Lizz Winstead recruits cast of women musicians to spoof rock's most sexist songs

Lizz Winstead has a peculiar way of selling the music on tap for her fundraiser/rally Sunday night with an all-star cast of mostly Twin Cities-based women musicians at the Cedar Cultural Center.

"We barfed up a great list of songs pretty easily," said the local comedy legend and "Daily Show" co-creator, whose second annual event is billed as "Do Re #MeToo: A Night of Sexist Songs Sung by Righteous Feminists." Hence her vomitory reference to the night's set list.

Tina Schlieske (Tina & the B-Sides), Jill Sobule, Lady Lark, Lori Barbero (Babes in Toyland), Annie Mack, Janey Winterbauer (the Suburbs), Katy Vernon, Danielle Cusack and Emily Schoonover (Bruise Violet), Meghan Kreidler (Kiss the Tiger), Triki Miki and all three members of Zuzu's Petals -- a rare reunion by the Twin/Tone-brand '90s rock trio! – will cover some of the most sexist in rock and pop history, with Winstead serving as emcee and commentator.

"There's no shortage of possibilities," said Winstead, whose nonprofit organization Abortion Access Front is the show's benefactor.

The Minneapolis native did not want to spoil the surprises on tap for this year, but she did discuss some of the songs played last year, including: Neil Young's "A Man Needs a Maid" ("I always loved that one but never knew how bad it is; even with that title"); the Police's "Don't Stand So Close to Me" ("One of many songs with the gist: 'You're too young for me to [bleep], but that's your problem' "); Robin Thicke's more recent "Blurred Lines" ("Keeping old traditions alive"), and "It's a Man's World" by James Brown.

"[Schlieske] just absolutely killed it with her voice," Winstead said of the latter, "but she also added her own lines to it to literally make it her own."

The comedian also revealed the one song that was determined to actually be too sexist: "Jailbait" by Ted Nugent, who really could make up half the show: "Just way too creepy, especially in light of some of this past week's big news headlines."

This past year's headlines have been rather bleak for anyone who defends women's reproductive rights in the United States. Winstead renamed her organization in light of all the legislation and other developments since last year's show (her nonprofit used to be called Lady Parts Justice League). Still, she said Sunday's event can -- and should -- still maintain its irreverent tone.

"When people can still laugh, they haven't given up hope, and when you expose hypocrisy through humor, you become a reliable narrator," she said, summing up the Cedar gig's overall effect this way: "It's still a great rock 'n' roll show, but one where we highlight the long, twisted history of women being defined by men in pop culture."