A trio of iconic performers—and advocates for and in the LGBTQ community—converges on Portland. Aren’t we lucky.

As far as last names go, they don’t get any more singular. Etheridge. Cho. Lauper. Icons of rock, comedy, pop and, yes, having fun for generations—unapologetic, uncompromising, unmistakable, unusual.

They’ve defined the ‘80s, ‘90s and aughts, speaking up about what makes a family; provoking with social, political and sexual commentary; lobbying for LGBTQ equal rights and AIDS education—and just plain entertaining crowds that span eras, gender, orientation, genre and more.

They sing, they act, they write, they campaign, they tell stories, they crack wise. They record, tour, appear on TV, in movies, on Broadway. Together, Melissa, 49, Margaret, 41, and Cyndi, 57, constitute a trifecta of ass-kicking estrogen. They simply rawk. What can we say? We’re not worthy.

We are, however, superfans.

So with a curious and altogether awesome Sapphic convergence bringing the respective talents—Etheridge on August 24, Cho two days later, August 26 and Lauper the following Wednesday, September 1—to the Portland area within a week of each other, we pay our respects to these fierce, fearless ladies.

All hail the queens.

By Krista Houstoun

What do anal bleaching, comedy music and, come August 26, Portland have in common? Margaret Cho. Make that Margaret “Fucking” Cho, since that’s how she’s referring to herself these days. And why shouldn’t she? When you’ve achieved the things that Cho has achieved, it’s only right to adopt “Fucking” as your middle name—it’s the badge of a true badass.

Recently, the comic, actress, writer, advocate and now singer has been busy honing her musical skills. The result is Cho Dependent, her highly anticipated, debut comedy rock album that drops on August 24.

With a very queer collaborative lineup—i.e. Tegan and Sara, Meghan Toohey and Ani DiFranco—and tracks such as “Lesbian Escalation,” “Captain Cameltoe” and “Your Cock,” Cho Dependent stands to, in stand-up speak, “kill” Cho’s fans, queer and straight alike. What’s more, Cho sings about as well as she impersonates her mother—which is to say, very well.

Cho chatted with Just Out about Cho Dependent, what kind of woman she’s attracted to and being Aimee Mann for a day.

Cho: I wanted to do a comedy album for a long time, and I wanted to do something that was beyond my reach as a musician. … I play a number of instruments—mostly the guitar—but I wanted to do an album that was really great musically and also funny. So I reached out to the people I loved the most—the musicians I admire and love to listen to and have been following for a long time—and they all said “yes!”

We all had a different way of working, but in general I wrote all the lyrics, and [the collaborators] wrote all the music and then we would collaborate together. [We would] either get together and record in their home studios or meet in a city and record. It was really, really satisfying and I’m really proud of the album.

Cho: Linda Perry is somebody that I absolutely love who I still want to write with. There are tons of people that I want to write with again. Tegan and Sara were so great and Ani was so amazing, so I’d like to go back and do more with them. I’d like to go back and do something else with everybody that was on the record.

Cho: Well, I’m still doing stand-up. To me, I’m defined—where I define myself—as a stand-up comedian. So the show is definitely still a stand-up comedy show, although I will definitely play a few songs from the album. For me, the album is still stand-up comedy. It’s not really apart from that; it’s still part of the same stuff that I do—it’s just in musical form.

Cho: Thank you, I really worked on that. It’s hard to sing because your body is an instrument. So that’s really trippy and weird to think about. For myself, I don’t have a tremendous amount of respect and care for my body like I should. I eat whatever and I go to sleep at weird times all the time [laughs], and I don’t have a lot of discipline when it comes to treating my body as I would my guitars, which are so super fancy and beautiful. … It’s about learning to care for my physical being because that’s actually the instrument also, which is a lesson that’s very difficult to learn.

Cho: Yes, it is. It’s horrible—this person that I really love forgot my birthday. On purpose. To hurt my feelings. And I was so mad ... I was just really hurt. … It’s hard to sit in suffering and so I wrote the song—I wrote two songs that day; I [also] wrote “Enemies,” which is another song on the album that I wrote with Jon Brion, [that says] “You can’t break up with me, I’m Margaret Fuckin’ Cho.” I was so upset. The same day I wrote that and “Eat Shit and Die.”

I took it to Grant-Lee Phillips, who is a tremendous singer-songwriter, who I just love. We talked about song structure, and [there’s] a song that I love of his called “The Whole Shebang.” And so we built the song around that structure, and it being just a very grand song. And I’m a big fan of Aimee Mann so I hired her whole band and her engineer, and I recorded it in the same studio that Aimee Mann always uses. So I had like a whole day where [I was] going to pretend to be Aimee Mann. … It was really, really fun!

Cho: It’s always different. Sometimes just a phrase will kind of come out ... or, like the song that I really love [on Cho Dependent], “Hey Big Dog”—which is a love song between myself and my dog—I was preparing to write with Patty Griffin. She and I are both obsessed with dogs and we’re both obsessed with country music, so I was going to write this country song about dogs. And my dog has this really big fear of the wind and so the song is sort of like this duet. [I’m] like, Why are you afraid of the wind? And my dog is like, Well, why do you always wait by the phone for this guy to call? And so it’s people problems versus dog problems ... Sometimes lyrics just come out, sometimes it’s a long process where a little bit here comes out, a little bit there comes out.

Cho: I think the song that I’m most proud of is “I’m Sorry,” which is with Andrew Bird. And that’s just because it was a horrible, horrible situation that gave birth to that song. … I was in love with somebody and he ended up killing someone. In love with somebody for 17 years! And then he was accused and convicted for murdering his wife, and not only murdering her, but hiding her body in the attic for a month until it had mummified. And I felt so bad that I loved this person that did this horrible thing. And then I felt so bad for this woman and her family. I was trying to find some understanding—and again, it’s very hard for me to sit in suffering—so I had to do something about it; I had to write something about it. …

So I thought, I’m going to write a song that is about the pain of domestic violence. … It’s quite an American murder ballad ... but through that song I found a lot of salvation for myself. I felt a lot better and gained a lot of freedom from the tragedy of what happened. Sometimes dark humor is the only way to rise above really horrible things in life.

Cho: To me it just makes sense: I’m queer, and my politics are queer ... and so, to me it’s always been important to be active in queer politics, and active in speaking up for the queer community. I think that’s really valuable and it’s just part of who I am. I’m glad that I am able to do that.

Cho: Everything. To me it’s family; it’s who I am; it’s who we are. It’s that kind of recognition for each other—and really, affection for each other. It’s what I’m all about, and so that’s why it’s so easy for me to relate to a queer audience, because it’s just relaxed. We’re all family.

Cho: Oh yeah, like, k.d. lang. Or Katherine Moennig [Shane] from The L Word. … That kind of butch beauty is so enduring and so iconic and amazing and important. And butch women are really amazing because they reject the traditional idea of femininity and embrace their own definition of beauty, which I think is so admirable and brave—and that adds to the attraction. I love female masculinity; I think it’s just so hot.

Cho: Yeah, it’s great. Portland is such the capital of that kind of beauty. The Pacific Northwest is where it was sort of born, and I love coming there!

Cho: It’s one of my favorite places to play so I’m excited to start there. It’s a logical place [to start]: you want to be where it’s super liberal, super queer, super Asian [laughs]. It’s, like, where I belong. So I really love that.

Margaret Cho will perform at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1111 SW Broadway) on Thursday, August 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.50-$45, available at livenation.com or through Ticketmaster. Cho Dependent hits stores August 24. For more of Just Out’s interview with Cho, visit blogout.justout.com.

By Ryan J. Prado

Cyndi Lauper is a name that doesn’t need much elaboration. Certainly, you could talk of her splash into the mainstream pop world in 1984 with her Grammy-winning debut album She’s So Unusual, of her snatching the reigns of the music video buggy and the journey into pop-media lore with Captain Lou Albano, Steven Spielberg and Sean Astin in tow.

You might analyze the legions of new wave imitators who have clung to her punk-ish, jewelry-heavy vogue motif—her bubble gum-chewing, devil-may-care-but-insanely-talented disposition.

Without reservation, you ought to acknowledge her many career accolades: first female artist in history to chart five top 10 singles from a debut album, 13 Grammy nominations, 18 MTV Video Music Awards; later, 2 Emmy Awards, 2 American Music Awards and 7 American Video Awards.

In short, she’s a household name, and she’s accomplished more than most artists could dream.

A lot of that was merely Version 1.0 of Lauper’s chameleonic evolution. Her legacy didn’t end with “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Time After Time” or The Goonies. In addition to recording albums—her 11th of which, Memphis Blues, is currently enjoying a nationwide tour that will stop at the Oregon Zoo on Wednesday, September 1—Lauper has expanded her reach, appearing most recently on the NBC reality series Celebrity Apprentice, while concurrently reprising her role of psychic Avalon Harmonia on Fox’s Bones. She’s also inked a deal with reality TV wunderkind Mark Burnett for her very own show to debut in 2011, and she’s in the writing process for the music to the Broadway adaptation of the British film Kinky Boots.

It’s a lot to take in. Add to that Lauper’s ceaseless LGBTQ rights activism with both her True Colors Fund, her recently launched Give A Damn campaign, and her participation with Lady Gaga on the 2010 MAC Viva Glam campaign to educate women about HIV/AIDS, and it’s no wonder she’s become a perpetual fixture in the limelight.

Lauper took some time out of her busy schedule, perched inside a bus en route to Houston’s House of Blues—what other venue to showcase her new disc of heart-wrenching blues covers, featuring Jonny Lang, Allen Toussaint and B.B. King?—to punch the keys on her iPhone and answer some questions for Just Out.

Lauper: Trust me ... it is not easy. Just have to learn to prioritize. Luckily, I have the most amazing team to back me up, from day to day and on the road as well.

Lauper: I am focused on the Memphis Blues CD and tour right now through to the end of next summer. I’ve wanted to make this CD for eight years, so I want to enjoy it and give it its best shot by backing it up and hitting the road, and that also gives me a chance to get to be close to my fans. That’s the most rewarding part about touring. As for the stressful part, [it’s] being away from my family for too long.

Lauper: One hundred percent supportive. I am fortunate to have the most amazing and supportive friends, family and fans that have been with me through the years.

Lauper: Well, we have only been at it for four months so far, but we are excited and encouraged to see the large number of straight people who have joined the campaign. We did not know what to expect asking straight people to join an organization focusing on gay equality. But, not only are they joining, they have become active members, learning more about all of the issues, and are reaching out to the straight people in their lives, encouraging them to also support equality. They are serving as role models for their family and friends, which is the best thing anyone can do to help change minds. That personal touch is so powerful. This is not a new concept, but we hope we can continue to play a major role in helping start these conversations and help people show their support for equality.

Lauper: If you are famous, it’s good to use your fame to help others. Give a voice to a cause that maybe needs it. It’s payback and it’s the right thing to do.

Lauper: I am currently in the writing stages for the music of Kinky Boots. Harvey Fierstein is writing the book, Jerry Mitchell is the director. How fabulous is that? The plan is to open [in] 2012.

Lauper: We start production in early 2011. The deal with Mark Burnett Productions was inked before I signed on to Celebrity Apprentice. Mark Burnett is the most successful producer of reality TV. He has a great team put together for my show and I just think it is going to be a lot of fun to do. It is about me and my day-to-day [routine], focused on my career. You will have to wait and see for more information about the series.

Lauper: I love Gaga as a person and an artist. She makes great records and puts on a tremendous live show. Working together on the MAC Viva Glam campaign and talking about HIV/AIDS prevention for women has been really important to the both of us. We have a lot in common and have become friends through the work we are doing together. Most importantly, [we have in common] the love and support we get from the GBLT community.

Lauper: I am extremely proud of Memphis Blues. The personal touch would be everything from the talented musicians that played on this CD, to the amazing band that joins me on the stage every night. When I was picking out songs for this album, there were so many amazing songs to choose from. I wanted to find the right songs that told great stories [that] I could relate to and sing well. I worked for a long time to come up with the track listing. The greatest blues songs are the ones that are about perseverance.

Lauper: Jeff Beck and I had wanted to do a blues cover project back in ‘04 and the stars just didn’t line up. I have always been a fan of blues, because as Muddy Waters is quoted, “If blues gave birth to a child, that child would be rock and roll...” And really all popular music. I have been listening to the blues since I was a kid. Later on I loved how Janis Joplin and acts like the Rolling Stones made it modern [in the] ‘70s. It has been speaking to me ever since.

JO: You’ve collaborated with a lot of amazing artists in the past—Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Wyclef Jean. What approach did you take on Memphis Blues with regard to working alongside Jonny Lang, B.B. King, Allen Toussaint, et al.?

Lauper: First of all, we recorded the album in Memphis where it meant something musically. I wanted more of a “gritty” feeling. Memphis was the ideal environment. It was real. We recorded this CD the old-fashioned way: all live on analog. We recorded a song a day. Basically, the musicians would come in and I would work with them on the arrangement, then we’d rehearse it and record it three or four times. It was totally in the moment and the best way to record the blues, to me. After, we would just pick the best recording, even where there were some mistakes or imperfections, because I wanted it to be real.

Lauper: I have not. The last time I was in Portland was back in ‘02 at the Rose Garden with Cher. I had such a blast in Portland. Can’t wait to be back!

Cyndi Lauper will close out the 32nd Annual Summer Concert Series at the Oregon Zoo (4001 SW Canyon Road) on Wednesday, September 1. Tickets for the event are $27 for general admission, and are available through Ticketmaster. Show starts at 7 p.m. For more information on the True Colors Fund, visit truecolorsfund.org. For more information on the Give A Damn Campaign, visit wegiveadamn.org.

By Erin Rook

The show must go on. And while Melissa Etheridge may have called off her relationship with her wife, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, the lesbian rock icon’s music career shows no signs of stopping. If anything, Etheridge seems to be going stronger than ever.

Despite the year’s personal turmoil, the Grammy award-winning artist has plenty to celebrate: making her Broadway debut, receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and garnering critical acclaim for her most recent album, Fearless Love.

In the 20-plus years since Etheridge began putting out albums, she has gone from the Berklee College of Music to Broadway, traveling a path marked by career successes and personal struggles and, of course, the reverse.

Etheridge’s music has always been inspired by her own life, which has given her no shortage of material. Between coming out as a lesbian in the early 1990s, starting and ending two major relationships, battling breast cancer and famously co-parenting four children, it’s little wonder the musician is already thinking about the next album, her 12th.

Fearless Love is the second installment in an autobiographical trilogy that began with 2007’s The Awakening.

“I wanted it to be, the first one about awakening, about my story and how I got where I was,” Etheridge told AfterEllen. “And then I knew the second one I wanted to be about fear and love, and the choices we make in our life. And I know the next one I want to be about oneness and unity and other things. I haven’t started writing it, of course, yet. I have this sort of a trio vision of what I want to create.”

For Etheridge, these choices are individual and collective, personal and political. The album is influenced not only by her relationships with others and herself—particularly since surviving cancer, but also by the battles against fear and for love being waged in the public sphere—such as the conflict surrounding California’s Proposition 8.

“‘Miss California’ is a direct response to being spurned by my lover, California,” Etheridge told SheWired. “The whole album is about being fearless; it’s about … this is a step and we keep taking these steps one by one: politically, socially, spiritually.”

That fearlessness has allowed Etheridge to focus on the sound she wants to create, rather than attempting to reinvent popular radio singles such as “Come To My Window.” The result is the story of Etheridge’s struggles and triumphs, backed by an intense, driving sound.

“I wanted [Fearless Love] to sound and have the musical intensity of my favorite albums from the 1970s—the great rock ’n’ roll era. I wanted it to just be huge like that,” Etheridge told the Kansas City Star.

Critics are hailing Fearless Love, released just weeks after she announced her split from Michaels last April, as a return to her heavier rock roots and her signature powerhouse vocals.

Etheridge attributes much of this influence to her reunion with Breakdown producer John Shanks, who has worked with a variety of artists including Miley Cyrus, Bon Jovi, Chris Isaak, The Backstreet Boys and Jane’s Addiction. Shanks was also Etheridge’s first guitar player and has a 25-year history with the musician.

“His talent as a producer now is untouched; he’s so at the top of his game,” Etheridge told SheWired. “He and I have a great relationship and I knew he could understand my desire to really get back to the rock and roll roots of myself and my music. He certainly did all that and more.”

But even as Etheridge reaches back to the past for inspiration, she is stepping forward onto an entirely different stage. This June, Etheridge made her Broadway debut with the Tony-nominated Million Dollar Quartet. She joined the cast for a special performance during the show’s finale.

If all goes as planned, it won’t be the last time the rocker’s work graces the Great White Way. Etheridge told the Kansas City Star in July that she was currently working on a musical of her own—writing the music while someone else wrote the book. That someone may be Nurse Jackie creator Linda Wallem, according to an interview with AfterEllen.

“We’ve always talked about doing a musical in our spare time,” Etheridge told AfterEllen in May. “Linda Wallem is just one of the greatest human beings on the earth and I’m blessed to be such close friends with her. I’d love to collaborate with her. She’s a genius.”

Etheridge said her inspiration for doing a musical predates the current popularity of rock musicals, such as those done by U2 and Green Day. As is the case for many “old gay Broadway show geeks”—as she identified herself to AfterEllen, it all started with Barbra.

“I’ve always had a love of Broadway, of musicals. Barbra Streisand was as much of an influence as Bruce Springsteen was to me. It’s just I’ve been able to show my Bruce side more,” she told the Kansas City Star.

Etheridge has said that writing a musical would provide a break from the highly personal writing that goes into her albums. So what would a Melissa Etheridge musical be about?

“Changing the world,” she told SheWired, “that sort of thing.”

Not that Etheridge would know anything about that.

Melissa Etheridge performs Tuesday, August 24 at 8 p.m. at Spirit Mountain Casino, 27100 SW Salmon River Highway, in Grande Rhonde. Tickets are $15-$35. For more information, visit spiritmountain.com.