Touring in New Show, Margaret Cho is 'Live and Livid'

Comedian/writer/actress/social activist Margaret Cho has been a key queer player for more than three decades since her work as a stand-up comedian won her an American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian in 1993. Two years later, she was cast in an ABC sitcom, "All American Girl," but it failed, and her personal experiences on the show when she was body shamed led to significant health issues, as well as substance abuse. She turned those experiences into comedy gold with her solo show, "I'm The One That I Want," as both a book and stage show that she later filmed, which won her New York Magazine's Performance of the Year.

Since then, Cho hasn't stopped. She has made a series of comedy specials based on her stand-up shows ("The Notorious C.H.O.," "Revolution," "Assassin"), made music videos, appeared on sitcoms (most famously as Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un on "30 Rock" for which she received an Emmy nomination), made podcasts, appeared on "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Masked Singer," founded a clothing line, and remains one of the most outspoken political activists in show business.

Cho recently released her latest album, "Lucky Gift," and is currently on tour with a new stand-up show "Live & Livid" that brings her to The Wilbur in Boston on March 14, followed by dates in California, Florida, and Texas through December. (For a complete list of dates, follow this link.)

Cho also has a new Netflix special, "Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution," and has been cast as one of the Gray Sisters in Disney's season 2 of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," as well as in Gregg Araki's next film, "I Want Your Sex" with Olivia Wilde and Charli xcx.

EDGE spoke to Cho about "Lucky Gift," why she calls her show "Live & Livid," and what advice she has for the queer community over the next few years.

EDGE: Tell us about your third album, "Lucky Gift."

Margaret Cho: It's a collection of songs that I'm so excited to put out. I have always loved making music and have been collecting these songs for a while. I didn't put some of them on my last record, "American Myth," and some are new compositions. I'm pleased to hear some of the early reactions to some of the singles. It has been really exciting, and I love it.

EDGE: Listening to your album, I would have thought you had been a musician all along. You make it seem so easy.

Margaret Cho: I have people who I collaborate with who are incredible. I write all the lyrics and a good portion of the music now. For me, it's still about being able to be a storyteller but using things like production instruments and my voice to convey an idea instead of just words like a comedian. It's just finding other ways of expression. It's not easy, but I love doing it. It's also a big part of my social life, so all of the people that I make music with I'm very good friends with, and it's a way for me to get together with people I love and to work on something beautiful and meaningful.

EDGE: What do you get from making music that you can't get from comedy?

Margaret Cho: Music is my most revisited form of art. I don't look at paintings over and over. I love a couple of paintings, but I don't go back and look at them. The same goes for books and films, but with songs that I really connect with, I will listen to them all the time. I have my favorite songs that I've listened to hundreds of times. It's the same with making music. I find a real passion when I can make a song and then realize it. It's really powerful. There are songs that I want to hear again and sing again. It's my relationship to how songs move us in a way that nothing else does. Comedy makes us laugh and feel good, but music can touch our soul.

EDGE: I love "Funny Man," your tribute to comedian/actor Robin Williams. Can you tell us about your friendship?

Margaret Cho: He was the first celebrity autograph I received when I was eight. I met him doing standup comedy when I started at 14 years old. He was the silent partner of the comedy club Holy City Zoo, where I would do shows during my teenage years and most of my young adulthood. He would perform there all the time and sometimes I would have to follow him. It was hard to follow Robin Williams. It was a nightmare to do night after night, but it made me a better comedian. He was a really important figure in San Francisco comedy and a father figure to so many people. The song came about after he died. I wrote it with Roger Rocha, and we would perform it at this outreach called "Be Robin," which I had created for people experiencing homelessness. We played a "Funny Man," and it had a special resonance because I think people were getting to know that Robin had a huge impact on many people experiencing homelessness. He had created "Comic Relief," a charity specifically for homelessness. I loved Robin. We don't talk about it enough because of our discomfort around the circumstances of his death, but he was the most important artist for so many people for the longest time. I really love that we get to celebrate him with this song.

EDGE: Does one song have more emotional connection than the others?

Margaret Cho: I am emotionally connected to "Lucky Gift" because the song is about this soaring feeling of love when you feel ugly but fall in love anyway. It's the perfect expression of power pop, my favorite music genre. And the fact that I got to write it all by myself is really exciting. It's just a meaningful song. I love it. I love playing it.

EDGE: Tell us about your "Live & Livid" tour. What is causing you to become so livid?

Margaret Cho: I'm livid because of what is happening in our country now. What is going on with our government? It's really insane, and I am so angry about it, and I'm writing about it every day. I don't know why Elon Musk is president. It's because you can't spell felon without Elon. I'm very disappointed with the way that the election went. I'm complaining because I worked harder on this election than anything I've ever done politically. I worked for the Kamala campaign. I was writing jokes for surrogates with other comedians. We were determined that the Harris/Waltz administration would win. I'm like, what happened? I have a lot to say. I think the outcome is actually far worse than I ever anticipated.

EDGE: Will you perform music while on your "Live & Livid" tour?

Margaret Cho: Right now, I'm doing some music/comedy shows in LA. I am just trying to figure out what a show would look like and how it would work. I am not sure what will happen, but I can do anything. I love the idea of having a big review, but for now, the "Live and Livid" show will be comedy.

EDGE: Are there any upcoming projects you'd like to mention that you're excited about?

Margaret Cho: I am in a film, "I Want Your Sex" with Olivia Wilde and Charlie xcx, by the great director Gregg Araki. It will be released later this year. I'm also on a TV show called "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," where I'm physically attached to Sandra Bernhard, who I'm so in love with; she's my good friend. We were physically attached because we played siblings along with Kristen Schaal. We're all physically attached in a very strange, mystic way. I had the best time filming that for Disney+.

EDGE: Can you share some advice for the LGBTQ+ community as we navigate the next four years?

Margaret Cho: We have been through far worse. The truth is that we had limited opportunities before and during the 1980s and the 1990s while facing a deadly pandemic of our own. We had no help from the government. We were fighting the same kind of homophobia and hatred, but we came back stronger than ever from that. Our power will not be discounted. We now have more political power than ever and must continue fighting for our rights. Use your voice and fight!

Margaret Cho appears at The Wilbur in Boston on March 14, 2024. For more information, visit The Wilbur website. For more information on Margaret Cho's "Live & Livid" tour and her new album "Lucky Gift," visit her website.