Episode #138 : Precious Chong (Tommy Chong)

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07/11/23 • 79 min

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Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Precious Chong, daughter of Tommy Chong, aka The Man, aka THE Chong in the comedy team Cheech and Chong. It was a real thrill to talk to Precious as she is someone Josh had never met before but was part of his peripheral circle as she was friends with a few of his childhood friends while we were growing up. Oh and Josh’s mom, Edie Adams, co-starred in Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke as Chong’s mother, Mrs. Stoner. Talk about connections!

We spoke to Precious about her very lean years growing up as Tommy Chong’s daughter which suddenly became very different with the success of the Cheech & Chong comedy albums, live shows and films in the mid 1970s and ballooned into superstardom in the 1980s. We also spoke to Precious about her years as an assistant in Hollywood (listen for the Val Kilmer story), her own career in comedy as well as her directing debut which was quite the buzzworthy indie film.

Along the way, we talk about long lost shooting scripts, lost LA restaurants, the comedy scene in Toronto, her dads incarceration on debatable charges, his status as a the elder statesmen of pot and much more. Precious had such a viv and verve talking to us that it was a real pleasure to have that energy at the other end of North America. So sit back and take a listen, to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast with Precious Chong. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity.

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Episode # 137: Jazmin Erving (Julius Erving)

Today on the 4th of July edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Jazmin Erving, daughter of Julius Erving or as we all know him, Dr. J. To say Josh was psyched to talk to Jazmin would be an understatement. To those of us who grew up sports in the United States in the 1970s and 80s (ahem), Dr. J was an almost mythical figure who transcended basketball and the NBA to become some sort of cultural icon. Muhammad Ali, Evil Knievel, Reggie Jackson and Dr. J dominated the cultural sports landscape with their extraordinary skills that made them icons in during the time of America’s bicentennial year in 1976. They were the ‘must see’ TV before there was such a thing. Let’s just say, if you haven’t seen the film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, you really don’t know Dr. J.

We talked to Jasmin about growing up in Philadelphia and what it was like having a dad who was the biggest star in the city and also the entire basketball landscape. For trainspotters, we talk old school restaurants like Bookbinders and random Philadelphia 76er players like Mark Iavaroni and for a more macro view we talk about Julius days wowing them at the Harlem courts of Rucker Park, THE place to be seen one-on-one playing basketball and Jazmin having the run of The Spectrum, home to the 76ers when she was a girl.

We also talk about Jazmin’s crystal business and perhaps one of the most remarkable stories to come out of the pandemic that we can think of. It’s one of warmth, love and humanity that somehow led her to a new business that keeps on growing. So let’s hear it, it’s Jazmine Erving on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

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Episode 139: "Ernie in Kovacsland" Josh Mills, Ben Model & Pat Thomas (Bonus Episode)

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Today on the Rarified Hair Podcast we are sending you across the orthicon tube with a special edition bonus episode in celebration of the upcoming Fantagraphics book, “Ernie in Kovacsland: Writings, Drawings and Photographs from Television’s Original Genius”. Our host today is co-author Pat Thomas (although left to Pat, you’d never know that as you will soon hear), co-author Ben Model and our Rarified Heir Podcast host & co-author Joshua Mills is talking about the in’s and out’s of creating this new book, coming July 25.

It's a deep dive today with details about the genesis of the book, why the book was even created and some great stories about how this book came to be. We talk Ernie. We talk Edie Adams. We talk Mia Kovacs and we talk about Josh’s dad, photographer Marty Mills. This time the child of a celebrity is interviewed not by the child of a celebrity but co-authors Pat Thomas and Ben Model. Everyone has a story. Here’s one about Ernie in Kovacsland. Take a listen.