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Cho on this
Margaret Cho strikes a few blows for sexual freedom, political subjects and the individual in a mass-media society in the entertainingly raunchy, not-for-your-parents, standup film "Notorious C.H.O."
By RANDI MILLER
Offoffoff.com
Directed by Lorene Machado and filmed live in Seattle
on the closing night of a 37-city North American tour,
"Notorious C.H.O." is Margaret Cho's one woman standup
comedy show, a sort of "Truth or Dare" meets "Raw"
meets "The Birdcage" meets everything ever written by
Camille Paglia. It is Cho's bawdy, uncensored, and,
revelatory discourse on a number of hot liberal social
topics — from homophobia and racism to eating
disorders and drug-abuse — couched in raunchy pussy
jokes and hysterical imitations of her Korean parents.
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| NOTORIOUS C.H.O. | Directed by: Lorene Machado.
Written by: Margaret Cho.
Cast: Margaret Cho..
Related links: Official site |
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"Notorious" follows-up Cho's comedy film-cum-book
titled "I'm the One That I Want." It begins with
man-on-the-street interviews with audience members
raving about Cho's humor (it "really speaks to me, ya
know?") while filing into the auditorium.
Margaret herself and later her parents appear — they
are interviewed backstage as the show is about to
begin — talking about how Margaret's humor is really a
platform from which she can discuss her thoughts on a
variety of socio-political issues. The interviews set
the tone for the show, for Cho uses humor — and
raunchy humor at that — while on stage as a vehicle in
which to convey more serious messages regarding
self-esteem and acceptance for the disenfranchised in
a media-saturated, advertising-dominated society. "Gay
marriage is the most important issue I think we are
facing now," says Cho. "We need to recognize that a
government that would deny a gay man the right to
bridal registry is a fascist state."
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| | "We need to recognize that a
government that would deny a gay man the right to
bridal registry is a fascist state." |
| | — Margaret Cho |
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The film's title only reaffirms Cho's
empowerment-through-humor intentions. "Notorious
C.H.O." — clearly a take-off on Notorious B.I.G. — was
inspired by L'il Kim, Eve, and all the other female
mavericks in the male-dominated field of rap.
Cho's humor is unabashed, sometimes embarrassingly so.
As she was talking about her experiences with a
dominatrix at an S&M club — a voluptuous blonde who
ordered Cho to kneel in front of her and not stand
until she had a "pussy mustache," I stole a glance at
the two old codgers — Bartles and James look-alikes (I
swear) — seated to my left and cringed for them.
"Notorious C.H.O" is certainly not for the faint of
heart and, to a certain extent, preaches to the
converted. (Could I really see my conservative parents
not only sitting through this invective but being
influenced by it as well? Uh . . . that would be a no). But,
I have to admit, it's inspirational, empowering, and
wicked funny. As Cho so eloquently says at the film's
conclusion, "I urge you all today to love yourselves
without reservation and to love each other without
restraint. Unless you're into leather — then by all
means use restraints."
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JULY 10, 2002
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