Henry Cho: What's That Clickin' Noise?
Laid-back yet ever alert, low-key but quick-witted, comedian Henry Cho, in a performance taped in December 2005, looks completely at home in the Tennessee Theatre of his native Knoxville, where his good ol' boy roots and full-blooded Korean ethnicity don't seem the least bit at odds. A hometown audience is happy to see him as he peels off the inevitable gags about Asian stereotypes: "I know some Japanese people," a neighbor tells him. "You should come see them." "I know some fat people," responds Cho. "You should come see them." Cho complains about coming from such a large family with seemingly endless individual lifetimes: "I'm a grown man, and I still haven't sat at the big table. Every year I go up behind my great aunt and go, 'boo!' Doesn't help." Married seven years, Cho describes his small efforts at independence in a middle-class context: "I use the gravy boat to eat Cheerios, put water on the special soap, and go into the guest room." Cho has a few observations, too, about Southern manners: "You can say anything about anybody as long as you add, 'bless his heart.' Such as, 'That baby's so ugly... Bless his heart."--Tom Keogh