Tag: Music

Fugazi

LANE: Wh-what kind of music do you like?
TODD: I don’t know – whatever.
LANE: Fugazi?
TODD: What?
LANE: The band on your shirt.
TODD: Oh. Huh, pretty cool picture.
LANE: You don’t know what’s on your shirt?
TODD: It’s my sister’s.

Fugazi is an American punk rock band formed in 1987, consisting of Ian MacKaye, Guy Picciotto, Joe Lally, and Brendan Canty. Their first album was released in 1990, and their most recent album from Lane’s perspective is End Hits (1998), which looks to be featured on the tee shirt Todd is wearing. The band has been on hiatus since 2003.

Fugazi are famous for not selling or licensing merchandising, creating an enormous market for bootleg tee-shirts. Presumably Lane knows that the shirt Todd is wearing is unofficial, but can’t see the point of discussing it with him.

Lane’s Favorite Musical Artists

LANE: And the amazing thing is, all these girls are screaming and none of them are getting the joke. He’s playing the character of a rock star. I mean, Beck is a genius and all these stupid girls are screaming at him just because they’re buying into the rock star image. I love Beck. I understand Beck. And the Foo Fighters – gods. I mean, have you heard the acoustic version of Everlong? I can’t even talk about it you know? Hey, you know who I’ve really gotten into lately? The Velvet Underground. Oh and Nico – she’s amazing. Depressing scary German chick. I have the CD if you wanna borrow it sometime.

Lane rather nervously attempts to make conversation with her crush, Todd by giving him a list of some of her favourite musical artists in the desperate hope of finding something they might share in common.

Beck Hansen (born Bek Campbell in 1970), known professionally as Beck, is an American alternative rock singer, songwriter, music producer, and musician. First performing in the mid 1980s, he rose to fame in 1994 due to his single Loser, releasing his first album the same year. His most successful album is Odelay, released in 1996. It’s amusing to think that all the “stupid girls” probably also believe they “understand” Beck.

Foo Fighters is an American rock band founded in 1994 by Dave Grohl, the drummer for Nirvana; he conceived of it as a project for himself after Nirvana dissolved following the death of frontman Kurt Cobain. Their 1997 song Everlong is from their second album, The Colour and the Shape; it went to #3 on the alternative music charts and is regarded as a classic rock anthem. Dave Grohl played an impromptu acoustic version of the song on Howard Stern’s radio show in 1997, and it proved so popular that an acoustic version was recorded for radio use in 1998 and became more famous than the original. The band is now more likely to play the acoustic version live.

The Velvet Underground is an American avant-garde band formed in 1964 by founding members Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Angus MacLise. They were first active between 1965 and 1973 and were once managed by Andy Warhol who used them as his house band. They had little commercial success and met with critical indifference, but they were highly influential in the development of punk and experimental rock, and are now regarded as one of the greatest musical acts of all time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The Czech writer and activist Václav Havel, earlier mentioned, was a big fan of theirs, and coincidentally or not, a leading figure in the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

Nico was the stage name of Christa Päffgen (1938-1988), a German singer, songwriter, musician, model, and actress. When Andy Warhol began managing The Velvet Underground he suggested they use Nico as a singer, which they reluctantly agreed to. She sings lead vocals on three songs and backing vocals on another for the band’s 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Initially ignored, it is now regarded as one of the greatest albums in music history. This seems to be the CD that Lane is talking about.

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.

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.

Earn Enough For Us

This 1986 song by English rock band XTC is playing in the background during the opening segment while Rory and Lorelai get ready for school/work.

The song is from the band’s album Skylarking; it is their best known album and generally regarded as their greatest work. It was initially ignored in the UK, but managed to get to #90. In the US, it became a hit on college radio and reached #70. Today it is regarded as one of the best albums of the 1980s.

Earn Enough For Us was never released as a single, but is the first track on the second side. The song is about a man struggling in a demeaning job to support himself and his wife in a ramshackle house. Learning that he is about to become a father, he is proud, but also worried about how they will manage financially.

It’s a reminder of the years of struggle to support herself and Rory that Lorelai has been through. The album came out when Rory was two years old, just as Lorelai began living in Stars Hollow as a single mother and working as a maid. Maybe it was a song that helped her get through those difficult early years.

“Call it Al”

EMILY: A mistake? A mistake? Is that what you call it – a mistake?
LORELAI: Well I tried to call it “Al” but it would only answer to “mistake”.

Lorelai is referencing the 1986 pop song You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon. The song was the lead single from his hit album Graceland, which won the Grammy Award for Best Album the following year.

The song’s lines about the narrator calling the woman Betty while she can call him Al was inspired by a party he attended with his then-wife, Peggy Harper. A French guest misheard Paul’s name as “Al”, and his wife’s as “Betty”. However the song is about a midlife crisis which becomes a cultural crisis and spiritual redemption when he goes to Africa, as Paul Simon did for the Graceland album.

The song was Paul Simon’s biggest solo hit single around the world, but struggled at first in his home country, eventually reaching #23 in the US.