Ha-Cha-Cha-Cho

The Richard Pryor of her generation hits SoFla

Comments (0) By Marli Guzzetta Thursday, May 8 2003

Margaret Cho loves three things: people, tapioca tea, and the chance to make out with Anna Nicole Smith.

The Cho revolution will be televised

Details

Performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 9, at the. Tickets cost $29.50 to $45. Call 954-462-0222.

Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale

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That's not altogether true -- she certainly loves more than three things, including her dogs and fiancé. And when we interviewed her, she didn't specifically say she "loved" making out with Smith: "I was invited to her Christmas party. Whenever I get really bored, I grab the nearest person and start making out with them." Cho explains her impetus for the lesbo lip smack. "She was a really good kisser. It was very pleasant."

The star of the first all-Asian-American sitcom (ABC's All-American Girl) explains further that she's just a loving person. "I try to put that across in my work. I want that to be something that people feel."

Consistently hailed as the "Richard Pryor of her generation," the precocious and potty-mouthed comic is out to give the rest of America a taste of her quick tongue this spring. Her new tour is called "Cho: Revolution." Its promotional poster includes her likeness on the famous "Che" Guevara poster.

Does this mean the "Korean-American, fag-hag, shit-starting, trash-talking girl comic" is becoming more militant?

"No, it's just a pun. We all have a right to our own revolution," states the woman who has become something of a franchise for the disenfranchised. This tour will produce twofilms -- one of the stage show and one of behind-the-scenes footage.

"We live in these warrior times, which means we can be our own warriors unto ourselves. That's what this show is based on. It's about kind of not taking any shit -- about being at war with everything that is unpleasant and wrong in your own world."

The unpleasant things most often on Cho's shit list: discrimination, pressure to conform, and naysayers. For Revolution, Cho also chats about "the axis of evil, Thailand's red-light district, the explosion of child birth, bartering sex for household chores, revolutionizing self-esteem, the joy of bodily functions, her loser ex-boyfriend," and, of course, big mama Cho, her website informs.

More at peace than she was when I'm the One That I Wantmade her an icon in 2000, Cho says she has grown out of the problems she had when she was younger and is achieving new peace in her life. "When I'm off the road, I'm horizontal," Cho says. "Completely immersed in being with my dogs, being with my lover, being with my friends, and I don't do much else."

The comedian surprised herself by recently deciding to get married. "It's something that I never thought I'd do and I never imagined. But I have a great, great partner."

If you see negativity as an oppressive dominant regime, then this show is something of a revolution, and Cho's chi is like Che's, just a little more tongue-in-cheek. "I find I'm happy with little things," the comic wraps up. "I saw The Exorcist last night, and that gave me a lot of joy."