‘Sum Chic’ on the Radio

What do Cheech and Chong, Timothy Leary, and Senator Elizabeth Warren have in common?

Answer: An unforgettable encounter with the talented comedian, politician, and radio host, Elizabeth Croydon.

Elizabeth Croydon is from the small suburban town of Kensington, Maryland. Just seven miles outside the Washington, D.C. border, Croydon has a knack for politics and production.

One Huge Life of Art

“I’ve always seen myself as an artist,” said Croydon in an interview with The Marijuana Times. Wearing a dark sweatshirt that reads “CROYDON VS THE WORLD” in the middle of a muggy D.C. August, the cannabis activist regaled me with stories of her string of careers.

It started with a gig out in Hollywood that fell through. A struggling screenwriter, she was in dire straits with no opportunities in sight. Croydon was frustrated, and in a life-changing moment she remembers throwing her hands up, asking the world, “Where’s my great gig in the sky?”

For her, it felt like it was Croydon versus the world.

That’s when, in what seemed to be a gift from a higher power, her phone rang.

It was Cheech and Chong’s people calling her to open for the stoner-activist comedians at the Marijuana Policy Project’s 2010 Gala in Washington, D.C.

She immediately flew back to Washington, D.C. to present Cheech and Chong with an award at the Marijuana Policy Project’s 15th anniversary gala. She opened for the duo that night, introducing them as the winners of the 2010 ‘Trailblazing Award’ for their efforts to make cannabis more mainstream. It was right before Cheech and Chong embarked on their ‘Get It Legal ‘Tour.

An Encounter with the Church of the SubGenius

At twenty-three she did her first standup routine in the same venue as Timothy Leary; it was 1993 in Brushwood, NY where a select group of people came together for a symposium of spiritual pathways.

“I guess the first time I ‘came out green’ was my ‘testimonial’ for the Church of the SubGenius. I spoke about weed and working at T.G.I. Friday’s. I got laughs, so I did more. Later on, I sat around a bonfire with Timothy Leary.”

Calling out Congress

Croydon is a comedian with a sharp tongue, and in a stunt to point out the corrupt political establishment taking money from Monsanto – she was one of the rebels who threw dollar bills out of the Senate Hart Office Building, from Sen. Warren’s office window.

“It was fun getting arrested with my cohort, Adam Eidinger, it was an absurd charge – essentially for laying on the Senate building floor and blocking foot traffic. Even the Secret Service came and applauded our action and thanked us for executing it so well.”

Producer Life

Croydon has the mind of a creator, constantly coming up with pitches for shows, and jotting down conversations she has in real life to turn them into comedy gold.

She’s produced three feature comedies, published poetry, and even ran for congress in Maryland.

One of her many projects was a short film which was debuted in the Santa Fe Museum of Fine Arts. With a desert backdrop and ninja moves, the three-minute short film looks like something out of a Mad Max meets Quentin Tarantino world. It won the Audience Choice Award.

It was also selected for Taos Shortz film fest in New Mexico. She wrote and directed the short on a very tight budget. She’s got other screenplays up her sleeve, like a featured sci-fi to go along with the three-minute short.

“I have so many screenplays, I could roll joints with extra dialogue pages,” she jokes.

The Green Party

While very well informed when it comes to civics, Croydon didn’t strive to be in any political office – until her friends egged her on to run for U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 8th District as the Green Party candidate. She did it in memory of the late Jay Houston Marks, a dear friend and cannabis activist. Croydon’s platform was cannabis reform and curbing nuclear weapons. She didn’t get the Green Party nomination, instead placing second for the nod – but anyone in the 8th District of Maryland can write her in. Her slogan for that is, “JUMP WRITE IN!” and write her in.

“It was  f***ed up and awesome, I’m still processing it,” she said, “My real goal was to try and get young people to be involved in politics.”

She says some Green Party members tried to dissuade her from her cannabis activist roots, and to be quiet on the issue. She didn’t listen, and proceeded to travel to Philly for the Democratic National Committee’s presidential nomination extravaganza.

Standing alongside fellow activists, being a part of a demonstration with a 51-foot inflatable joint outside of the DNC actually got her most of her press.

“My platform is completely serious, but I’m a comedian. I think Trump should keep jokes off the debate stage. He’s a coward who really should be a stand-up comic – except there’s no money, glamour, or nuclear codes.”

The Slab Hour

Croydon sees herself as a creative first and foremost, while dabbling in politics, screenwriting, and, well – dabs.

The Slab Hour is a dab-tastic live-streaming radio show hosted by a cannabis extract connoisseur who goes by the name of Phone Homie. You can view a slideshow of what it’s like to be in the audience of one of his Sunday evening Slab Hours here.

Croydon’s taken on the responsibility of anchoring the iconic cannabis subculture show. She brings her own brand of ‘Rock and Roll-atics’ to the rundown. She’s filling in for the host while he is traveling the world, re-familiarizing himself with the cannabis culture outside of America. The show takes place every Sunday evening, at 9 o’clock in the evening (EST) at Listen Vision studios. Fun Fact: Listen Vision Studios is the oldest studio in Washington D.C.

Initially, The Slab Hour first hit the airwaves a little over a year ago with the intent of celebrating the subculture of cannabis; specifically, dabbing. Now, the show has growers, rappers, and artists coming in from all over the country.  

Sum Chic on the Radio

If you want to hear Croydon in action, she’s the co-host and producer of The Evil Do Gooder Show. It’s streaming on UrCityRadio.com or, download the UrCityRadio app and then click ‘Rock station’, then click to listen to The Evil Do Gooder Show every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at high-noon. She goes by the name Sum Chic.

She’s performed comedy from the stage of The Late Night Show, and Last Comic Standing, to name a few. So, in order to keep her wit sharp, she headlines a Velvet Lounge comedy show in DC under the banner, This Will Only Bring You Happiness.

In a far-reaching gesture, one of her fans sent her a sweatshirt that reads “CROYDON VS THE WORLD” on the front. It was from writer Paul Dennis, who happens to live ‘across the pond’ in Croydon, England.

“It means so much to get this gift from him,” she said, “I feel like I have superpowers when I’m wearing it.”

Belly laughs from @ECroydon's standup #comedy #croydenvstheworld pic.twitter.com/sjaY9xgfLQ

— Chloe Sommers (@ChloeCannaNews) August 5, 2016

If you live in the Washington Metropolitan area, you can catch her comedy show at the Velvet Lounge, The Slab Hour on Sundays, The Evil Do Gooder Show, or just follow her on Twitter for a daily dose of debauchery.