FOF #464 - Emperor Cho's New Clothes - 01.22.07

We all make mistakes. To err is human, to forgive divine. So what do you do when you are disappointed?

Last week Marsian, Marc and I caught the Sissy Butch Brother's variety show extravaganza "Gurlesque Burlesque" at the Vic, which featured "homo-phillic" (because she loves the gays and the gays love her) comedian Margaret Cho unveiling her new burlesque act for Chicago audiences.

We all awaited with baited breath in the audience for something extraordinary. After all this is a woman well known for her brilliant, funny and politically savvy stand up comedy. And she's got resources. The concert film of her one-woman show "I am the One I Want" holds the record for the most money grossed per print in movie history.

Margaret Cho has the resources, the know-how, the contacts and the imagination to put on an burlesque act that could rival Madonna's, Cirque Du Soleil's or even Annie Sprinkle's.

Instead what we got was an run of the mill strip-tease. TEASE being the key word here. Amateur night at a strip club. Nothing unusual or remarkable, and really not that sexy to begin with. Just Margaret Cho "chowing" it all, wearing some clumsy off-the-rack costumes.

So why is Margaret Cho taking her clothes off for audiences?

As a person who's subjected many an audience to my own naked body, I understand why Margaret Cho is going in this unusual direction and trust me, she hasn't gone nuts. Not yet.

Margaret Cho is taking her clothes off because she wants to empower herself and other women. Let me clarify "empower" here. She wants people to get over thinking of women as objects by objectifying herself.

Girls just want to have fun. And when you have a taste for comedy and touching on society's taboos, it's a lot of fun to show off your body for an audience.

Yea, we get it: women's bodies are beautiful. As a mainstream comedian, Cho wants to bring the burlesque into the mainstream, and she wants to join in all the fun.

So good for you Margaret, but next time, hire a choreographer. Spend as much time as you do on planning your stand-up as you do on planning your burlesque act.

Fortunately, the rest of the show was amazing! This sold-out event featured some of the best and brightest in the world of burlesque entertainment and had some serious talent onstage- Alotta Boutté, Tina Angst and Julie Atlas Muz were among some of the phenomenal acts that simply stole the show and took our collective breath away with their inventiveness, charisma and power of their fabulous performances.

Margaret Cho would be wise to take notice of the people in her own community of burlesque and step up to the plate if she wants to add dancing naked onstage to her range of repertoire.

Listen to this show as Sal-E, Marc Felion, and I, Fausto Fernós talk about this and Paula Abdul's drunkness, the best cable company in Chicago, Oprah's "va-jay-jay" and why celebrities make such odd demands when doing gigs.

Click here to see Margaret Cho "naked." [not safe for work]

Photo courtesy of The Polstar.

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Posted by Fausto | 12:13 AM | Podcasts | Email to a friend