Did you know that there's a new Lana Del Rey album? Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd came out in March (and was named one of Exclaim's 25 best of 2023 so far). Former poncho model Del Rey is just wondering, because its release really seemed a tad overshadowed by the ensuing fantastically Americiana narrative that a few clips of the singer-songwriter "working" at an Alabama Waffle House location created.
As is often mentioned, the depth of Lana Del Lore has been studied with a voracious intensity — but this summer's latest addition, still clinging to the humid air as the newfangled autumn chill grows stronger, was one for the books. The words "waffle" and "house" were on everyone's lips, and on the artist born Elizabeth Grant's iconic name tag. Even Bratz envisioned the serendipitous combination of Del Rey and the blue-collar breakfast chain as something to inspire the play of future generations.
But, for a while there, the fan photos and video footage went unacknowledged — let alone explained — by the pop star. Until now: in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Del Rey finally told the story behind how she ended up punchin' in and briefly turning that Waffle House into a waffle home.
She and her siblings had been visiting Florence, AB, and piling into the same booth at the same Waffle House for a week, doing what people do at Waffle House. "We were on our third hour, and the servers asked, 'Do you guys want shirts?'" the singer-songwriter explained. "Hell yeah! We were thrilled."
"This guy, a regular, comes in every day and orders two things, so they were like, 'Just go get it for him!'" she added of trying her hand at waiting tables. "I brought him a Coke. No ice. And an empty cup. For [tobacco] dip."
Although she posed for selfies with some fans, Del Rey said she didn't know she was being filmed. "I wish my album had gone as viral," she admitted. "I woke up to, like, 10,000 texts the next morning — some from folks I had not heard from for 10 years. 'Saw your picture at the Waffle House!' I was like, 'Did you hear the new album?'"
She went on to tell THR's Mike O'Connell that this was the first album cycle where she started reading reviews of her music. The jury's still out on whether she pays attention to what people write about her live performances, but we reviewed her first North American performance in four years at Festival d'été de Québec too.
As is often mentioned, the depth of Lana Del Lore has been studied with a voracious intensity — but this summer's latest addition, still clinging to the humid air as the newfangled autumn chill grows stronger, was one for the books. The words "waffle" and "house" were on everyone's lips, and on the artist born Elizabeth Grant's iconic name tag. Even Bratz envisioned the serendipitous combination of Del Rey and the blue-collar breakfast chain as something to inspire the play of future generations.
But, for a while there, the fan photos and video footage went unacknowledged — let alone explained — by the pop star. Until now: in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Del Rey finally told the story behind how she ended up punchin' in and briefly turning that Waffle House into a waffle home.
She and her siblings had been visiting Florence, AB, and piling into the same booth at the same Waffle House for a week, doing what people do at Waffle House. "We were on our third hour, and the servers asked, 'Do you guys want shirts?'" the singer-songwriter explained. "Hell yeah! We were thrilled."
"This guy, a regular, comes in every day and orders two things, so they were like, 'Just go get it for him!'" she added of trying her hand at waiting tables. "I brought him a Coke. No ice. And an empty cup. For [tobacco] dip."
Although she posed for selfies with some fans, Del Rey said she didn't know she was being filmed. "I wish my album had gone as viral," she admitted. "I woke up to, like, 10,000 texts the next morning — some from folks I had not heard from for 10 years. 'Saw your picture at the Waffle House!' I was like, 'Did you hear the new album?'"
She went on to tell THR's Mike O'Connell that this was the first album cycle where she started reading reviews of her music. The jury's still out on whether she pays attention to what people write about her live performances, but we reviewed her first North American performance in four years at Festival d'été de Québec too.
