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| David Swindle is a freshman creative writing major and writes 'Swimming in Broken Glass' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. |
I have a list of eight people -- a collection of historical figures and artistic free spirits who inspire me. On Sunday there was a distance of only four rows between one of my heroes and me. I went to the Murat and saw Margaret Cho.
You'll have to wait until next time for the other members of my pantheon of gods to be revealed. Many of the names on the list may produce confusion. Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr., aren't there. While I respect such figures I'm more interested in honoring the flawed, oddball, cool individualists.
Back to Margaret. First and foremost she's at the top of the comedic game. Go rent "I'm the One That I Want" and then "Notorious C.H.O" right now. Other contemporary comedians can't touch her. I'm talking laugh-out-loud-watch-'em-multiple-times hilarious.
Her entertainment abilities aren't what elevate her though. As a human being, she's amazing. She's sort of a feminist without the rhetoric. She looks and dresses the way she wants. She says anything and everything that comes to mind. She's evidence that you can succeed by boldly being yourself.
And of course she's fully liberated sexually -- she does whatever she wants with whoever she wants and then proudly tells the world.
This point deserves emphasis: Margaret makes it abundantly clear that she is a sexual being. She recognizes that sexuality is a key component of the individual and that it should be explored instead of repressed and ignored.
While she's one of the gay community's most vocal, passionate supporters, she herself is not a lesbian. It's clear though that she's not entirely straight either. (She's known for describing her ideal lesbian lover as one that looks like John Goodman.) But she never comes out and says, "Hey! I'm a bisexual!" To apply a label would be to oversimplify.
She's the patron saint of those of us who aren't quite gay, not exactly straight but somewhere sailing in the mysterious sea of gray. It's this in-between orientation that so many people struggle to grasp. Few people are 100 percent hetero or homosexual. And it's our dear Margaret who helps justify who we are.
Her three shows, the first two now available on video/DVD and the just-started "Cho Revolution" tour (which will be a film in not too long) build upon each other into a single powerful vision which she sums up at the end of her current show. Consider it Margaret's own "I Have a Dream" speech.
As minority groups, we must recognize that racism, sexism and homophobia are all the same evil. We must unite to affirm one another, and to counteract the prejudice, ignorance and hatred that reduce us to second class citizens. Together we become powerful. And with power comes a revolution.
Yeah, you're not going to get that from your standard comic. Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Robin Williams, as gifted as they are, don't have Margaret's role as matriarch of the minorities.
I've focused on her minority appeal and message, but she really manages to surpass it to reach beyond her niche. I went to her show with my Dad, a fan who enjoyed her just as much as I did.
Anyone with an open, thinking mind can enjoy her comedy and appreciate her message.
Write to David at dmswindle@bsu.edu
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