Margaret Cho » Video

Asian Adjacent and The Business of Cho by Grant-Lee Phillips

margaret cho — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:25:31 +0000

Few people have the supernatural powers of persuasion of Margaret Cho. After collaborating on music for Cho Dependent, she got me to strum the very exotic and scatological “Shit-Tar” in her music video Eat Shit & Die while three dancing turds did high kicks about the stage. This summer I found myself in a small cage dressed in leather, on a sushi table wearing an octopus and finally with Margaret, reenacting scenes from Miss Saigon on a dolly. That’s just one day in the life with Margaret.

As a professional, I had certain concerns before I went in. I asked if my hair would be ironed. Margaret assured me that it would and we were good to go! I never had it done before but this was going to be a big video production with dancers and smoke and catering. They’d definitely have a flat iron on set. This obsession began months earlier when Margaret casually mentioned wanting to make a video for Asian Adjacent and that I could be the Ryuichi Sakamoto character, like in Madonna’s Rain video. That guy’s got amazing hair. Damn him! This was going to require some incredible acting on my part to summon that kind of whale bone straightness. A wig was never an option for a Method guy like me.

The other thing you realize when you make a music video is how you really feel about a song. You’re going to lip-sync to it a few thousand times before you’re allowed to take off whatever harness you’re hanging from and they give you food. It helps to love the song. I LOVE Asian Adjacent. The fact that it was inspired by Margaret’s mistaken assumption that I was of some Asian ethnicity ( I’m actually Creek ) makes it all the more genius and flattering. It’s a seductive recording that could hold it’s own on any dance floor. Margaret delivered an incredible vocal to begin with. It’s was a dream to write with her and a delight to produce the track. Carmen Rizzo also brought it up to a whole other level, with his beats and exotic textures. Enter Tani Ikeda who directed the video. Tani found in Asian Adjacent equal portions of beauty, absurdity and bite. She even cut out my fat parts! If you’re going to spend a day in cage you couldn’t find funnier, harder working people to share it with.

Adjacently yours,
Grant-Lee Phillips

Margaret Cho – Asian Adjacent – featuring Grant Lee Phillips from Margaret Cho on Vimeo.

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“Asian Adjacent” is from Margaret’s Grammy-nominated comedy music album, “Cho Dependent.”
Get the song on iTunes here.
Get it on CD or Vinyl with automatic download of the whole album, from Margaret!

Asian Adjacent music video!

margaret cho — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:10:31 +0000

This gem of a video was directed by Tani Ikeda and stars me and Grant Lee Phillips and some amazing dancers! We shot this in downtown LA in July on a single soundstage – really like an old school MTV music video and it was very exciting to be styled in all these incredible looks and costumes. I really love when Grant is in the cage – very goth and ominous! During the sushi scene I ended up eating a piece of tuna that had been on my leg for several hours, and it had warmed up to my body temperature. There was no soy sauce on it or anything, and it seemed to have my body odor as well as some lotion and glitter on it, and I ended up eating it and then I couldn’t think about anything else for the entire day except that I ate it. I didn’t actually get sick from it, but it was a pretty intense fish experience. I haven’t had sushi since. But I love this video and this song. Much thanks to the incredibly talented Tani and Grant and everyone in this video!

Margaret Cho – Asian Adjacent – featuring Grant Lee Phillips from Margaret Cho on Vimeo.

Cho Dependent 3 Day Sale – Pay What You Want!

margaret cho — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:40:55 +0000

Margaret is having a 3-day sale of her Grammy-nominated album, “Cho Dependent” and you can name your own price!

The “Sexting Bundle” includes the entire Grammy nominated album, plus 2 bonus tracks (”No Offense” and “Mazel Tov” – both featuring Garrison Starr). If you like what you hear, tell your friends: if 500 people participate in the next 3 days, everyone will also receive a copy of the new unreleased song “Sexting – featuring Margaret Cho” from the fabulous Sherry Vine!

Pay what you want for the whole package. 20% of the proceeds go to support ImMEDIAte Justice, and the top donor wins a role in “Asian Adjacent,” Margaret’s next music video!

GET IT HERE.

Los Angeles Pride with CHO HOs

margaret cho — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:44:59 +0000

I had an incredible time at Los Angeles Gay Pride on Sunday! I got to meet the other amazing honorees – including Johnny Weir and Andy Cohen, both gorgeous and fun! Andy lost his phone (that is the worst). Hopefully he found it. I rode in the car with Scott Silverman and John Roberts in his mom wig. We kiki’d the whole way (drag queen terminology for gossiping behind your hands) and laughed our heads off. There were lots of highlights like getting to talk to Fortune Feimster who I absolutely want to adopt! She is so adorable. I was humbled when Mayor John Duran declared June 12th “Margaret Cho Day” in West Hollywood – seriously, what an honor! Also, I got to see many old friends, which for me is what Pride is mostly about – reconnecting with everyone after being away. And the best part was watching the CHO HOs in action! These great people marched with me and even had a dance! I love the CHO HOs! I am eternally grateful! Happy Pride Season!

ps. by popular demand, we have now made the CHO HO tanks available for a limited time in my shop!

Thank you to Mike for organizing the impromptu CHO HO dance:

Cho Ho Dance – LA Pride 2011 from Margaret Cho on Vimeo.

Chohos!

with John Roberts in parade:

On stage with West Hollywood Mayor John Duran:

with Johnny Weir:

with Fortune Feimster!

Drop Dead Diva Season 3 Premiere!

margaret cho — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 20:46:09 +0000

If you’re in the states, you can catch Margaret returning in the 3rd Season of Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime starting on Sunday, June 19th at 9/8c.

Check out this clip to see some of the amazing guest stars this season!

Everything Sunny All The Time Always

margaret cho — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:39:54 +0000

I was on “30 Rock” last night! You can watch the episode online, below.

I had such a fun time on set and I loved the way it came out! It’s such an amazing show and as always it’s super surreal to be on something that you’re already a fan of! Also playing Kim Jong-Il is a longtime dream. He’s my Evita.

Some pics from the set:

Captain Cameltoe – featuring Ani DiFranco!

margaret cho — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:37:05 +0000

I love Ani DiFranco and it was such a dream to collaborate on this song with her. We wanted to write a light and happy love song, and I really think Captain Cameltoe is just that. She played everything, and sang backup, encouraging the captain onward. I sang/spoke the lead, and we did it all in her home studio last spring, surrounded by vintage instruments and modern recording equipment. Afterwards we ate alligator cheesecake and played the song loud – its bumping beat is so addictive and powerful. Now when I hear the song, it makes me feel like I am flying.

This video is the perfect way to capture what the song is – thanks Robert!! I love being this superhero! It’s awesome. And I need a tattoo of the logo. Hooray Captain Cameltoe!

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[Team Cho]: Cho Dependent is Grammy nominated! Order the CD or Vinyl from Margaret here, and receive an instant download of the album!

What to Wear to the Grammy’s for Cho Dependent

margaret cho — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:41:45 +0000

Margaret Cho – What to Wear to the Grammy’s for Cho Dependent! from Margaret Cho on Vimeo.

Intervention Video is Here!

margaret cho — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:23:32 +0000

I love this video and this song with Tegan and Sara. We shot it in Houston on a brief moment where all of us were free. Louis Van Amstel makes a fun little cameo too as we were right in the midst of “Dancing with the Stars” madness. Liam Sullivan directed this gem of a film and I absolutely love it. It makes me cry. Enjoy!!
– Margaret

Photos by Lindsey Byrnes

Margaret Cho – Intervention – featuring Tegan and Sara from Margaret Cho on Vimeo.

Read Margaret’s blog about making the song.

“Intervention” is on iTunes here or buy the CD or Vinyl directly from Margaret and get an automatic download of the whole album!

A Different Kind of Wedding Dress

margaret cho — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:07:15 +0000

I love this! Please vote for it in KoreAm’s Kpop video remake contest!

Voting link: http://iamkoream.com/krazykpop/

—— Forwarded Message
From: Elena Chang
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:33:03 -0500
Subject: first queer korean remake of a kpop video

hello margaret cho & team !!!

My name is Elena, also a member of Q-Wave (queer women of asian descent for visibility & empowerment)
I contacted Margaret a few years back to have her come to Rutgers University for “Coming Out Day” but she was not able to make it bc of her fierce tour…

First off, I’ve been following Ms.Cho for quite some time, and just wanted to say how pleased I am to see such amazing growth throughout the years. I’ve also learned to channel my activism through the arts scene as an out Korean-American nyc actress and its inspiring to see how much she has put into showcasing acceptance and visibility on many different layers. With that said I am asking for your support on a project that I’ve been working on that means a lot to me as a queer artist.

There is a kpop phenomenon going on (or rather, Korean/Japanese music video obsession). Our queer take on Taeyang’s “Wedding Dress” made it to the semi-finals in L.A. and has the potential to be selected and screened to be a part of a massive Asian-American Hollywood event. This would be the first ever queer Korean remake of Taeyang’s “Wedding Dress”. As progressive as the community has become, there’s still a lot of work to be done and my goal is to reach audiences to challenge them to question the traditional notion of marriage and recognize that possibility for universal love through this m.v. I would sincerely love to have your support on this and wanted to know if it will be possible to feature the video on your site even for a day to help spread the word. Voting closes this Wednesday and my team is really imploring for our community to help get this queer take on a k-pop video re-make to represent at the ceremony. We are the only lgbt-themed submission in the finals, so it is extremely important for us to show folks that queer love stories CAN EXIST in modern day Asian pop videos. Unfortunately it’s ultimately in the voting process in determining which videos make it to the top.

Here is some information: “a different kind of wedding dress” #3 Part of KOREAM MAGAZINE’S Krazy K-Pop Contest! here is the direct link to the voting page: http://www.iamkoream.com/krazykpop/ produced and directed by: elena chang & sam yim performed by: elena chang, sam yim, and jake choi director of photography/ editor: brian chamberlain Voting will end on November 17th at 6:00pm (PST). You may vote once every 12 hours. Voting ends Nov.17th, Wednesday, and any support would be MOST APPRECIATED! Here’s the link to the video to check out as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rN5rQFGYSk