1.22.13

Today was a successful day, with us scoring ink from baseball legend Don Mattingly and Cheech Marin. We got a tip on former NBA basketball player Kurt Rambis but we never did see him so we decided to call it a day. On the way driving home, I mentioned to my partner that the punk band Bad Religion was on a radio show this evening here in LA and that we could try to meet them since the show was ending in about 15 minutes. She agreed, so we raced over to the radio station, literally pulling up just as the show was winding down. We hopped out of our automobile, each grabbing a pickguard and waited for the band members to exit the studio. From listening to the final minutes of the radio show on the way over, we learned that only three of the members of Bad Religion showed up for the radio show. After waiting just a few minutes, all three emerged from the outer studio door together. I called over to them and asked if they would mind signing an autograph. They came right over and started signing for us. I told them that they were great on the radio and one of them asked, "Did you listen from the car?" I replied, "Yes, we we driving around and listening to you. You guys were great!" One of the other guys jokingly asked my partner how much a signed pickguard would sell for on eBay but then said that he didn't really care if people sold his autograph or not. Afterwards, we each were able to get a photograph with the members of Bad Religion.

Smokin' with Cheech and Chong

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, more commonly referred to as the stoner comedy duo of "Cheech and Chong", are still smokin' after all these years. At the height of their popularity in the late 1970's and 1980's, they teamed up on several albums, pairing with one another in a succession of "buddy films". Many of these films, such as "Up in Smoke", centered on their fondness for weed. By 1985 the two each split off on their own, with Marin finding success with the comedy "Born in East LA". In 2008 the two reunited for their first comedy tour in over a decade. Cheech and Chong continued touring in 2009 and 2010, appearing tonight on a national radio talk show to promote the release of their new DVD. Most guests generally arrive sometime between 9:30pm and 10:00pm. However, when we got there collectors informed us that Cheech and Chong had arrived before 9:00, signing autographs and taking photos with fans. So we stood around waiting, not sure if they would be leaving earlier or at the normal time of midnight. The taping ended as normal at midnight but it took Cheech and Chong a little longer to leave. Eventually, about 10 or 15 minutes past 12:00, Tommy Chong emerged, followed by Marin. Chong was already holding a black Sharpie marker and began signing for collectors. Cheech Marin came up to collectors, taking a blue Sharpie marker from a collector and began signing for collectors as well. Marin signed 5 photos for one person so I geared my attention toward getting Chong's autograph. My sister did particularly well, completing 4 pieces by both Cheech and Chong. She commented that if she had more items that she could have gotten even more things signed. I got 2 Chongs and 1 Cheech autograph before both stated that they had to be somewhere early the next morning so they had to leave. It was a bit disappointing but both rushed off without taking any photos with collectors.