Fresh Off The Bloat — Margaret Cho Interview
Three times Grammy and Emmy nominated stand-up comic, singer-songwriter, author and very vocal LGBT advocate Margaret Cho returns to Hong Kong for her 2018 “Fresh Off The Bloat” show. Our own drop dead diva Johannes Pong talks to her since he’s the one with Cho’s number, as he took the artist to a temple to burn offerings to the late Joan Rivers (her mentor) and to Leslie Cheung (her idol) back in 2016 when she was here on her PsyCHO tour.
Johannes: Girl, did you deactivate your Facebook? I had to call you old school style.
Margaret: I know, I just can’t keep it. I still have my fan page on Facebook, and I’m still on Twitter and Insta(gram), but yeah, I deleted Messenger and all that. I’ve been super busy, working on a couple of shows, and have been touring since September. So after Asia in May, I think we’re going straight to Australia.
Johannes: Are you excited about coming back to Hong Kong?
Margaret: You know Hong Kong has a special place in my heart as I’m a huge fan of classic Hong Kong films from the 80s and 90s.
Johannes: What can we expect this time? Anything new?
Margaret: Oh you’re going to meet my new boyfriend! He’s amazing. His name is Rocco Stowe.
Johannes: Um can we print that?
Margaret: Yeah, he’ll also be performing in Hong Kong. With me.
Johannes: Last time we took you to Chungking Mansions because you insisted. Thank God you didn’t have a sip of my mango lassi. You would’ve had to cancel your show and the HK LGBT community would’ve skinned my diarrhoea ass alive. What do you want to eat here this time?
Margaret: Oh my God, we have to get the goose. That’s the most important thing. We don’t have any of that here, it’s bizarre. Cantonese roast goose just doesn’t exist in America, not even in Chinatown.
Johannes: Yeah, geese are like the divas of the bird kingdom — super picky about water and food; I doubt American chefs are willing to raise and cook them properly. What shows are you working on right now?
Margaret: I’m developing a show called Highland. It’s about a Korean American family who’s into the medical marijuana trade.
Johannes: So it’s a predominantly Asian American cast then? Who’s in it? Can you say?
Margaret: Yeah, we shot the pilot already and Steve Park is in it. He is just incredible! It’s going to be a comedy drama. But also with a lot of heart.
Johannes: You’ve never been shy about sexual abuse in your shows. What do you think of the #MeToo / #TimesUp movement?
Margaret: Yeah, there will be a lot of that in my show. You know, there’s a lot of stuff that comes with that. A lot of fun stuff… And also Trump. He’s so crazy that you get a lot of material from him as well.
Johannes: And now, girl, we have to talk about the major cultural phenomenon that is Drag Race All Stars Three.
Margaret: Oh [LOL]. I am so behind on this. OK, don’t tell me who won, but I think Shangela will win. It has to be Shangela. She’s actually my good friend in LA. Did she win? Oh my God don’t tell me. Although… hmmm I do love Trixie [Mattel] as well.
Johannes: OK I’m not going to spoil it for you. Have you met your fellow Korean American queer icon Kimchi before? She just came to Hong Kong last month and slain the bitches.
Margaret: Yeah, she’s so sweet. I’ve actually only met her on a train. I was going up north and she was coming down, and we met halfway in the middle (not sexual innuendo).
Johannes: Thanks for talking to us, Margaret. Can’t wait to see your show!
Margaret: Can’t wait to come to Hong Kong again!
Margaret Cho, “Fresh Off The Bloat” 13th May 2018 / 8 pm KITEC Rotunda 3
Originally published at www.dimsum-hk.com on April 21, 2018.
