Author: Tommy Chong
Condition of Mr. Segundo: Recovering from a medical mishap.
Subjects Discussed: Examining Title 21, Section 863, whether Clinton was in power in the 1980s, salsa dancing, the requirements for being an FBI special agent, plea bargaining, prison life, bodyguards, the Bush family, the advantages of celebrity status vs. a common offender being incarcerated, Michael Milken, humility, trying to remember prisoner numbers, respect for victims of disaster, looking at objects differently after prison, Cheech Marin, Up in Smoke, Chong as director, the benefits of pot, Chong as lyricist, Pipe Dreams: The Musical, Eric Idle, conflict between Cheech and Chong, Cheech’s art collection, Terence Malick, Lou Adler, Born in East L.A., Radiohead, and groups vs. individual artists.
In a criminal justice class I took, we actually had someone live via satellite from the FBI headquarters in Virginia explain to us the process of becoming an FBI agent. She told us that we couldn’t join if we had smoked pot in the last 3 years and if we had smoked more than 14 times. How would they know that? They give you a lie detector test. They also interview your family, your neighbors, your friends, whoever they feel like. The whole process of interviewing costs $30,000. They get really pissed off if you lie, she said, because of the cost and time put into it. I think Tommy Chong is right – they want people who can be controlled, people that will take orders, straight edged people. They don’t want people who will question the law or break it if they think it’s stupid. They also probably don’t want midnight munchie attacks. 😉