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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2001)
may 4 .2 0 0 1 » || Jj| argaret Cho’s concert film I’m the | O ne That I Want played on the clos ing evening of last year’s queer film H H i- festival. 1 know lots of you were there because 1 saw you all crammed into Cinema 21, laughing your asses off. I laughed, too. If you’re queer, it’s pretty easy to be a fan of Cho. I’ve never been a fan, though, of books written by comedians. OK, you’re funny, you’re popular, you do sold-out shows, con cert movies, Letterman, HBO specials; do you have to write a book, too?! It’s always just a lot of anecdotes and quips, exactly what you would hear if you went to the live show. For about the same price. Cho’s new book, also titled I’m the O ne That I Want, avoids that road by being an autobiography. She starts on the first page with her Bay Area birth and ends in her rosy, successful present. It’s been quite an uphill battle, and Cho has a penchant for honesty that is refreshing. Unfortunately, some of that honesty winds up reading like your 12-year-old sister’s diary. Cho tries to be poignant in relating her painful adolescent experiences but often comes off merely melodramatic and whiny. Some of the writing sounds like she copied soap opera scripts. Consider: “My face was shaped like a heart, because through all of the injustices it endured, it still shined with love.” Or: “Poor Marcel. His only crime was loving me.” Puh'leeze. But wait! It isn’t all bad, not by a long shot. This is self-proclaimed trash-talking fag hag Margaret Cho, after all. The book, much And further thoughts from a famous fag hag by In one memorable bit, she discusses racism within the Korean community, discovering that peo ple are so desperate to “perpetuate the idea that race is unimportant.. .that one attacks one’s own kind to prove it. This is incredi bly racist in itself.” She uses similar examples around misogyny, and she isn’t afraid to use her own internal ized sexism as an example. Half way through the book, her agent, Karen, intro duces Cho to a possible new manger. “He seduced m e...em otionally.... He was going to be my manager in shining armor...and I felt rescued." She calls this “a brilliant move” by her agent, explaining, “her words would make a deeper impression on me when spoken by a B are — is KNOW it ! W e know it ! ANONYMOUS HIV TESTING OFFERED FREE walk-in HIV testing Monday nights 6pm to 99 MARGARET C ho will read from and sign I’m the One That I Want 7 p.m . M ai 9 at Borders Books & Music, 708 S.W. Third Ave. LlSA B radshaw is a Portland free-lance writer. realtor * You GET TESTED man.” She then confronts herself. “It is hor rifying to acknowledge the sexism within yourself, because then you see the enemy is not in front of you but behind your own eyes. Can anyone say, “internalized homophobia”? Cho grew up on junk food, cigarettes and marijuana and later became addicted to diet pills in response to the television network insisting she lose weight for her show, All- Am erican Girl. After it was canceled and her vocal chords were found to be suffering major damage from smoke inhalation, she switched to alcohol, nearly drinking herself to death. This is all pretty compelling stuff, and she bravely details the effects of alcohol and drug addiction. And never one to disappoint an audience, Cho doesn’t forget the gays. The book’s two nicest chapters—“On Being a Fag Hag” and “What It’s All About”—are all about us. What raises these pages largely above much of the rest is her complete understanding and love of the subject. “They were my guardian angels, taking care of me and being happy to do so,” she writes. “They make me believe in God, and they make me think that God is gay- When celebrities write books all about themselves, it’s generally self-serving arrogance. It might be for Cho, too, but putting it down you can’t help thinking maybe at least she deserves it. j n 99 L isa B radshaw like its subject’s experi ences, is an exercise in contradictions of quali ty and style. One must have patience. The rewards come with Cho’s keen aware ness of what makes and shapes celebrities—and really all people—on a road to personal and pro fessional success littered with sexism, racism and media bias. As a young Korean American woman who was saddled with the pressure of starring in the first Asian sitcom in the United States, her perspec tive is unique and often deeply insightful. These pas sages, as well as her render ing of San Francisco’s queer and leather communities, save the day. Cho examines bigotry through purposeful, if scant, discussions but also in simply telling her life stories. These stories naturally explore the con troversial theories regarding similarities between racism and sexism but clearly show how they affect you in different ways. 49 / UCP « ue s b l» n C b ° ir eace G fC C A P n a tu re n ser v a u w 0te8on a H a* Daniil at Washington County Health Clinie-Beaverton 12550 SW 2nd (Between Hall and Watson) For more information, please call ( 5 0 3 ) 8 4 6 - 4 7 3 4 •?'> i *'■ W h e n you buy or sell a home with me, you'll know your dollars are helping support a greater cause. I contribute at least 10% of my earnings to community and environmental organizations. Millynn James They Potter’y Hou^e/ M 3830 SE 62nd Ave. • Portland, OR 97206 • (503) 775-5024 www.pottershouseministries.org e-mail: familylifecenter@pottershouseministries.org ABR: Accredited Buyer’s Representative m m km i 503.330.HOME (4663) 1 . 800 . 825.9948 RfrMAX equity group Email: Eai1hNurtunng(§)aol com www.equitygfOup.corrT/rrtdtynn w w w .realtor.com/portland/millynn
