Danica Roem has now done the unthinkable for a politician: She’s written a memoir, one that isn't boring.That’s what happens when a lawmaker starts her career by not trying to hide things from her past or by trying to present a false image of herself to the public.
If you’re the former front woman of a thrash metal band famous for partying and songs like “Drunk on Arrival,” either you don’t run for office or you turn it into a positive, an opportunity for your constituents to get to know the real you.Authenticity can be one of the hardest things to find in politics.
It’s something Danica Roem has an overabundance of, and that authenticity is on full display in her new memoir, Burn the Page (out now), an engrossing collection of the intimate, hilarious, sometimes beer-soaked moments that led to her history-making political career.“Some people try to make it hurt by being like ‘Danica wants to be a celebrity,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, Danica also passed 32 bills into law, including 10 to feed hungry kids,’” Roem tells The Advocate’s LGBTQ&A podcast. “I’m accessible to my constituents.
I show up. You’ll see me at every high school graduation next month. I recognize I’m a local legislator with a national profile.