Taco Bell

(Michel tries to get Lorelai’s attention while she is studying)
MICHEL: Because learning the eating patterns of the average Taco Bell consumer is a vital lesson that –
LORELAI: Michel. What do you want?

Taco Bell is a chain of fast food restaurants that sell Tex-Mex foods such as as tacos, burritos, and nachos, serving 2 billion customers each year at over 7000 restaurants. It was founded in 1962 by restaurateur Glenn Bell, and first franchised in 1964. Since 1978 it has been part of the fast-food arm of PepsiCo.

Third Time’s a Charm

RORY: You’ve met him [Todd] twice.
LANE: But the third time’s a charm.

Third times a charm is the American version of the old saying, Third time lucky. It means that if you have failed in your first two attempts, you will probably succeed on the next one.

The origins of the proverb may be ancient, as the sacred power of things in threes is older than the Trinity, and can be found in Celtic magic and even fairy tales; it is a common idea in many cultures around the world.

Grandaddy

LANE: Hey, Grandaddy, new album used – I love a bargain.

Grandaddy is an American indie rock band formed in 1992, consisting of Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Kevin Garcia, and Tim Dryden. Their debut album came out in 1997, and they released four albums before disbanding in 2006. They reformed in 2012, and have made several live appearances. They released their fifth album in March 2017; two months later Kevin Garcia died from a stroke. Since then, the band have cancelled all planned engagements.

Their “new” album in 2001 was their second, The Sophtware Slump, which came out in May 2000. It gained widespread critical acclaim, and is regarded as one of the best albums of the 2000s.

That Lane buys even recently released albums second-hand demonstrates one way that she is able to afford so many CDs. My guess is that Apple Venus No. 2 was also a second-hand purchase, which is why she calls it “new” even four months after its release date.

Claudine Longet

LORELAI: Who the hell is that anyways?
RORY: Claudine Longet.
LORELAI: The chick who shot the skier?
RORY: Uh, sure, why not.
LORELAI: Wow – Renaissance woman.

Claudine Longet (born 1942) is a French singer, dancer, and actress who was popular during the 1960s and ’70s. In 1976 she was arrested and charged with fatally shooting her boyfriend, the American Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich in Aspen, Colorado. She claimed that the gun had discharged accidentally while Sabich was showing her how it worked.

Although the Aspen police gained evidence that Longet had cocaine in her system, and that her relationship with Sabich had become unhappy, they made procedural errors which meant that their evidence could not be used in court. Prosecutors noted that the autopsy report showed that Sabich had been bent over, facing away, and at least six feet (1.8 m) from Longet, which isn’t the usual position you take when showing someone how to handle a gun.

The jury convicted her of negligent homicide, and she was sentenced to pay a small fine and to spend thirty days in gaol in the manner of her own choosing. She chose to serve her sentence as weekend detention, and attracted public censure for going on holiday with her married defense attorney; they eventually married and still live in Aspen.

Longet was sued by the Sabich family, and the case was settled out of court. The conviction essentially ended Longet’s career, and she has lived out of the public eye ever since.

Church

LANE: And then I was thinking that this date could maybe happen this weekend.
RORY: Huh.
LANE: Sunday preferably.
RORY: Well –
LANE: After church.

Lane makes it sound as if the date will be the evening after church on Sunday, but as a Seventh Day Adventist she would attend church on Saturday. She must mean the date will be on the day after church – at least that’s the only way her statement makes any sense.

Lane’s Date with Todd

LANE: So anyhow, I was wondering if you could talk to Dean about maybe talking to Todd about me.
RORY: I guess.
LANE: And then maybe you could ask Dean to ask him out – for me.

It’s something of a puzzle why Lane doesn’t already know Todd well enough to ask him out herself since they have been attending the same small town high school for two years together. It’s possible that Todd is a relatively new student, starting the same year as Dean, in September 2000. Even so, she’s still had several months to talk to him a few times and decide whether she really likes him, or is just attracted to him. We must assume that Lane’s social skills with the opposite sex are very poor, as the incident with Rich Bloomenfeld demonstrated.

Walmart

While Rory and Lane are talking and listening to music, Lorelai comes in to complain that she has to study for a big test on “the Walmart phenomenon” to be held on Friday (it’s a new semester at college, and her classes have changed from Tuesday and Thursday to Friday and some other day: somehow going to night school on Fridays will not clash with Friday night dinners).

Walmart is a multinational retail company which operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores, founded in 1962. It is the world’s largest company by revenue, and the largest employer in the world.

When looking at the “Walmart phenomenon”, a business studies class might examine the profitability of the company and the methods by which they keep prices low, but also how that could impact on the wider community. For example, foreign product sourcing could hurt the US economy, low prices might force smaller stores out of business, and low wages mean that workers often need welfare payments as well to survive, placing further pressure on the economy.

God Only Knows

This is the song that Rory puts on the CD player after saying she had to listen someone named Claudine Longet.

God Only Knows was written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher for American rock band The Beach Boys; it was recorded for their 1966 album Pet Sounds. It has been critically acclaimed as showing that rock music is an art form, and often selected by both musicians and critics as their favourite song. Released as a single, it got to #39 in the US charts, but did best in the UK where it got to #2.

The version that Rory and Lane listen to is by French singer Claudine Longet. It is from her 1972 album Let’s Spend the Night Together.

Yoko Ono

LANE: A very misunderstood artist and the Beatles would’ve broken up anyways.
RORY: Have you shared this theory with anyone?
LANE: I know it, Yoko knows it, Sean knows it. Julian’s still in denial but what can you do?

Yoko Ono (born 1933) is a Japanese artist, singer, songwriter, peace activist, performance artist, and film-maker. She is famous for being the second wife of British singer-songwriter John Lennon, one of the Beatles. They met in 1966 and began a relationship while John was still married to his first wife, Cynthia, and were married in 1969.

The Beatles disbanded in 1970, and it is common to blame Yoko Ono as one of the primary causes of the band’s break up. Lennon and Ono spent all their time together, even when The Beatles were recording, which went against the band’s unspoken agreement not to allow wives or girlfriends into the studio. Ono frequently made comments and suggestions on the recording process, encouraged by Lennon, but to the other band members’ irritation.

However, The Beatles had experienced a number of stresses, including the death of their manager Brian Epstein in 1967, and the rise of George Harrison as a composer in his own right, with each member of the band beginning to have solo projects of their own. Although Ono placed further pressure on the band and contributed to feelings of ill-will, Lane is correct that The Beatles would have broken up anyway.

Sean Lennon (born 1975) is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, while Julian Lennon (born 1963) is the son of Lennon and his first wife Cynthia. One reason why Lane says Julian might be “in denial” is that Julian was excluded from his father’s will, with the majority of the estate going to Ono; Julian sued the estate and in 1996 reportedly accepted a settlement of £20 million.

Despite the many factors working against their relationship, Julian is said to be on polite terms with Yoko Ono, and gets on very well with Sean. I’m not sure Julian has ever expressed an opinion on whether Ono broke up The Beatles (and by this stage, probably doesn’t care anyway).

Yoko Ono made several albums in collaboration with John Lennon, while also releasing solo albums – her solo debut album was in 1970. Although critics dismissed her work for many years, in November 2001 she brought out a concept album which was critically acclaimed, so Lane (and the show) was slightly ahead of the trends by recognising her as a misunderstood genius.

Once again, Lane demonstrates a sympathy for creative artists of Asian heritage. Perhaps she can picture herself as another Yoko Ono, bringing out avant-garde pop music with a feminist slant to it.

Lane’s New CDs

For the purposes of this episode, it is important that we understand Lane is a fanatic about popular music. Just in case we forgot that, the episode begins with Lane visiting Rory to show her the big stack of new CDs she has just bought.

The Best of Blonde is the first compilation album from the American new wave band Blondie, which was released in 1981. The album went to #30 in the US, but was much more successful around the world, getting to #4 in the UK, and #1 in Australia and New Zealand.

Kraftwerk is a German electronic music band formed in 1969, founded by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Pioneers in electronic music, they were among the first to popularise the genre, and has been highly influential in synthpop, techno, ambient, hip-hop, and club music. Their 1974 album Autobahn was their first to fully embrace the electronic sound, and the title track became a surprise hit around the world. The album got to #7 in Germany, #5 in the US and #4 in the UK.

Young Marble Giants were a Welsh post-punk band formed in 1978, with Alison Statton providing vocals for the instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham. Their minimalist sound was in sharp contrast to the aggressive punk rock dominating the era. They only released one album – Colossal Youth, which came out in 1980. It is one of the most highly-regarded indie recordings of all time and a major influence on Nirvana.

Among the CDs you can see a copy of Up on the Sun, the 1985 album by American rock band the Meat Puppets. The album has a more psychedelic feel to their earlier hard rock punk albums. The band was a great influence on bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Dinosaur Jr.

You might wonder how Lane managed to afford all the CDs she bought. She worked part-time at the antiques store, and later we learn her parents paid her $100 a month in wages. It seems that Lane also bought most of her music second-hand, and says that she loves a bargain. Later on, we find that Lane buys her CDs from Amazon, the same place Rory buys her books.