Comedy is sometimes treated as a man’s game. The crudity and explicit nature of many comics’ shows could be characterized as “unladylike” by typical American and Western standards. For Margaret Cho, however, these concerns mean little to nothing.
Beginning with roles on television in the early ’90s, Cho grew from struggling actress to one of the top women in comedy with her first show in 2000, called “I’m the One That I Want,” much of which came from her debut memoir of the same name. Cho said that while she hasn’t changed her approach much, the show still holds a strong bearing on her act today.
“I don’t think my approach to my work has changed that much since I did that show, and I love that show, because it helped me to create my style and voice as a standup comic,” Cho said. “What has changed is that I get to do a lot more different types of work — from acting to singing and even dance — so that is exciting, yet I still feel my standup comedy has the same edge that was brought out by that particular show.”
As a Korean-American woman, who also happens to be bisexual, Cho has also faced a great deal of prejudice, and since her rise to celebrity, has become an outspoken advocate for LGBT equal rights. The outlet of comedy has provided Cho a soapbox to combat hate.
“It is greatly frustrating to see how homophobic the world can be, as well as racist and sexist and discriminatory for other reasons, but then again, these can all be ‘teachable’ moments as well,” Cho explained. “If something hideous happens, I always have my comedy to explore it, explain it, amend it, deal with it, so actually, I feel like being a comic is the best way to deal with all the hatred that exists out there.”
Cho’s early misfires and various personal toils informed her early comedy and have remained a constant part of her shows since. She said there was no breakthrough moment where her career took off, but rather through diligence and adaptability was able to build a respectable list of credits, from film to “Dancing With the Stars.”
“I am not sure if there was a turning point but more just many different moments where I pushed myself to go farther and then had a lot of help after that,” Cho said. “What is good is that I am hard-working but also very enthusiastic to learn new things, so that has led me down a lot of great paths. I am very lucky to have so much variety in what I am able to do in my work.”
While film and television appearances have provided Cho an opportunity to perform in a variety of mediums, comedy is where her most personal work comes from.
“In general, acting for me has been for other people’s projects, and comedy is my own show, so the difference is in the content,” Cho said. “Comedy happens at night, and acting happens during the day.”
“Cho Dependent,” the comedienne’s first full-length album of comedic material, is the latest project in which Cho pushes the boundaries of her repertoire to new levels.
“I wanted to create a comedy album with startlingly beautiful music, which was an awesome wish and intention, and I got to realize it with some of my most treasured friends and the best minds in music,” Cho said. “I really love the album and everyone on it.”
When the album dropped in late August, Cho released a pair of videos for the singles “I’m Sorry” and “Eat S*** and Die.” The latter video, a cabaret in vaudeville dress, features fecal follies and Cho as a femme fatale.
“It’s a chanteuse moment but cut up with the absurdity of the turds,” she said. “I just thought the turd costumes were so funny, and my husband made them from photos of my dogs’ turds, so they are very lifelike. What fun we had.
“Liam Sullivan is responsible for the vision, and I think it came out so beautifully, even though it is dancing turds.”
Cho will perform at the Biijou Theatre Nov. 20 in support of “Cho Dependent.”
