“I grew up very exposed to politics and activism,” the American comedienne explains. “AIDS activism was a major part of my teenage years, and it taught me about having a voice and having an opinion and being part of a community that’s politically active. So I’m really grateful that I had the opportunity to meet and learn from so many great people, including Harvey Milk.”
Cho is a complete and utter conundrum, and her side-splitting stand-up routines have always carried through elements of her eclectic upbringing. What’s more is that the San Franciscan didn’t have it so easy amongst her less interesting peers. “When I was a young person, I hung around with all of these very tattooed drag queens and performers and they were always trying to convince my dad that if they let me get tattoos that I would be cool, and I wouldn’t be so lonely all the time.”
Cho was driven to the stage despite the incessant adversity that she faced in her youth. If anything, the bullying made the comedienne more determined to lighten the load of teenage angst with comedy. And though she may have felt lonely at times, she had comedies best resources at her disposal. “I think part of it is that my parents are really funny,” she starts. “They’re also very creative and value that sort of creative life. And, you know, for me you take a tragic thing and you find the funny in it. Even something like the last few weeks, with this Tracy Morgan controversy. He said that he would stab his son if he was gay. And it was a huge thing, and it was really a horrible thing, but then I was like, I would want to have a gay child, like that’s my precedent. I mean, I wouldn’t stab my kid if they were straight, but there would be consequences.”
And as to what these consequences are, Cho only has this to say: “I want you to go to your room right now, and redecorate it. It is a serious stance – I would prefer to have a gay kid. Why wouldn’t you rather have a gay child? To me that’s much more appropriate, and it’s much better for the world.”
The comedienne herself identifies as being both gay and bisexual – and though that may confuse most people (us mathematical types), she hasn’t allowed herself to think so narrowly on that front either. “I’m gay, I’m bisexual. You know, those tags also don’t apply really because I’m also attracted to transgender people. I feel like there’s more than two genders, I mean really. Honestly, there’s more than two different degrees of gender expression that doesn’t always fall between male and female. So you can’t just say that there’s bisexuality, because there’s so much more to gender than equipment. So I tend to really not define it in that way. I feel, if anything, that I’m probably more transgendered than I am lesbian, bisexual, or gay.”
In 2010, Cho added Grammy award nominee to the list of titles she both is and isn’t, with the self-release of her comedy album, Cho Dependent, from her own label, Clownery Records. “My show is still mostly comedy but there’s an element of music in there, with songs from the album. I was helped by a lot of great people, like Ben Lee, Ani DiFranco, and Fiona Apple. Really, really cool musicians, you know? So I feel privileged that I got to do it and now that I get to bring it to Australia.”
Cho Dependent is an eclectic, country-esque comedy album that features songs with names such as I’m Sorry, Eat Shit and Die and My Lil’ Wayne. “The country sound is naturally in my voice because I really love country music,” Cho discloses. “I learned to sing from listening to country, you know. I listened to a lot of Dolly Parton and Patty Griffin growing up, and the Dixie Chicks later on. Their voices really influenced the way that I sing. It’s something that I really love to do and something that I’m also kind of good at, which is something people don’t expect. I’m kind of like Susan Boyle.” A tattoo covered, LGBT activist/sex-symbol Susan Boyle, maybe? Um, no. Not even close. Margaret Cho is her own, refreshing flavour of comedienne, and it’s about time she picked up a guitar and serenaded the planet.
