In July, Lana Del Rey was spotted working at Waffle House in uniform. Naturally, the internet went crazy and Twitter was awash with memes, with people wondering why the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter (whose debut album just celebrated its historic 500th week on the Billboard 200 chart) would accept An extra job. In a Sept. 20 interview with The Hollywood Reporter , the Grammy nominee discussed the highly publicized photos and videos of her working at the Florence, Alabama, restaurant, explaining how the brief gig came to be.
Del Rey said she has family ties to the town and was just visiting some friends during a break from travel. For several days, she and her siblings would "shoot" at the Waffle House every morning. Eventually, the staff decided to give them a hug and handed her a uniform and name tag. "We were on our third hour and the waiter asked, 'Do you want shirts?'" she said. "Oh my god yes! We're excited." The restaurant manager was clearly excited too, sharing videos and photos of herself in uniform on her Facebook page with lucky fans who happened to stop by.
The singer didn't receive an actual salary and was just encouraged to participate, although she remembers one customer in particular. "This guy was a regular and would order two things every day, so they were like, 'Go get it for him!' I brought him a bottle of Coke. No ice. And an empty cup for dipping," she As he spoke, he nodded to the tobacco he was chewing. "I didn't see anyone videotaping me."
Del Rey is amused by the online frenzy surrounding her spontaneous part-time gig, but claims it has cast a shadow over her new album. "I hope my album goes viral," she quipped. “The next morning I woke up to about 10,000 text messages, some from people I hadn’t spoken to in 10 years. “Saw your picture at the Waffle House! " ( Laughs .) I was like, 'Have you heard the new album?'"
Fans who've heard the new album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd probably won't be surprised that she visited Florence, Alabama, as Del Rey performed on album highlight "Paris, Texas." However, No one could have predicted Waffle House's performance — except Jack Antonoff, one of her staunchest collaborators, who told The Hollywood Reporter that the unexpected moves are classic Del Rey. "Lana's secret is that she is herself," he said. "She was truly one of the greatest songwriters and singers, and she also loved rolling around in her truck and drinking gas station coffee. It disarmed people, but it didn't do anything."
