You know the Donnas; you’ve seen them before, rockin’ the stage and doling out catchy rock ‘n’ roll guitar licks like they’re going out of style. That much makes it into all the magazines over and over again.

What you never hear about is what happens at the end of the day: what they do when they get home, what they like to veg out on TV to, what kinds of guys drive them wild. Who cares whether they use a Gibson Thunderbird or Zildjian cymbals?!—the public wants to know who’s got a beau!

It’s these kinds of hard–hitting questions that drive us here at DiSCORDER and so we cornered Donna C (Torry, drums) and Donna R (Allison, guitar) to ask them the questions that you want answers to.

What’s your idea of the perfect date?
Torry: I don’t know. I mean, I like to eat—I like to go out to dinner or to the movies. I don’t know; it’s so simple. To be honest, I’ve never really been on many dates. Like, I’ve had boyfriends and we would go out and stuff, but I’ve never really had someone I wasn’t really going out with some and take me on a date.
Allison: I think that’s because we go out with guys that are really immature, so they don’t really take you on a real date. They take you out for pizza or back to someone’s house or something. I like to go out to eat and then go back home and do something like watch your favourite movie together or TV show.

How do you maintain your sculpted form?
Allison: Well, we were just on a TV appearance and I saw my legs and I was wishing they were a little more sculpted. I have short legs, so I’d like them to be really, really thin—or else really long.
Torry: I’d love to stretch my legs.
Allison: Like in a candy–stretching machine.
Torry: We keep joking that we’re porking up for different things. Like when we did Jay Leno, we were like, “Yeah, let’s pork up!”
Allison: I don’t really feel very sculpted.
Torry: No.
Allison: I exercise—I think we all do—but we don’t really diet. We might be healthy, but we’ll never be those hardbodies.
Torry: And especially on the road—we totally all move around a lot on–stage and then, right afterwards, I get SO HUNGRY and then I just end up eating a lot right before I go to bed which is always the really smart idea.
Allison: It’s called the Sumo Diet.
Torry: We’re totally on that. That’s the diet we’re on.

What’s your beauty regimen?
Allison: We’re not really that fussy, but after the show you have to wash your face. It’s nasty because it’s covered in salty sweat and make–up. And we do the basic stuff, you know—you wash, you tone, you moisturize. And we take showers at night, because, you know, you just want to get the sweat off, so we wake up clean.

Is there a special someone?
Torry: Not for me.
Allison: I have a special someone right now.

What are the three things that you can’t live without?
Torry: I’d say the other three girls in the band.
Allison: That’s a nice thing to say! How can I top that?! I don’t wanna answer then.
Torry: We can both say that.
Allison: The other three.

What do you think of girls who ask guys out?
Both: I think that’s cool.
Allison: I never, ever had the guts when I was younger. Actually, I asked out my man now. Actually, my mom asked him out for me, in a way. I hinted! I was trying to be aggressive, but I’m so shy. My mom saw him and was like, “Oh, you’re the guy my daughter has a crush on,” and he was so oblivious; he didn’t realize that I did, even though I gave him many signs. I did everything but say, “Will you go out with me?” I think it’s really hard for girls. That would b the one thing that I’m not jealous of guys about. Everything else that guys have I want—I mean, not the dick, but everything else! I mean their way of life. I’m jealous that they don’t brush their hair and they can be dirty and girls still dig it—like guys in bands.
Torry: It’s “sexy” for guys in bands to be dirty.
Allison: The one thing that really sucks is when they hit puberty—I’m so glad we didn’t have to deal with that. Guys hitting puberty is a major problem. And asking girls out. Especially when they’re younger. I can’t even imagine that stress.
Torry: I think it’s cool when girls ask guys out. I think they should do it.
Allison: I think guys would probably like that.
Torry: I know! I can’t get the nerve up either.

Do you kiss on a first date?
Allison: It’s possible.
Torry: Yeah. Sure. Why not? I mean, if I like the guy! If I’m just going on a date with him and I don’t really like him, then maybe not.

How would you describe your style?
Allison: As a band I would say all of us are comfortable wearing jeans and sneakers most of the time. Or boots, if it’s cold out. We like to look like girls, but at the same time we never want to look overdone, because that’s kind of like what people expect of us. I think we’re really uncomfortable when we do photo shoots and people try to make us overly sexy. We’re all really different, you know, so when you try to make us more like these hot, sexy little numbers it gets really uncomfortable, because one person has big boobs, one person doesn’t, one person’s tall, one person’s short—we’ve all got insecurities and I think we feel much more comfortable when we can just be who we are in normal life. And we’re not tomboys either. I mean, we wear a little bit of makeup—we don’t wanna look haggard—but at the same time I think [we try to be] just comfortable and natural.
Torry: Yeah, no midriffs.
Allison: We don’t like to scare people when they see a picture of us and it’s really over the top with makeup and hair and then they see us in persona and we’re not like that. So we’ve been fighting a lot to try to keep our style visible because in a photo shoot people always want you to do something that you don’t do normally. It’s really hard to argue with it.

What do you have to say to people that look up to you?
Allison: Well, there are so many new girls at our shows that are saying that they’re starting bands and it just makes us so excited, because there have always been girl–bands that support other younger girls forming bands and becoming comfortable with playing instruments, but I think we’re one of the only bands that doesn’t make them feel like they have to be overly political, you know what I mean? We’re not telling people how to live their life or how to do it; we’re just basically saying, “Why can’t you start a band? You don’t have to be a genius and political; you don’t have to be beautiful; you don’t have to be a model.” I think there are a lot of girl–bands that have the message that you don’t have to know how to play, but I think we’re saying you can be a normal girl and play well! Maybe not the best, but you can figure it out eventually.
Torry: Just don’t care if people are putting you down. Try not to care—it’s hard, but keep going; keep practicing.
Allison: There are too many girl bands that can’t play and it gives a bad message. I mean, I think it’s better than no girl–bands, but it gives a message of, “Hey, here’s another girl–band that can’t play!” And it perpetuates the whole “Girls can’t play with males [attitude]”. You need to focus more on the playing.

What would make you think twice about dating someone?
Torry: If they didn’t shower. Ever.
Allison: If you found out they cheated on anyone. It doesn’t have to be you or anyone you know, but just if they’ve cheated before.
Torry: Or if they’re stuck–up or if you see them being rude to other people.
Allison:Yeah, even if they’re really nice to you, but if they don’t have manners or common courtesy—that kind of stuff bothers me, too. We could make a list!
Torry: I know! Many, many, many things!

What’s the biggest fashion no–no?
Allison: Wow, there’s so many!
Torry: I know!
Allison: Well, we mention wallet–chains, but we actually have friends that wear wallet–chains, so it’s kind of tongue–in–cheek. I think anything can be pulled off by the right person.
Torry: I’d say I’m over the boy’s ties. Can we put that one away?
Allison: I would say smeared lipstick and that whole “I’m a fucked–up looking whore” makeup–style. I don’t really dig that. It’s kind of out for me. Over it.
Torry: Hated it. Birkenstocks.
Allison: Birkenstocks are always out with our band!
Torry: Yeah, no Birkenstocks.

How do you know when it’s real?
Allison: When you know that they don’t care about anybody else in the world but you. And when you look really ugly in the morning and they still like you. That’s really important. No makeup, big ugly hair, nasty–looking—and they still like it. Yeah, that’s love.

If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing?
Torry: I’d wanna be an FBI profiler. I was gonna be an actress—that’s still a thing—but also the FBI profiler.
Allison: I couldn’t imagine that.
Torry: I can’t either!
Allison: You’re so happy, you’d be torn to shreds.
Torry: It’s true, it’s true! I read all these FBI books, but then I have nightmares and I have to stop reading them.
Allison: I was going to be a translator. Of Spanish. I was able to read pretty advanced books without using a dictionary, but it’s been four years since I was right in my prime and I can still understand it whn people talk to me, but when it come out of my mouth it’s all, “Rrrrwifoenekwokmog.” Really garbled.
Torry: She’s insanely good at languages.
Allison: I do like languages in general.
Torry: She picks them up quick.
Allison: I don’t know what else I would have done. Whn I was a kid I wanted to do everything. I wanted to be an artist and I wanted to be a writer—I would have done anything as long as it was creative. I’d never be a scientist. Can you imagine? I can’t imagine.