Monthly live women's cabaret amplifies women's voices on a new podcast
From 1992 to 2016, Twin Cities voice and theater performer Sue Scott was a resident of Lake Wobegon, one of the regular cast members on the weekly radio show A Prairie Home Companion, heard on Minnesota Public Radio.
After the show ended, she launched a new monthly live cabaret at the Women’s Club of Minnesota to amplify women’s voices. The show is released as a podcast called the “Island of Discarded Women.” Scott spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about the podcast.
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Audio transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING] CATHY WURZER: For 24 years, from 1992 to 2016, Twin Cities voice and theater performer Sue Scott was a resident of Lake Wobegon-- one of the regular cast members on the weekly radio show, a Prairie Home Companion, heard on NPR. In 2019, she launched a new, monthly, live cabaret at the Women's Club of Minnesota. The show is released as a podcast.
[AUDIO PLAYBACK]
- Nobody's coming.
- No, they're coming now.
- Oh, really?
- You washed up.
- Sorry?
- Welcome to the Island of Discarded Women, my friend.
- I used to be somebody.
- Are you that woman on the radio?
- Your island job is [SPEAKING SPANISH].
- I'm sorry, what?
- Potato peeler-- 87% match for your skills.
- OK, that's not-- anyway, what is the second best match, then?
- Host of the Island Podcast.
- Are you kidding me? No, no, see, that's me. That's perfect for me.
[END PLAYBACK]
CATHY WURZER: Yeah, the Island of Discarded Women, and it's fantastic. Sue Scott's on the line to talk about it. You know how excited I am to have you on the program, Sue? How are you?
SUE SCOTT: I'm good. How are you, Cathy?
CATHY WURZER: Gosh, I am-- I'm marginal. Thank you for asking. [LAUGHS]
SUE SCOTT: Oh, you're only marginal?
CATHY WURZER: Yes, I am. But that's OK because I'm improving as I talk to you. So this is going to be fun.
SUE SCOTT: OK, good. All right, I'm going to move you from marginal.
CATHY WURZER: You are. You are. I know you will. So not to rehash old, uncomfortable, bad memories, but you were cast aside when Garrison Keillor left PHC, and a new host stepped in. And I know that hurt you.
SUE SCOTT: Yes, I-- yes, my work situation changed at that point without my involvement, as we say. And in working through all of that, I found myself really drawn to and inspired by other women's stories. And then in trying to find out what to do with my time and energy and my creativity, it's like, hey, I'll start a podcast.
And I did. And it's all about stories. And I figured if I was inspired by other women's stories, other people will be as well. So--
CATHY WURZER: I think you're right.
SUE SCOTT: Yeah. And what the podcast is all about-- we're live once a month, as you said. And it's all variations on stories. It's storytelling, spoken word, original songs-- [PHONE CHIMES] oops.
I should have silenced my phone. My texts are going off. And then a conversation with a special guest-- and you were our special guest a year ago.
CATHY WURZER: I was. I know. That was great fun.
SUE SCOTT: It was so much fun. And I so appreciated you spending your time and your evening, which normally you're in bed by then. But you stayed up. You stayed up to be on our show.
CATHY WURZER: And it was great fun watching everything unfold. And I love the fact that it's live, and you work without a net. And it looked technically challenging to me. So how did that first-- do you remember that first show? How did it go?
SUE SCOTT: Well, the first show back in '19, yeah, we were in a different place. Right now we're at the Women's Club of Minneapolis in their gorgeous lounge. Yes. And before that we were at an event space next to French Meadow Cafe on Lyndale in Minneapolis.
And it was really fun to be live and have that live audience interaction. But we've got microphones, and we're recording. And we've got microphones picking up the audience.
And we've got to make sure that the music is happening, and all of that's being tapped into the right cables and everything. So we created this sort of big monster. And it's gotten even bigger as we've moved to the Women's Club.
But it's so much a part of what I did for so many years. And it made so much sense to me. And I think that live interaction is just golden.
And we're not live live, like you are right now. So we're live and from the audience, and we record it. And then I mix and edit it and turn it into a podcast episode a few weeks later. So yeah.
CATHY WURZER: I remember when you first were noodling on the idea of Island of Discarded Women, and you had a tough time selling the concept. And I didn't understand why. I mean, were you running into male producers who just didn't get it?
SUE SCOTT: Well, I did get some comments. There was a beautiful article in the Star Tribune when we first started, about the podcast. And I did get some comments and some emails saying, men get discarded, too.
And my answer was, start your own podcast. OK, go for it. Sure. Absolutely. This is coming from my experience. And being a woman, I'm coming through my own lens.
And like I said, at that time when that work situation changed, I was just very, very buoyed by other women's stories. And at the time as well, a few years ago-- and it's still the case-- as far as producing podcasts, it was an 80/20 situation.
So 80% of the podcasts in the world, which there are hundreds and thousands of them, were being hosted and produced by men, 20% by women. And I wanted to be a part of that, elevating more women podcast producers. So that was also a goal of mine.
And then there's satire. Obviously, there's satire in the title. So it's an island in our mind. It's a place where we can gather and support each other and, there again, share our stories and be motivated and inspired and empowered. So lately I've been calling it a podcast with purpose.
CATHY WURZER: Oh. Yes.
SUE SCOTT: Yeah, so I feel like it's a podcast with purpose, which I think that's sort of general. But I think that sums it up as to how I feel right now.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah. You've had some amazing guests. Tell us about those women who have joined you on the Island.
SUE SCOTT: Well, one of them was named Cathy Wurzer, and I'm talking to her right now.
CATHY WURZER: Well, I appreciate that.
SUE SCOTT: And yes, we have. We've had social justice activists, like Nekima Levi Armstrong. And we've had transgender trailblazers, like Susan Kimberly, and Dr. Pauline Boss--
CATHY WURZER: Oh, [INAUDIBLE].
SUE SCOTT: --who's 88 years old. Yes, exactly. And she coined the term "ambiguous loss" back in the '70s. And she was married to Dudley Riggs for many, many years. She was on recently.
The founder-- or the owner now of Minnesota Women's Press, Mikki Morissette, was on recently. The amazing--
CATHY WURZER: It's a who's who.
SUE SCOTT: --independent journalist Georgia Fort was a guest. Yeah, all sorts of people. I could go on and on and on. And I'm really excited about the guest coming up for our next show on December 11.
CATHY WURZER: Yes, who is that?
SUE SCOTT: And that is Patty Wetterling.
CATHY WURZER: Oh. She's great.
SUE SCOTT: Yeah. And Patty, as we know-- as a lot of us know-- she was in our collective conscious for the 27 years after her son, Jacob, was abducted in 1989 without being found. And then the case was eventually cracked a few years-- three years ago? And they found the answer to what happened. It's not closure for them, but they did find the answer.
And she's now in the process of writing a memoir. So the book won't come out until the fall of '23. But I'm so fascinated about the process of writing her memoir, so we're going to talk all about that in the conversation.
And then Leslie Vincent is a wonderful actor/musician in town. And she's going to be our musical guest. And all sorts of other cool things.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, that's going to be a really good show. The thing that I really loved was the energy when I joined you on stage that night and the fact that your cast is this great cast of young women. They've got this great energy. I love the fact that it's multicultural, multi-generational. And that just comes through so beautifully.
SUE SCOTT: Yes. And that's kind of the goal. The goal is to hear all voices. So our youngest cast member is 23, and our oldest contributors have been into their 70s and 80s.
So it's just hearing all the voices. And I feel like these young women in the cast mentor me, so I learn so much from them and their fearlessness and their willingness to share their personal stories. And we all just jump into the basket together and do this thing once a month.
CATHY WURZER: Well, Sue Scott, I wish I had more time with you. Thank you. I look forward to listening to the next show.
And for those who want to listen to Island of Discarded Women, you got to go to IslandOfDiscardedWomen.com. Thank you, Sue Scott.
SUE SCOTT: Thank you, Cathy. Thank you. Thank you so much.
CATHY WURZER: Take care. Sue Scott's the creator and host of Island of Discarded Women. You can attend the next live taping Sunday, December 11 at the Women's Club of Minneapolis.
[AUDIO PLAYBACK]
- Nobody's coming.
- No, they're coming now.
- Oh, really?
- You washed up.
- Sorry?
- Welcome to the Island of Discarded Women, my friend.
- I used to be somebody.
- Are you that woman on the radio?
- Your island job is [SPEAKING SPANISH].
- I'm sorry, what?
- Potato peeler-- 87% match for your skills.
- OK, that's not-- anyway, what is the second best match, then?
- Host of the Island Podcast.
- Are you kidding me? No, no, see, that's me. That's perfect for me.
[END PLAYBACK]
CATHY WURZER: Yeah, the Island of Discarded Women, and it's fantastic. Sue Scott's on the line to talk about it. You know how excited I am to have you on the program, Sue? How are you?
SUE SCOTT: I'm good. How are you, Cathy?
CATHY WURZER: Gosh, I am-- I'm marginal. Thank you for asking. [LAUGHS]
SUE SCOTT: Oh, you're only marginal?
CATHY WURZER: Yes, I am. But that's OK because I'm improving as I talk to you. So this is going to be fun.
SUE SCOTT: OK, good. All right, I'm going to move you from marginal.
CATHY WURZER: You are. You are. I know you will. So not to rehash old, uncomfortable, bad memories, but you were cast aside when Garrison Keillor left PHC, and a new host stepped in. And I know that hurt you.
SUE SCOTT: Yes, I-- yes, my work situation changed at that point without my involvement, as we say. And in working through all of that, I found myself really drawn to and inspired by other women's stories. And then in trying to find out what to do with my time and energy and my creativity, it's like, hey, I'll start a podcast.
And I did. And it's all about stories. And I figured if I was inspired by other women's stories, other people will be as well. So--
CATHY WURZER: I think you're right.
SUE SCOTT: Yeah. And what the podcast is all about-- we're live once a month, as you said. And it's all variations on stories. It's storytelling, spoken word, original songs-- [PHONE CHIMES] oops.
I should have silenced my phone. My texts are going off. And then a conversation with a special guest-- and you were our special guest a year ago.
CATHY WURZER: I was. I know. That was great fun.
SUE SCOTT: It was so much fun. And I so appreciated you spending your time and your evening, which normally you're in bed by then. But you stayed up. You stayed up to be on our show.
CATHY WURZER: And it was great fun watching everything unfold. And I love the fact that it's live, and you work without a net. And it looked technically challenging to me. So how did that first-- do you remember that first show? How did it go?
SUE SCOTT: Well, the first show back in '19, yeah, we were in a different place. Right now we're at the Women's Club of Minneapolis in their gorgeous lounge. Yes. And before that we were at an event space next to French Meadow Cafe on Lyndale in Minneapolis.
And it was really fun to be live and have that live audience interaction. But we've got microphones, and we're recording. And we've got microphones picking up the audience.
And we've got to make sure that the music is happening, and all of that's being tapped into the right cables and everything. So we created this sort of big monster. And it's gotten even bigger as we've moved to the Women's Club.
But it's so much a part of what I did for so many years. And it made so much sense to me. And I think that live interaction is just golden.
And we're not live live, like you are right now. So we're live and from the audience, and we record it. And then I mix and edit it and turn it into a podcast episode a few weeks later. So yeah.
CATHY WURZER: I remember when you first were noodling on the idea of Island of Discarded Women, and you had a tough time selling the concept. And I didn't understand why. I mean, were you running into male producers who just didn't get it?
SUE SCOTT: Well, I did get some comments. There was a beautiful article in the Star Tribune when we first started, about the podcast. And I did get some comments and some emails saying, men get discarded, too.
And my answer was, start your own podcast. OK, go for it. Sure. Absolutely. This is coming from my experience. And being a woman, I'm coming through my own lens.
And like I said, at that time when that work situation changed, I was just very, very buoyed by other women's stories. And at the time as well, a few years ago-- and it's still the case-- as far as producing podcasts, it was an 80/20 situation.
So 80% of the podcasts in the world, which there are hundreds and thousands of them, were being hosted and produced by men, 20% by women. And I wanted to be a part of that, elevating more women podcast producers. So that was also a goal of mine.
And then there's satire. Obviously, there's satire in the title. So it's an island in our mind. It's a place where we can gather and support each other and, there again, share our stories and be motivated and inspired and empowered. So lately I've been calling it a podcast with purpose.
CATHY WURZER: Oh. Yes.
SUE SCOTT: Yeah, so I feel like it's a podcast with purpose, which I think that's sort of general. But I think that sums it up as to how I feel right now.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah. You've had some amazing guests. Tell us about those women who have joined you on the Island.
SUE SCOTT: Well, one of them was named Cathy Wurzer, and I'm talking to her right now.
CATHY WURZER: Well, I appreciate that.
SUE SCOTT: And yes, we have. We've had social justice activists, like Nekima Levi Armstrong. And we've had transgender trailblazers, like Susan Kimberly, and Dr. Pauline Boss--
CATHY WURZER: Oh, [INAUDIBLE].
SUE SCOTT: --who's 88 years old. Yes, exactly. And she coined the term "ambiguous loss" back in the '70s. And she was married to Dudley Riggs for many, many years. She was on recently.
The founder-- or the owner now of Minnesota Women's Press, Mikki Morissette, was on recently. The amazing--
CATHY WURZER: It's a who's who.
SUE SCOTT: --independent journalist Georgia Fort was a guest. Yeah, all sorts of people. I could go on and on and on. And I'm really excited about the guest coming up for our next show on December 11.
CATHY WURZER: Yes, who is that?
SUE SCOTT: And that is Patty Wetterling.
CATHY WURZER: Oh. She's great.
SUE SCOTT: Yeah. And Patty, as we know-- as a lot of us know-- she was in our collective conscious for the 27 years after her son, Jacob, was abducted in 1989 without being found. And then the case was eventually cracked a few years-- three years ago? And they found the answer to what happened. It's not closure for them, but they did find the answer.
And she's now in the process of writing a memoir. So the book won't come out until the fall of '23. But I'm so fascinated about the process of writing her memoir, so we're going to talk all about that in the conversation.
And then Leslie Vincent is a wonderful actor/musician in town. And she's going to be our musical guest. And all sorts of other cool things.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, that's going to be a really good show. The thing that I really loved was the energy when I joined you on stage that night and the fact that your cast is this great cast of young women. They've got this great energy. I love the fact that it's multicultural, multi-generational. And that just comes through so beautifully.
SUE SCOTT: Yes. And that's kind of the goal. The goal is to hear all voices. So our youngest cast member is 23, and our oldest contributors have been into their 70s and 80s.
So it's just hearing all the voices. And I feel like these young women in the cast mentor me, so I learn so much from them and their fearlessness and their willingness to share their personal stories. And we all just jump into the basket together and do this thing once a month.
CATHY WURZER: Well, Sue Scott, I wish I had more time with you. Thank you. I look forward to listening to the next show.
And for those who want to listen to Island of Discarded Women, you got to go to IslandOfDiscardedWomen.com. Thank you, Sue Scott.
SUE SCOTT: Thank you, Cathy. Thank you. Thank you so much.
CATHY WURZER: Take care. Sue Scott's the creator and host of Island of Discarded Women. You can attend the next live taping Sunday, December 11 at the Women's Club of Minneapolis.
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