In conversation with Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho: The woman, the comic, the legend!

Margaret Cho is one of the world’s most well-known, funniest and most forthright comedians. She has battled sexual abuse, homophobia, gender discrimination and racism to get to the top.

The famously non-conformist Korean-American has also won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women, Asians and the LGBT community.

Where many people have failed at their endeavours in the entertainment industry, Cho has endured. Not only has she been successful in stand-up, film, and as an author but she’s a talented singer with a stunning voice.

Cho’s been very vocal about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child and how she was raped as a teen. We caught up with her during her psyCHO tour and before the release of her much anticipated new album American Myth.

AJ: You grew up in the 1970’s San Francisco. How has this period influenced your work?

MC: It was a great time of gay political activism, where Harvey Milk was actively campaigning to be the first openly gay elected official. His tragic assassination devastated the community, but there was a major shift forward in fighting for our rights and looking to the future. I learned how to be political then, and this has always influenced my art.

AJ: Where do you get your comedy inspiration from?

MC: Everything, from news to daily life experience, both looking back and looking ahead.

AJ: I love your impression of your mother, you manage to capture the essence of Korean mother-ness. What does your mother think about it?

MC: She loves it. I think that women in my family become invisible as they age, and she loves that she still gets to be in the spotlight.

AJ: How important is it for an individual in the public eye to stand up for what they believe in?

MC: I think it’s a personal choice, but I really want to use my experiences to heal others, if I can.

AJ: Do you feel your comedy has evolved because of this?

MC: I am constantly searching for my own peace, whether it is from body image or racial inequality. I want to push for change in a world that is continually unfair to outsiders. This is what I hope to do as a comedian and an artist.

AJ: How you feel about becoming a role model in a varied community, and as someone who has paved the way for the younger generation?

MC: I am grateful that I have inspired others, and broken some ground so that a new generation may flourish! It’s my greatest achievement, to have set the stage for this new show, this new wave of artists.

AJ: There’s a lot of debate right now about PC culture and how it’s affecting comedy in particular. Do you feel that you consciously adjust jokes to respond to that culture?

MC: I don’t know if I need to, as political correctness really exists to protect people like me. I am glad that it exists but I resent when it works to silence me.

AJ: You have mastered the art of transitioning between comedienne and social commentator. So far as activism is concerned, is there anything that needs to change in the Asian American community?

MC: I would love to see more Asian Americans in the arts, pursuing their dreams, and I am seeing this more and more nowadays. This is an extremely exciting time for Asian American artists of all kinds.

AJ: Do you think there has been progress?

MC: Yes, and there will be even more change coming.

AJ: In your opinion has Hollywood become more accepting of Asian Americans?

MC: Yes and yet in the most mainstream arenas like blockbuster action films, whitewashing still exists. White actors are still playing roles in yellow face, and this needs to change.

AJ: Why is it important to be open and honest about sex and why do you think some people struggle or are repulsed by it?

MC: Sex is political, and so honesty regarding sex is even more political. People are silenced by shame or fear of their own making. I don’t think that anyone needs to be afraid of sex, which is why I talk about it openly. To be free about it is a political statement about it.

AJ: Why do you feel there’s silence among the bisexual community?

MC: I think there’s still a lot of bi-invisibility and

bi-erasure. We are seen as outsiders by the gay and straight community, possibly because we belong to both and we belong to neither. It’s confusing.

AJ: You’re currently in the midst of your psyCHO tour. How has that been going?

MC: Great! Touring is a constant — I have been on tour for 30 years and it’s the most stable and recognizable thing in my life. I will always tour.

Margaret Cho is very much linked into the music world as well. For her debut album, she collaborated with many talented musicians such as Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird, Jon Brion, Tegan and Sara, Grant Lee Phillips, Ani DiFranco and Brendon Benson to name a few.

AJ: Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

MC: I would love to write and sing and record with all of these wonderful artists again, and in the future i hope to work with Nile Rodgers, Allee Willis, Linda Perry — these legends I know and have loved for so long.

AJ: Your last single was called (I Want To) Kill My Rapist. It comes from a very real, and a very dark, place. What reaction did that get?

MC: It was tremendous! I performed it the day I wrote it, at a small gig in Oakland, and women were singing it with me at the top of their lungs. They rushed up after and shared with me their stories of abuse and trauma. This has happened now every time I have performed it live. People want to tell me what happened, and it’s a huge release for them. I am so grateful to have them share their burdens with me and I feel unburdened as well.

AJ: What’s the first thing you do when you’re off tour?

MC: I get in bed for several days. I love my bed and I use it like an office!

AJ: Do you have a preference between standup, acting and singing?

MC: Standup comedy is my real medium, but I use songs as standup comedy and I often am cast in comedic roles as an actor, but I will always do standup comedy. It’s my life.

AJ: You are calling your new album American Myth. Where did the title come from?

MC: It’s from the song Anna Nicole which is the first track. It’s about the story of her and how it’s much like a very american myth, the beautiful soul who was too good for this world.

AJ: Are you proud of American Myth?

MC: I am extremely proud to release American Myth. This is an album of anthems and showcases my first efforts as a composer. I made it with my longtime collaborator Garrison Starr and an incredible and inspiring crew of artists. It is my glamorous and glittering tribute to family, comedy, anger, fame, gayness, grief, fat pride, love and hate.

AJ: What’s next for Margaret Cho?

MC: Touring and working on Fashion Police and developing a show called “Highland” for Amazon about the marijuana boom in California.

(first published in Gaia magazine)