‘Gilmore Girls’: The Grateful Dead Song Dave Gruber Allen Wanted Second Troubadour to Sing
Gilmore Girls created a town full of memorable characters in Stars Hollow. Decades later, many of those supporting characters are getting their due in revisits. David Gruber Allen played Stars Hollow’s Second Troubadour in four episodes. For his debut, Allen wanted Second Troubadour to cover a Grateful Dead song on Gilmore Girls. That song was in turn a cover itself, but legalities prevented it.
Allen appeared on Scott Patterson’s I Am All In podcast on Feb. 23, 2022 to discuss his recurring role on Gilmore Girls. Allen revealed the song he pitched the Gilmore Girls producers and why they said no.
Second Troubadour almost entered ‘Gilmore Girls’ singing a Grateful Dead song
When the Town Troubadour (Grant Lee Phillips) first saw a Second Troubadour across the street, Allen was simply whistling. Allen’s original idea was to choose a Grateful Dead song, which would have been appropriate with his long, shaggy hippie hair.
“I remember the first phone call I had with your amazing team there,” Allen said on I Am All In. “They said, ‘What are you going to sing?’ and I go, ‘I don’t know, I was going to sing “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad.”’ “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” is a Grateful Dead cover of an old timey folk song.”
Second Troubadour was limited by music clearances
Any time you hear a pre-existing song in a show like Gilmore Girls, it’s not as simple as singing it in front of the cameras. There are entire departments devoted to obtaining the rights from not only the songwriters and original artists, but the original recordings of said songs. So, understandably, a song from The Grateful Dead could get pricey, and out of The WB’s budget for Gilmore Girls Season 1.
“But then I had this long conversation with the music clearance team,” Allen said. “Boy, if you want a busy job, Music Clearance for the Gilmore Girls, are you kidding me? That would be the busiest job ever in show business.”
Still, at the end of the episode in which the two Troubadours make up and join together in song, they sing Grant Lee Buffalo’s “Everybody Need a Little Sanctuary.” Grant Lee Buffalo must be more affordable than Grateful Dead, plus appearing in Gilmore Girls helps the band whereas Grateful Dead needs no such exposure. It helps that Buffalo is Phillips’ own band.
The continuing songs of ‘Gilmore Girls’
Music remained a major part of Gilmore Girls. By season 6, the two Troubadours had a Troubadour-off. There was also the band Hep Alien, featuring actual rock star Sebastian Bach. Phillips would also perform many of his own originals in addition to the covers he was cleared to perform. Though Second Troubadour only appeared four times, Allen appreciated all of the music on the show.
“It’s endless between Grant Lee’s original songs and what not and all the songs and all the artists you’ve had on,” Allen said.
