Exclusive Interview: Margaret Cho

Korean-American comedian/ fag hag Margaret Cho’s "Beautiful" tour hits the Paramount May 10. It also features Liam Sullivan. The lovely Ms. Notorious C.H.O. and I chatted this afternoon about body image, blogs, and blowjobs. Check it.

The show's called "Beautiful." Any significance to the title?
When I was doing television, one of the executives told me after I did a screen test, “Don’t ever show your stomach in public ever, ever again.”� I was horrified. Now I show my stomach off as much as possible. I don’t give a shit. It’s important for me that people know and recognize what a 39- year-old woman’s body looks like; that woman can be my age and my size and not care what other people say.

This is your seventh tour. What's different this time around?
This is probably the raunchiest show I’ve done. It’s pretty grotesque and hardcore... I’m just older, so I feel like I’m able to speak with more authority about sexuality. Like my big mission of the show is talking about how sometimes we’ll have sex with people we don’t want to have sex with, but we feel sort of obligated to... I hate that shit. Some women feel it’s easier to give a blowjob than say no. A lot of times it’s true, because you want them to shut up, so you blow them. I don’t wanna do that anymore.

What do the rental units think about all this?
They’re so cool. They don’t wince, budge, or get mad. I think because if you’re Korean, if you make a certain amount of money, everything you do is okay. It’s kind of the older equivalent of getting good grades. I remember when I was in school, there was this kid who killed someone and it was really horrible. I was telling my dad about it and he said, "Well, at least he had good grades."

You've blogged about them, and much of your life, on your website.
I like to blog because I like to read blogs. That’s where I get my news... I like Jezebel, The Huffington Post, Planet Out, and the celebrity sites like Perez Hilton. I want to be informed, but I also want to contribute to whatever’s happening in the blogosphere.

You filmed some of your show here a couple few years ago. How familiar are you with the city?
I was working, and didn't get much chance to see it. I really love that show Grey’s Anatomy, so I think I know everything about Seattle... but I probably don’t know anything at all. I’m really excited.

Well, thanks for your time and I'll see you there, Margaret. Actually, hey... I'm bringing a friend. He just broke up with his boyfriend and is on the outs. Any advice?
Well, now’s a good time for cruising. My shows offer the best cruising for people of all sexual orientations. He’ll have a good time.

Topics: Comedy

Permalink | Comments (2)

April 1 Warmup

www.economist.com

The Economist digs into the heart of the great prank.

Topics: Comedy

Permalink | Comments (0)

Is This Show Too Jewish for Seattle?

KUOW wants to know! Or at least, they want to know what you think in general of this new show, a Canadian import vastly preferable to Vaughan Palmer called WireTap. I've never heard the station actively seek listener feedback before (money, yes; critiques, no), but they were asking for our response last night. And my response is: Do I really want to listen to Jewish male caricatures tormenting each other over the phone? Isn't that why I have my own brother? The show, created and hosted by This American Life veteran Jonathan Goldstein (above), lets us 'listen in' on phone conversations and it's funny but, Jesus, too much. Goldstein's persona is in a direct line of descent from Woody Allen, Dr. Katz and Ira Glass—i.e., awfully familiar and awfully Jewy. (Then again, Jackie Mason has always appealed more to the Gentiles.) I will admit, though, the Goldstein/David Rackoff routine imagining a blow-up-by-voice-mail between Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time. (Scroll to "The Secret History of Famous Friends.")
So, KUOW, are you asking: would I prefer this in the 8 o'clock hour to the fourth rebroadcast of some farmer's market organizer speaking in the basement of Town Hall a year ago? YES.

Topics: Comedy

Permalink | Comments (0)

West Seattle Gets Its Seaman

Ace Weekly ad rep Jennifer Seaman Miller, who moonlights as a comedienne, now has a regular gig at the Skylark in West Seattle on the last Tuesday of every month. What this means is that now Laura Onstot, who lives up the hill, will have no excuse not to have a fresh sampling of crass jokes when she comes in Wednesday morning.

Topics: Comedy

Permalink | Comments (2)