1. What It's Like To Be a Rock Star Elizabeth Pearson Garr 46:30

Brett Anderson never planned on being a rock star.  She was in middle school when she and three girlfriends decided to form a band.  Just a few years later–while still in high school–they were touring Japan, and soon after that they signed a major record deal and became known worldwide.  The Donnas were a hit.

In this episode, we learn what it was really like to be “Donna A.”–from why she calls her early vocals “screamy and thrashy” to the differences between touring in a van and a tour bus.  The Donnas were often underestimated for being an all-female group, but their bond helped them get through the times they had to “laugh and cry at the same time.”  Brett talks about about writing songs, taking care of her voice, performing on “Saturday Night Live,” and a lot more stories from backstage.

After The Donnas stopped playing music together, Brett went back to school and found new passions.  She shares the joy in discovering second, third, even fourth acts in life.

In this episode:

How the band came together (03:20)
Obstacles faced being an all-female band (05:28)
How the band’s songwriting evolved and how they created their music (08:05)
How the band grew (10:53)
Were they really living the rock and roll life, or did they have onstage personas? (14:45)
What’s the main difference between touring in a van or a tour bus? (18:56)
How Brett would protect her voice–and issues (24:35)
What was it like to be on Saturday Night Live? (25:18)
The importance of being in the moment during a big performance (28:34)
Tips when forgetting lyrics onstage (30:24)
Why the band stopped playing together (34:24)
How it felt going back to school (36:38)
The Donnas music in movies and videogames (41:29)

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Elizabeth Pearson Garr Podcaster

Elizabeth Pearson Garr has spent a lot of her life asking questions. A daughter of a professor and a principal, as a kid she loved sitting at the “adult table” during their dinner parties so she could participate in the “real” conversations.

Elizabeth went on to graduate with honors from Harvard with a degree in History and Literature, and promptly attended professional cooking school to become a food writer. That led to various career opportunities, including becoming one of the first employees of the Television Food Network; writing/producing gigs at networks from PBS to E!; anchoring/reporting at the NBC affiliate in Billings, Montana; earning a graduate degree in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford University; and various and sundry other things. The through-line to all this has been curiosity. Elizabeth is a skilled interviewer who loves diving deep into research, finding connections, and telling good stories.

Elizabeth has a husband, two daughters, and a fluffy white dog who rarely leaves her side.