you. Tommy Chong weed.

    5. TCTommy Chong51:03

       Like you need it. Like you-

    6. JRJoe Rogan51:05

       It's always good to have it. (laughs)

    7. TCTommy Chong51:07

       (laughs)

    8. JRJoe Rogan51:07

       I got some from B-Real, it scared the shit out of me.

    9. TCTommy Chong51:10

       Who is it?

    10. JRJoe Rogan51:10

        I did B-Real smoke box.

    11. TCTommy Chong51:12

        Oh, yeah.

    12. JRJoe Rogan51:12

        You know, B-Real from Cypress Hill?

    13. TCTommy Chong51:13

        Yeah, yeah, I know B-

    14. JRJoe Rogan51:14

        Fuck, that was probably the highest I've ever been in my life.

    15. TCTommy Chong51:17

        Really?

    16. JRJoe Rogan51:17

        Those guys go hard.

    17. TCTommy Chong51:19

        Oh, yeah.

    18. JRJoe Rogan51:19

        I couldn't keep up with them.

    19. TCTommy Chong51:20

        No, no.

    20. JRJoe Rogan51:21

        (laughs)

    21. TCTommy Chong51:21

        I don't even try. I- I'm a lightweight, man.

    22. JRJoe Rogan51:24

        (laughs)

    23. TCTommy Chong51:24

        When- when I spoke with Arnold, w- with all the... Dave Draper, all these muscle heads would come around and they get a big bong. And the thing was, they put like a- like a- an ounce in the bowl, and then they'd fire it up, and then they'd suck on it so hard, whoever exploded the- the bowl into the- into the water made it explode.

    24. JRJoe Rogan51:45

        (laughs)

    25. TCTommy Chong51:45

        Well, then you were the hero.

    26. JRJoe Rogan51:47

        (laughs)

    27. TCTommy Chong51:47

        It's a... All the- all the muscle heads are- they're taking their hit. Arnold takes a big hit. You know, the thing explodes. Then they hand it to me, it was like... And they looked at me like-

    28. JRJoe Rogan51:58

        Tommy Chong.

    29. TCTommy Chong51:58

        Well, I wasn't Chung. No, I was the- the Chong at the time, so they just looked at me like, "Yeah, okay. You go sit over there somewhere."

    30. JRJoe Rogan52:05

        Back then, you were just a guy.
12. 58:41 – 1:03:16

    Big ideas on art, aliens, multiverses, and AI optimism

    1. TCTommy Chong58:41

       How art is gonna save the world.

    2. JRJoe Rogan58:44

       Art is gonna save the world?

    3. TCTommy Chong58:45

       Yeah.

    4. JRJoe Rogan58:45

       How's that?

    5. TCTommy Chong58:47

       Well, you look at history.

    6. JRJoe Rogan58:48

       Mm-hmm.

    7. TCTommy Chong58:49

       Like, the pyramids, that was art. That was an art piece. And what happens when you, when you have big, huge art pieces like that, you create employment, and it's not war, so you're not fighting, you're creating. And so the people that, that, uh, care for the animals, the people that have to feed, the- the- the mass of people that have to work on getting those rocks, carving those rocks and everything else, it creates employment. And it, and it also creates tourism. And so you- you- you, when you have a piece of art, everybody wants to come and look at it. And so that's what we need in the world today, you see? And- and we not only need art, but we need functional art, because that's what, uh, the pyramids were. They were functional. And a lot of people think it was the, uh, the astronauts, you know-

    8. JRJoe Rogan59:37

       You mean aliens?

    9. TCTommy Chong59:38

       Yeah, aliens.

    10. JRJoe Rogan59:39

        Oh.

    11. TCTommy Chong59:39

        Which- which could very well be.

    12. JRJoe Rogan59:41

        You really think so?

    13. TCTommy Chong59:42

        Oh yeah, sure. For sure. For sure.

    14. JRJoe Rogan59:45

        Why do you think that?

    15. TCTommy Chong59:47

        Well, because there's nothing new in the universe, you know. Uh, the- we've had space flights, we've had all that stuff forever, you know.

    16. JRJoe Rogan59:54

        But you have Chong's Choice Cooler Pipe.

    17. TCTommy Chong59:57

        Yeah.

    18. JRJoe Rogan59:57

        That Genius pipe, that's new in the universe.

    19. TCTommy Chong59:58

        That's- that's... No, it's probably rehashed. (laughs)

    20. JRJoe Rogan1:00:01

        Probably somewhere in the world-

    21. TCTommy Chong1:00:03

        I like that, rehashed.

    22. JRJoe Rogan1:00:03

        ... or someone, yeah. Right.

    23. TCTommy Chong1:00:05

        So- so- no-

    24. JRJoe Rogan1:00:05

        Someone in the universe.

    25. TCTommy Chong1:00:06

        Oh- oh, you talk about, you wanna talk about pot? The Chinese, the Indians.

    26. JRJoe Rogan1:00:11

        Sure.

    27. TCTommy Chong1:00:12

        All- all religions.

    28. JRJoe Rogan1:00:13

        But what makes you think that aliens built the pyramids, though? Or could have.

    29. TCTommy Chong1:00:16

        I'm saying they- they could have been.

    30. JRJoe Rogan1:00:18

        Really?
13. 1:03:16 – 1:20:54

    Bible ‘code,’ jail as a spiritual retreat, and the I Ching as spirit communication

    1. TCTommy Chong1:03:16

       Especially, uh, the, the Bible. See, the Bible has been misconstrued by so many people, because what they do, they take it to what's gonna suit their purposes. And that, but w- to really interpret the Bible, it's written in code. It's writ- i- it's a secret code, the Bible is.

    2. JRJoe Rogan1:03:35

       The Bible is?

    3. TCTommy Chong1:03:35

       Yeah. It's metaphysical terms. It's not physical terms. They're metaphysical terms.

    4. JRJoe Rogan1:03:40

       What do you know about the Bible in code? Like, what do you-

    5. TCTommy Chong1:03:42

       There's a, a writer called Emmet Fox.

    6. JRJoe Rogan1:03:45

       Mm-hmm.

    7. TCTommy Chong1:03:46

       You should get into him.

    8. JRJoe Rogan1:03:47

       Yeah?

    9. TCTommy Chong1:03:48

       He, he deciphers the whole Bible.

    10. JRJoe Rogan1:03:50

        Does he decipher the ancient Hebrew version of the Bible or the Greek version of the Bible, Latin version-

    11. TCTommy Chong1:03:55

        All, all the ver-

    12. JRJoe Rogan1:03:55

        ... of the Bible?

    13. TCTommy Chong1:03:55

        All, all the versions.

    14. JRJoe Rogan1:03:56

        Right. But I mean, it all comes from ancient Hebrew.

    15. TCTommy Chong1:03:59

        Yeah. Yeah.

    16. JRJoe Rogan1:03:59

        And when you translate things from ancient Hebrew-

    17. TCTommy Chong1:04:01

        Yes.

    18. JRJoe Rogan1:04:01

        ... there's, you know, ancient Hebrew, the letters also double as numbers.

    19. TCTommy Chong1:04:04

        Sure.

    20. JRJoe Rogan1:04:05

        Yeah.

    21. TCTommy Chong1:04:06

        And, and, and, and see, see, wh- wh- with the people I read, there's another, uh, uh, uh, mystic that I read, uh, a lot.

    22. JRJoe Rogan1:04:13

        Mystic?

    23. TCTommy Chong1:04:14

        Well, he's mystic. You know, or you know, he's not... He, he, w- his name is Joel S. Goldsmith. Uh, I, I, I discovered him a long time ago, but I discovered him i- in jail. It's a very popular book in jail. And Goldsmith, look him up, he's all on the, on the computers and everything else.

    24. JRJoe Rogan1:04:32

        Mm-hmm.

    25. TCTommy Chong1:04:33

        Check him out.

    26. JRJoe Rogan1:04:34

        Okay.

    27. TCTommy Chong1:04:34

        You'll, you'll really, really enjoy it. Uh, it'll give you new perspective because what he, he maintains, i- it's all written in, like I say, in the Bible. Eternity, see, there's no beginning and no end. That explains everything to me. Because if there's no beginning to no end, what can wi- can happen, will happen. You know?

    28. JRJoe Rogan1:05:01

        Mm-hmm.

    29. TCTommy Chong1:05:02

        And because this is m- again, this is my, my, my theory. Is in the physical world, we have to learn everything. That's why everything is physical. Like the first thing when you're born, you have to learn how to breathe.

    30. JRJoe Rogan1:05:16

        Mm-hmm.

Episode duration: 1:42:21