Margaret Cho Discusses Literary Influences from Her Childhood in a San Francisco Gay Bookstore

Comedian Margaret Cho reflects on how her upbringing in her parents' gay bookstore, Paperback Traffic, in San Francisco shaped her reading habits and creative voice. In an interview, she discusses formative encounters with counterculture literature, including works by John Waters, Armistead Maupin, and Cookie Mueller. Cho also shares her current reading preferences, highlighting biographies of musicians like Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, and mentions contemporary bookstores she frequents, such as Skylight Books and Lost Books in Los Angeles. The conversation touches on her career in comedy and writing, including her 2002 memoir.