Margaret Cho

by Randy Cordova - Apr. 4, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Margaret Cho is known for pushing the boundaries in her stage show. No subject seems out of bands, and her fans love her for it: She probably has one of the most devoted followings in comedy. Cho, 39, opened her latest show, Beautiful, in Australia. Now she's bringing it to the United States, including a stop at the Dodge Theatre this month.

Question: Why did you launch the new show in Australia?

Answer: It just sort of happened. I was asked to be the parade chief at their Mardi Gras celebration. It just worked out right. It was received really, really well. I had a great time there. Kathy Griffin and Cyndi Lauper were there, and I did an episode of My Life on the D-List. I got to see Olivia Newton-John. She's great.

Q: Meeting people like Olivia Newton-John: Does that make you nervous?

A: Oh, of course. But I've known her for a while. I met her in my early 20s when we worked on a film together. I was intimidated when I met her then. Now, she's not as intimidating. She's still amazing: She's really an icon and very important, but she's also very nice.

Q: Who did you look up to growing up?

A: Actually, Cyndi Lauper, and I've grown to be very close with her. She's someone I admire very much and is a wonderful performer. When I was young, I was so into her. I was so obsessed with her record She's So Unusual. I loved her style.

Q: Performing in Australia: Are there cultural references they don't get?

A: It's pretty much all the same. Australia is very Americanized. They really pay attention to what's happening here politically, too. They're more American than England or Canada, even. If there is a culture shift, it happens in England. Their news is so different, their entertainment is different. Their frame of reference really shifts. It's one of the harder places as an American comic to play.

Q: The new show is called Beautiful, and it's about . . .

A: It's about coming out as beautiful. So many people come out as gay. I want to come out as beautiful. Nobody knows that I'm beautiful. And it's talking about "beautiful" in a way that's empowering to oneself. It's very positive, very graphic. It's very queer. It's not gay, it's not straight, it's a new sort of thing. I think the grotesque can be very beautiful.

Q: You've talked about having low self-esteem growing up. Do you ever look back at old pictures and think, "Hey, I was pretty cute?"

A: Oh yes. I've really learned to appreciate myself and appreciate the way I look and the way that I live my life. It's really improved my own quality of life.

Q: Do you ever wish you could talk to kids who are having a hard time growing up?

A: Yeah, I really do. I love to talk to kids and tell them how great they are, and how they'll learn to appreciate that later in life. Kids have a really hard time of it. It's really rough, so I always try to impart whatever wisdom I can. Of course, the curse is that kids never listen to adults.

Q: Your audience is very accepting and you seem able to go anywhere with them. Do you think there's anywhere you could go and they wouldn't follow?

A: I don't know. . . . If there is, I haven't found that limit yet. I haven't found that point where it's gone too far. I haven't pushed that boundary where I get stopped. I'm sure it's there; I just haven't found it yet.

Q: You've gotten into tattoos fairly recently.

A: Yes, when I was around 35. I always wanted them. I grew up with this guy who worked for my father, and he had a Japanese body suit from his neck down to his knees. I always wanted to get a tattoo after that, but I never got around to it. I asked my father's friend to take me to his tattooist, so he did mine.

Q: Is it addictive? You've got a lot now.

A: They are, but I think I might be done. I've got them on my stomach, on my back, on my arms and on my legs . . . I think I'm done.

Q: Does that make you feel beautiful?

A: Yes. It's so gorgeous. It's so exciting to have. You just want to show them off. I'm just so proud of them.