Where: Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St., Knoxville

Cost: $24

Age limit: All ages

Categories: Spotlight Events, Comedy

Description: The versatile Margaret Cho is simultaneously guest-starring in the TV series Drop Dead Diva, touring the country with her stand-up routine, and finishing up her new music album, Guitarded, set for release in 2010. Her previous efforts have included a burlesque revue, a reality TV show, and political activism. Cho was even deputized by the city of San Francisco to perform same-sex marriages in the state during the brief period when they were legal, a testament to her long-standing and close relationship with the LGBT community. With that jam-packed and highly varied resume to her name, it now appears that Cho is poised to step into the spotlight as a musician. It’s probably safe to assume that her album will come with a parental advisory label, of which Cho will surely be proud. She also found time to answer some questions via e-mail:

Metro Pulse: So your current tour is all about your upcoming album, Guitarded. The only track I’ve been able to find is the lovely banjo-accompanied “Eat Shit and Die.” Also, you worked with some really amazing musicians, like Amanda Palmer, Tegan & Sara, and A.C. Newman. Are you hoping for this to be your entry into the world of indie music or just another dimension of your comedy?

Margaret Cho: Well, it’s just part of the tour. I’m working on all sorts of new material, too, so there’s a lot of variety. I’m trying to find in music the exact thing I do in comedy. It’s just a new way of telling jokes, using song structure mixed with joke structures and making something new and exciting. It’s just another dimension of my comedy, but I have the good fortune to be friends with some extraordinary people who are helping me tremendously.

MP: Since you’re known for never shying away from politics in your routines, what Obama-era political debacles have made their way into your comedy?

MC: Well, I am still following the antics of Sarah Palin—and all the conservative whining!
MP: Do you ever think one of your new passions will override your urge to be funny and you’ll be compelled to take up one of them full time?

MC: I don’t think I can, because I am by approach and by attitude always going to be a stand-up comic. I’m uncomfortable with being too serious about things. Whether it’s dance, music, or acting, I’m always looking for the joke, always trying to tell the joke, the funny part of the story. To me, all the other things I do are just another extension of my comedy career.

MP: One of the trademarks of your style is getting laughs out of things that aren’t really that funny, like racism, intolerance, and LGBT issues. How did you develop this trademark?

MC: Well, the unfunny is why most people are funny. When unfunny things happen to us, we use humor as a coping mechanism to endure it. I’m just using human nature to create my art, defending myself against sadness and awkwardness and whatever is sour and foul about life.
—Lauren Byram