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Led Zeppelin recorded a song titled "Dazed and Confused" on the album "Led Zeppelin 1" released in 1969. There is a subtle reference or homage to Led Zeppelin in the movie. In the scene where Don Dawson (Sasha Jenson) gets Benny O'Donnell (Cole Hauser) out of wood shop, just after Don gets Ron Slater's (Rory Cochrane's) attention to signal Benny, listen for Slater's line, "Man, I ain't believin' that shit about Bonham's one-hour drum solo...I mean, one hour on drums...you couldn't handle that shit on strong acid, man." This is a reference to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who would frequently perform extended drum solos at concerts.
Reportedly one-sixth of the budget was spent on acquiring the rights to 1970s pop hits on the soundtrack.
When the kids are building the paddles, the sleeping teacher in the shop is a real teacher at the school, who still works there.
Matthew McConaughey's father died early in filming. Production shut down briefly while he helped arrange and attended the funeral.
Shawn Andrews and Jason London did not get along during filming. At one point, Richard Linklater had to break up a fight between them. It changed the ending, which was going to feature Pickford instead of Wooderson. It also explains their almost total lack of dialogue despite sharing several scenes.