Checking in with Cho

While laughter is the best medicine, Margaret Cho says comedy is the best weapon

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Margaret Cho is pissed off. She might even be a little crazy. Her list of grievances include LBGT rights, violence against women, the hypocrisy of the Duggar family and the continued examination of Bill Cosby.

“People are still questioning whether or not he’s guilty. He’s so guilty,” Cho says. “After 40 women come forward and call you a rapist and have the exact same story, it’s very clear.”

She’s channeling that frenzy into her new show “There’s No I in Team, But There is a Cho in Psycho,” which will be at Chautauqua on June 26.

“The show is really about how to deal with the anger that we feel about all the things that are happening,” Cho says. “A funny way to deal with rage? I guess that’s what it is.

“Comedy is a good way to find a sense of place — what can we do with our frustration? For me, it’s about figuring out a new of way of looking at things,” she says. “And I think that’s what comedy is about — trying to find new ways to think about things.”

Cho’s been giving the world a new perspective since she first started in the early ’90s. Always outspoken with nothing to hide, Cho openly talks about her queer sexuality and political opinions. She also uses her Korean heritage as material in work, starting with her 1994 show All-American Girl, about growing up Asian in the U.S. And she’s not afraid to poke fun at her background either, like playing a North Korean journalist at this year’s Golden Globes. Even though her performance received some criticism, Cho says it was resonant for her.

“Comedy is a good weapon,” she says. “Comedy is the only weapon that I would have against an entity like North Korea.

“It’s weird to me because [the backlash] wasn’t really Asian people. White people were the ones that had the problem, not Asian people. Are we supposed to be silent about who we are?

“I am Korean. I am from North Korean descent actually. So it’s very truthful for me to talk about that.”

Cho has been in the comedy game for more than 20 years, and in her new show she talks about two mentors she met along the way whom she recently lost. Growing up in San Francisco, Cho says Robin Williams was the first celebrity she ever met. For years she would have to follow his act.

“That’s how I learned how to be a comedian — by trying to get the audience to get excited about me after they’d seen him,” she says.

Along with Williams, Joan Rivers was a big influence for Cho, who says Rivers was always there to help a fellow comic.

“She was incredible for so many reasons, not just because she was a great comedian, but she was so supportive and such a good person to have on your side,” Cho says. “She was there for me in any circumstance, whether I asked her to be on a show I was on, or whether I needed advice or was going through something.”

For Cho, that help from other female comics is an important aspect in an industry where there aren’t that many. As a woman, Cho says it hasn’t always been easy. But with more women claiming their space, things are improving.

“I think it’s better than it has been,” she says. “I’ve grown up in the industry that has been very sexist and difficult for women. There’s not a lot of female comics, so you don’t have the same support network that men do. … But I feel like nowadays there’s more women in comedy. There’s more women in very, very big positions as comedians and big stars.

“The biggest comedians now are women, which is really tremendous and exciting. I feel there’s more recognition for women in comedy. There are more women comics out there playing big venues and making big strides for women in comedy.”

As more women enter, the roads are already paved for newcomers. In a recent Twitter exchange, Cho praised Amy Schumer, who responded saying how much she loves Cho and that she sees her like a big sister.

“We all appreciate each other more because we know how hard it is,” she says. “So it’s very important. A lot of the women comics I know, we’re very tight. We’re very supportive of each other. We have to be.”

ON THE BILL: Margaret Cho. 8 p.m. Friday, June 26, Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder, 303-442-3282.