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Interview with
DONITA SPARKS
from
L7
(1st December 2023)

Interview with Shaquira Hobbs and Dave Bruce

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Dave: How did Donita create L7 and have this massive musical career as a female rocker?
Donita: Well, that would be a very long answer. I would say, as a kid, I always wanted to be in the arts. And I moved to Los Angeles to push the issue. I did not go to college. I went, much to my parents’ dismay, and I moved to LA just to see what could happen. And I played a little guitar, and I had a friend who kind of dared me to come down and play and ended up being in that band. And then I met Susie Gardner, and we started L7. And as the years went on, we just gained new members, and we gained a following. And then, you know, every little step along the way got us to where we got. So, you know, it was a long haul. It was very tough. And, but that’s kind of how it started.

Dave: Let me introduce Shaquira. She has been researching and would love to ask you some questions.
Shaquira: Hi, Danita. Nice to talk to you.
Donita: Hi, Shaquira.

Shaquira:  Your role in L7 is often associated with breaking gender norms in the rock scene. How has being a fiercely feminist LA thrasher influenced your approach to music and your experience in the industry?
Donita: Well, I don’t know how much effect it had on my song writing, and if I was describing myself, probably being female wouldn’t even hit the top five. But feminists have always had a place in my whole life. I grew up with the women’s lib movement. My parents were feminists and I have three older sisters. So we were constantly going to battle against school boards, etc. That’s just a part of my DNA. So our songs are not really female focused that much.I would say that they’re pretty universal. We’ve got songs about girls. We’ve got songs about boys. We’ve got songs about war. So, we don’t predominantly write from one perspective.

Shaquira: So you make songs about all sorts of things. You personally have your views, and that influences your music.
Donita: Yeah. I mean, I’m a card carrying lots of things. So and, you know, feminist is one of them.

Shaquira: You were in a famous tampon throwing incident at the Reading Festival. It was a defining moment in history for L7. Looking back, what motivated you to respond in such a memorable way?
Donita: Well, we were being assaulted with mud. And we were very much looking forward to that concert. It launched a lot of bands. And we thought that maybe it was going to be a launching pad to get even bigger, which didn’t happen. It was it was a tough show. And you’re looking out at an audience of dudes who are like throwing stuff at you really hard. And they are all bottom feeders. Being a female, you can’t help but go there and say, why are these dudes throwing shit at a bunch of women? You know what I mean? So it was different than if we were a bunch of blokes, because your mind can’t help but go there. Like, are they hating us because we’re women up here? Like, what the fuck is going on? You know, it was really rough show, and we were playing on borrowed gear and it was just tough. And then, I used to do performance art back in the day and I was like, fuck it, I’m going performance art on their asses. And so I whipped out a tampon and I threw it at them. They threw mud. I threw blood. And there it goes down in her story.

Shaquira: That is perfect. That’s one of those moments in history. It should be a standard. Absolute standard. And I think that’s a fantastic example of, you know, making a point that should have got more airplay, I think, because it would teach people a lot just from that sort of act. So, all power to you. I think that’s fantastic.
Donita: Well, you know, it was performance art, feminist and absurd and funny. So, I’ve always liked that combo, it’s like Mel Brooks wrote Springtime for Hitler in Germany. Absolutely.

Shaquira: That’s the point. It’s a point. It’s a special visual. It’s not just something that someone’s just picked up what’s beside them and thrown it. It’s got real meaning if you stop and think.
Donita: I’m going to go further. We’re not the best at like super sincere lyrics. I think that our strongest lyrics have a little bit of biting humor to them. And that’s that’s the way we roll with stuff. That’s just the way we are.

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Shaquira: So, from the tampon incident and your lyrics, your music is doing described as blistering political punk metal. How did the band’s feminist ethos shape into the musical direction, lyrical content of your songs?
Donita: Well not all of our songs are feminist. Yes. And most of our lyrics come from real people or real events that happened to us. Wargasm.There was a war going on that the United States was involved in, as usual. So it’s not that we’re all about, you know the feminine. Feminism is just one of the cards I carry.

Shaquira: Is it driving nuts that we were asking these questions?
Donita: What’s that? Does it drive me nuts that you’re asking these questions? Well, we’ve always led by example as opposed to being on a pulpit about anything. So I think it’s a little obvious what we are and who we are. And I don’t think there’s much to figure out about us.

Shaquira: So, let’s get on with the music.
Donita: Well, you’re asking me about my lyrics. I would just say it’s tough from my perspective because I’ve never been a male. I think to have a band and to make it is a really tough mountain to climb for anybody, for anybody who does this. Hey, man, if you’re black, they’re going to hate you because you’re black. If you’re you know, if you’re with your women, they’re going to be threatened by you and what you have to say. So people haters are going to use any excuse to hate on you and to block you from the white patriarchy. So, you know, that’s going to happen.
But I’ve had many relationships with male white dudes who have had a horrible, horrible time going up that mountain. And it’s tough, man. You want to be in a band. It’s not for lightweights. So, you better toughen up because it’s going to be tough. And that’s for anybody involved.

Shaquira: Absolutely. So, talking about getting everything out there, there was a documentary ‘Pretend We’re Dead’. What compelled you to share the band’s story? And do you feel there are any aspects that were overlooked or misunderstood within the story?
Donita: Oh, I don’t know, because I’ve just heard good things about the documentary. I’ve heard that people feel it’s very it’s a very honest portrayal of the life of an artist and a band.
You know, you go up, you go down. It’s going to happen. And so we had a lot of home movie footage, which was very rare back in the day.
We pooled our money and bought a camcorder and we just started shooting. And so we had all this footage and it was like, wow, this is really this is cool. This is fascinating. You know, like just watching it and like we hadn’t been a band in years. And I was watching this old footage like we should put this out. You know, this is cool. So that’s what we did. We found a director. We didn’t give her final edit. We had final edit and that’s how we did it. And I feel it’s important that we told our story and told a story of that era in rock, which was a lot of people are very fond of. You know, you’ve made it once you’ve had a documentary done about you there. Even if you have to push the issue. You have to hire the fucking director yourself. You know what I mean? So, yeah, but there was demand for it. And I I’ve had other artists come up to me and really appreciate it. You know, we were at the screening for it on the opening night and it got very quiet in the theater during certain moments. And it was like you could just hear a pin drop like, oh, people are relating to this.
You know, you don’t even have to be in a rock band. Just if you just if you try to break out as a as an artist or an entrepreneur, you know, whatever. It’s a risk, you know, and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it does not.
But that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

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Shaquira: You do your thing and whatever anyone else does is whatever they do. And, you know, if you’re doing your thing and you get it out there and you say what you want to say and all that sort of stuff. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it is lighter.
Donita: Yeah, I mean, I agree. And would any of us trade? You know, we’re not rich people but like would any of us trade this to have gone, you know. House, kids, marriage, mortgage, you know, that route, you know? Probably not.

Dave: Your solo project, Donita Sparks and the Stolen Moments, showcases a different musical side. How does your solo work differ from your contributions to L7 and what creative freedom does it offer you?
Donita: Oh, I think as L7’s career went on, we got more and more diverse in our song writing. And I do not agree with the description of us as punk metal. I think that that’s just two ingredients in our stew. I think we also do dark pop. I think we do straight pop. I think we’ve got some ballads that we were doing towards the end of our career. And with the Stellar Moments, I continued to do that and pushed it even more. So I like pop, especially if it’s from the 50s and 60s and 70s. But, you know, I just I like song writing and I like being a diverse songwriter like the Rolling Stones, like the Beatles. I’m not a one trick pony and neither are L7.

Dave: Cool, cool, cool. You co-founded L7 with Suzy Gardner in 85. How did your background in that art punk DIY scene contribute to the band’s creative foundation? How did you navigate the expectations of performance in the late 80s and 90s?
Donita: Well, Suzy and I are art punks. And so we had that kind of approach to doing hard rock. And so it was kind of we were kind of unbeknownst to us. We were unintentionally deconstructing metal. Well, no, intentionally, actually. We liked we liked the slow parts that got really kind of gunk gunk, like with Suicidal Tendencies, like the slow parts, you know. And we don’t like doodly doodly doodly guitar playing on our leads. We like more simple stuff that’s catchy. And Suzy’s more blues influenced. I’m a little more surf influenced. I think that that’s what we were doing and nobody else was doing that, at least in Los Angeles at the time. So we were this kind of this anomaly of art punks doing this hard rock, you know?

Dave: L7’s reunion in 2014 marked a significant moment for fans. How did it feel to come back together and what goals the band set for the reunion tour and subsequent projects?
Donita: Well, I think if we had not come back together for a reunion tour and we had not put out the documentary, I think we would have been completely forgotten. And we were already swept under the rug. You know, we were not on the Internet. You couldn’t find any articles about us. It was like we disappeared. We were we had copies of ourselves. We were in print magazines. But other than that, we were like vanished from the Internet. So, I felt a responsibility to tell our story because God damn it, we deserve to be seen. Our story deserves to be known. And so, it’s important for younger people to see that it’s not just these people who are on, you know, TV shows and. And the radio who are your role models, try us, pretty good fucking role models, so that that was important to me.

Dave:  Cash Music, which you co-founded in 2008, is supporting musicians with open-source tools. How did this initiative come about? What impact do you believe it has had on independent artists in the industry?
Donita: Kristen Hirsch from Throwing Muses and I and our managers started Cash Music and it was pre-Kickstarter. We chose to make it a non-profit to help artists. But then Kickstarter came along and made it for profit, but they had a lot more funding behind it. So they kind of took the forefront on that. But it was basically that. I think if anything, it helped to influence these other sites that have become very useful for artists. So, you know, hey, we didn’t make the bread, but we made the impact.

Dave: Hosting the Hi-Low Show with Donita Sparks is a new venture for you. What inspired the show and how do you approach the weekly format with performances and special music guests?
Donita: Well, the Hi-Low Show started the first month of the pandemic and I was trapped in my place and decided to make a show that was going that was benefiting Music Cares, which is a fund that helps musicians through recovery and other hospital stuff. And so I did it. Like I said, I’m an art punk. I used to do performance art. I like comedy a lot. I like weirdness. And so we just put together the HiLow Show and we had really cool guests on it doing karaoke with me. And it’s a fun watch. If you’ve got some time to kill, check out the Hi-Low Show. It’s on my YouTube page.

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Dave: I will. Let’s finish with some quick question/answer questions. If you can perform with any music artist alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
Donita: Oh. Too hard? No, I’d say the Ramones. I mean, I performed with Didi Ramone. His band actually opened for L7. But, you know, to play with with the Ramones would be great. They were unbelievable.

Dave: What are your long term aspirations still as a music artist? Do you have them? Of course you do.
Donita: Oh, you know, I’d love to write a song that crossed genres. You know, like I love the song Genius of Love by the Tom Tom Club because it’s loved by punk rockers. It’s loved by New Wave. It’s loved by hip hop people. It’s loved by Chicanos in Los Angeles, like low riding, blasting genius of love. And to me, the pinnacle is to write something that was appreciated by different types of people instead of just rock.

Dave: What piece of advice would you give to an artist starting out?
Donita: I’d say don’t worry that you don’t know how to play yet. Just start your band, get it going, learn along the way and, you know, get out there, make some noise and you’ll get better. And you might just have it right out of the gate. Who fucking knows? But I would say just do it. Don’t wait. Don’t try to be a virtuoso. Get a get a get a little amp, get a guitar, whatever, and just go. So that’s what I would say.

Dave: What’s the best thing about performing to a live audience?
Donita: Oh, the energy, the energy going back and forth from the band to the audience, from the audience to the band. It’s a very cool experience, very human experience. And the rapture that a lot of people feel in church sometimes, you know, that happens. That happens at live music. When they’re singing your words back to you.

Dave: Favorite album.
Donita: Ramones Rocket to Russia.

Dave: Favorite artist.
Donita: The Rolling Stones.

Dave: Aren’t they unbelievable? Favorite movie.
Donita: King of Comedy.

Dave: Wow. There you go. Favorite place to visit.
Donita: Hawaii.

Dave: Favorite venue to play.
Donita: That’s a tough one. I like the old Threadbare theaters, you know, with the seats ripped out. I like those kind of places.

Dave: Do you have a tendency to enjoy the smaller show rather than the bigger show? Do you like it or do you like it rocking?
Donita: I like a bigger show. You know, festivals are maybe a little too big. I mean, but I’ll take them, you know, I’m not poo poo festivals, but I prefer a decent size, big club or small theater. I think that’s probably my favorite.

Dave: Favorite food.
Donita: Probably Mexican.

Dave: Favorite drink.
Donita: I’ll say a margarita.

Dave: Favorite person in history?
Donita: Well, I will say my mother and she’s still kicking.

Dave: Favorite tattoo.
Donita: Favorite tattoo on me. I don’t have any. So I have no tattoos.

Dave: After all that time in the music industry, you just never got to that point where you are plastered in tattoos?
Donita: I have a gold tooth, you know.

Dave: Haha. Too good. Thanks Donita, that was great.
Donita: Thank you both. I look forward to seeing you downunder.

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Follow L7 
Website – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter 

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Press Release 16th April 2023 (below) HERE

L7
announce
‘Bricks Are Heavy’
and more

+ Australian and NZ Tour

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L7 December 2023
Australian and NZ Tour Dates

Wednesday Dec 6th – Auckland, Powerstation
Friday Dec 8th – Sydney, Metro Theatre
Saturday Dec 9th – Brisbane, The Tivoli
Tuesday Dec 12th – Adelaide, The Gov
Wednesday Dec 13th – Perth, Rosemount Hotel
Friday Dec 15th – Melbourne, Croxton Bandroom

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AMNPLIFY – DB