Not because she was a female comedian and Asian American, but because her manager had already given me a videotape of one of her performances. It was obvious that she was very funny.

When Margaret Cho finally hit Los Angeles that winter, it seemed as if every producer, casting director and talent agent noticed. She had an act that was fresh, different and personal – mainly because it was all about her life and thoughts. It was almost as if her comedy act had “sitcom” written all over it.

In fact, it actually did become a sitcom in 1995 when ABC premiered All American Girl. I don't know how many people realized it at the time, but Margaret was making history as the first Korean American to star in her own series. Like her live performances, the show focused on the generational and cultural conflicts between Margaret, the strong-willed Valley Girl type, and her traditional Korean family. The sitcom only lasted one season, but it put her in the public eye and launched her into television specials and films.

What made Margaret’s comedy unique from the very beginning were her personal experiences and a willingness to talk about it in an honest and funny way. Now, with sold-out tours and an impressive list of Hollywood credits, one thing remains the same – her life is her source of material.

“I really think the most interesting comedy is when you learn more about the comedian,” she said during a recent interview for Stand-Up Comedy magazine. “Like when you learn more about what they think about things that happened. When they’re able to take things that are painful in their life and make them funny and share them. They share that journey with the audience and relate it successfully. I think that's extraordinary and I just admire that. It’s so great when comedians are just addicted to doing that.”
 

“That’s what it was always about with your act,” I pointed out. “It was always about your life. It made it interesting, original and ‘you.’ The last time I saw you perform, it was very different from All American Girl. I realize you’ve gone through some changes and your act is progressing along with you. It’s proof that comedy is art.’

“Yes it is,” she agreed. “It is art. And it's also kind of a living, breathing art which is always evolving and always changing and I, as the artist, change along with it. It’s really exciting, you know? But I’m glad right now because it seems that my work is really starting to help people and I’m really proud of that. Because I think my experience, just living the way I did for such a long time, is really kinda funny and really identifiable and I really like what I'm doing right now.’

“Comedy with a message?” I asked.

“Yeah”
 

“If you made a comedy CD and we played it backwards,” I said, relying a little too heavily on my 1960s mentality, “would it say something?”

“It would say, ‘Don’t eat meat?’” she laughed loudly.

“You’re a vegetarian now?’ I quizzed.

“I’m completely vegan,” she answered, before clarifying things a bit.

“Well, not completely. The only animal products that I eat are from bees, but that’s it.”

“Are you making a statement by doing this?” I asked.

“I want to live non-violently, but with the bee extract ... I really hate bees, so I don’t care living non-violently about them,” she declared, breaking into a laugh that grew steadily as she shared her thoughts on the subject. “I hope they all die! But I wanna live non-violently! I really, really lived unhealthy and I totally ate a lot of meat and a lot of dairy products and wore leather. Now I’m getting away from all that. I mean it's really a bad way to live, for me. I’m much more productive, now that I don’t destroy the earth every day.”
 

“So you’re working with these changes,” I noted.

“Yeah,” she answered thoughtfully. “I stopped drinking, which is kind of a really big deal for me   because when you’re in comedy it’s really easy to drink and be an alcoholic. Your life is kinda built   around your disease so when I’m not drinking, it really made a big difference.”

“You were never an alcoholic,” I protested.

“Yeah I am!” she said, laughing louder than before. “I’m actually, like, an AMAZING alcoholic! But   the thing is that you can totally, really function as a comic. It’s like the best job to have because you   totally get supported by other people and you can totally do it. It’s just like totally easy. But now I’m   really active, working with other alcoholics and really helping people. It’s very important to me. So a   lot of my act is talking about my experiences drinking and my experiences just living now without   anything like that. And also living non-violently. The show, tike my life, has changed. It’s very   emotional. It’s a lot of growth.”

So, what does the future hold for Margaret Cho?

“I’m writing a show for the Lifetime Network with Karen Kilgariff, who’s another comedian,’ she   answered excitedly. “We just turned in the final draft of the script so we’re really anxious to start   shooting it. It’s really a lot of fun, but basically a soap opera. We play all of the characters. It’s a   comedy, but there are a lot of dramatic moments involved in it as well. So, it’s gonna really be   interesting. I imagine it will be on in the spring.”

“What’s it called?” I asked.

“We don’t know yet! We need to find a title,” she laughed. “Right now it’s on our computer program   as Ladies Night, because we were just, laughing, like, “What if it was called that?!’ But if we don’t   figure out a title, that’s what it’s gonna end up being called.”

“What about your stand-up.2” I asked.

‘I’m working on trying to get it all together,” she answered. “I’m not really sure what it’s going to be   like. It’s going to be more than just stand-up. I think it’s going to be a book, perhaps. Or something,   you know, something a little more lasting. I mean I always love doing stand-up and I’ll always   continue to do it.
 

 ‘Understand that you don’t do comedy as a hobby,” she said seriously. “You do it because you have   to. You do it because there’s nothing else in your life that you’d rather do. It’s a strange compulsion   and it’s an obsession. It’s an addiction. You just have to. And I think it’s an insult for comedy for   someone to come in and say, ‘Oh, I just want to do comedy part time.’ I mean it’s okay to come in   and see if you want to do it, or whatever. If you’re curious about it. But to be a stand-up comic, it   takes everything.”
 

“Are you having a good time?” I asked.

“Yeah !”

“More now than in the past?” I pried.

“Oh, a lot more fun,” she laughed. “Yeah.”•

Dave Schwensen is a writer, stand-up comedian and author of “How To Be A Working Comic.”