Lost Due To Incompetence (Theme For A Big Green Van) Cheech & Chong

Lost Due To Incompetence (Theme For A Big Green Van) Album: Up in Smoke soundtrack (1978)
by Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel, Yesca

The soundtrack album was released in 1978. Allmusic gave the album a score of 3 out of 5 stars. In 2017, Billboard named Up in Smoke as one of the 10 best stoner film soundtracks. Side B Track 11...

Anthony "Man" Stoner, an unemployed, marijuana-smoking drummer, is told to either get a job by sundown or be sent off to military school by his parents. Man leaves the house and later becomes stranded on the highway. Man is picked up while hitchhiking by the equally enthusiastic stoner Pedro de Pacas, and the two share a large joint, which is revealed to contain Labrador feces after the dog ate Man's supply. When Pedro freaks out and seems to have trouble breathing, Man accidentally gives him an extremely powerful dose of LSD. The police find their car parked on a traffic median with them in it, discover that they are high and arrest them. At trial, the pair are released on a technicality after Man discovers that the judge is drinking vodka.

In an attempt to procure more marijuana, they visit Pedro's cousin Strawberry, a Vietnam War veteran. During the party, a lady snorts a couple of lines of Ajax set up by Man, under the presumption it was cocaine, despite Man trying to warn her. They narrowly escape a police raid on Strawberry's house while Strawberry has a flashback and thinks the police are the Viet Cong, but are soon deported to Tijuana, by the INS, along with Pedro's relatives, who actually called the INS on themselves, so they could get a free ride to a wedding in Tijuana.

In order to get back to the United States, they arrange to pick up a vehicle from Pedro's uncle's upholstery shop, but arrive at the wrong address: a marijuana processing plant disguised as an upholstery shop. They end up unknowingly involved in a plot to smuggle a van constructed completely out of "fiberweed" (hardened THC resin derived from marijuana - a play on the word fiberglass) from Mexico to Los Angeles, with an inept police narcotics unit led by the insane and anti-drug Sergeant Stedenko hot on their trail. At the Mexican–American border, they almost get arrested, but attention is diverted to a group of nuns (into whose car Man had thrown his joint unintentionally to avoid getting arrested). The duo then cross the border into America as Stedenko finds out from his unit that they have apprehended the wrong group. Stedenko realizes that Pedro and Man’s van is their target, and begin a pursuit; however, one of Stedenko's men shoots out one of their own tires due to incompetence, abruptly ending the chase.

Pedro and Man pick up two hitchhiking women who convince them to perform at a Battle of the Bands contest at the Roxy Theatre. After narrowly avoiding arrest by a motorcycle cop who had gotten high off fumes from the “fiberweed” van, they arrive at the venue to find that most of the bands performing are being negatively received by the audience, which causes Man to freak out. One of the women gives Man what she believes is an "upper", but mistakenly gives him the wrong drugs and leaves Man feeling weak. The duo's band, Alice Bowie, win over the audience, including the cops, who get stoned due to a large amount of marijuana smoke from the burning van being funneled into the venue. The pair win the contest and a recording contract. Outside, a defeated Stedenko is upset at the fact that he and his unit are stoned, and gives in to the munchies.

The film concludes with Pedro and Man driving in the former's car and dreaming how their future career will pay off. Man then lights a small portion of hash and gives some to Pedro. However, it falls into his lap, causing him to panic and swerve the car while trying to put it out; Man attempts to put the hash out with his beer. During the scuffle, the car swerves down the road and smoke billows out the windows.

Cheech Marin as Pedro De Pacas
Tommy Chong as Anthony "Man" Stoner
Strother Martin as Arnold Stoner
Edie Adams as Tempest Stoner
Stacy Keach as Sergeant Stedenko
Mills Watson as Harry
Zane Buzby as Jade East
Wally Ann Wharton as Debbie
Tom Skerritt as Strawberry
June Fairchild as Ajax Lady
Rainbeaux Smith as Laughing Lady
Angelina Estrada as Aunt Bolita
Otto Felix as Motorcycle Cop
Louisa Moritz as Officer Gloria Whitey
David Nelson and Kurt Kaufman as Roxy Theatre Doormen
Rodney Bingenheimer as Himself
Ellen Barkin (Uncredited) as Guitar-Playing Woman
Harry Dean Stanton (Deleted Scenes) as Police Officer
Gary Mule Deer as The Freak With The Basketball
Corey Fortenberry (uncredited) Little Girl On The Couch
Ruth Hernandez (uncredited) Court Reporter