“Are we good?” she asked her camera guy.
“Ready when you are.”
Although the interview went well, I constantly worried about how I looked—in that humid environment, how badly had my eyeliner bled? Did my hair look flat? But as I looked at my bandmates, they appeared to be fine. Later when I viewed myself in a mirror, I realized my appearance wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. Yes, my eye makeup ran a little bit, but it didn’t look horrible. And, even though Zack dominated the interview like he always understandably did, Roxy made sure to ask Braden, Cy, and me pointed questions so we got a little air time.
At the end, after she sent the camera guy off to go capture more footage of bands onstage, she said, “Dani, if you don’t mind, I’d love to do a solo interview with you.”
“Yeah. You said that before.”
“No, this is different. I have a ‘Bad Ass Women in Rock’ series that you’d be perfect for. I’m a little overdue for a new installment.”
Holy shit. I’d have to check it out. I wondered if she had older rockers like Lita Ford and Joan Jett or if her series focused on contemporary women, like Maria Brink, ValerieQuinn, Taylor Momsen, Kyle Summers, and the like. Because I loved being part of this small group, I knew I’d have to dive into the whole series.
“I’d love that.”
“How about later today?”
I glanced at the guys and Zack said, “I don’t see why not. We’re here till tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect!” Roxy gave me her cell number, so I gave her mine, and she said she’d text me later when she had some free time. “I’m pretty much married to this festival till the gates close tomorrow night, but I think I could sneak out for a quick bite.”
And thus began my friendship with Roxanne French, AKA Roxy ofFerocityfame.
CHAPTER 10
The four of us split up—well, Braden and I split from Cy and Zack. We ate burritos and drank far too much soda. At one point, Braden went back for fries, but I wasn’t hungry. In fact, I was feeling tired. But it was fun catching some up-and-coming bands as well as many of our old favorites.
Around five o’clock California time, I got a text from Roxy.Can you hang with me for 30-45 mins?
Yeah.The answer should have beenhell, yeah, because even though I hadn’t initially known what to think of Roxy, I liked her vibe and felt like she could be an ally in my male-dominated world. She asked me to meet her at the tent.
I told Braden, “I’m gonna go hang with Roxy for a while.”
“Okay.” He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then said, “Good luck.”
“Thanks.” It wasn’t until I turned to head to the tent that I noticed a young woman holding up her phone toward us. Had she been taking a picture?
She looked to be about my age, so when we made eye contact, I simply said, “Hey.”
“Hey. Dani Mankin, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Can we get your autograph?”
I grinned. “Sure.” This didn’t happen that often for me, so I was thrilled. I signed a couple of posters for her and one of the other women she was hanging with, and then she asked for a picture.
When we posed together for a selfie, I realized she’d just wanted to connect, so as I walked to the tent, I was beaming. After years of being looked down upon as “just the drummer” and “a girl” at that, it was nice to be appreciated as a real member of the band to be worthy of adoration.
Roxy was standing by her booth and, when she saw me, walked my way. “I’ve got an Uber waiting for us just outside.”
“We can eat here if you want. I know you don’t have a lot of time.”
“No. We’re getting out of here for a little bit. After the festival tonight, I have to cover a couple of parties, so I just want to get away for a few minutes—and I’m hoping to interview you. If you’re still okay with that.”
We reached a nondescript shiny black car with its engine running, parked in the middle of the lot. Roxy waved at the driver and we got in the back. “Yeah, sure,” I told her, again feeling grateful that I was the center of attention for once.
In less than five minutes, we arrived at a sandwich shop and not long after that, we were sitting in a booth, each of us with a sandwich, pickle, and a drink. Roxy took out her phone and asked, “Do you mind if I record our conversation—just so I can eat?”
