Comedy Saved Me-Margaret Cho on the Takin A Walk Podcast

Summary

Takin' a Walk: Comedy Saved Me — Margaret Cho

Podcast: takin' a walk
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Margaret Cho
Release Date: October 20, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and lively episode, Buzz Knight welcomes comedian, musician, and activist Margaret Cho. The conversation explores Margaret's new music for the first time in almost a decade, her unique creative process, the intersection of music and comedy, advice for young artists, advocacy, and her reflections on a lifelong creative career. The tone shifts effortlessly from playful, to deeply insightful, highlighting Margaret's wit, candor, and wisdom.

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Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Walking with Icons (04:08–05:06)

• Buzz asks who Margaret would take a walk with, living or dead.
• Margaret: “I would like to take a walk with Nancy Kwan… She’s a true pioneer in Asian American cinema and art and entertainment. And she’s everything: singer, dancer, actress, model, icon.” (04:21)
• Margaret admires Nancy Kwan's “great legs” and pioneering presence.

2. Margaret Cho’s Musical Return: "Lucky Gift" (05:09–07:24)

• Buzz: Celebrates Margaret’s new album after eight years.
• Margaret discusses the decade-long process, writing much of it with Roger Rocha (4 Non Blondes) during the B Robin project for homelessness outreach, honoring Robin Williams.
• “We were stealing electricity and playing in these encampments… giving out food… a creative journey for me and Roger to write a number of these songs, including 'Funnyman,' which is all about Robin Williams.” (05:30)
• Garrison Starr co-produced the album.

3. Writing: Comedy vs. Music (07:24–09:55)

• Stand-up creation is immediate and audience-driven.
  • “You have to be confident in your idea in order to make an audience believe it…fake it till you make it.” (14:09)
• Songwriting is more solitary; ideas incubate longer before being performed or recorded.
• Audience interpretation of music can transcend the songwriter's original purpose.

4. The Mandatar and Misfit Instruments (09:55–12:04)

• Margaret describes her unique double-necked instrument: the mandatar from a Nashville luthier.
  • “One neck is a mandolin and one neck is a guitar… the way that I wrote ‘Lucky Gift’… I used both at the same time… It was pretty incredible.” (10:08)
• She collects and writes on strange, luthier-made instruments – “the land of misfit toys.”

5. Musical & Comedic Influences (12:04–14:48)

• Most admired musicians: Bobbie Gentry (“truly one of one”), Dolly Parton, Chapel Rowan, Jill Sobule.
• Embraces unapologetic, forceful artists.
• “You just don’t even know if it’s right. You just do it.” (14:09)

6. Songwriting as Magic (15:03–17:01)

• Songs arrive magically, sometimes in dreams, uncertain where inspiration comes from.
• Stresses the need to capture ideas quickly or risk losing them.
• “When you get like sort of a thread of something, you gotta go and get the whole cloth.” (15:53)
• Daily creative practices: writes a joke every morning, aspires to do the same with songwriting.

7. Improvisation in Comedy & Music (22:13–23:49)

• Margaret values improvisation in music, likening bluegrass to “calculus” and expressing admiration for its complexity.
• She notes the mutual awe between musicians and comedians for each other's crafts.

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Healing Power of Laughter & Music (24:18–25:37)

• Margaret eloquently connects laughter and music as essential, healing forces:
  • “Laughter is the unexpected breath that you take…that ensures the next moment of life...it makes you breathe deeper and harder…It actually is medicine.” (24:18)
• Explains that sound can heal, noting that cats’ purring is healing and likens it to the restorative frequencies of music.

8. Animals, Touring, and Creative Life (25:37–27:35)

• Margaret says her pets love music; her dog Lucia enjoys being around musicians.
• Describes life on the road, separating her “road clothes” from her “home clothes.”
• Pandemic forced a reevaluation; discovered a love for being home after 35 years on tour.

9. Advocacy and Activism (31:46–34:26)

• Margaret’s activism influenced by Robin Williams; focused now on LGBTQ+, gender rights, and fighting against policies threatening marginalized groups.
  • “I want to be able to protect the trans community…It’s a crisis now…very treacherous time.” (32:04)

10. Navigating Humorlessness in Society (33:14–34:26)

• Observes defensiveness and a loss of humor around gender and family debates.
  • “What’s harming children is not drag queens…drag queens are like clowns… It’s very humorless.” (33:22)

11. Advice to Creatives (34:26–35:27)

• Same advice for musicians and comedians:
  • “Your voice is the most precious thing and you should put your opinion of your art above others.” (34:44)
  • Cautions that commerce will always try to change you.

12. Pivotal Moments & Ongoing Aspirations (35:38–37:48)

• Recalls being encouraged by a theater teacher who affirmed she could do “everything.”
• Future goals: Focus on basics of musicianship, improve as singer/songwriter, “treat [her] body with more respect… I’m actually the instrument.”
  • “I need to go back to the basics…with music… I need to drink more water, do my scales.” (36:21)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the power of laughter:
  “Laughter is like this hit of oxygen that we all need all the time, but it disrupts your normal breathing pattern and it makes you breathe deeper and harder...It actually is medicine.” — Margaret Cho (24:18)

• On creative magic:
  “It’s like a magical stream…you dip in and it's right there. But if you don't dip in, it's going to go by you.” — Margaret Cho (15:03)

• On advocacy:
  “I want to be able to protect the trans community…gender fluid, nonbinary people…it’s a very treacherous time.” — Margaret Cho (32:04)

• On staying authentic:
  “Your voice should be the loudest, should be the strongest, should be the most important.” — Margaret Cho (34:44)

• On artistic influences:
  “Bobbie Gentry…just such a force. What an amazing songwriter…where is Bobbie Gentry? We’re not sure.” — Margaret Cho (12:15)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Dream collaborators & Nancy Kwan: 04:08–05:06
• New album ‘Lucky Gift’ & Robin Williams: 05:09–07:24
• Creative processes (comedy vs music): 07:24–09:55
• Mandatar & instrument oddities: 09:55–12:04
• Musical influences: 12:04–14:48
• On songwriting magic: 15:03–17:01
• Improvisation: 22:13–23:49
• Healing power of laughter/music: 24:18–25:37
• Pandemic & home life: 29:16–31:46
• Advocacy & activism: 31:46–34:26
• Advice to creatives: 34:26–35:27

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Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is as vibrant, honest, and multidimensional as Margaret Cho herself. Buzz Knight’s thoughtful questions invite Margaret to reflect, joke, and share with intimacy and wit. The conversation offers inspiration for artists, activists, and anyone seeking the courage to use their voice — underscoring the radical, life-affirming power of laughter, music, and authenticity.

Transcript

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Comedy Saved Me well, laughter is the unexpected breath that you take that you didn't know you were going to take that ensures the next moment of life. Laughter is like this hit of oxygen that we all need all the time, but it disrupts your normal breathing pattern and it makes you breathe deeper and harder. And if you're laughing a lot, it's a really life affirming gesture. That's why people always say it's like laughter is the best medicine. It's true. It actually is medicine.

[Podcast Host]

Hey there. I'm Lynne Hoffman and welcome to Comedy Saved Me, the podcast where we shine a bright light on the incredible power of laughter. Now, from time to time, we like to turn you on to other great podcasts that'll keep you smiling. And today I got a good one for you. It's from our companion podcast, Takin A Walk, hosted by the one and only Buzz Knight. And in this episode, Buzz chats with the hilarious musician, comedian, total icon Margaret Cho. Her stories are wonderful. They'll make you laugh, they'll lift your spirits. Buzz is such a great host, you're gonna enjoy every second of it. So go check it out right now. Grab it on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your po. Keep smiling and we'll see you next time right here on Comedy Saved Me.

[Ryan Reynolds / Ed Helms]

Taking a Walk.

[Buzz Knight]

Margaret Cho, welcome to Taking a Walk.

[Margaret Cho]

Thank you.

[Buzz Knight]

So since the podcast is called Taking a Walk, I wanted to ask you to start if you could take a walk with someone living or dead, who would it be and where would you take a walk with them?

[Margaret Cho]

I would like to take a walk with Nancy Kwan. She's living still. She's quite old. I believe she's probably close to 90, if not 90. I love her. I'd love to take a walk around my neighborhood if she would like to, or her neighborhood if she would like to just hang out.

[Buzz Knight]

Just casual conversation. Right?

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, I think she's got a lot to say. She's got great legs. She is a true pioneer in Asian American cinema and art and entertainment. And she's everything. She's a singer, dancer, actress, model, icon.

[Buzz Knight]

Multifaceted, just like you.

[Margaret Cho]

Yes. So I'd love to take a walk with her.

[Buzz Knight]

That's awesome. Congrats on your new music lucky gift. It's been a long time since we heard from you with music about is it eight years?

[Margaret Cho]

Almost. Yes. Yes. So I'm really glad to put it out.

[Buzz Knight]

Tell me how this came together and who some of the collaborators are with you on this project.

[Margaret Cho]

Well, this album I've been working on, actually for the last 10 years, 11 years. Some of the songs were written with Roger Rocha from 4 Non Blondes. He is a wonderful songwriter and a musical genius, and he and I wrote about half of the songs of the record when I was working with him on my B Robin project, which was outreach for those experiencing homelessness in San Francisco in 2014. So a lot of the songs were written out on the street with a band. We were stealing electricity and playing in these encampments and also giving out food and much needed supplies and sort of a tribute to Robin Williams. He was a big advocate for the homeless with Comic Relief, which I got to do for many years. And so it was a nice way to honor his passing, but also a creative journey for me and Roger to write a number of these songs, including Funnyman, which is all about Robin Williams. And so it was singing out on the street, blowing up my voice, stealing electricity. But we also had violin players and we had horns, we had saxophone players. We had like huge bands because everybody wanted to play with these people. And so it was a great way to write. But so half of the songs come from that. The other half come from me just writing over time and fitting, writing songs in when I was doing other things like, you know, making movies and TV shows and doing stand up comedy. So. And then I collaborated with Garrison Starr, who's somebody I have been working with on all of my records. She's an amazing singer, songwriter, and an incredible producer. And so she produced the other half of the tracks on the record.

[Buzz Knight]

So tell me how your creative process differs, if at all, between your stand up creation and your music creation.

[Margaret Cho]

I think it's. Well, it's usually when I'm approaching stand up comedy, like, I'll try to think of, oh, I have to write a joke about that, and I'll, like, work on something and then I'll present it later that day at a standup comedy show. So it's very immediate with music, I think, oh, I should write a song about that. Or. Or I will be fiddling around on an instrument and I'll say, oh, that actually works. And maybe I can create this into something and it'll usually come that way. And then I don't present it for a long time. Like, nobody really hears it or sees it until I'm ready to record it. Or so it's almost something that, like, is Isolated for a while. I mean, in general, my writing process is like that. With Roger, with the B Robin project, it was a little bit different because we were like writing songs and then like taking them out on the street. So it was fast. But this one was like some of the other songs. It was a little bit of a slower process where people didn't see them for a little while. So. But yeah, it's very different because it's. I think stand up comedy is so much of a dialogue with your audience because they have to laugh to fill in the other part of the joke or to complete the joke. Where songs, they can exist on their.

[Buzz Knight]

Own, is it fair to say? Both sides of the equation, Stand up comedy and creating music are not only a way to, you know, express love for things and the beauty around, but also a way to kind of get some of the pain out as well.

[Margaret Cho]

Yes, absolutely. And to say things that are unsayable or to be a solution to a problem, you know, or to communicate things that you really can't communicate any other way. Also to give people a vessel in the way that they can communicate something that they can like, build a relationship with. Because oftentimes music is the way that what it's written for isn't what it's listened for. You know, people have all sorts of attachments to songs that are outside of the hands of the songwriter, which I love too, because then people can interpret and put on the meaning that they want to put on the song.

[Buzz Knight]

You play this instrument I've never heard of before. It's the mandolin, sort of double neck guitar, otherwise known as the mandatar. Did you create the mandatar?

[Margaret Cho]

No. The mandatar comes from Bruin, which is a legendary guitar store in Nashville. And it was a luthier who passed away and his widow sold all the guitars that he made to the store. So this is one of the ones. And I've never seen anything like it. It's a. One neck is a mandolin and one neck is a guitar. And the way that I wrote Lucky Gif, which is the title track of the record, is I used both at the same time as opposed to playing them separately. I played them together like one long strum. And it actually worked the way that it was tuned worked and it worked in the body of the song. And it was pretty incredible. So I was so excited. So most of the songs, the kind of acoustic side, the more sort of country ish flavored songs are those songs that I wrote with Garrison are from the Mandatar.

[Buzz Knight]

And how long did it take you to learn the Mandatar?

[Margaret Cho]

Well, I already play guitar, so anything. Anything that has a fight, a guitar feel, I can work my way around. I am a multi instrumentalist, but I'm not good. So I'm like, I can play everything, but not well. But I can play everything enough where I can write and show somebody else who can play well, and then I can sing. I will get to the point one day where I can play and sing at the same time. Well, I can't do either well if I'm doing it at the same time. So I like to just focus on the singing, but my writing is working it out on these idiosyncratic instruments. I love idiosyncratic, odd instruments, things that are just made by luthiers or whoever. So I have a number of, like, kind of weird misfit toys of instruments that I like to write.

[Buzz Knight]

The Land of Misfit Toys. I love it.

[Margaret Cho]

Yes.

[Buzz Knight]

Who are some of the players that you particularly admire? And then who are some of the particular songwriters that you most admire?

[Margaret Cho]

Well, I think of all time would be Bobbie Gentry. You know, that she was just such a force. What an amazing songwriter, what an amazing singer, what a. And also what a great beauty. You know, she's somebody who I would love to take a walk with as well. Still alive out there, but just decided to walk away from entertainment and is sort of, you know, out there. Where is Bobby Gentry? We're not sure. Another great songwriter asked that question in her song Jill Sobule, one of my favorites. Also asked, where is Bobbie Gentry? We all want to know. She was truly one of one. One of my absolute favorites. And of course, Dolly Parton in the same vein. You know, what a beauty, what a singer, what a songwriter, what an icon. You know, so many modern people. I would say Chapel Rowan, I absolutely adore her. I love the way that her songs have such drama that there are. You start one place and then you end someplace totally different. And I'm really in awe of that, where somebody can take chords and song structure and bring it to life and in a way that is so bombastic and exciting and new but old. I love her.

[Buzz Knight]

And there's a theme there as far as your taste. You like those that just like you are, you know, don't apologize for anything you've done and you're saying and creating. You just have that force behind everything that you do. Who instilled that in you, that unapologetic attitude.

[Margaret Cho]

No, I mean, maybe it was something that I'm just, you Sort of fake it till you make it. Like you just don't. You don't even know if it's right. You just do it. Like you. I think you just put it out there and that's kind of the way stand up comedy is. You kind of have to put it out there to even know if it's going to work. And you have to be confident in your idea in order to make an audience believe it. So you sort of have to be a salesman for yourself as well. And I think I learned that through comedy. But, you know, it was never something that I was entirely confident about. You just have to fake it till you make it. That's it.

[Buzz Knight]

A little trial and error too.

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, Always. Always. Yes.

[Buzz Knight]

And as a musician, what do you feel like you've most learned over the last year of your work?

[Margaret Cho]

I think that it's. Songs are really magic. Like they come out of thin air and that you don't really know. Like, and they'll be presented with all sorts of entry points. You know, sometimes in the part of a dream, I'll dream something and then it'll come into being in like part of a song, you know, and then, you know, will figure things out. Like, it's just there, it's so interesting and how it's like a magical stream and then you kind of dip in and it's right there. But if you don't dip in, it's going to go by you. So I think of what I've learned is you've got it. When you get like sort of a thread of something, you've got to go and get the whole cloth is you. You can build the whole cloth from that, but it's about going to get it.

[Buzz Knight]

And it seems like it's an ongoing process of strengthening the muscles, if you will.

[Margaret Cho]

Yes, yes. Which I have very much in joke writing. So every day the first thing I do before I get out of bed is I write a joke. And it doesn't have to be funny and it doesn't have to be a whole joke, but I have to. That's the first thing that I do as a comedian is I make sure I have at least one formed idea that's going to be a joke later or that is already full, full, fully formed joke, or that came out of a dream, whatever. It's the first thing I do every day. I don't have that with songwriting and I really should because that's the way to grow as a songwriter. I used to be in a group of songwriters where we would send each other songs daily that you would actually have to write a snippet of a song every day. And that was really helpful. But I don't have that right now and I think, yeah, so in the next year. I don't really do resolutions, but that's probably something I would like to do as a songwriter is to again, reinforce the practice of one thing a day in the morning.

[Buzz Knight]

I gather you don't sit idle.

[Margaret Cho]

No, but I also love to lay around.

[Buzz Knight]

But I'm thinking if you're laying around still, you're noodling, you're, you know, you're thinking of it the next, you know, joke or maybe a song that just ran through your head that, you know, made an impact on you or something. So I think I, I have a feeling you're always. There's always something going on up there, Margaret.

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, I think so. I'll try to fight off dementia. You know, I'm trying to make sure that like it still works. All those things still work. And yeah, yeah, to me it's creating is, is fun. It's a way to keep your mind alive and it's just enjoyable to me. So I really love it. I love to buy instruments as well. So, you know, for me it's fun to play around with the different ways that sound is made. All different kinds of things. I've gotten really into synthesizers lately, so that's sort of a newer passion. But yeah, I love it.

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You know what?

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I can see you as Mr. Darcy.

[Podcast Host]

You got a little Colin Firth.

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Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.

[Buzz Knight]

I just encountered this. This woman named Sierra Hull. Are you familiar with her? She's a mandolin player extraordinaire and, you know, comes really mostly out of bluegrass, which is made up of so much improvisation. I'm thinking once again, as a comedian who's been so masterful at improvisation, you're probably pretty good on the fly musically improvising as well.

[Margaret Cho]

So, I mean, I think that it goes to. You sort of like, know what's going to happen. Like with music, you kind of have an idea and then if you can follow the sort of chord progression and bring it back a measure, bring it back a measure, then you could probably figure it out. I don't know if I could compete with the great jazz improvisers or even the best of the bluegrass. Bluegrass is just phenomenal to me. It's like calculus. It's like, how do they even do that? It's a musicianship, but it's also soul and it's phenomenal. But yeah, I think I can improv a little bit.

[Buzz Knight]

Well, I mean, I bet a musician would say watching your art on stage as a comedian, that they're just wowed by, you know, the ease, how you make it look so easy, which is not easy, I'm quite sure.

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, it's interesting how comedians have such a. We're always in awe of musicians and musicians are always in awe comedians. And we always want to switch places, which I get to do every once in a while.

[Buzz Knight]

And as I think about music and as I think about comedy, I believe both have true healing powers. We actually produced this music podcast called Music Saved Me, which is about sort of the healing power of music. But can you equate in your mind how music has healing powers and comedy and laughter has healing powers as well? Because I certainly think it does.

[Margaret Cho]

It does. Well, laughter is the unexpected breath that you take that you didn't know you were going to take that ensures the next moment of life. So laughter is like this hit of oxygen that we all need all the time, but it disrupts your normal breathing pattern and it makes you breathe deeper and harder. And if you're laughing a lot, it's a really life affirming gesture. That's why, you know, people all you know, always seems like laughter is the best medicine. It's true. It actually is medicine. And sound, I think, well, like cats. I'm surrounded by cats right now. They're all purring. And a cat's purr heals bones like this. The sound frequency heals that. He helps a cat heal, he'll help you heal. So it, you know, it makes absolute sense that music will do the same thing. It's the same frequencies using to sort of mend your bones and your body and your mind. And I mean, I always love having music around. It just makes me feel better. It makes me feel great actually. Like it's just a wonderful thing to have all different kinds of music and all different ways to listen. And so I, I agree. It's a very healing, they're both very healing modalities in different ways.

[Buzz Knight]

So the cats love your music. Question is, how about Lucia, your lovely dog? Does Lucia love your music?

[Margaret Cho]

She loves it. She loves singing. One of my cats really loves singing. She always, if they're singing, she'll always come in and she wants to be a part of it. She wants the singing to happen like right in her, like around her body because I think she likes the vibration. Lucia just loves to be in the studio. She loves just to be around musicians and she loves people and she's always really like happy around any kind of musician. She loves it.

[Buzz Knight]

Oh, that's so cool. So you got a tour. Well, you're always on tour in some way. So you have a tour that will be rolling out through a bunch of cities I know you're doing. You got a Boston date and Connecticut Dade and all through, you know, the east coast certainly. Will people get a taste on this tour of both music and stand up?

[Margaret Cho]

Well, it's hard to mix it. It's hard to. I'm like, I'm trying to. This is a stand up comedy show that I'm touring with maybe, you know, I haven't really thought about that yet. Like, I wonder, like, is it possible to tour both? Maybe. I know that there are a couple of like music shows coming up in around the release of the record. I'm doing a musical, like a show at Largo, which I do a lot of comedy at, in, at Los Angeles and it's a very famous music club. So I, I redoing that as a music show. And then I'm doing a music show at the Grammy Museum on April 1st. So those are specifically music shows. And then, you know, I wonder, like, maybe, maybe it will happen. Maybe there will Be a crossover.

[Buzz Knight]

Just a touch. Right? Just, I mean, you know, easy for me to say. I'm not the one executing it, so.

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, well, I think it should happen. I mean, I think that there should be a little bit of crossover for both.

[Buzz Knight]

I love that. Tell me about the beginnings of your. Your comedy career. You started out obviously at a young age. I think 16, as. As a stand up.

[Margaret Cho]

Yes. Well, my earliest shows were. I was 14, but I started like to be like professional, like at 16, 17, 18. I was making a living by the age of 18, so. Which is pretty good. You know, it's still in the 1980s and, you know, like, I was doing okay, which is like, amazing. And I was like doing television and stuff. You know, I was on shows like Evening at the improv and at MTV's half hour comedy Hour and all sorts of. I was on a show with Bob Hope. He had the Bob Hope's Comedy special that he would do every year was the Young Comedian special that he would host. And so I was doing comedy very young, and I just knew that was my life. Like, I just knew that's what I wanted to do, and it just was my biggest passion since I was about 8 years old. So I knew that I would do it and I'm grateful that I still get to do it. I just turned 56 and I. I really love it. You know, it's a. It's a life that I. I'm so grateful to have lived. And I still have a lot to do. You know, I still, I do a show every day, pretty much of some kind. I'll do one later today. And you know, for me, it's just. It's a lifelong passion and as.

[Buzz Knight]

As it has taken its shape over the years. How have you made living on the road as, you know, easy as possible?

[Margaret Cho]

Well, I have like a set way that I do like my, the way that I pack. I have a life in my suitcase that never actually comes out of my suitcase. So, like, my road clothes never touch my home clothes. I've like my whole life. It's very specific. But I. I travel less nowadays, oddly, I've been traveling less since the pandemic because I've just found I want to stay home more. And also I'm pursuing more acting and that is a little bit of different vibe as well, so. Which requires travel, but it's a little different, so. But yeah, I been on the road for so long that it's weird to take time off. The pandemic was the first time that I actually Stopped traveling for about 35 years and it was just such a revelation to finally just be home. I really love being at home in.

[Buzz Knight]

Talking to so many musicians over the last year, in particular about their, you know, going out on the road and how the pandemic obviously changed everything and really, you know, stifled all that. It feels like for so many of them, it was like cutting off their, their right arm, not being, you know, able to connect with their, their fans and, and play in front of people. I'm sure you could identify with that, that vibe.

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, I was like, who. Who are we without that? Who are we without traveling and touring and playing out? Like, you know, living out of a suitcase every night? You know, like I was. I had like a crisis, like, try like a, a real crisis of conscience, like, who are we even without this part of ourselves? And then I realized that I'm actually a homebody, that I actually really love being at home, and I'd never even known that, which is so weird because I had never been home for more than a few days for 35 years. And so now when I approach touring, it's very different. I mean, I still tour a lot, but it's a very different kind of a way of going about it. Like, I don't go out for months at a time. It's just like much more controlled, which I feel more comfortable doing.

[Buzz Knight]

You've been, you talked earlier about your advocacy that was influenced certainly by your friend Robin Williams. But in general, advocacy has been important to you. Can you talk in some other detail about some important causes?

[Margaret Cho]

Well, working in different things. I worked a lot on the Kamala Harris campaign and I really wanted her to be president and I really thought she was going to be president. Now, that is, of course, different. There's a lot to do still. You know, there's a lot to work around, especially protecting rights for gay people, for trans people, trans people in particular. That's a huge issue for me. Like, I want to be able to protect the trans community, that gender non conforming, gender fluid, non binary people. Like, it's such a crisis now that we're dealing with. So it's very, I mean, you know, it's a very treacherous time kind of trying to figure out how do we combat these ideas of Project 2025, where, you know, we're trying to protect women's rights, trying to protect trans rights. I'm very adamant about doing that. So that's where I think a lot of advocacy is going to be placed in the, in the near future, at least. In the next four years.

[Buzz Knight]

Do you feel over the last few years that there's a certain amount of the population that completely lost their sense of humor?

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, well, people get so defensive about these ideas of what they want to protect and these ideas of protecting gender or protecting, like, the sanctity of gender, which I think is such a ridiculous thing. And to me, that's very humorous. It's like a really ridiculous thing. I'm trying to protect or trying to protect these ideas of, like, families or children trying to protect children, which is like, I get that that's kind of a noble notion, but what's harming children is not drag queens. You know, drag queens are. There's nothing. They have nothing to do with children, really. It's not even a thing. You know, maybe there's like, drag queen story era, but that's just very innocent, beautiful, and fun. It's like clowns. It's like when you really look at them as clowns, it doesn't have that sort of negating effect, but somehow drag, there's a weird, sinister element that people want to put on it that doesn't make sense to me. But, yeah, it's very humorless.

[Buzz Knight]

So when you think of comedians coming up the ranks and you think of musicians coming up the ranks, is it the same set of advice that you would give to both if they were looking to be steered and mentored the right way?

[Margaret Cho]

Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think it's like the same as just to, like, really understand that your voice is the most precious thing and that you should put your opinion of your art above others, above all else, really. And you haven't figured out what you're doing. You figure it out, you know, but it's. It's pretty much the same. Because I think what happens is when art meets commerce, commerce is always going to try to change you to. To make you fit into what they're buying. But in truth, you know, you're. You're in charge. So I would always give, like, younger artists that advice is like, your voice is that the. Should be the loudest, should be the strongest, should be the most important.

[Buzz Knight]

Is there a particular moment in your career that stands that one moment that stands out that you feel was pivotal towards where you are now?

[Margaret Cho]

I think. I think it was when I was a really young kid and I was doing comedy, and I had a theater teacher who would always impress upon me, like, you can do anything. You're good at everything, so do everything. And that really stuck with me. So it gave me this permission to pursue all different facets of entertainment and to really feel like it was okay for me to do that, because she kind of gave me that vote of confidence.

[Buzz Knight]

So what else do you want to pursue creatively that you haven't pursued? You've got so many things on your plate, but there must be other things that you have a creative itch for.

[Margaret Cho]

Well, I mean, I still want to be a better musician. Like, I want to be a better songwriter. I want to be a better singer. Like, I want to actually, like, work on what I have. Like, what I have is good. Like, I'm doing good. But I know that if I actually did the vocal warm ups, which I've been told to do by so many teachers, if I actually did all of the scales, if I did my scales, I'd be so good. Like, I want to do the basics. Like, I really need to go back to the basics because I been in, like, comedy for so long and I kind of take so much for granted as a comedian that I feel like I never have to go back to, like, basics there. But with music, I really want to. So, yeah, I do want to get better at the musicianship. I need to drink more water. Like, singers. It's. It's so weird because, like, you're the instrument, so it's. It's hard to. For me to actually think about treating my body with more respect in that regard. Like, I'm actually the instrument. I actually need to be put in a case. Like, I need to actually be, you know, like, dusted off and restrung. So I think I need to do that.

[Buzz Knight]

Restrung, zipped up, but put in a. As long as you could breathe.

[Margaret Cho]

Yes, absolutely. Like, I just need to put a new bridge in every now and again. I really do, like, need to work with, like, the idea that I'm the instrument, which I never regarded, so I have to do that more.

[Buzz Knight]

Margaret Cho, it's so great to talk to you on Taking a Walk. Thank you for this. Congratulations on the music. I'm so excited for you and thanks for all you give us for your advocacy and for putting a smile on our face and making us think and making us dance around with the music. This is awesome.

[Margaret Cho]

Thank you.

[Ryan Reynolds / Ed Helms]

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a Walk podcast.

[Buzz Knight]

Share this and other episodes with your friends and follow us so you never miss an episode.

[Ryan Reynolds / Ed Helms]

Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

[Margaret Cho]

What kind of man would let this.

[Podcast Host]

Happen to his family?

[Ryan Reynolds / Ed Helms]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Buzz Knight]

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[Ryan Reynolds / Ed Helms]

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[Buzz Knight]

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[Margaret Cho]

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[Ryan Reynolds / Ed Helms]

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[Buzz Knight]

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