“I don’t like anything stock,” says L7 guitarist Donita Sparks. “I like to take a left turn wherever I can with my limited chops.” Raging grunge-meets-punk anthems like Pretend We’re Dead, Shitlist and Shove suggest she’s being too modest. “Part of my shtick is self-deprecation,” she admits.

Nobody writes as many great songs as she has by limiting themselves. The truth is that Sparks – along with bandmates Suzi Gardner (guitars), Jennifer Finch (bass) and Dementra Plakas (drums) is a punk icon. “Thank you!” she says.

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Andrew Daly is an iced-coffee-addicted, oddball Telecaster-playing, alfredo pasta-loving journalist from Long Island, NY, who, in addition to being a contributing writer for Guitar World, scribes for Rock Candy, Bass Player, Total Guitar, and Classic Rock History. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.