PCP: Hey Donna A! How’s the tour going?
 
Donna A: It’s good, we’ve sold out most of our shows.
 
PCP: Have you been heckled any during the tour?
 
Donna A: Yeah, I’m not sure where we were though, Las Vegas maybe. We were playing video games with some girls that won a contest and I was talking about it to some people and some guys were like "girls can’t play video games." I was like "what the fuck are you doing here if you’re thinking like that."
 
PCP: I’m sure you gals had offers in the past from major labels. What made you decide to sign with Atlantic?
 
Donna A: On our last album we felt like there was this ceiling above us from being on an independent label. You can only go so far with out a big office full of people working on it (the CD). The people at Lookout Records are kind of superhuman, we had the best press. It was so amazing for an independent label, but when you compare that press to even mediocre press on a major label it just doesn’t really compare...it doesn>t even exist. Press really isn’t where we did the best, it’s mostly radio and video. We really wanted to be on the radio because we heard that on rock radio it’s really hard to get girls played. That just made us want to get played more.
 
PCP: This album is getting a lot of attention and making a place for itself on the charts. Which of the five albums is your favorite?

Donna A: This one because it's kind of like when you see pictures of yourself you always look weirder because you look older. All our older albums look like we didn’t have enough time to record them, but we’re always moving in the direction of having more and more time.

PCP: Once signed to Atlantic did you feel like people were going to take you more seriously than they did before?
 
Donna A: I don’t think so. People are always really skeptical of us and I think that getting signed almost made us look like we were more put together. That in a way gave us less credibility, so we just have to work even harder to prove to people that we are a real band. But we worked really hard for this. When people try to get us to do things we don’t want to do we fight with every example we can think of. We’re not brats but we stand up for ourselves.
 
PCP: Was it hard to leave that "jailbait" image of your first three CDs behind?
 
Donna A: We’re kind of older now. Our new fans don’t really think of us that way, the fans that are already familiar with us were ready for us to get over it anyways. I think more people thought of the shirts as a gimmick than an actual fashion statement.
 
PCP: At your shows there are girls there as young as 12 that look up to The Donnas and want to be just like them. Are you okay with the idea of being a role model?
 
Donna A: Yeah, because we’re not really saying what to do or not to do. All we’re saying is just make sure you’re comfortable with what you do and don’t listen to other people. Don’t let other people make your rules or your morals. You should just make them for yourself and be happy with yourself.
 
PCP: Also at the shows I’ve noticed the stereotype of the "groupie" has shifted. It used to be the girls taking forever to pick out the best top that showed just the right amount of cleavage, now it’s the guys. They’re the ones picking out the right tattered vintage shirt to go with the right pair of Converse and spiking their hair just right. It’s a monumental thing to see guys actually caring about what they look like.
 
Donna A: Do you really think so because I thought they still look like they rolled out of bed.
 
PCP: You wouldn’t really think that look would take long...believe me, that style is in full effect and requires precision.
 
Donna A: I guess that’s like a highly, highly scientific style. How cute, that’s awesome.
 
PCP: Once you signed to Atlantic did you hear the traditional chorus of "sellout" like most indie bands that sign to major labels.
 
Donna A: We have but I kind of wonder, when we talk to those people and they are complaining, if they were really fans. Most of them seem like they were fans of Lookout, so they just liked all the bands on Lookout and that’s why they were like that. All Lookout fans were kind of weird and pissed. They’re not real fans anyway so it doesn’t matter. They weren’t the ones at the concert freakin’ out and stuff. So it’s not like we mention them either. They were the ones just hangin’ out trying to make friends and you don’t really notice. The fans that liked our band and really liked our sound didn’t care and were excited about it.
 
PCP: I saw you guys on VH1’s Ultimate Albums: Green Day. You were commenting on how irritating it was to see the "preppie" and "popular" kids were wearing Green Day patches and stickers on their binders and backpacks and singing the songs. Do you guys find yourself in that position?
 
Donna A: I always hear bands talking about how their audience is filled with people who would have kicked their ass in high school. I’m wondering if we’re moving in that direction or not. Well, not necessarily would’ve kicked our ass in high school but definitely would’ve snubbed us. That’s sort of what "You Wanna Get Me High" is about. These people come to our shows now that really did snub us in high school and now they’re wanting to talk to us. It’s funny because there are those people coming to our shows that we really knew and those that you can tell are popular at their school. They’ll talk to us and we’re thinking Ait’s weird that you like my band because you wouldn’t have
liked me!"
 
PCP: Well, I hope you sultry vixens reek havoc on the rest of your tour. Break some hearts and come back to Texas!
 
Donna A: We will!
 

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