Margaret Cho Brings Out the Big Guns for New Tour – Her Mother

Margaret Cho/Photo: Mike Ruiz

Margaret Cho’s mother has been immortalized in numerous standup shows across America and around the world, but the sometimes too real—oftentimes slightly exaggerated antics by Mama Cho have only played a small part in the popular comedic dance—until now.

In a new interview with yours truly for Windy City Times, Cho tells the world what she thinks about motherhood, her mama, Dancing with the Stars, and more.

Here’s an excerpt:

WCT: Race, drugs and sexuality will be on display during your MOTHER tour. Can you give us a little sneak peek at what the audience may anticipate?

Margaret Cho: I think it’s all about the fact that my immigrant upbringing didn’t prepare me for the kid-glove celebrity society I live in now. I mean, I was raised to be part of my family—not anything outside of that—and I have no social graces. So I can clean a fish, but I have never written a thank-you letter.

WCT: Recently, you were featured on the show Finding Your Roots. Can you tell us what your life was like in the Castro District in the ’70s?

Margaret Cho: It was great to witness queer politics first-hand like that—actually happening in front of me—and then the incredibly tragic times that followed: the assassination of Harvey Milk and the dreadful catastrophic wave of death from AIDS. These [events] really strengthened my connection to my community and the way to be political in my community. I am lucky to have lived through what I did—even though I lost a lot.

Read more of our interview online here, download the full magazine here, or pick up your copy of Windy City Times in Chicago.