She's more diversified than a mutual fund. Opinionated stand-up provocateur Margaret Cho— who has written books, released comedy albums and co-stars on Lifetime TV's Drop Dead Diva— has her first disc of original music, Cho Dependent, out Tuesday. It features the comedian, 41, collaborating with Fiona Apple, Ani DiFranco, Ben Lee and Grant Lee Phillips. Her tour in support of the release kicks off Thursday
in Portland, Ore., and wraps up in December in Atlanta. "I always wanted to do comedy, but I also felt the same pull as a musician. I'm a singer," Cho says from her home in L.A., which she shares with her husband, artist Al Ridenour, and their two pooches. "I thought there has to be a way to make songs that are comedy but also have enduring value."
Q: You don't sound happy. Interviews aren't that fun, right?
A: Oh no, this is my voice. People always say, 'What's wrong?' And that's just how my voice is and my face is. This project, for me, has been really fun to talk about.
Q: So how did you hook up with Fiona Apple for the song Hey Big Dog?
A: I had a dog and, unfortunately, he died. I wrote the song because he was dying. He was really afraid of the wind, and Fiona's dog also has the exact same problem. She'd seen me perform that song at my favorite club in the world, Largo, in Los Angeles, and she'd said she wanted to sing it. She has one of the greatest voices of all time, and she's an animal lover. It was a great collaboration.
Q: I'm so sorry about your dog!
A: He was really, really old. He was a very large German shepherd mix, and he was 14. He naturally just died. That was a relief, because I don't think I could have made the choice (to euthanize him). I'm really happy to have the song; I would sit in his dog bed and play it to him. I have two other dogs, Gudrun and Bronwyn.
Q: And you also have a tour starting up. What's the most ridiculous thing on your tour rider?
A: I have Zone bars and sparkling water. You know the artist has to pay for that, and I'm actually super-cheap. I don't want to shell out for any kind of fancy, all-white roses. I have to buy it, and that's the thing people don't understand. I'm very practical about all that stuff. I tour a lot and love it. I haven't been touring for the last year because I've been working on Drop Dead Diva. I live in Atlanta six months out of the year for that, and it changes the way I work.
Q: And as for Drop Dead Diva, what's ahead on the show?
A: My character is a private eye. There's a lot of romance and intrigue. The show is so wonderful and fun.
Q: And now you're back home in L.A. What do you do on your days off?
A: I hang out with my dogs, which is really fun. I have two mutts. They don't miss the big dog at all. The two girls didn't bond with him. I play music, I go see music, I listen to music. I'm obsessed with my Kindle. Today the book I'm going crazy over is The Advanced Genius Theory.
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