Chapter 20

Page 219

a strip club called Joie de Beavre
Rhyming pun on the french phrase joie de vivre, which is a feeling of happiness, joy, or excitement about life. \ˌzhwä-də-ˈvēvrə\ is the pronunciation of the original phrase. Joie de Beavre is slightly resonant with "Boyd Beaver," kazoo soloist from the first couple of pages of "The Crying of Lot 49." PynchonWiki. The word "Beavre" in the club's name is a reference to the word beaver, a slang term for vagina.

"Hi, I was told to see Stu Gotz?"
Stu Gotz, the Italian-American running Joie de Beavre. Stugots is slang for male genitalia in many dialects in Southern Italy: 'stu cazzo', means "testicles," as in "a brassy pair". It's also the name of Tony Soprano's boat. See entry.

a Vincente Minnelli set
Vincente Minnelli (February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director, famous for directing such classic movie musicals as Meet Me in St. Louis, The Band Wagon, and An American in Paris. In addition to having directed some of the most famous and well-remembered musicals of his time, Minnelli made many comedies and melodramas. He was married to Judy Garland from 1945 until 1951; they were the parents of Liza Minnelli. From WIKI.

"You want to audition, MILF night is Tuesdays,come back then." MILF per Wikipedia 'MILF, an acronym for "Mother/Mom/Mum I'd Like to F**k", is a colloquial term common in English and generally regarded as vulgar when spelled out. It denotes a female, usually several years older than the person using the term.[1]'. Thus, this is referring to Maxine's age relative to the average stripper.

Page 220

"Tuesday's my tupperware party"
A reference to the first sentence in The Crying of Lot 49:

"One summer afternoon Mrs. Oedipa Maas came home from a Tupperware party whose hostess had put perhaps too much kirsch in the fondue to find that she, Oedipa, had been named executor, or she supposed executrix, of the estate of one Pierce Inverarity, a California real estate mogul who had once lost two million dollars in his spare time but still had assets numerous and tangled enough to make the job of sorting it all out more than honorary."

Page 221

except possibly "That's When I Reach for My Revolver."
Perhaps because it's a cover, originally written and performed by Boston punk band Mission of Burma.

Male Gaze
A reference to the Male Gaze in feminist theory. Wiki

Page 223

floating into view printed on one face of a dodecahedron
Like a Magic 8-Ball.

Champagne Lounge
A champagne room (also called a champagne lounge, or champagne court) is a specialized VIP Room service offered by gentleman's clubs where a customer can purchase time (usually in half-hour increments) with an exotic dancer in a private room on the premises. Depending on the quality of the club, these rooms, which are typically away from the hustle and bustle of the main club, are generally well decorated and usually appointed with a private bar. Clubs sell champagne by the glass or by the bottle for both the dancer and the customer. Some clubs also offer a food and/or cigar service.

"can I help it if I like feet?"
In his second novel, The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), in Chapter 2, there's Sick Dick and the Volkswagens' song "I Want To Kiss Your Feet." Pynchon also explores the foot fetish in Against the Day.

Page 225

Trojan Abstract Expressionist Collection
Sadly, not real, but Trustex banana flavored ones do exist.

Page 228

Eliot Ness
Eliot Ness was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois, and the leader of a famous team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables. Wiki

Mothra
Mothra and/or Godzilla make another appearance in a Pynchon work. Does anyone have a list of all the references?

Well, there was a reference to goji berries a few pages back, and Gojira is Godzilla's real (Japanese) name