Mayhem and mood swings -- a day with the Donnas

Mayhem and mood swings -- a day with the Donnas

Mayhem and mood swings -- a day with the Donnas: Aidin Vaziri | It is the last Tuesday in October, the day the Donnas release their sixth album, "Gold Medal," and the quartet have just stepped off a plane and swept up the elevator into a radio station. Bassist Maya Ford says she's in a bad mood because she found a Lenny Kravitz collage in the bathroom: "I don't like him because he's too short and wears high heels, which I think is lame." Her bandmates nod furiously in agreement. "I saw his wardrobe case backstage at a show we were playing together and it was huge," guitarist Allison Robertson says. "It was bigger than ours, and we're, like, four girls." Besides, singer Brett Anderson reckons, "He's a midget." Disappointed that a disco ball hanging in the control room doesn't work, the band asks the DJ to summon an intern to flick the overhead lights on and off to create the proper vibe. Then, after a long conversation within the band about movies and cocktails, drummer Torry Castellano turns to the DJ and says, "We don't even need you here." After the interview is over, Ford tells him, "I once called up to request a Don Henley song and you guys made fun of me." Apparently, she still hasn't gotten over it.