[The following interview is transcribed from John Sekerka's radio show, Tape Hiss, which runs on CHUO FM in Ottawa, Canada. This month, John talks to Donna A, vocalist of one of the best punk-metal bands in the biz, The Donnas.]

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From Kiss to The Backstreet Boys: Donna "A" divulges personal teenybopper secrets, hanging out in a New Jersey phone booth. The Donnas are about to play Maxwell's, and are riding high on the success of their Lookout album "Get Skintight".


Donna A: We're gonna totally tear the town apart!

John: Uh, okay. Say Donna A, just to clear matters up, what is your role in the band?

Donna A: I sing.

John: Okay Donna A - the singer: I hear a lot of commotion, set the scene will ya?

Donna A: Well, I'm standing at this corner, staking out the grounds for Bon Jovi - a limo just pulled up and a hooker stepped out with the biggest boobs I've ever seen in real life - not counting Jerry Springer. You know, cuz that's TV. I think they musta been like a G or an F. And I'm standing next to this metal box and there are some thumping noises inside, but it's locked. I think someone might have put a dog inside.

John: That's some scene. You've actually been around for a while, but The Donnas are still pretty young. Are you drinking age yet?

Donna A: I just turned twenty.

John: So you sip soda pop before hitting the stage then?

Donna A: Yeah we just get Coke. Coke and water. Last night we got beer cuz it was New York City and they have some respect for us.

John: What is the range of age for The Donnas? Are you the oldest?

Donna A: Naw, I'm the third oldest. We're all twenty. Donna R just turned twenty.

John: How old were you when you started playing?

Donna A: Thirteen.

John: What kinda stuff were you playing when you first started out?

Donna A: We were doing covers like Shonen Knife and Syndicate of Sound, L7 and The Muffs.

John: Where do you see yourself in the big scheme of rock'n'roll: are you the next Kiss or the next Spice Girls?

Donna A: I think we'd rather be Kiss.

John: Do you have Kiss posters on yer bedroom wall?

Donna A: (sheepishly) Yes.

John: Are you all Kiss fans?

Donna A: Oh yeah, we went to see 'em at Dodger stadium on Halloween, and we had tenth row tickets. It was so cool. We also have a song - "Strutter" in that movie Detroit Rock City.

John: Why The Donnas? Why not The Heathers, or Allisons?

Donna A: We love those letters on the McDonalds Happy Meal logo. We really liked the font, so we used it for our logo. One day we might get sued.

John: Are you still schoolgirls?

Donna A: No we're not. We have nothing to do with school.

John: Are you rock'n'rolling full time then?

Donna A: More than full time!

John: Are you babysitting to offset the costs?

Donna A: I used to baby-sit, but I quit.

John: Do you have any baby-sitting horror stories?

Donna A: ...I'm sorry, there's like a church group surrounding me now.

John: They must be after that hooker.

Donna A: Yeah, these religious people are some loud folk!

John: Seems to me that you girls have a huge seventies fixation.

Donna A: Yes we do.

John: Is it the music, the fashion, or the whole damn thing?

Donna A: It's everything about it.

John: If you could, would you transport yourself back to the seventies?

Donna A: I dunno. If I could bring back my Nintendo 64, my TV, my VCR and all that shit. I like technology, but I guess, maybe.

John: Donna, I lived through the seventies and I gotta say that you don't wanna go back there girl. Put on some earth shoes and tell me otherwise!

Donna A: That's what I'm saying. I enjoy some of the pleasures of the nineties. I wouldn't have been able to enjoy Vanilla Ice.

John: Okay .... What was it like having seventies nutbars, The McDonald brothers from Redd Kross producing your record?

Donna A: It was crazy. They just talked about the Kelly Family the whole time. They're an infomercial family band. They're obsessed with them.

John: So Donna A - who is the biggest hunk in the world right now?

Donna A: Hmmm....

John: Who's poster is going up next on your bedroom wall?

Donna A: The Backstreet Boys!

John: That'd be a great double bill: The Donnas and The Backstreet Boys.

Donna A: Oh yeah, we wanna go out on a date with 'em.

John: You could probably teach those boys a thing or two.

Donna A: Yeah, they could probably teach us a couple of things.

John: What's your favourite drink?

Donna A: I have a few. If it's hot out I like to drink Gin and Tonic. And if it's hot out (snicker) I like to drink frozen grasshoppers. I only drink when it's hot out.

John: Frozen Grasshoppers?

Donna A: Yeah, they're really good if you're in the mood for dessert, but when there's no ice cream around. It's creme de menthe, creme de caucau, some cream and ice.

John: A dietary drink.

Donna A: Yeah, it's a beautiful, beautiful concoction! We ran up a bar tab of like $200 on those when we were in England. It was a wonderful thing.

John: (another phone booth interruption) Gee Donna, I thought you'd be calling me on a cell phone from the back of a fancy limo.

Donna A: Yeah, whatever. Everyone thinks we have it easy.

John: Just kidding. Say what is yer mode of transportation on this tour?

Donna A: A van.

John: A stinky van?

Donna A: Yeah, well it's not all that stinky.

John: I guess girls don't get as stinky as guys.

Donna A: Yeah.

John: What's yer fave snack?

Donna A: Are you talking candy or salty?

John: Uh, let's do both, starting with candy.

Donna A: Okay, I like anything gummy or sour. For salty snacks I like orange snacks.

John: Orange salty snacks?

Donna A: Yeah, you know cheddar cheese or barbecue or flaming hot Cheetos, they're the best.

John: What tapes are in your non-stinky van when touring?

Donna A: We're listening to a lot of Kiss, Motley Crüe, ABBA, Poison, Bel Biv DeVoe, Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Backstreet Boys...

John: Geez, chart topping schmaltz, and I thought you were a punk band.

Donna A: We like punk too, but in the van we like to sing along.


....tape hiss....


(C) 2000 - John Sekerka