Margaret Cho Visits Twin Cities

By Amy Doeun

In February 2008 Margaret Cho returned to the realm of comedy shows after a foray into film, rock tours, an off-broadway tour and television. The new “Beautiful” tour started in Sydney, Austalia. Cho described the new tour as,

"I want to explore the nature of beauty. What is funny and scary about it, why we often don't feel beautiful because our society's standards are so rigid and unattainable. A DJ once asked me, "If you woke up tomorrow and you were beautiful, what would you do? If you were, blonde, blue-eyed, 5 foot 11, and weighed 100 pounds, what would you do?!?" Well, I probably wouldn't get up in that case, because I'd be too weak to stand. If that is his only idea of beauty then I feel really sorry for him. I want everyone to feel beautiful and I want to do it with laughter. Why not feel good about ourselves?"

On April 25th audiences in the Twin Cities will have a chance to see the show first hand at the Orpheum theater. Asian American Press asked what Cho would like her fans to know about this new show, she replied, “I’m really proud of it and really excited about it.”

"I want to explore the nature of beauty. What is funny and scary about it, why we often don't feel beautiful because our society's standards are so rigid and unattainable. A DJ once asked me, "If you woke up tomorrow and you were beautiful, what would you do? If you were, blonde, blue-eyed, 5 foot 11, and weighed 100 pounds, what would you do?!?" Well, I probably wouldn't get up in that case, because I'd be too weak to stand. If that is his only idea of beauty then I feel really sorry for him. I want everyone to feel beautiful and I want to do it with laughter. Why not feel good about ourselves?"

On April 25th audiences in the Twin Cities will have a chance to see the show first hand at the Orpheum theater. Asian American Press asked what Cho would like her fans to know about this new show, she replied, “I’m really proud of it and really excited about it.”

Cho was born in 1968 and raised in San Francisco. Her mother had broken tradition and chose a love match rather then an arranged marriage. Her father wrote joke books in Korean. They ran a bookstore together. Even in this less traditional family Cho recalls that there was pressure to put family first, “families are more of a priority then pleasing one’s self.”

But Cho always knew what she wanted. “I’ve always wanted to be a comedian. I figured out what it looked like from watching it on TV.” Favorite comedians of the past include Steve Martin, Joan Rivers, Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor. Asian American Press asked what it meant to her that she could now be a role model, “I still think there are very few Asian Americans in comedy. . .in general immigrant cultures don’t encourage their children to go into arts.” Since fewer Asian Americans are looking to enter the field there are “fewer opportunities for us because the industry reflects it.”

This didn’t keep Cho from moving forward however. “I really loved it and was really dedicated.” At 16 she did her first show above her parent’s bookstore. After working in the college circuit for awhile Arsenio Hall introduced her to late night audiences and Bob Hope to prime time audiences.

Asian American Press asked Cho what the role of politics were in comedy, “I think it’s very important, people listen to comedians. A good place to look to to find out what is going on out in the culture.”

In 2007 the Asian Excellence Awards granted her the first ever Best Comedy Performance Award. Cho said of her work

I didn't mean to be a role model. I just speak my truth. I guess speaking from your heart really creates a huge impact, and if I can encourage people to do that, then I would love to be a role model. If I could encourage people to use their voices loudly, then that's my reward. I don't care about winning an academy award; I don't care about mainstream acceptance, because it's never going to be what I want it to be. I just want to do my work and love it.