Quotes from Cheech Marin

Our first gig was a battle of the bands. We did 45 minutes of comedy and never played a note - and we won!

Cubans all had free universal health care, which was the best in the Latin American world, and free education all the way through college. They are the most educated people in the Latin American world. The literacy rate is almost 100 percent. In addition, they are the most sophisticated moviegoers. The average Cuban sees more than six movies a year, while the average American goes to the theater just under two times a year.

My interest in art must have started with my Catholic upbringing. Art was everywhere: churches with its paintings, sculptures, stained glass, textiles, and fine metalwork.

I always wanted to work with Betty White, because she is one of my heroes of all time, and I just love her.

I grew up half in South Central and half in the San Fernando valley.

I lived in an all-black neighborhood, followed by an all-white one, and other kids in the always called me Mexican in both neighborhoods.

Don't ever insult a Chicano about being a Chicano because then all the other Chicanos will be on you with a vengeance. They will even fight each to be first in line to support you.

I was part of the draft resistance movement in L.A. where we did demonstrations at the draft centre and burned our cards and made a lot of trouble on campus. I had a student classification and they said that anybody who'd taken part in these demonstrations would be reclassified and drafted. And that's when I went to Canada.

Growing up in Southern California, it's all car culture. When I was a kid, I knew every single model of every single car dealer; I knew every style of every year.

As a kid, I used to go to the library and take out all the art books.