No Business Like Cho Business
Blunt. Fiery. Foul-mouthed. And absolutely incredible. She’s the one and only Margaret Cho, the Korean-American comedienne whose tell-it-like-it-is style has made her a comedy legend—a legend taking the stage at Louisville’s Palace Theater in September for an evening of entertainment Gay Kentuckiana can’t afford to miss.
Cho grew up in San Francisco in the 1970s. Her colorful childhood experiences influence many of her stand-up comedy routines, which she began performing at age 16. After winning a comedy contest that gave her the chance to open for Jerry Seinfeld, Cho started on the college comedy circuit and was later featured on talk shows in Los Angeles. She soon settled in LA to begin a career as a comedienne, actress, author, producer, and much-loved gay icon. G3 caught up with her there a few weeks ago as she was getting ready for her new sitcom “The Cho Show,” which premiered on VH1 in late August.
“I think people respond to my honesty,” she says. “At least I hope they do. I try to be as truthful as I can about things. And I think people like me because they identify with me—the eternal outsider! Basically I just want to be really good, and I have learned now to listen really carefully to whatever the audience responds to. They influence me more than anything.”
Because Cho is so gay-friendly (she grew up in San Francisco’s Haight neighborhood, after all) she’s a huge hit with gay audiences. “I played a lot of gay clubs starting out, and I remember big groups of gay men coming to see me. It was so exciting! I always had lots of gay friends, and they would always bring all their peeps to see me--so I was lucky!”
So what does it mean to you to be a gay icon?
“I’m not sure but I like it. I kissed a girl and liked it!”
And what are the three ingredients that make up a diva worthy of gay adoration?
“Glamour, talent and really good cruising at the performances.”
“Gay bars are like my living room,” Cho says. “My house is like a hot gay bar. I am in gay bars all the time. I have never had a bad time in one—or if I did, I can't remember. The best gay bar experience is just kicking it with my friends—every time!”
Gay or not, her fans love her style—and so do the critics. She’s been summed up as everything from “fearless” and “groundbreaking” to “larger than life.” But Cho had a different word to sum up her comedic presence. “I like ‘fire-starter,’” she said. “That makes me feel like Drew Barrymore. I am also partial to 'ebullient', but I’m not sure what that means. I thought it had something to do with bullion…but maybe it doesn't.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter because nobody ever recognizes me out on the street anyway. I am not one of the people that the paparazzi chase. I was trying to get them off the tail of this one famous singer/actress so I cut in front of them and told them I didn't have underwear on. And they all ran away.”
With the dawn of “The Cho Show,” her latest project, all that may change. “I love this sitcom. It stars myself, my parents, my assistant Selene Luna, who is a little person, and then my gay glam squad. It’s a cross between Madonna's 'Truth or Dare,' 'The Joy Luck Club,' and 'Little People, Big World.' It just follows our lives in Hollywood, so it’s very gay, very Asian—very Gaysian! It’s an amazing show and I love it. I hope it’s a huge hit!”
Don’t miss Margaret Cho performing at the Palace Theater in Louisville, Saturday, September 20, 2008. (We need to make an impression on her by the way… she says “I haven't really spent enough time in Louisville to have any impressions of the city, so this time I really need to make some!”) Tickets for this special one-time-only performance are on sale now at www.louisvillepalace.com. See you there!
By Michael Alderson