Margaret Cho - GFY

When you cut through the snark and anger that spawned AofG, you occasionally find bits and pieces of sophistication. Specifically, we've become a nice repository for the one-off cultural review, notably here, here and, thanks to a huge assist from Bucks, here. After scoring a pair of tickets to see Margaret Cho at the Beacon Theater on Saturday night (thanks to long-time reader Big Willie Style), I thought I'd try my hand. Snark and anger come free on this one.

For those not in the know, Cho has done a couple of hilarious and well-documented stand-up tours, resulting in classic specials like "I'm The One That I Want" and "The Notorious C.H.O.". Her material usually relies on the twin chestnuts of comedy: ethnic humor and dick & pussy jokes. Great stuff. Unfortunately, in recent years, she's become some sort of shrill, preachy comedic spokeswoman for the Daily Kos/MoveOn set, touring the country throwing out easy one-liners ripped off from the better left-wing bloggers. The sad fact is, I share most of her political views, am upset by the same things that rile her up, yet almost had to leave the theater in exasperated disgust.

Cho is everything that is wrong with the screechy American left. Loud, angry, unoriginal and embarrassing to thoughtful people who unfortunately have to share space with her on the ideological plane. She is what Ann Coulter (a simple target in her routine, natch) is to the modern-day Goldwater conservative. Sitting and having to watch her pander to the crowd with cheap throwaway barbs, designed specifically to elicit applause, brought one word to mind: hack. Yes, Margaret, pro-death penalty, pro-life, pro-war conservatives are hypocrites. Yes, the Pope was basically an intolerant gasbag and his funeral was an overwrought exercise in papal fetishism. Yes, Laura Bush's pussy probably does taste like Lysol.

...

(I'll give you a second to swallow the vomit)

...

I just don't want to hear about it from the dumbfuck likes of you, especially not on a Saturday night, especially when I already know these things. I'm paying you to entertain me, not to harangue me.

Cho also has the annoying habit of drawing attention to how bitchy, edgy and controversial a comic she supposedly is. Word to the wise - if you have to point out to your audience how bitchy, edgy and controversial you are, you aren't. Lenny Bruce was controversial. Richard Pryor was edgy. You, Margaret, are safe. You go for the easy applause line in a room full of people who, more likely than not, are already inclined to agree with you. When you're playing New York, bitching about the Christian Right and saying that Republicans are intolerant cousin-fuckers are the comedic equivalents of "So, the wife and I just had our first kid!" or "What's the deal with airline food?".

As with any babbling hack that you might find in a random scan through the cable news networks, Cho has figured out that the moolah is in uninformed anger directed towards a sheep-like audience and has shifted her comedy accordingly. She is going where the food is and, really, in this Cash Rules Everything Around Me world, who can blame her? She preys on the fact that people love and will pay to have others do their thinking and project their anger for them. Unfortunately, as long as a mass of circus seals continue to buy the thoughtless, naive anger she's selling, the left can look forward to at least a few more years of spinning its wheels.

Comments

[Uncle Leo]

I mean, are there ANY funny women stand-ups?

[jbcizool]

It just goes to show, the general public are idiots. I'm still trying to figure out who thinks D. L. Hughley and Jeff Foxworthy are funny.

[Bluehorseshoe]

now if she was hot then at least there would be a "well she's an idiot but I still want to fuck her" aspect to her show...

[mohit dhawan]

sir, i regularly read ur blog, presentation is brilliant and always ur posts are as sharp as razor so people should be carefull...why dont u try in law business against dirty country political dance

[Nominal Me]

I was never into Margaret Cho anway, but in general I usually hate political humor, even if I agree with it.

I find politics laughable enough when politicians talk about it, but that's more out of the farcical and thoughless nature of it.

When a comedian gets on stage, I want to really laugh, not get preached to. Telling me that George W. Bush sucks on stage is about as creative as "knock knock" jokes.

[Cozmo]

Along NomMe's point, it is all the more amazing how the Daily Show has not gone totally over the shark since it is almost entirely political humor.

I guess with the right writing, anything can be funny.

[Frank]

The Daily Show's success can be attributed to three things:

1) Most importantly, the aforementioned quality of the writing. Best on TV, bar none.
2) A huge target of the show is the media/punditocracy. That's a treasure trove of material right there.
3) The fact that, while certainly skewing left, they basically have no sacred cows and pretty much anybody is fair game. Cho's only criticism of a Democrat (and the only funny part) in her entire act was her impersonation of John Kerry's tendency to speak like an Ent from Lord of the Rings. That's it.

[Shively]

Margaret Cho is one of those people who makes you want to recite the "We live in a world with walls" speech from "A Few Good Men." I also find it amusing to listen to died in the wool left-wing partisans blasting others for intolerance.

[briandtw]

Shively, based on your post I think Frank's point passed you by and then turned out and passed right by you again.

[Bobby P]

So you're supposed to read the entire post Brian? Not just comments?

[Bill]

Kudos! You certainly hit the nail on the head with your review! I went to the show on Saturday with my girlfriend, and we had no idea this hack was pandering to a militant gay leftist audience until it was to late. Being in the second row made it impossible to leave without fear for our lives. (As it was I could hear the snears from people around us because we did not applaud her pope bashing. It was awfull. She mocked and ridiculed this "Icon" of faith for keeping his beliefs until he died! HE's THE POPE! Duh!
She has become the worst kind of hack there is....an intolerant one! Save your money people and blow this fake off.

[membengal]

Compare what Cho has become with Ellen DeGeneres' career move. Her last stand-up on HBO was deft, self-deprecating, and truly funny. There are ways to convey outrage and makes points and still entertain. It's a fine line, but the smart ones know how to walk it in the comedy world.

[QC]

Say what you like, but I'm totally lusting after her t-shirt right now.

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