It started out as a joke. I had heard about The Donnas, and from that point on, made fun of them. (Yes, I know...I feel guilty now). A little while after that, I met a guy OL named Jeremy who loooooooveeedd The Donnas and made his love for The Donnas his motive for living. I admired his dedication but scoffed at his bad taste n music (although, I had never heard them before but was SURE they were horrible). I made fun of them to him, and he always said I was awesome, but would be more awesome if I loved The Donnas. I would smile at this remark, convinced that it would never happen.

After school one day, I went to The Wherehouse on my typical bi-weekly raid of the used cd's. While scanning down the isle for a Jellyfish cd, there it was. The Four girls that I knew nothing about, but loathed passionatly. "American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine", one of The Donnas' first albums. I hurried to the little cd player thing to "listen before you buy". In it went... and I heard it, and hated it. Every time I would go there, I would listen to it eagerly to laugh more and more. After 3 listens I decided I had to have this little piece of entertainment, just for the hell of it. Most of my friends found it questionable, but I went ahead and bought it in spite of them.

Home I went! With my little treasure tucked away in my overdecorated backpack. I slammed it in my new awesome sound system and blared my new found hate as loud as I could. Before I knew it, I was singin Donnas lyrics and bouncin around the room like a madwoman. Before I realized it, the cd had been on the Ginger Jukebox for a whole month... nonstop. My friends began to worry again. But I didn't care! No, I didn't care at all. I still made fun of the fantastic four a little... but soon after that, I started to feel the guilt. This is when my loyalty to The Donnas began to set in. This is when my friends started to freak.

I would say "They're the band I love to hate. I hate them SO MUCH that I love them." I would always get blank stares. Tim never understood me, either. But it was something I honestly believed. Because there was no feesible way that I would be a Donnas fan.

In the next few months (April - June) my hate for the Donnas manifested into this immense obsession. I bought their first album and LOVED it's energy and sillyness. It showed a side of The Donnas I didn't think was there. It gave them personality. All I did was talk about them. Sing Donnas lyrics at the top of my lungs wherever I was. In the mall, in the school auditorium, in the middle of class. It was something that I couldn't resist. A type of turett's syndrome, I suppose. Donnas symdrome, yes. That's it. And I had it BAD. It wasn't a hateful obsession though. No, not this time. I had reached the point of no return, and I became an American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine. I was a Donnas fan, and I actually wore that label with more pride than I ever wore any label before. But this wasn't the end. It was simply a beginning...

Late June rolled around, and word of mouth (and LA Weekly) said that The Donnas were playing at the Troubador! I pounced at the chance, and me and my friend Matt grabbed 4 tickets before they sold out. I anticipated that day almost more than I anticipated Tim's (my boyfriend at-the-time) return from Italy. The Donnas new CD (Get Skintight) came out and I was one of the first proud owners. I listened and was a tad dissapointed, but again, I had learned earlier from my long lost friend Jeremy that you had to love the Donnas stuff because it was written by The Donnas. I had to accept them as is, and I did so. It grew on me... nedless to say, I love that album too.

Before I knew it, Tim was back and we were on our way to THE DONNAS SHOW!! Featured show at The Troubador, and I was shrieking inside. I was about to see The Donnas!!!!! We arrived just in time to see the last band wrapping up their set, so I managed to finagle my way to the side of the stage. As soon as the band played their last chords, the crowd shifted (you know.. the drunks to get their booze... the horny to get off...) Stuff like that. I got us a great place right near the front, in front of Donna F. I was a little suprised to see that they weren't in their usual Donnas order as I had always believed they had... with Donna R on the left and Donna F on the right. I might not have been to a concert of theirs before, but I did do my research. This little change didn't phase me though. I could see the Donnas taking pictures and joking around in the green room. Suddenly, Rodney on The Roq (a muffly-speaking guy who hosts a late night show on a popular local radio station, 106.7 KROQ. He plays The Donnas a lot and shows the listining public how rock SHOULD be played) showed up on stage and introduced the 4 muses!!! Their silkscreen banner flopped down, and there they stood, towering over me like Superheros. MY superheros! All 4 of them!!! They opened their set with "Hyperactive". I remember everything... the thrills, the heat...because that was the most fun I have ever had in my life! To read about the WHOLE show, try The Concert Review!