Cheech Marin talks art collecting and Robert Altman

Cheech Marin’s career defies simple categorization. He began working in comedy in the early 1970s as one half of the duo Cheech and Chong, recording several albums with fellow comedian Tommy Chong. His collaboration with Chong has spanned decades with the pair co-starring in many films including Born in East LA and Up in Smoke. Marin has also enjoyed plenty of solo success in Nash Bridges, Coco, and the Spy Kids trilogy (to name just a few). Beyond his work on the big and small screen, Marin made a name for himself as an avid art collector and has spent decades bringing attention to under-recognized Chicano artists. In this capacity, Marin established the The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture (“The Cheech”) at the Riverside Art Museum. An exhibition of the work of the late artist Yolanda López is there through January. Marin tells The Treatment about auditioning for Frank Zappa during the early days of his career. He also tells us about the parallels of his comedy work with that of director Robert Altman. And he shares why he became an art collector.