MARGARET CHO’S RHYTHM METHOD
When of you think of Margaret Cho, a few words immediately spring to mind with “outspoken” and “hilarious” topping the list. However, you can now add a new one to use in conjunction with the comedienne. And rather than simply giving you that information, why don’t we kick it old-school with a nod to the beloved game show, Match Game, and have our imaginary panelists and contestants fill in the blank? Just consider me your own personal Gene Rayburn and Charles Nelson Reilly all rolled into one.
by tim parks Since we have a space constraint to contend with, we’ll just jump into the “Super
Match” portion of the show. Fran, a housewife from the San Fernando Valley, has picked Brett Sommers who chimes in with “Cho Mama,” while Richard Dawson offers up “Cho Job.” Fran finally turns to Charles Nelson Reilly, who looks resplendent in his captain’s hat and neckerchief ensemble, spouts out, “Cho Tex, you know, for those heavy Cho days.” Well, even if they didn’t guess that it was “Cho Dependent,” which just so happens to be the name of both her new music CD and current stand-up tour, Fran is leaving with a lovely parting gift. You can never have enough Rice-A-Roni in your cupboard; it is the San Francisco treat, after all! Ok, onto our regularly scheduled interview, already in progress. The Rage Monthly caught up with Cho (don’t worry, this won’t lead to a make-believe
America’s Most Wanted scenario, ok?), about her latest tour topics and how she decided to branch out and employ her own special brand of the rhythm method to her Cho De- pendent CD. We also literally shot the sh** about what her most embarrassing onstage moment has been, and what fans may be surprised to learn about her, aside from the aforementioned “mishap.” Something that fans are clearly aware of is the fact that Cho, who is a staunch advo-
cate for LGBT rights, has often used her time onstage to raise awareness on a wealth of issues that impact us as a community. She said that her “Cho Dependent” tour will most definitely touch on a number of hot-button topics. “It’s a lot about Prop. 8 and gay marriage and what’s happening in California,” she
explained. “And all of the horrible stuff I’m so angry about it. And also, I’ve been living in the South for the last six months, in Peachtree City, Georgia (where she films the show Drop Dead Diva), which is a really small town and an incredibly homophobic place. It’s
weird to confront it where you live, because I’m not used to it. So, it’s a lot about that, a lot about immigration and my family history—stuff about
my mom...lots of fun family stories that I haven’t gotten to tell yet. So it’s good, it’s a lot of different stuff.” One thing that also fell under the “different” category—but wasn’t exactly of the
“good” variety—was her most embarrassing onstage misfortune, as she explained. “Well, one time I was taking Meridia,” she recounted. “This was many years ago, and
it’s this weird diet drug from the ’90s that would extract the fat from your food and then makes it shoot out your hole. And it’s so disgusting and gross! So I was performing, and wearing all white, and it would shoot out of my hole in
orange grease, because the pills have an orange capsule that looks like pepperoni grease,” Cho laughingly described. “And I’m doing my show, and I’m killing, but I’m also shooting oil out of my hole while I’m talking. I realized I had to finish and I walked off stage backwards. Fortunately the car was next to the backstage, and I just left and could hear the applause as I was driving away. Because of diet issues, I have sh** in my car more than any other female entertainer. Some people have Grammys, and I have sh** in my car. That’s the kind of performer and person I am.” Cho is also the kind of performer (anal leakage aside) who tells it like it is, and that sometimes has her asking herself, “Did I cross the line with that joke?” “Oh yeah, all the time,” she responded. “I’m never one to shy away from things; there
are just jokes that I think are really brilliant, but so mean that you can’t really do them. Like I was doing one where I said I really love drugs, but I don’t want to O.D. So I made a list of all the drugs that I did, so I won’t die, I made a Heath’s Ledger. I think it’s a genius joke, but it’s so mean, and I love Heath. But I think people should cross the line; that’s just part of it.”
SEPTEMBER 2010 | RAGE monthly 37
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