而我那时却在为出国做准备。考妓考托,一切顺利。我毕业去了中科院动物所,所里有一个名叫孙新的哥们是一个音响发烧友,经常拿着一本香港出的《音响技术》下楼找我侃他的音响山海经,对着杂志上印着的精美音箱广告向我描述他的梦想。一天我和他去了一个资深音响前辈那里听音响,此人名叫谢晓光,是一个新疆长大的个子很高的汉人,会画画,家住中关村。不知他哪里来的钱,家里有一套当时十分罕见的音响设备。一对漂亮的音箱居然是他自己做的。就是在他家里,我第一次见到了传说中的CD这种东西。当他给我们放那张发烧友圈子里极有口碑的《Beethoven or Bust》CD时,我们都被那奇妙的声音惊讶得合不拢嘴。我一直以为我对好的音乐重播很敏感,那天再一次验证了。因为同去的另外几个人都无动于衷,可我却好像见到了上帝。 (孙新和谢晓光都和我失去了联系,有谁知道他俩的消息麻烦告诉我一声,谢谢。)
可尼尔显然低估了多年共产党教育的威力,那天无论他怎么说,大家就是没人敢试上一口。后来,尼尔突然跑进客厅,放上一盘“感恩而死”的磁带,然后跑出来对大家说,这就是抽了一辈子大麻的人做的音乐,你们说,能做出这样好的音乐的人会是坏人吗?
———–
贴一首“感恩而死”乐队早年录制的一首乡村民谣《Friend of the Devil》:
I lit out from Reno, I was trailed by twenty hounds
Didn’t get to sleep last night ’till the morning came around.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
Ran into the devil, babe, he loaned me twenty bills
I spent the night in Utah in a cave up in the hills.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine,
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
I ran down to the levee but the devil caught me there
He took my twenty dollar bill and vanished in the air.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
Got two reasons why I cry away each lonely night,
The first one’s named Sweet Anne Marie, and she’s my hearts delight.
The second one is prison, babe, the sheriff’s on my trail,
And if he catches up with me, I’ll spend my life in jail.
Got a wife in Chino, babe, and one in Cherokee
The first one says she’s got my child, but it don’t look like me.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time,
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine,
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
插一段,说到吸烟,我以前特崇拜福尔摩斯的大烟斗,可我上小学的时候,抽不起真正的烟,那时盛行抽树杆儿,就是居民种的爬藤植物的茎,干了以后可以当烟抽,现在那些富裕的独生子女小学生恐怕都没尝过树杆的滋味了吧?到了美国以后,我去参观一个烟草商店,店主在半个小时之内给我上了一堂生动的烟草知识课,并捎带着卖给我一只漂亮的大烟斗,和三种上等英国烟草。吸烟斗可不容易,烟叶的装法就得学一阵,可一旦你尝过英国烟草的味道,你就会觉得什么万保路,红塔山,都是扯淡。不过,在亚当那里住的那一年,因为室友都是死头,死头们一般都讨厌烟草,我们屋子里就贴了个牌子:禁止吸烟!(Believe it or not!)所以我就把烟戒了。
Sugar Magnolia blossom’s blooming
Head’s all empty and I don’t care
Saw my baby down by the river
Knew she’d have to come up soon for air
Sweet blossom come on under the willow
We can have high times if you’ll abide
We can discover the wonders of nature
Rolling in the rushes down by the riverside
She’s got everything delightful
She’s got everything I need
Takes the wheel when I’m seeing double
Pays my ticket when I speed
She come skimming through rays of violet
She can wade in a drop of dew
She don’t come and I don’t follow
Waits backstage while I sing to you
She can dance a Cajun rhythm
Jump like a Willys in four wheel drive
She’s a summer love in the spring, fall and winter
She can make happy any man alive
Sugar magnolia
Ringin’ that blue bell
Caught up in sunlight
Come on out singing
I’ll walk you in the sunshine
Come on honey, come along with me
She’s got everything delightful
She’s got everything I need
A breeze in the pines in the summer night moonlight
Crazy in the sunlight yes indeed
Sometimes when the cuckoo’s crying
When the moon is halfway down
Sometimes when the night is dying
I take me out and I wander round
I wander round
Sunshine daydream
Walkin through the tall trees
Going where the wind goes
Blooming like a red rose
Breathing more freely
Light out singing
I’ll walk you in the morning sunshine
Sunshine daydream
Walk you in the sunshine 作者: 狗儿念经 时间: 2011-2-10 00:33 关于音乐的记忆碎片(插曲-我和死头们的故事四)
四
再说说几个我们系里和音乐有关的人。
前面曾提到我的那个研究蛇的室友,他当年才23岁,就已经是一个4岁的孩子的父亲了,(而现在我们的媒体还在讨论大学生是不是应该被允许同居!)。那时我们俩经常一起去沙漠里抓蛇,现在想起来还真挺刺激的。我刚到美国时买了几张CD,请他评价。他拿起Seal的CD说:不认识!又拿起乔治•麦克尔的CD说:C。再拿起“西蒙&加芬克尔”的精选说:A。最后他拿起迪伦的精选说:A+,他马上把它放进音响,并跳过《Blowing in the Wind》,《Like a Rolling Stone》等经典好歌,从音响里传出的是那首《Positively 4th Street》。然后他就随着音乐在屋子里跳起舞来,还连声说:This is so cool to dance to!
Positively 4th Street
You got a lotta nerve
To say you are my friend
When I was down
You just stood there grinning
You got a lotta nerve
To say you gota helping hand to lend
You just want to be on
The side that’s winning
You say I let you down
You know it’s not like that
If you’re so hurt
Why then don’t you show it
You say you lost your faith
But that’s not where it’s at
You had no faith to lose
And you know it
I know the reason
That you talk behind my back
I used to be among the crowd
You’re in with
Do you take me for such a fool
To think I’d make contact
With the one who tries to hide
What he don’t know to begin with
You see me on the street
You always act surprised
You say, “How are you?” “Good luck”
But you don’t mean it
When you know as well as me
You’d rather see me paralyzed
Why don’t you just come out once
And scream it
No, I do not feel that good
When I see the heartbreaks you embrace
If I was a master thief
Perhaps I’d rob them
And now I know you’re dissatisfied
With your position and your place
Don’t you understand
It’s not my problem
I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment
I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
You’d know what a drag it is
To see you
我实验室的一个同事也喜欢音乐,家里有成箱的LP唱片。听说我喜欢“感恩而死”,便向我讲述了一个真实的故事。原来他有个哥哥住在旧金山,是个死头。一天他在大街上看见一辆宝时捷跑车,做为一个老资格的死头,他一眼就认出那是加西亚的坐骑。胆大妄为的他竟然把车橇开了,他也没别的心思,就是想听听教主平时自己开车时听什么音乐。结果让他大吃一惊,竟然是ABBA的磁带!你能想象他老人家一边开车一边听着:“Dancing queen, you are the dancing queen!”吗?我的同事指天发誓说这是真的。不过,那时的加西亚已是一个五十岁的老头了,你还能指望他听Nirvana?
那时我的实验室里都是白人,我也深受他们的影响而喜欢白人摇滚乐。比如Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM等等。当时流行的乐队我都是通过实验室的同事而喜欢上的。另外,美国人爱开Party,他们的Party和中国人的完全不同。老中的Party都是大家凑在一起,由一两个能侃的主侃,其余的人听。老美的Party则是大家捉对厮杀,背景放着极吵的摇滚乐。我们系当时的几个中国人都不爱参加系里老美组织的Party,因为没的可说,又不能光听不说。我也是硬着头皮去参加的,但我很快就发现在这样的Party上可以听到很多当时电台听不到的音乐,Talking Heads, The Grateful Dead, Tom Waits, The Ocean Blue等等很多乐队就是在这样的Party上认识并喜欢上的。
我虽然在国内时就读过王晓峰和章雷的“对话摇滚乐”,但因为听不到对应的音乐,所以印象不深。后来我在学校里选了一门摇滚乐历史课,上课的大胡子老师用极风趣的语言系统地讲述了美国的摇滚乐历史,用的教科书也特别棒(Rockin’ in Time,作者David Szatmary)。上他的课我特别专心,受益匪浅。几乎每次下课后我都会跑到附近的CD店买刚刚讲到过的音乐。一个学期下来我对美国的摇滚乐历史就有了较为全面的了解。那时我的工资很低,每个月发的工资都给了CD店老板,每次交房租都得等下一张支票。
后来网上老是有人骂我是“假洋鬼子”,我觉得这个形容词最准确的一个字应该是“假”。我无论怎么伪装都不能逃脱这个字。我听了那么多英文歌,可一开口唱的还是崔健和张广天。这些中国歌曲已经深入我的骨髓了,无法抹去。别的不说,歌词是中文,这一条就够了。 (未完待续)
———————-
Woody Guthrie是美国民歌的代表人物,这首《This Land is Your Land》被誉为美国人的第二国歌。如果硬要选出一首最具代表性的美国民歌,非此歌莫属。:
This land is your land, this land is my land 这是你的土地,这是我的土地
From California to the New York Island 从加利福尼亚,到纽约岛屿
From the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters 从红杉树林,到墨西哥湾
This land was made for you and me 这片土地属于我和你
As I went walking that ribbon of highway 当我走在,蜿蜒的高速公路上
I saw above me that endless skyway 抬头看,是拖着白线的飞机
I saw below me that golden valley, I said 往下看,是那金色的山谷
This land was made for you and me 这片土地属于我和你
I roamed and rambled and followed my footsteps 我顺着我的足迹,走过美丽的沙漠
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts 那里的沙子,闪着钻石般的光泽
And all around me, a voice was sounding 一个声音,在我周围响起
This land was made for you and me 这片土地属于我和你
Was a big high wall there that tried to stop me 一堵高墙,挡住了我的去路
A sign was painted said: Private Property 一块木板上写着:私人领地
But on the back side, it didn’t say nothing 可木板的背面,不是什么也没写吗?
This land was made for you and me 这片土地属于我和你
When the sun come shinning, then I ws strolling 初升的太阳,照耀我前进
In the wheat fields waving, and dust clouds rolling 身边是翻滚的麦浪,和肆虐的风沙
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting 当浓雾散去,一个声音传入耳际
This land was made for you and me 这片土地属于我和你
One bright sunny morning, in the shadow of the steeple 在一个明亮的早晨,在教堂尖塔的阴影里
By the relief office, I saw my people 我看到救济站门前,站着我的老乡亲
As they stood there hungry,I stood there wondering if 看到他们饥饿的样子,我问我自己
This land was made for you and me? 这片土地属于我和你吗?
(最后一段歌词是后来加的,一直没找到Guthrie的原唱版本。) 作者: 狗儿念经 时间: 2011-2-10 00:38 关于音乐的记忆碎片(十二)
8. Bob Dylan,Paul Simon:我第一次听迪伦大概是96或者97年,他和一个走穴乐队在一个音乐厅表演。记得那个现场迪伦表现不佳,乐队也显得粗糙。他们只唱了很少老歌,几乎全部都是快节奏的布鲁斯。那天我最大的发现就是迪伦的嗓音已经彻底玩完了,根本听不清他在唱什么。有一个花絮很有意思,演出快结束的时候迪伦突然邀请孩子们上台和乐队一起跳舞,结果那天在现场的许多年轻人都自告奋勇地跳上台去,把晚会变成了一个大派对。迪伦那天大概寂寞了,想挑一个好看的骨肉皮吧。再后来就是那个西蒙迪伦结伴巡演。另有文专门叙述。
6. Neil Young:Young也是一牛逼人物。他那次演出好像是为了促销那张Harvest Moon。我极喜欢那张CD,尤其是第一首歌《Unknown Legend》,歌里描写的那个以前骑哈雷摩托车在沙漠里奔驰,现在却是两个孩子妈妈的小镇女人简直可以说是我的梦中情人,我在很长一段时间里都对这样的女性很着迷。那天演出前后都是摇滚乐,中间Young一个人坐在一把椅子上,用木吉它弹唱了这首歌,那种硬汉的柔情真是很迷人。
5. Bruce Springsteen:我去看“老板”(Springsteen的外号)的时候他的E街乐队还没回来呢,所以那次演出就他一个人。那天的场地是我那个城市的歌剧院,其音响又是顶尖的,所以整个剧场的音效简直绝了,仿佛他就坐在我面前一样,逼真得无法描述。我当时就想,自己将来一定要去学舞台音响。那次演出他唱了《Nebraska》和《The Ghost of Tom Joad》这两张专辑里面的歌曲,我一直觉得这是他最好的两张专辑。
4. Dr. Dre和Snoop Dogg等饶舌歌手:我以前就喜欢饶舌乐,但后来不喜欢了。听起爵士乐之后我买过一张Blue Note出的US3的唱片,是饶舌加老爵士,特别喜欢。还买过一张奇怪的LP,全是华盛顿黑人街头派对上黑人DJ玩出来的音乐。虽然是80年代的东西,可听起来却特别现代,和当今流行的Hip Hop没什么区别。真正让我喜欢饶舌乐的是Dr. Dre的那张《2001》,实在好!他饶的东西虽然还是脏话连篇,但已经脱离了纯脏话了,音乐也不是简单的鼓机,而是加上了很多别的东西。我第一次听这张CD是在一个哥们的汽车里。这人是墨西哥移民后裔,高中毕业,有一个漂亮的老婆,和一个患唐式综合症的女儿。他特别疼爱这个残疾女儿,就冲这点我很敬重他。他的车子简直就是专门用来听Rap的,车后特制的12寸低音喇嘛把整个车子都震得晃动起来,我人都快被震散架了,可那种劲头特别痞,一下就让我想起了当年骑在自行车后座上招摇过市的感觉,合俺的胃口!之后我就开始喜欢上了帮派说唱,那次演出我见到了好几个偶像极人物,超值。