As the executive producer for City Cast Twin Cities, I am overjoyed that our podcast is hosted by the person our team has come to lovingly refer to as “radio legend Sean McPherson.” If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Sean, seeing him on stage playing bass in his band Heiruspecs, or hearing him across the Twin Cities airwaves on The Current or Jazz88 (or in the podcast world on Trivia Mafia’s “No Brains, No Lightbulbs”), here are a few questions that will help you get to know him better before City Cast Twin Cities launches later this month.
What twists and turns did your life take for you to land here at City Cast Twin Cities?
It’s certainly been a circuitous path to land at City Cast Twin Cities but there is a throughline; connecting with people.
I spent my twenties traveling with my group Heiruspecs. We put out some great records, opened up for Ja Rule during the absolute nadir of his professional career, and I ate one of those 72 oz. steaks in Amarillo, TX. I spent our long days in the van asking the band increasingly outlandish questions about food choices, album preferences and preposterous hypothetical situations. I know whether most of my friends would rather give up Netflix or pizza and if they would never swear again in life for $50,000. Sadly, this is far from an employable skill. But I’m a riot on a road trip!
I spent my thirties traveling as Dessa’s bassist and turning Trivia Mafia into a successful trivia business. Somewhere in there, I started running trivia once a week on The Current and doing food reviews for City Pages (RIP). My trivia hosting at The Current turned into contractor work, then part-time work, then full-time work. I ended up hosting the Saturday night request show “Radio Free Current” and co-hosting the limited run magazine show “The Warming House” with my friend Nina Moini on MPR.I love the experience of connecting with listeners; of playing a request for somebody on a tough day and sending that good energy through the airwaves. I felt the same connection yapping on the radio that I felt sitting in the back of the van and asking questions; I was sharing a moment with someone.
In my forties my wife and I kicked things off by trying to survive a global pandemic and a societal uprising all while raising two young children. What-a-treat™. I had the opportunity to join Jazz88 as their afternoon host and music director in 2022 and blossomed as a radio person! Again, what-a-treat™.
Throughout these years I had gone deep on podcasts: Juan Ep, Political Gabfest, The Right Time with Bomani Jones, WTF with Marc Maron, Combat Jack, 60 Songs that Explain the 90s and more. I love the format, I love the intimacy, I love the immediacy. I wanted in on podcasts!
I had been tracking the progress and developments at City Cast nationally, hoping that they would come to the Twin Cities. When they started working to staff City Cast Twin Cities I was beyond eager to submit my name. Landing at City Cast Twin Cities is a dream come true! The team that you [Anna] have assembled is top-notch and I am so excited to connect with the Twin Cities with the care, humor and dedication they deserve.
What’s one of your favorite interviews you’ve ever done? Why?
Early in my career I got to interview Naughty by Nature. I was scared shitless. Right off the bat Treach shared gems about his time coming up under Queen Latifah in Jersey. The whole crew lived up to their reputation as very down-to-earth artists who care about their fans. It was a fork in the road moment. If that interview had gone poorly, I might’ve just decided that broadcast work was not for me. Instead, after having a great conversation with these heroes, I felt energized to keep on going strong and sharpen my craft.
Why do you live in the Twin Cities?
I grew up in rural Massachusetts and I moved to Minnesota in 10th grade. As a young artsy kid I struggled being my full self in Massachusetts. Making art wasn’t appreciated. Being a musician wasn’t appreciated. And that makes it sound nicer than it was. Making art was frowned upon. I remember playing a concert in my elementary school gymnasium in sixth grade with my punk band the Fungle Toxins. Plenty of kids came to the concert just to make fun of us. I ended up crying in the corner while my mom packed up the sodas we brought.
I would have signed a life-long lease in Minnesota the day I walked into St. Paul’s Central High School. I was deciding which high school I would go to and Central was my neighborhood school. I walked into the recording program, which was led by Red Freeberg and felt a rush of belonging hit me like a ton of bricks. I had found my people. The now storied, live hip-hop band Black Hohl was rehearsing in what I learned was called “The Jazz Room.” There was a young rapper who had just performed live for the first time the previous evening talking with Red Freeberg about the performance. I had never seen a conversation like this take place in a high school – with a teacher no less! We had a school that celebrated musicians. Central even invited bands to play in the entryway before homeroom on Fridays. I felt I could blossom as a creative spirit.
The Twin Cities were the first place I saw a path to the life I wanted to live, and the Twin Cities are the only place where I’ve seen that path. I’ve never looked back. The same creative drive to connect that animated me at Central and through my years as a musician and radio host animated my work here. At City Cast, we will celebrate the Twin Cities, we will dive deeper into the Twin Cities, and when we critique the Twin Cities we’ll do it only the way people who love it can. I love the Twin Cities. I am thankful everyday for how good they’ve been to me. I hope City Cast Twin Cities can make this place better and more hospitable for all.
