Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Even with Tomas, she was obliged to behave lovingly because she needed him. We can never establish with certainty what part of our relations with others is the result of our emotions-love, antipathy, charity, or malice-and what part is predetermined by the constant power play among individuals.

True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power. Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.

.
.
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Her feeling was rather that, given the nature of the human couple, the love of man and woman is a priori inferior to that which can exist (at least in the best instances) in the love be-tween man and dog, that oddity of human history probably unplanned by the Creator.

It is a completely selfless love: Tereza did not want any-thing of Karenin; she did not ever ask him to love her back. Nor had she ever asked herself the questions that plague human couples: Does he love me? Does he love anyone more than me? Does he love me more than I love him? Perhaps all the questions we ask of love, to measure, test, probe, and save it, have the additional effect of cutting it short. Perhaps the reason we are unable to love is that we yearn to be loved, that is, we demand something (love) from our partner instead of delivering ourselves up to him demand-free and asking for nothing but his company.

Milan Kundera, the unbearable lightness of being

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Stranger Than Fiction


as harold took a bite of bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be okay. sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank god for bavarian sugar cookies. and, fortunately, when there aren’t any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten danish, soft-spoken secrets, and fender stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. and we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. they are here to save our lives. i know the idea seems strange, but i also know that it just so happens to be true.”


"Whole Wide World"



When I was a young boy
My mama said to me
There's only one girl in the world for you
And she probably lives in Tahiti

I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
Just to find her

Or maybe she's in the Bahamas
Where the Carribean sea is blue
Weeping in a tropical moonlit night
Because nobody's told her 'bout you

I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
Just to find her
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
Find out where they hide her

Why am I hanging around in the rain out here
Trying to pick up a girl
Why are my eyes filling up with these lonely tears
When there're girls all over the world

Is she lying on a tropical beach somewhere
Underneath the tropical sun
Pining away in a heatwave there
Hoping that I won't be long

I should be lying on that sun-soaked beach with her
Caressing her warm brown skin
And then in a year or maybe not quite
We'll be sharing the same next of kin

I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
Just to find her
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
Find out where they hide her

Monday, October 01, 2007

Forgetting is the Mercy of God, for it takes away what have been stupid in our lives

watched "Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" for the third time. dug out more meaning after i viewed it once again. and Beck's theme song "Everybody's gotta learn sometimes" (Original by The Korgis) sounds ever more touching and insightful.

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd

with memories erased,
in the purest state
the mind shines like eternal flame,
the deepest, sweetest and long lost sentiment revives,
against the worldly, knotty and dreary tide.



Change your heart
Look around you
Change your heart
It will astound you
I need your lovin'
Like the sunshine

Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime

Change your heart
Look around you
Change your heart
Will astound you
I need your lovin'
Like the sunshine

Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime

I need your lovin'
Like the sunshine

Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime

Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime

Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime

Sunday, August 26, 2007

A Thousand Country Roads

The epilogue to The Bridges of Madison County, A Thousand Country Roads, was published in 2001 due to the overwhelming requests from readers over the finale of Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson, as claimed by the author Robert James Waller. The book, of course, is not a sequel to the previous best-seller, since it deals with mainly another story, of Kincaid meeting with Carlisle McMillan, the son he begot after he had been discharged from the U.S. marines in the wake of WWII.

If you read it as a sequel, the narrative will disappoint you. There is not much to tell about Francesca, neither is Kincaid's passion towards the Iowa farmer's wife. There is a brief description on the lovers' almost re-encounter on the Roseman Bridge, the trysting place where the romance begins 16 years ago, yet the author never states whether the truck she heard up the hill is Kincaid's Harry(his car's name) heading away. Not knowing and afraid of what would happen when they meet again, the photographer has come to say adieu to his once and only great love, which is epitomized by the bridge.

The author does confirm that between Kincaid and Francesca great love has occurred though in his description, both are not certain whether the feeling sustains in the other's heart after all those years. Yet this is where the suspense lies. In the later years of Kincaid's life, he suddenly comes across a 'son' and a woman he has made love to forty years ago (which is the main part of this story). A new kind of emotion is stirred up, and he is thus filled with guilt and care. He confesses to Carlisle that he has not loved his mother back then (when free love prevails after war), and he instructs Carlisle to burn all his work, including Francesca's photos, for he wants no traces of his life in this world after death.

The author seems to hint at the end, that Kincaid, after meeting his son, desires to take back the will of sending all his personal properties to Francesca. But busying with seeing Carlisle and the mother, he is prevented to do so and dying of heart attack leaves his cameras and the old photos eventually at Francesca's hand. This has already been told in The Bridges of the Madison County but we do not know the details lying in between.

It is thus interesting, as a work of fiction, this two-part romance manifests itself in the form of research work prying into the real life of real people. So what else between Kincaid and Francesca? This is not we should ask about as we would on some simple melodramas. This is what life seems to be. Francesca loves Kincaid to the end but it MAY not be true in reverse. But it is this 'maybe' that gives life so much mystery and secret sparks that shine in the dark, as are stars that shine in our heart, at some epiphany moments for us to remember all through our lives.


日升日落,花開花謝,在遠方的那個人今天不知道還愛不愛我?
就這樣帶著一個千古之謎而終老。你不確定,但至少你還記得他。
陶傑(風流花相)

Friday, August 24, 2007

窮人含撚的經濟論述

林行止專欄 林行止 2007-08-24(節錄)

二、  八月三日,路透社發自紐約的一則短訊,指出該市女皇書院的研究員在芝加哥、波士頓、明尼蘇達、達拉斯和紐約所作的調查,顯示本世紀以來,二十至三 十歲年階的全職女性,其收入已遠遠拋離同年階的男性(紐約市高百分之十七、達拉斯高百分之二十……);三十歲以上的情況略異,即男性的收入稍高於女性,唯 負責這項研究的社會學教授認為這種差距很快會消失,因為統計顯示近二、三十年來,女性在賺錢上急起直追的勢頭未衰,男性若不「莊敬自強」,很快便會淪為 「論資(金)排輩」家庭中的次等公民。

  「家庭」成員起碼必須有一對夫婦,隨覑女性「盈利增長較快」,家庭將愈來愈不易組成。

  在先進的文明社會,絕大多數女性不會公開宣稱為金錢而結婚,她們只會「和富家子弟遊但為愛情而結婚」(go where the money is, then marry for love),不過,據游清源數天前提及那本《自然經濟學家》的說法(頁一八三─一八六),一項在八十年代所做的社會調查,顯示女性在金錢上不再猶抱琵琶, 「財政成功」已成為她們選擇對象的一項要素;在這方面,男性比較「落後」,進入新世紀後的數項社會調查,才得出男性亦會考慮結婚對象的財政狀況(主要見www.psychologytoday.com/articles ... 7-000008&page=1)。

  男女性都向錢看的趨勢,令婚姻市場的活動非常「有趣」。女性收入提高,等於結婚後生兒育女當主婦的「機會成本」相應上升,加上醫學進步,超齡生產固沒 問題,儲存卵子備用亦日趨普遍,在適婚年齡結婚的女性遂愈來愈少;另一方面,由於女性收入增加,男性更會落力追求。結果也許是同居蔚成風尚而生育率持續萎 縮—法國前總統候選人羅瓦爾與男友同居二、三十年而「大量生產」,雖非孤例卻不常見!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

外交柒記

【本報北韓路邊社電】離開北韓外交部轉眼已八月有十六日,本報記者得悉近月八卦消息如下:

一)大內四大副總太監之一肋手判官被解僱,因「美國國會山莊豎立民主女神知情不報罪」判死,預計八月投李擲街麾下。

二)外交部第三副手因當日當值,陪葬。

三)四大副總太監之首隨後亦遭解僱,國內反應一致讚好。原因有待進一步查明。

四)笑話老頭屹立多年終被解僱,原因:老邁。

五)匿名於四月辭官歸故里,歐遊一月,甚爽。疑盤川用盡,疏於搵工,被邀回巢,並於八月再作馮婦。

六)北韓業績堪虞。

七)據說一名女優遭解僱,但已知悉該女優不是斑馬。

Sunday, August 12, 2007

偷拍

《偷拍》(Caché/Hidden)的答案「隱藏在最後一幕」,由這一幕,導演(Michael Haneke)暗示故事裏主角夫婦收到的錄影帶,是這位以「全能上帝」(Omnipotent God)姿態參與演出的作者寄給他們的。戲裏「隱藏的攝影機」和戲外「導演的攝影機」原來不分彼此,層層揭露法國白種中產階級和黑裔阿爾及利亞人的種族矛盾。

至於所謂「電影史上最震撼的一個鏡頭」云云,其實不過爾爾,怪不得《黑社會》在康城首映,全場觀眾要站立鼓掌。像任達華擊殺梁家輝這些突兀無比、讓觀眾措手不及的鏡頭,港產片不知凡幾。

戲內的角色不由自主受戲外的鏡頭所操縱

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

The Verve 重組


The Verve重組,少了Simon Tong。Simon自代替Graham Coxon為Blur作現場演出,現在繼續為以Damon Albarn為首的The Good, the bad and the Queen效力。The Verve最後一張碟Urban Hymns和Pulp的This is Hardcore被視為九十年代英倫「必POP」的最終章回,現在重組,引頸以待。如果Graham Coxon應前隊友等三人呼籲(其實是懇求,Damon一再公開說這名天才結他手不可代替。)回巢,又將會是一樁盛事!

Richard Ashcroft獨自上路,唱片銷量雖好,但總覺平平無奇。希望不要步Suede後塵,萬眾多年期待的神話重組(Brett Anderson+Bernard Butler),換來一場慘澹經營。(Brett Anderson又來香港,但一早已不想看了。)

Urban Hymns出產了史上最偉大搖滾歌曲(之一)"Bittersweet Symphony",當年這個MV真是銳不可擋,Richard Ashcroft如何可以如此酷?

Sunday, August 05, 2007

恐怖片

今日睇《獨家試愛》,個結局......好恐怖......葉念琛成功了...最後一個鏡頭...簡直以MK既質素,拍出希治閣既味道。

鄧麗欣有時幾可愛,但更多時候,佢更似一隻鬼......佢d素顏流淚樣...尤其是披頭散髮打麻將個幕....同貞子有得揮...

Thursday, August 02, 2007

口述歷史:從反殖到保殖

【本報訊】繼中環天星碼頭,保育兒童為捍衛皇后碼頭,再次以「社運式」的公民抗命抗爭,並成功霸佔電視傳媒全日大時段的新聞畫面,以及得到翌日印刷媒體的大篇幅報道。網上民間記者團體獨媒(InMedia)更全程貼身追擊現場,以圖取得保殖現場第一手的「話語權」及「書寫權」。

英國在七十年前仍統紿世界四分一版圖,殖民地遍佈南北半球。位於遠東的香港,開埠一百五十年來,因港英政府種種手段,顯著者如「行政吸納」,將社會精英整合到官僚結構,結果社會在戰後都市化的過程中,保持長期穩定,反對勢力未能形成對統治的威脅。除了五七年右派暴動及六七年左派暴動外,香港未有出現大的社會動盪。

市民陳先生向記者表示,他上世紀七十年代初就讀香港大學,是「國粹派」的一員中堅份子,後來四人幫倒台,他們一幫活躍份子也隨畢業而各散東西,不少加入港英政府、英資、美資跨國企業,發了達,「火紅年代」學運成為回憶。他自己在九十年代樓價高企時賺不少,於九七前移民加國,回流時卻遇上金融風暴,只能在一份左派報章謀個職位,沙士時被解僱,週日流連維園一帶。

陳先生不無感慨表示,當年火紅人士個個充滿理想憧憬,緊隨毛澤東路線,信奉馬列主義,反資反殖。現在回想,香港作為英國芸芸殖民地之一,其實是一個異數,沒有出現如印度的獨立運動。到了上世紀八十年代,種種施政如設立廉政、有薪假期、公共醫療、免費教育、勞工保障,確立市民安居樂業的日子,為英國殖民歷史「省靚招牌」,反殖死灰已不能復燃。鄧小平要收回及保持不變的,便是這個「對辦」的香港。

陳先生淒然嘆曰,他一直留意天星和皇后碼頭的新聞,從昔日的反殖到今天的「保殖」,見證了三十年香港都市化以來的社會變遷。從前香港社運如保釣,是大議題,世界各地於上世紀六七十年代,社運也是風起雲湧。法國六八年大罷工,反對戴高樂專制,新任總統薩爾科齊亦曾參與其中;六十年代至七十年代的美國反越戰運動,有胡士托作佈景,影星珍.芳達一呼百應將運動推上高潮,等等,伴著搖滾音樂和新浪潮電影,構造了一代社運的浪漫想像。

記者聽得出神,陳先生拍拍記者肩頭說,香港從來不是政治城市,年輕一輩絕大部份生活在溫飽線上,中國改革開放,國力崛起,可供社運使用的議題匱乏,發「社運」之幽情的年青人,聲言誓保兩座不具特色的殖民地建築,於發展就是硬道理的今天,已所餘無幾。時下後生不是在星巴克結社喪打PSP,便是在家中一支弓上討論區,保殖兒童不論在香港還是在世界舞台上,實屬罕見現象,政府應申請列為受保護動物或文化遺產。陳先生在此不忘大讚香港警方「夠pro」:「我看電視見到警方小心翼翼對付他們,唯恐傷了他們一汗毛;而一干『保青』一遭觸碰便大叫『好痛!』,面容扭曲,實於我心戚戚然也。」

陳先生補充,當他看見這樣的畫面,不得不感慨時代變了,當年左派動輒遭港英打壓,坐牢扣押是平常事。的確,現在要尋找生活的意義實在不易,稍為讀了一點書,便會容易想歪一邊,變得憤世嫉俗,或像他當年誤入歧途,遭人利用。陳先生說:「都是不讀書好。」

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

變形金剛

看《變形金剛》(Transformers)大電影前,先看了一點影評,《蘋果日報》副刊和邁克專欄都說,交,打得太快,「五步一小打,十步一大打」,一次睇唔晒。

好,到真正落場睇,前大部份都在詳細交待博派、狂派前來地球打架,美國國防部緊張應變,一如《天煞》等外星災難戲的鋪排,基本上冇乜交打,只是個別狂派機械人和美軍對戰及音波Frenzy的刺探行為,和博派機械人「大黃蜂」 (Bumblebee)和大學生Sam的交情。笑位反而幾多。

電影的機械人主角,是大黃蜂和Frenzy。後段柯柏文大戰麥加登,只打了幾手,完全唔夠喉。

令人眼花撩亂是變身的特技太目眩,飛沙走石充滿畫面。但沒有理由跟不上節奏。

柯柏文「拯救人類」的一段「深情義氣表白」有點肉麻。不說可以嗎?

電影對人類科技、軍事技術的描繪好像表現出以往電影沒有的自信,人類對「外星人」不感到莫大的神秘和恐懼,且頗有幽默(例如Sector 7人員成竹在胸的表現),沒有了以往電影那種力有不逮的感覺(大概是由於博派是人類朋友吧)。

這是一次十分滿足的觀影。

Monday, July 30, 2007

Cutie & Sexy

帶著呻吟和喘息嬌聲的歌曲"je t'aime... moi non plus"(1968),由法國才子Serge Gainsbourg創作,原本作要與妻子Brigitte Bardot(碧姬芭鐸)合唱,結果變成和新情人Jane Birkin的情歌。模擬高潮的唱腔惹來禁播。歌曲在1969年登上Top of the Pops第2位。如下:



本來在網上要找的是電影Death Proof的片尾曲"Chick Habit",結果找來歌曲原裝法文版"Laisse Tomber Les Filles",同樣由Serge Gainsbourg創作,由一個名叫France Gall的法國女歌星於1964年主唱。Death Proof的版本由美國indie pop女唱作歌手April March(有趣的名字)改編成"Chick Habit",屬1995年作品。兩個版本均是Cutie & Sexy。

"Laisse Tomber Les Filles":



"Chick Habit"@April March's MySpace



France Gall & April March

Saturday, July 21, 2007

好歌(及MV)重溫:When we we're together

十年前一場浪漫風暴,雨橫風狂,倏忽而過,現在人們也許忘了,也許不。

已經轉型做田園詩人(或稱英國版區瑞強)的Louis Eliot,十幾年前曾和隊友Johnny Bull以Kinky Machine名義出現,後解體重組成Rialto,帶來一系列充滿電影感的愛情流行曲。Louis細膩達意的歌詞,功力不比Jarvis Cocker遜色。像"Monday Morning 5.19", "Dream another dream", "Untouchable"等,均是同名大碟內的classic pop tunes。第二張大碟Night on Earth,走techno路線,惜掀不起話題,但碟內如"Catherine", "Failing in love", "I drove the car that took my love away",仍是不可多得的一流ballad,纏綿悱惻,猶像一首首愛情電影的插曲。

MV同樣首首精品。"When we're together"講述一名痴情男子日夜跟蹤及偷拍心上女子,如此題材落在Jarvis Cocker手上,會變成如"Pencil Skirt"那種偷窺偷妻的寫實諷刺作品,而在英國Albert Au手上,則變得十分emotional,浪漫和電影化。

烈日正酷,浪漫風暴消逝之時,更覺那首風行一時的"Summer's Over"愁腸百轉。



The lights come on, I track her moves:
locking the door, crossing the room.
She's on the phone again, and when she laughs
I feel my blood rushing - I feel my blood rush to my heart...

I call her up and disconnect, wait by her house once more to check,
stare through the window of her kitchenette,
and then I follow her down underground escalators,
hiding behind my newspaper until the time
when we're together.

So here we are, alone again;
I'm in the dark, she's in her frame, her window bay.

I play the film back through my mind
with a few new scenes I've designed;
maybe I'll write her one or two more lines,
and then I'll follow her down underground escalators,
hiding behind my newspaper
until the time when we're together.

Together, together, together, together...

Together, when we're together,
Together, when we're together,
Together...

鼓掌

上映前看了一點影評,說塔倫天奴(Quentin Tarantino)的Death Proof口水多過茶,該影評寫了洋洋千幾二千字,證實該影評人才是口水多過茶。(其實他只不過將劇情講述一次,好證實導演確是文戲太多了。)

個人認為,以上評論出自男人。蓋若本片如沒有那些女人口水戲,沒有鋪敍,就像sex without foreplay,一來便hardcore,應該很dry。

總沒可能個幾兩個鐘全部飛車戲吧,那還不如去看賽車。

兩場飛車戲,第一場短,爆發力強。第二場分兩part,互相追逐,更扣人心弦,尤其是復仇一場,看得興奮。

出字幕時,忍不住和其他觀眾鼓了掌。

Friday, July 20, 2007

蒼涼

看章詒和的《最後的貴族》(往事並不如煙),在疏淡的筆觸下,埋藏著不可抑止的蒼涼。

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Suede "Heroine"歌曲藏毒考及其他

"Heroine"是否歌曲藏毒,看看這個生字便知道,Heroin者海洛英,至於Heroine,則是英文中"hero"的女性稱謂,不辯自明。此猜測想必來自前作"Animal Nitrate"及"Sleeping pills"等大量implicit及explicit的毒品references,令人對此歌也想入非非。

另外,有人認為此歌和妓女有關,蓋歌詞出現脫衣( Discarding her clothes in the plastic flowers...)、色情( Pornographic and tragic in black and white...)及成年( I'm 18, I need my heroines...)等字眼。但翻查網上資料,發現以下這一段link頗為中的,認為歌曲展示的是成長之中對女性概念的形成,如來自瑪麗蓮夢露的黑白艷照,而這些女性,則又是命運悲劇的主角人物。

"The song is based from the Lord Byron poem which begins with the same line, "she walks in beauty, like the night".

This song really doesn't have anything to do with a prostitute. It's more about a boy who is becoming a man (I'm eighteen and I need my heroines) identifying his notions of women with his female idols - who are actresses and pin-up girls pinned to his wall. These women are traditional femmes fatale, as shown by the reference to Raphaella, the pre-Raphaelite princess. Femmes fatale have traditionally shown up in art as symbols of the downfall of men, which is evident by his "dying." Yes, Anderson and Butler are quite arty in their references."

Brett Anderson歌詞:

She walks in beauty like the night
Discarding her clothes in the plastic flowers
Pornographic and tragic in black and white
My Marilyn come to my slum for an hour

I'm aching to see my heroine
I'm aching been dying for hours and hours

She walks in the beauty of a magazine
Complicating the boys in the office towers
Rafaella or Della the silent dream
My Marilyn come to my slum for an hour

I'm aching to see my heroine
I'm aching been dying for hours and hours,
been dying for hours and hours

She walks in beauty like the night
Hypnotising the silence with her powers
Armageddon is bedding this picture alright
My Marilyn come to slum for an hour

I'm aching to see my heroine
Aching, been dying for hours and hours
I'm 18, I need my heroines
Aching, been dying for hours
Oh and I'm never alone now
Now I'm with her




Lord Byron原詩:

SHE walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

有趣的是,Lord Byron原詩要兩句連讀才成意思(因第一句尾沒有標點):SHE walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies,意像是漆黑中散發光明,如單以「黑夜」形容如水清澈、美麗如花的女性,則變成不知所云,和下文意思斷裂。Brett Anderson卻斷章取義,截取第一句"SHE walks in beauty, like the night",卻和歌曲的暗黑點調子配合,所描女性,亦由高貴優雅、溫柔婉約形像,轉化成少年房中牆上的黑白女明星艷照,由高上而下流,由(真正深刻的)古典至(近世淺薄的)懷舊,是不是有點坎普(camp)?無論如何,Brett當年的Glam,在今天看來無疑是坎普的傑作。

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

好歌(及MV)重溫:We are the Pigs

頗有George Orwell小說1984的味道。

當年曾遭禁播,作為Dog Man Star第一發single,被認為是商業自殺。(要說商業自殺,suede早有前科,故意將經典作品"My insatiable one"放於"The Drowners"的B-side,才算我行我素,目空一切的舉措。)

豬(pig),是suede最常用的imagery之一。哺乳類低等動物,和狗(dog man star中的"dog")處於進化第一階段,等如革命前夕,處於受壓狀態的無產階級,不願做奴隸的人們,搖身成"stars of the firing line".

以Glam look示人的Brett Anderson的創作力處於顛峰,唱腔發揮也最淋漓盡致。

教堂的鐘聲刺耳得如一響響鑽入耳膜的警笛,由Bernard Butler清晰有力的結他導出,預示執政階層(西方文明?)的墮落。歌曲成於93/94年, 靈感或來自東歐變天,風起雲湧的革命年代。畫面中戴面具的人抬著擔架疾走,令人想起1989年6月4 日。



Well the church bells are calling
Police cars on fire
And as they call you to the eye of the storm
All the people say "Stay at home tonight"

I say we are the pigs, we are the swine
We are the stars of the firing line

And as the smack cracks at your window
You wake up with a gun in your mouth
Oh let the nuclear wind blow away my sins
And I'll stay at home in my house

I say, we are the pigs
we are the swine
we are the stars of the firing line

But deceit can't save you so

We will watch them burn

Monday, July 16, 2007

好歌(及MV)重溫:Fake Plastic Trees 〔補充感想〕

Radiohead的歌曲富實驗性,但在OK Computer橫空出世之前,他們的歌曲已隱然帶著科幻感,非常之futuristic,這首歌的MV在今天看來,也是如此。

十二、三年前,互聯網方興未艾,全球一體化還在胚胎之中,尚未成形,美國及其他資本主義國家的消費主義,在後冷戰時代、唯一意識形態對手倒台後已成霸權。西風東漸,中國及俄國掛著羊頭重新崛起,富起來的人拼命消費,要和富裕世界看齊,然而富裕世界的人早在消費主費花多眼亂的迷宮裏迷失。五色令人目盲,五音令人耳聾,五味令人口爽,馳騁畋獵令人心發狂。

留意MV裏蒼白的人造光,人們木然、疏離。敞大的超市整齊排列一架架一式一樣的貨品,豈不是今天沃爾瑪(Wal-Mart)的寫照?難道又不是星巴克世代來臨的預言?個性被大眾取締。

Thom Yorke在錄音室唱完這歌後,崩潰地哭。




Her Green plastic watering can
For her fake Chinese rubber plant
In the fake plastic earth.
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plans.
to get rid of itself.
And It Wears Her Out, it wears her out
It wears her out, it wears her out.

She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns.
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins.
And It Wears Him Out, it wears him out
It wears him out, it wears him out.

She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My Fake Plastic Love.
But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
And It Wears Me Out, it wears me out
It wears me out, it wears me out.

And if I could BE who you wanted
If I could BE who you wanted,
All the time, all the time, ohhh... ohh...
近日,I'm NOT A Plastic bag 在港台掀起「輪購」熱潮,彷如輪米,何其諷刺。

Sunday, July 15, 2007

博雅vs通識

博雅教育(Liberal arts education):相對於職業或實用教育而言,其目的在培育「統一的人格」(unified personality)

通識教育(General education):相對於專業教育而言,其目的在達到「統一的知識」(unified body of knowledge)

來源:金耀基,《大學之理念》。

Saturday, July 14, 2007

好歌(及MV)重溫:Chemical World

probably one of the finest moments of britpop...

Damon Albarn...好靚仔...剛脫離"she's so high"時期的柒look,髮線尚未後移...

歌曲未必最為(港)人熟悉,但旋律流暢嶲永,MV清新舒爽,質素不下於任何一首Blur的大熱作品。

(題外話:說到「作品」,實不明解何謂DJ口中的「梁詠琪作品」、「鄧麗欣作品」、「黎明作品」或「郭富城作品」,他們的確提供了一把不甚了了的唱腔,但為何總是一個唔該攬下所有credit?他們參與作曲嗎?他們是歌曲監製嗎?他們有任彈奏樂曲的樂器嗎?最重要是,他們會為歌曲或唱片提供創作方向嗎?假如在香港這個還是雷頌德統領的「樂壇」下還有「創作」這回事的話。[不過我想,問題在於雷生沒有抄足全套,他大可學外國創作人"cite influence",那麼他的「作品」也可監粗說成是「二次創作」的「創意產業」。])

(又,如上述這批「藝人」經常大言不慚稱自己為「artist」,則我們可以斷定:李天命除了是一名已退休的哲學教授,也絕對是一名「artist」,殆無疑問。)

"Chemical world"收錄在Modern life is rubbish一碟內,調子較商業化,主攻美國年青市場(不過想來不太成功,要等到"Song 2"才打破缺口),主題和碟名呼應,諷刺現代社會的反天然性質,MV裏的開揚壯闊的大自然景觀,自是有世外桃源,令人心懭神怡,多看有益。



The pay-me girl has had enough of the bleeps
So she takes the bus into the country
Although she got herself rosy cheeks
She didn't leave enough money to pay the rent
The landlord says that she's out in a week
What a shame she was just getting comfy
Now she's eating chocolate to induce sleep
In a chemical world, It's very, very, very cheap

And I don't know about you
But they're putting the holes in, yes, yes
It's been a hell of a do
They've been putting the holes in, yes, yes

Peeping Thomas has a very nice view
Across the street at the exhibitionist
These townies they never speak to you
Just stick together so they never get lonely
Feeling lead, feeling quite light-headed
Had to sit down and have some sugary tea
In chemical world, in a chemical world
It's very, very, very cheap

And I don't know about you
But they're putting the holes in, yes, yes
It's been a hell of a do
They've been putting the holes in, yes, yes, yes

I don't know about you
But they're putting the holes in, yes, yes
It's been a hell of a do
They've been putting the holes in, yes, yes
And now she's found about you
But they're putting the holes in, yes, yes
Well I don't know about you
They've been putting the holes in, yes, yes

Thursday, July 12, 2007

左右腳

Grindhouse明明是兩片同放,在香港卻一開二,這還不特止,先上映的是《索女.喪屍.機關槍》(Planet Terror),上集《玩命.飛車.殺人狂》(Death Proof)竟要放在七月中才上畫,有冇搞錯!

左腳、右腳?準是要扮B級片來個大穿崩


Wednesday, July 11, 2007

想點

《政制發展綠皮書》舉行記者答問會,咱們新任政務司長一舊糖首度上陣,講野一舊舊,書又背得唔熟,每個問題都答「揉合機制」、「立法會三分二支持」、「北京支持、備案」、「得出主流方案」,部份記者問得又廢,結果一舊糖又口齒不清咁重覆以上各項,好L悶呀。年初佢出席財政預算案答問大問,又係一舊雲咁問乜都唔識,眼神游魂,淨識傻笑,開親口都口窒窒,呢條友五年間由自由黨議員做到局長再做財爺已經詭異,口才仲屎過曾凸手,唔明佢點可帶領政府囉。

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

新聞經典

2003年3月22日
科威特城現場報道

「做現場報道,呢d就叫做執生。」

Thursday, June 21, 2007

宿命主義

看游乃海導演編劇、杜琪峯監製的《跟蹤》,散場時竟不覺只有九十分鐘這麼短。游乃海早年編劇的《非常突然》,讓任達華成team人在命運錯位之下突兀身亡,今次《跟蹤》的宿命主義仍藏於結局中......全片唯一讓人感到渾身不自然的,不是首度亮相大銀幕的徐子珊,而是那個飾演粗口爛舌督察的邵美琪,她的粗口太不自然了,毫無氣勢,又無勁度和狠度,像極在唸台詞,無疑是敗筆。

早段詳述林雪如何被跟蹤,乃至揭發身份,但同黨其餘七人於下一鏡頭忽然已全被起底,可以加一點點點點交待吧。

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Mr. E又幾有公路feel!

抱住看爛片的心態睇《四仔旅行團》(Road Trip),戲一般吧 ,《美國處男》式的故事、手法和美式美女。發現兩首插曲分別是Eels的Mr. E's Beautiful Blues和Supergrass的Pumping on your stereo,當堂精神為之一振。

首歌個MV找來Mr. E和戲中演員一齊拍,又幾過癮!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

好歌(及MV)重溫:The Sweetest Thing

好溫馨呵,難得好man的Bono咁可愛
(但客串MV的Boyzone全白衫...有點嘔...)



My love she throws me like a rubber ball
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
She wont catch me or break my fall
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Babys got blue skies up ahead
But in this Im a rain cloud
You know she likes a dry kind of love
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing

Im losing you
Hey hey hey, Im losing you yeah
Aint love the sweetest thing

I wanted to run but she made me crawl
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Eternal fire, she turned me to straw
Oh oh, the sweetest thing
You know I got black eyes
But they burn so brightly for her
Mine is a blind kind of love
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing

Im losing you
Oh oh oh, Im losing you yeah
Aint love the sweetest thing
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Oh oh, yeah

Blue-eyed boy and this brown-eyed girl
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
You can sew it up but you still see the tear
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Babys got blue skies up ahead
And in this Im a rain cloud
You know we got a stormy kind of love
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Oh oh, the sweetest thing
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing

Monday, June 18, 2007

好歌(及MV)重溫:L. Wells

Lynsey ,好美的名字啊。

FF的B side一向好聽,這首比Walk Away還好聽啊,MV也拍得很清爽呢。(而且歌詞竟然十分清楚明白,真是難得啊)



Great Western Wind catches in your Celtic hair
Flicks it round your face like flames around the sun
In the bright cold air you seem as innocent and fair
As Rita Tushingham in 1961

Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel so good
I wish that I could be as good as you
Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel the good
Beyond the poison in us like you do

LP records in your little hands
Put them on your little dansette for a dance
All those men sing you'll never walk alone
But you'll never let them break your little heart.

Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel so good
I wish that I could be as good as you
Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel the good
Beyond the poison in us like you do

If you have some sort of secret
If you need someone to tell
You can tell me
Because my memory
Always fails
I will forget
And your secret
Will remain
Yes the secret
Your secret
Will remain

Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel so good
I wish that I could be as good as you
Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel the good
Beyond the poison in us like you do

Thursday, June 07, 2007

才女

《巴黎愛漫遊》(2 Days in Paris),好好笑喎。Julie Delpy自編自導自演,一副大粗框黑眼鏡,說的是帶智慧的對白、含政治意味的笑話,場景包括藝術家派對、小資產階級生活,莫非活地阿倫上身?

才女
曲:林二汶@at17
詞:于逸堯@人山人海
編曲:梁基爵@人山人海
監製:蔡德才@人山人海

世界不知不覺無情地轉
勞碌找一個救生圈
靠美德博學
還離岸很遠
用美色多勝算

可惜我只配談文字戀
強項得書信對白婉轉
講曲線體態自然落選
憑面相難完心願

蕭伯納 王爾德 但丁莎士比亞 馬奎斯 小仲馬
請指點我去用情書將心扣住
辛棄疾 矛盾 魯迅 蘇軾
求可體恤我筆尖的計算
長話盼 盡說短
人海中等惜字緣

交心的戀愛漸成歷史
唯獨我堅信愛像種子
悉心栽花卻換來白紙
才用眼淚來寫字

伊索 屠格涅夫 狄更斯歐威爾 艾可 卡爾維諾
幾本書的背後埋藏著我心事
張愛玲 曹禺 老舍 冰心
如果早幫我寫命運情節
從未怕 命太短
惟恐寫不好那段緣
盼成全

隻歌有點K,但幾好聽喎!

Sunday, June 03, 2007

香港極樂

點樣同一個小學三年級既豆丁解釋「輪迴」同「涅槃」既概念?

得!用英文啦

九龍一間超級名校既小學,英文測驗閱讀理解一part之中出現"reincarnation"、"nirvana"字眼,篇文講佛教。

咁樣推斷,相信呢班小朋友升中一,佢地的I.S. project,係同解放軍合作,研究中國第一代航空母艦,中二和中國航天合作,研究火星載人探測計劃,到左中三,應該對"I Ching"有透澈了解,中四對人類腦部瞭如指掌,中五通識探討資本主義和自由市場過度發展的後果。「普選」只屬小兒通識科。

還有什麼解決不到的?

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

WTF r u singing??

Franz Ferdinand D歌詞,大部份來說,都很垃圾,例如"Take me out"個句"I am just a crosshair/I am just a shot away from you",簡直係奇峰凸出語驚人,而家終於有人替天行道,幫佢地第二張碟第二隻single "The Fallen"整左個misheard lyrics video,爆笑程度同本身歌詞本身無厘頭程度不相伯仲:

Friday, May 18, 2007

Travis

以前成日覺得Travis好悶,唔夠刺激,但原來一早訓醒,係陽光之下攤係張床到聽,又或者落街食早餐聽,都係好正架!

最新大熱:Closer




最中意係呢隻:Flowers in the windows

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Version 2.0

Arctic Monkey隻新碟Favourite Worst Nightmare,好聽,但需要點時間消化。可是今次D歌詞唔知up乜,有點不知所措。







Teddy Picker


"Brainstorm" (first single) :


佢地真係好cute。我中意以前個肥仔貝斯手Andy Nicholson 多D。 以下呢隻"A certain Romance"(來自上一張碟最後一cut),歌詞、音樂同現場一樣咁正。


Well oh they might wear classic Reeboks
Or knackered Converse
Or tracky bottoms tucked in socks
But all of that's what the point is not
The point's that there ain't no romance around there
And there's the truth that they can't see
They'd probably like to throw a punch at me
And if you could only see them, then you would agree
Agree that there ain't no romance around there

And over there there's broken bones
There's only music, so that there's new ringtones
And it don't take no Sherlock Holmes
To see it's a little different around here
Don't get me wrong, oh there's boys in bands
And kids who like to scrap with pool cues in their hands
And just cause he's had a coupla cans
He thinks it's alright to act like a dickhead

Thursday, May 10, 2007

觀影

終於看了由馬田史高西斯(Martin Scorsese)執導的的The Age of Innocence(心外幽情),拍得中規中矩吧,未看過原著的話,可能會悶到訓著,但看過原著的話,又會覺得完全是隔靴搔癢,Edith Wharton的原著太精彩,很多東西電影都拍不到,兩小時十八分的戲(對馬大導來是算短的了)竟是嚴重不足,感覺好像睇緊名著的中學簡化版,只能說戲中的陳設、布置和裝飾一絲不苟,頗為落本和大堆頭。

***

劉德華投資、林子聰處男導演的《得閒飲茶》十分好看,好看過彭浩翔的處男作《買兇拍人》。方力申和Viann的選角一流,配角林家棟也有神來之筆,肥仔聰手法乾淨俐落,處理最新港式男女感情惹笑且不缺深度,前途無可限量,十分欣賞劉華有心支持新晉電影人。

Saturday, April 21, 2007

宇宙自由行

《星際快閃黨》(The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/HHGTTG),中文名改得頗爛,但其由Douglas Adams的所作的原著,和《是的,首相》(Yes, Prime Minister),同是英國廣播公司BBC當年的著名趣劇,曾被改編成劇作、電視連續劇和小說,廿多年來累積了一批科幻擁躉。

戲中十分有趣的「憂鬱機械人」Marvin, the Paranoid Android造型可愛 ,英國樂隊Radiohead最出名的實驗歌曲"Paranoid Android",相信名字即源於此。雖然歌詞沒有相關指涉,但Thom Yorke曾說:It's about being exposed to God. HHGTTG提出的終極問題:Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything,答案原來並非上帝,而是讓人抓破頭的「42」,多年來困惑無數fans。而給出這個迷離答案的,正是超級電腦Deep Thought,沒錯,曾和世界冠軍Gary Kasparov對壘的IBM超級電腦"Deep Thought",正是出於向Douglas Adams的創作致敬。這本「銀河系自由行手冊」背面刻印的"Don't Panic",又成了英國樂隊Coldplay的同名歌曲。

we live in a beautiful world/yeah we do, yeah we do/we live in a beautiful world/oh all that I know/there's nothing here to run from/'cos yeah everybody here's got somebody to lean on...

說到明向Douglas Adams致敬的《星際快閃黨》電影,難免滲進荷里活公式橋段。戲的特技眩目,色彩鮮明,怪招百出,看時賞心悅目,只是前段的節奏較慢。主角Arthur Dent戲末否定了「42」這個宇宙終極問題的答案,確認「愛」(狹義的,並非全人類的大同博愛)才是人生意義之所寄。奇想不斷,結尾添上如此人性化的一筆,確有點睛之效。

'cos yeah everybody here's got somebody to lean on...

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Frente!

近日,無線宣傳廣告(原來是勁歌金曲優秀選)採用了澳洲流行樂隊Frente!多年前舊作"Accidentally Kelly Street",聽來耳目一新,看來這支早於90年代中拆夥、 又於近年復出的pop rock組合,其歌曲總算歷久彌新。首本名作,當然是唱到街知巷聞的"Bizarre Love Triangle"(New Order原作的acoustic cover)啦。而佢地第一張大碟Marvin the Album,都仲經常可以係HMV見到,同其他大band的推薦作品擺埋一齊。

Sunday, April 15, 2007

歌詞雜談 愛變了這世界襯衣?

這是1995年杜德偉先生舊作,填詞人陳少琪。其時陳少琪顛峰已過,出品的詞作中規中矩,驚喜不多。〈愛變了這世界襯衣〉一向是深宵節目的長青歌曲,聽了多年,由於聽時多處昏睡狀態,未能深究歌詞,至近日復活節長假期每每夜深人未睡,故腦筋轉動之下,嘗試咀嚼歌中意思。

不果。

無論從客觀看,還是抽象地看,「愛已變這世界襯衣」一句狗屁不通,根本不能令人聯想到什麼──除了一頭霧水。「霧水已變了這世界襯衣」尚可解,但即使加入無限感性或主觀詮釋,也不能理解「愛變了這世界襯衣」箇中意味,或構出一幅什麼樣的圖畫。

愛  變了這 世界  襯衣
抽象     抽象  實物

太抽象了。如果是「愛變了這地球襯衣」,尚可監粗解之;或,既然一樣東西變成了襯衣,那樣東西總得是實物吧。問題明顯出在「襯衣」上。字面來說,要將抽象意念轉化為實物,實在是宇宙諾貝爾獎的得獎大發現,上帝也不明白。同情地以修辭來說,襯衣顯然是比喻,比喻即係要人思考轉化(仲要係隱喻喎),但這個比喻是如此的新奇事,前無古人後無來者,讀者未能拿任何前作來參考,說「o拿,李白咁用過喎!」雖然,未用過的比喻,不表示是無效的比喻,但按前文後理,又看不出這句「愛變了這地球襯衣」有任何有效意思喎。

愛已變了這世界襯衣
哪裡有愛哪裡會有繽紛盛事(襯衣=繽紛盛事?) 沒有你仍不知
愛已變了這世界襯衣
哪裡有你哪裡會有玩意 (襯衣=玩意?) 地點不須介意

結果是,由於比喻是用簡單易明的詞彙引起聯想(不會有人用「鉬」作比喻掛),即使陳少琪用了人人都明的「襯衣」來作比喻,一時之間,或經過思考之後(如要經詳細思考,這已經是非常不高明的比喻),卻依然令人一頭霧水,還要比喻上再作比喻,直至不知所云,死而後已,是一個無效、不合格的比喻。

***

稍後,深宵節目主持播出哥哥張國榮的〈想你〉,填詞人小美,一句歌詞說「痴心像馬戲」,同樣令人不解,但緊接的下一句歌詞是「似小丑眼內希冀」,連用兩個明喻,而後一句又合理地作出解釋,歌中那個傻仔形象便甚為突出,此兩詞之間高手和低手的分野所在也。

Friday, April 13, 2007

POP: I'm Loving it!

作為英倫近年較矚目的樂隊,Kaiser Chiefs給我的感覺,是入口即溶極之可愛的甜糖。05年推出的處女大碟Employment可說完全不用消化,聽一遍便可以啷啷上口,但又不算嚼完即棄的口香糖。早在1997年組成的Kaiser Chiefs,一直鬱鬱不得志,只好調整路線,於擔任暖場表演時創作大合唱歌曲,結果終於揚名。"Everyday I Love You Less and Less"、"Modern Way"、"Na Na Na Na Naa"(擔正旗號!)及"Oh My God"等極POP之餘又不能說是不耐聽。 推出不久的新碟 Yours Truly, Angry Mob已見收歛,但歌曲仍是十分易上口,耳朵受落,I am loving it! 另,樂隊創作靈魂主腦兼唱和音的鼓手Nick Hodgson幾型仔(上圖右二),可留意以下片段。


"The Angry Mob"。主音Ricky Wilson仍有baby fat,好cute。


"Ruby"。樂隊第一曲細碟冠軍,This is truly POP!誠意推薦。

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

狼之子的流動的饗宴

Patrick Wolf這名野孩子,懷著一顆狼的心,在03年推出處女大碟Lycanthropy(意即由人的變狼的過程或法術),篇首曲"Wolf Song"帶聽者進入月影森寒、魔嘯狼號的中古世界。年紀輕輕的狼孩子竟可寫出"Pigeon Song"如此帶詩意和愁鬱的樂章,流浪漂泊的無定生活讓他看破,而這批他於十幾歲時已寫好的作品,流露的早熟令人吃驚:

I've been going alone to the cinema
I've been stealing all my food
from the electric avenue
now the pigeons gather
round my feeding hand
and we talk til the evening fades

I have learnt how it goes
what you wait for never shows
and what you least wanted
holds you down like a stone
just like a stone

Now I feed the birds
day after day
only they can hear me pray for
a lighter heart
a lighter load
to be moving, moving, moving my way home...

05年的第二張專輯Wind in the Wires是狼之子故事的延續,如Peter Pan般自由自在的狼孩子踏上追尋發現之旅,第一首歌曲"The Libertine"以激昂澎湃的進行曲調子,作出壯懷激烈的宣言。馬戲班裏的女孩、滿肚密圈的魔術師、陰險奸詐的傳道者、行為怪異的遊吟詩人、搭順風車的旅者、破釜沈舟的海盜和指引迷途的吉卜賽人,均是道阻且長的過客;他到過斷崖、攀過燈塔、越過鐵道、探索過纏滿蔓藤的寶屋、佇立於鉛雲密佈的海港,在清清的河口凝望自己的倒影,以及隱現無形的幽靈。這是一頓流動的饗宴,也是日遠天闊、柳暗花明的冒險樂園。

剛推出的最新專輯,是顏彩斑斕的The Magic Position。歷險歸來的狼之子,像羅賓漢一樣領著一班草莽英雄,踢著草鞋、敲著棍子,浩浩蕩蕩地揹著一身叮叮噹噹的戰利品凱旋歸航。他們在馬戲班裏盡情歌舞,踢踢躂躂,迴旋木馬轉出歡樂的泉源,馬戲班女孩是靈感的魔幻女神。狼的孩子不再是在古城倫敦和巴黎流浪、遭人追害和痛苦掙扎的棄童,他的世界有了色彩,因為

It's you
Who puts me in the magic position, darling now
You put me in the magic position
To live, to learn, to love in the major key

It's gonna be a beautiful day
So do the bluebirds sing
As I take your hand
And you take my kiss
And I take the world
'Cause out of all the people I've known
The places I've been
The songs that I have sung
The wonders I've seen
Now that the dreams are all coming true
Who is the one that leads me on through

It's you...

Monday, April 09, 2007

The myth of "The Look of Love"

"...You hear that? She's not very good at slushy stuff? That, to me, is a problem, as it would be to any male who heard Dusty Springfield singing 'The Look of Love' at an impressionable age. That was what I thought it was all going to be like when I was married...I thought there was going to be this sexy woman with a sexy voice and lots of sexy eye makeup whose devotion to me shone from every pore. And there is such a thing as the look of love--Dusty didn't lead us up the garden path entirely--it's just that the look of love isn't what I expected it to be. It's not huge eyes almost bursting with longing situated somewhere in the middle of a double bed with the covers turned down invitingly; it's just as likely to be the look of benevolent indulgence that a mother gives a toddler, or a look of amused exasperation, even a look of pained concern. But the Dusty Springfield look of love? Forget it. As mythical as the exotic underwear..."

-Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

Saturday, April 07, 2007

"Total Eclipse Of The Heart"的法語風情

可能是Bonnie Tyler很拆很沙的聲線,唱出歌詞的無助和絕望,自從中學時第一次聽過"Total Eclipse Of The Heart"之後,每次聽都總有一剎那感到毛管戙。

Once upon a time
I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart.
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart.

具有西班牙和希臘血統的廿四歲法國女歌手Kareen Antonn,於零三年和Bonnie Tyler合作,唱出"Totally Eclipse Of The Heart"的英法雙語版"Si Demain ",一樣得。單曲推出後在法國、比利時和波蘭登上第一位,全球賣出二百萬張。





Kareen Antonn於1996年初登演藝界,年僅16歲便已經在台上演唱,曾參與 Alanis Morrissette和U2等現場演出 ,小妮子聽過英國搖滾女歌手Bonnie Tyler這首經典名作,主動提出和對方合唱,Bonnie 聽過Kareen的聲音後,決定在巴黎錄音,還作現場合唱演出。Kareen Antonn的名堂因而更響。

Sunday, April 01, 2007

A note on CAMP

數坎普人物,捨「平凡像我」的顏福偉其誰?


「平凡像我,也許一天到晚,太緊張工作吧。」

Saturday, March 31, 2007

你快樂嗎?

The unhappiest people I know, romantically speaking, are the ones who like pop music the most; and I don't know whether pop music has caused this unhappiness, but I do know that they've been listening to the sad songs longer than they've been living the unhappy lives.

- Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

Carpenters有一首歌,叫"All You Get From Love Is A Love Song",有幾句歌詞,是這樣的:

Oh its a dirty old shame
When all you get from love is a love song
That's got you layin up nights
Just waitin for the music to start
Its such a dirty old shame
When you got to take the blame for a love song
Because the best love songs are written with a broken heart

最揪心的歌,是Bonnie Tyler 的"Total Eclipse of the Heart" 。還有Bryan Adams主唱、電影《天生愛情狂》(Don Juan DeMarco) 主題曲"Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman",看他近年演出,他老了。也許這令歌曲的滄桑味、浪子回頭金不換的感覺更突出。

Thursday, March 29, 2007

如囈女聲

久違了的Sarah Nixey!Block Box Recorder的唱片是我唱片櫃的重要收藏,只可惜樂隊出個三張碟便告玩完,但Sarah Nixey的聲線卻是歷久難忘。

源自Graham Greene同名小說的處女大碟England Made Me,第一首歌"Girl Singing in the Wreckage"便已俘虜耳朵。Sarah和Luke Haines彷如夢囈而又帶挑逗的對唱、剝開一層層殘酷現實的歌詞、極其簡單的編曲和悅耳甜美的旋律,無疑是聽覺新體驗。

第二張大碟The Facts of Life,加入電子元素,編曲豐富不少,但第一首的"The Art of Driving"依然極端搶耳,"The English Motorway System"的感情迷霧幻彩、"May Queen"和"The Facts of Life"的少年殘酷物語、尾曲"Goodnight Kiss"的點滴溫馨,樂隊的蛻變帶來商業上的成功。


"The Art of Driving"

第三張大碟 Passionoia 向電子舞曲方向進發,已非樂隊本色,甚有最後一碟味道。 可能埋下Sarah新碟風格的伏線。

袁智聰的Sarah Nixey新碟介紹

Friday, March 23, 2007

不老的傳說

ONJ黎香港,其實我好鬼想睇這個「老餅」演出,但唔知有冇人又想睇呢?

嘩!金童玉女呀↓



"Suddenly", performed by Cliff Richard & Olivia Newton-John.

1992年,仍處黃金歲月。勁!佢會老的嗎?

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

時光倒流 無限復活

**Spoiler warning**

《時光倒流七十年》(Somewhere in Time, 1980),講述男主角Christopher Reeve(R),在1972年的一次聚會上遇到一老女人Jane Seymour(S),年老的S交給年青的R一隻鉈錶。8年後,即1980年,R在一間酒店看見一張照像,似曾相識,決定不惜時光倒流,回去1912年,找年青的S。

按故事的時序發展,R按圖索驥,回到過去後找著年青的S,原來二人不相識,相信係因為時光倒至二人相識前,接著邂逅發生,刻骨銘心的愛情也發生了,卻由於R身上錯帶著一枚1979年的硬幣,結果被送回現代,他亦遺下那隻鉈錶在1912年。戲到這裏,R不能再回去,然後心碎死了,戲完了。可是,按故事發展,S應該一直保存那隻鉈錶,活著到1972年,親手將它交給R,8年後,即1980年,R在一間酒店看見一張照像,似曾相識,決定不惜時光倒流,回去1912年,找年青的S。然後邂逅,發生刻骨銘心的愛情,又因那枚硬幣,遭遣返現代,卻遺下鉈錶...............

故事在那裏開始?這是一個loop,看的時候感覺非常怪。

早前在188用1蚊買了香港cult片王劉鎮偉導演、技安(即係劉生自己)編劇的《無限復活》(2002),鄭伊健(E)和張柏芝(C)主演。說的也是「時光倒流」的故事。E在拉斯維加斯賭錢輸光,朋友橫死,在醫院醒來不知發生何事,回家後竟接到之前沒有聽過的神秘電話留言,警告他不要到拉斯維加斯賭錢。技安編劇獨特之處,是E回到過去追查真相時,分開「現在的E」和「過去的E」,讓兩個E同時出現。「現在的E」為了改變歷史,憑先前找到的線索,在「過去」神推鬼擁碰見該名incidental留言人,著他打那個神秘電話提醒「過去的E」,不要到拉斯維加斯。這個電話,便是驅動「現在」的主角回到「過去」的「機緣」,一如那隻鉈錶,連接了過去與現在。

一同回到過去的C也是一身兩分,她本身是探員,偵查E朋友橫死的案件。由於「過去」多了兩個人在查案搞事,故事開始時(即戲中的「過去」)E所接收的種種神秘訊息和伏線,都得到了解釋。而「回頭石」,便等如《西遊記》的「月光寶盒」,具有連通時空的法力。

《無限復活》中除了劉鎮偉典型的無聊對答,也不斷埋下不少伏線,如E和C另一半的「巧合外遇」、公路上那個駕警車的煠熟狗頭送花男人、只有一半的「緣份吊墜」、「魔鬼對上帝」的賭局,都隨故事的發展扭結在一起,又隨劇情開進高潮漸次紓解開來。出人意表的是,技安沒有照顧觀眾的「合理期望」,讓已結成一對E和C一同回到現在,反而陰差陽錯,讓「現在的E」和「過去的C」走在一起。結尾一幕將最後一條伏線也解開了,天藍草綠,人生又是一個新開始,那種由巧妙劇情演化出來妙到毫顛的緣份,也讓人不禁激賞技安的編劇巧絕對高超。

《無限復活》過了中段是一場愈看愈精彩的戲,劉鎮偉沒有落入「時光倒流」不斷自「圓」其說的窠臼,反而創意不斷,是個人繼王家衛《東邪西毒》後另一齣十粒星的一流推介。

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Video Socialism

Viacom收回旗下MTV版權,Youtube少了好多片段。希望這些精彩live performance繼續向公眾開放。Video Socialism萬歲!

Franz Ferdinand兩張大碟都以一首型爆的歌曲作壓軸,處女同名大碟有 "40'" ,第二張大碟便到連模特兒行天橋都要徵用來做配樂的"Outsiders"。去年香港演出時也出現多名鼓手在歌曲末段集體打鼓的場面,今回在T in the Park更集齊12名鼓手大晒冷,好不壯觀。


除了曾經和以Luke Haines為主腦的Black Box Recorder合作, Jarvis Cocker亦有份參與 The All Seeing I's的大碟歌曲創作。這首"Walk Like A Panther"在已摺的長壽節目Top of the Pops演出,歌曲本身十分accessible,Jarvis的台風一貫精彩,觀眾的反應尤為一流。


加拿大班霸Arcade Fire的現場演出一向扣人心絃,澎湃熱情加高亢唱腔加豐富編排,一行7人在台上各司其職,極具氣勢台型。今回伙拍英國國寶David Bowie,現場氣氛更是磅礡。

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

您好,憂愁

年輕有很多專利,無知是其中一種,莫以名狀的憂鬱,也是其一中種。

法國女小說家Françoise Sagan 19歲時的寫下的處女作Bonjour TristesseHello, Sadness),記錄了青春的鬱悶、無知、輕狂,和一縷捲著煙草裊裊上升、迷糊了蒼蒼臉龐和淺淺眼眸的......憂愁。

莎岡(Sagan)的稱謂來自普魯斯特(Proust)的《追憶逝水年華》(Remembrance of Things Past)1953年,莎岡在巴黎索邦(Sorbonne)大學就讀二年級,考試肥佬,在暑假期間自我隔絕,創作這本令她在下半個世紀成為法國以及全球文化界名人的200頁小書。她其後到訪美國,和Truman Capote等美國作家交流見面。酒精、賭博和飇車,成為她揮霍春青的嗜好。

小說的場景設在法國南部濱海的Riviera,一個寵壞的17歲少女,喪母後一直跟隨奉行享樂主義的父親見識名利場的世界。然而這裏天高海遠,浮華盡去,原本像春青痘一樣悶燒的暑假,靜靜等待著一場邂逅的發生。

莎岡筆下的少女Cécile和父親一樣追求自由戀愛,嗜好杯中物,在寧謐夏日的船帆底下和俊美的Cyril偷嚐禁果。小說在1954年出現版後,立即引起震動,19歲的莎岡以解剖式的筆觸、極其簡練的語言,一步步將原本由蔚藍天空和鬱綠葡萄樹畫成的單純世界,推向只會發生在占士甸(James Dean)和格雷絲凱莉(Grace Kelly)身上的悲劇結局。

因為女伴換不停的父親,竟邀來亡妻一名友人前來渡假。不想生活受到絲毫規管、約束的Cécile,心生幼稚的念頭,計劃設一個局,消弭父親再娶的衝動。

小說一紙風行,翻譯成廿種語言,賣出200萬冊,令莎岡一夜成名,財源廣進。Bonjour Tristesse1958年拍成電影,由Otto Preminger執導,黛博拉蔻兒(Deborah Kerr)、珍西寶(Jean Seberg)和大衛尼溫(David Niven)主演。

莎岡成為戰後歐洲年青一代反叛、理想破滅、鬱悶寡歡的象徵。Simon & Garfunkel為電影《畢業生》(Graduate)創作的"The Sound of Silence"便呼應小說,染滿濃濃鬱鬱的傷感氣氛。

Saturday, March 10, 2007

歌詞雜談 林夕.春風

突然記起,林夕寫過一首歌,如果你聽過(因為不是主打歌),也許會覺得清新動人,如果你知道是獻給八仙嶺山火中捨身救人的老師,可能會一剎那感到得掉下淚來,因為歌中有一份清盈透徹的美。

作詞:林夕 作曲:杜自持 唱:彭羚

有沒有一種道理
是播種在人心不會死

儘管價值變質
心愛物消失
信念仍永遠緊記

情操要多少猛火試煉過
下過多少雨水才收穫

還要播多少次種
才開花結果

叫春風的氣息發現我

有沒有一種完美
讓這世上回憶一世紀
年輕歲月遠飛
所作和所想
會換來永遠的美


告訴繽紛世間你活過

有時,林夕的功力令人驚嘆之處,是他近乎零修辭的白描,像Eason《我的快樂時代》或王菲的《曖昧》。彭羚這首《春風》,簡單之中彷彿讓人看見春風亭上的芳草飄飄,麗日下的溫溫情意。年輕歲月像紙鳶斷線不回,如浮雲一吹便散,但卻是天邊嶺端很美的一曲彩霞。

Friday, March 09, 2007

流行元素

除了林振強,周耀輝是我比較喜歡的香港填詞人。林夕太圓滑世故,看透人情的疲憊,像吸鴉片煙呼出一圈又一圈的氤氳霧氣;黃偉文又太用力雕琢、充滿斧鑿匠氣,似一隻過度開屏的孔雀。而產量不高的周耀輝,詞風介乎出世與入世之間,可以激烈似杜鵑啼血,也可以華麗像針繡密織,飽歷滄桑而又不失菱角。

近期903成日播泳兒隻《黛玉笑了》,初聽以為時光倒流,回到九十年代初林憶蓮唱的都市女人情歌。DJ和泳兒介紹指編曲加入中樂元素,但聽落真係娘爆!周耀輝的古典文學味玩不出魔法,成首歌感覺十分老土過時。若要數中樂式編曲和古典味道,又怎能超越達明一派的《石頭記》?

達明的《天問》(周耀輝詞),還有Beyond的《大地》、《長城》和《農民》(三首皆劉卓輝手筆),都具濃郁的古典或鄉土情懷,而且跨越時代,古典和搖滾結合促成了經典。以流行曲(K歌)定位的《黛玉笑了》,始終像一片無味的香口膠,加入什麼元素都無補於事。

Sunday, March 04, 2007

MUSE 香港現場實況

昨晚亞洲國際博覽館10號館人頭湧湧,人流管制入場,用了成粒鐘。除了外籍人士,最多十幾歲o靚仔o靚妹(上年看Franz Ferdinand在伊館的表演可不是這種陣容),還以為自己去了漫畫展排長龍。和友人一早佔了$380飛前段位置,看著人群站滿整個場館。不用warm up,一開場已進入亢奮狀態。近日903狂谷的"Starlight"展開全場大合唱序幕,"Plug in Baby" 、 "Stockholm Syndrome " 緊隨,驚訝原來Muse在香港也擁有大band地位。Mathew Bellamy演奏 "Sunburn"、"Butterflies And Hurricanes "等連串鋼琴Solo也是show time戲肉。一首"Running Out Time"掀起最高潮,全場進入瘋狂狀態。完場時帶著溢爆的聽覺細胞、一身汗水和沙啞喉嚨離開,周圍的樂迷不時狂熱高呼,齊齊到場外買啤買水或站或坐歇息攤抖。

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Get the job DONE?

I am hating being a nine to five office worker in the commercial sector.
It creates money, but it does not create value.
If not for the erratic time shift, my last job would be satisfactory for me.

Going back to teaching may be an option.

Monday, February 19, 2007

A note on CAMP

鄧小平同志逝世十周年,亞視《當年今日》重播江澤民同志致悼詞的片段,噢賣桔!真是坎普得可以!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

All You Get From Love Is A Love Song

一年一度,又是聽好情歌的時間。

Beatles "Ask Me Why"
Please Please Me大碟中多首情歌之中,個人最喜歡的一首。
Beatles "Til There Was You" 
翻唱作品,保羅主唱,夏理遜的結他獨奏讓人聽出耳油,看得陶醉。
Beatles "In My Life"
連儂曾稱此曲是自己最佳作品,二十多歲寫出一種回看歲月的情懷。

Beautiful South "Song for Whoever" 
剛(2007年2月)宣布解散的美麗南方樂團最家傳戶曉的情歌,軟硬曾翻唱。女主音Alison Wheeler的聲線渾厚中帶溫柔,可媲美Karen Carpenter。Cover "Dream a little dream" (金莎廣告版本)證明美麗南方和木匠一樣是翻唱聖手。

Bread "If"
荷馬史詩的backdrop,Intro的感覺像泛漾著記憶的漣漪。保羅麥卡尼的"Here, There and Everywhere"打開了soft rock的篇章,大衛蓋茨(David Gates)創作一系如"Diary", "Aubrey"等曲,加上其極富書卷味的唱腔和聲線,將soft rock的精髓發揮到極致。

Take That "How Deep Is Your Love"
翻唱是一門很難的技藝。香港歌星很多時翻唱,編曲都係好求其,即係淨sell歌星把聲,不覺有什麼誠意,但K歌的編曲都係好求其。"How Deep Is Your Love"原本出現在電影《週未狂熱》之中,拿那的版本其實更好聽,更具有流行的元素,就如木匠翻唱別人的歌,搞出來的成品總比原作豐富,或者令原唱聽起來像demo。
香港近年翻唱失敗的例子有張學友翻唱Beyond的《情人》,但林憶蓮早期的翻唱卻唱出另一種味道。這和歌者聲線的感染力有關,證明不是有教科書式唱功便成事。

Ash "Shining Light"
灰燼是二線樂隊,但這首簡單爽快的情歌卻是心頭好。

Pulp "Something Changed"
鏗鏘的結他,流暢的旋律,在以病態prying eye看世界的Different Class大碟中,這是一首突出的歌曲。

Savage Gargen "Truly, Madly, Deeply"
Darren Hayes的一副好嗓子,唱出《真地狂地深地》這首九十年代我最喜愛的情歌。

Arctic Monkeys "Baby, I Am Yours"
燥動的黃毛小子北極猴子怎麼唱出這樣簡單動人的情歌?這首翻唱作品讓人一聽便喜歡到不得了,成為近半年playlist必備曲目之一。尚未能找到在《麥迪遜之橋》中由Barbara Lewis主唱的版本。

Radiohead "Fake Plastic Tree"
消費主義社會下一闕傷感的情歌。If I could BE who you wanted/If I could BE who you wanted/All the time/ all the time/ ohhh... ohh...分崩離析、疏離冷漠,一絲在世界潮流之中沒頂的微弱愛的呼聲。Thom Yorke在錄音室唱完這歌後,崩潰地哭。

Rialto "Milk of Amnesia"
九十年代Britpop尾聲的一股浪漫風暴。 這首尾曲肯是遺珠之作。超塵出世讓人聽得出神。

Suede "This Time"
B-side作品,Brett Anderson筆下一貫的都市景觀,冬天的灰濛濛,車輛碰撞的塵滾滾,hear the city sounds/see the lonely crowd/in the lazy sun/we're the only one。另一首B-side "Europe is our playground"可說延伸之作。

Diana Krall "Let's Fall In Love"
Rod Stewart最近翻唱此曲,感覺像強姦了這首歌,拜託。"Let's Fall In Love"在1954的電影It Should happen To You出現,伴著Judy Holliday的Jack Lemmon即興自彈自唱,窮小子興奮、愉悅,十分滿足的笑容,和歌曲很配;Diana Krall的版本更refined,陽剛味爆燈的Rod Stewart和此歌的delicate感覺完全out of tune。

Dooley Wilson (in the film Casablanca) "As Time Goes By"
The fundamental thing apply/as time goes by,愛情的本質,歷千萬年而不變,發生了的事情,連上帝也不能抹去。凡望成仙,仙亦思凡,塵世永遠都歡迎有情的人。《北非諜影》中保嘉和褒曼不能有情人成眷屬,但原來亂世兒女,除了愛情,情與義,都可以值千金。

Doris Day
"Dansero"
"Por Favor"
酒和歌一樣,都是舊的醇。
一代歌后Doris Day是我心目中最靚聲的diva,清澈優雅的聲線,唱出迷醉微醺的感覺。"Dansero"和"Por Favor"是燈下伴舞極之mellow的選擇。"Again", "Bewitched", "My Young and Foolish Heart", "My dreams are getting better all the time", "Move over darling", "Confess"(duet with Buddy Clark), "Love Somebody" (duet with Buddy Clark)等等等,在Doris的演繹下,都變成流行的極品。

Fred Astaire "Cheek to Cheek"
出現在電影Top Hat由Irving Berlin創作的歌曲,翻唱無數,Heaven/I'm in heaven/And my heart beats so that I can't speak/And I seem to find the happiness I seek/When were out together dancing cheek to cheek....Fred Astaire 原唱,未經remaster的拆聲版本最原汁原味。

Nat King Cole "For Sentimental Reasons"
歌名已經好靚。I love you/for sentimental reason/I hope you will believe me/I'll give you my heart....揀了Nat King Cole的版本,definitive American standard。

Silje Nergaard "Let there be love"
揀了挪威女爵士歌手Silje Nergaard 的版本。唱pop jazz的Silje Nergaard將本已輕鬆躍動的一首jazz standard演繹得更清新、更少女。

Let there be you,
let there be me.
Let there be oysters,
under the sea.
Let there be wind,
and acationel rain.
chilli concarnie,
sparkling champagne.

Let there be birds,
that sing in the trees.
Someone to bless me,
whenever I sneeze.
Let there be cool-cools
a lark and a dawn.
But first of all:
Please, let there be love.
Ohh, love.Ahh, let there be love.
Let there be love.

Monday, February 12, 2007

I chose not to choose life: A rush of heroin to the blood

Trainspotting,Irvine Welsh在1993發表的第一本小說,以蘇格蘭愛丁堡濃厚的工人階級口語寫成。粗口橫飛,應該被禁。

題材:海洛英,禁。

說這些很掃興了,事實是Trainspotting出版後一紙風行,打入Booker Prize最後十強。

Trainspotting,即是同胞所謂的「猜火車」,唔知猜乜Q。在英格蘭和蘇格蘭,一些男人無所事事,在火車站記錄火車入站和離站的時間,不能說他們一事無成,但行為本身沒有意義,為之trainspotting。

1996年的同名電影(迷幻列車)沒有任何角色進行trainspotting的場景,原著小說倒有所指涉。小說末段有一節題為'Trainspotting at Leith Central Station',文中出現了trainspotting一字。

暴力狂Begbie和主角Renton在火車站遇到一老頭,老頭問:o靚仔,在猜火車呀,o下?(What yis up tae lads? Trainspottin, eh?)

o下o下要爆人樽的Begbie竟顯得沒聲沒氣,不見了平日那個事事要充的自大狂,Renton發現,老頭是他老豆。話口未完,Begbie見到另一個倒霉友,兜野打埋塊面到,條友即時仆街。

這樣一本小說,說的是流氓爛仔的故事,不可能沒有粗口,在'Trainspotting at Leith Central Station' 這節短篇求其抽一段對話看看,幾乎沒有一句沒有粗口,而且幾乎全本小說均是如此。
Bebgie pull us aside n droaps his voice
-Ye ken thit Tommy's fuckin sick?
-Aye. Ah'd heard.
-Go n fuckin see the cunt whin yir up
-Aye. Ah plan tae dae that.
-Too fuckin right. You ay aw fuckin people should. Ah'm no fuckin blamin you Rents, ah sais that tae fuckin Second Prize; ah'm no fuckin blamin Rents fir Tommy. It's every cunt's ain fuckin life. Ah fuckin telt that tae Second Prize.

小說的背景設在八十年代的英國,戴卓爾夫人主政的年代。戴卓爾夫人奉行佛利民的自由市場經濟政策,打倒工會,把國企私有化,開放競爭,為倫敦實行金融大改革,而這個稱為1986年的Big Bang,為英國帶來廿年經濟繁榮,倫敦成為全球第一金融中心兼富豪天堂。代價是社會貧富懸殊加劇,戴卓爾夫人在一片咒罵聲中下台。Trainspotting小說不只一次出現以戴卓爾為揶揄、挖諷對象的性愛場景。Irvine Welsh自己便說'As British society changed under the (Margaret) Thatcher '80s, drugs and drink became less recreational and more a way of life because people had fuck all else to do.'

《經濟學人》上期的英國專題報道,指出英國現時的經濟重心圍繞倫敦的金融業發展,全國收入不均的嚴重程度僅次於美國,好像年青人不到南部投身金融相關行業,便注定要乞米。Shite.

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life: I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who need reasons when you've got heroin?

不用服一劑海洛英,也知道Trainspotting電影於1996年上畫後,Renton這一段'Choose Life' speech成為英國經典台詞的原因。伴隨David Bowie, Joy Division, the Pogues, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, The Smiths而且特別是Iggy Pop而來帶著一雙迷幻反白眼的Rave culture, 蔓延至每一角落。十七年的保守黨執政,造就了一個由倫敦證券交易所築起的金錢天梯,泰晤士河畔以高樓連成的skyline比紐約的還要眩目,但另一邊廂,社會的磐石底下卻滋生一層無助、無所事事、拿救濟金揮霍的小流氓地衣。

Irvine Welsh捕捉了英國在八十年代戴卓爾主政期間的年青文化和生態,小說比電影好看十倍。

Thursday, February 08, 2007

《經濟學人》的有骨文章

今期《經濟學人》刊登一篇有骨文章,題為"Stardust memories: Hong Kong's preservation ",隔著半個地球,冷冷地品評香港人保護天星碼頭、捍衛「集體回憶」的「社會運動」。

副題已經不客氣:An architecturally ruthless city is now wanting some of it past back.

首先是對香港這個城不客氣。開篇談及皇后碼頭,文章說:For a city that has felt few qualms about destroying innumerable lovely colonial structures, it is an odd one to preserve.

然後一箭雙鵰,連天星碼頭也一併不客氣地評頭品足:...[the defenders] have been roused by the destruction in December of the adjacent Star Ferry terminal, another fairly nondescript building...

說到碼頭保衛者的行動,《經濟學人》說這是 'quite an un-Hong Kong fashsion',而且徒勞無功(ineffectual),至於那些「沒有歷史,便沒有明天」的抗議標語,作者認為很 'striking' ,因為香港一向都是靠推倒過去來建築未來的。沒錯,香港是亞洲的金融中心,但作者筆鋒一轉,便說近看一點,香港的建築沒有特色(not distinctive),商場一式一樣。

作者說,包括喜帖街在內,還有一些屬於三十年代、將會遭拆卸的有蓋街市,是香港「肌理的一部份」,可是,這些建築,作者認為大部份都不特別漂亮(not particularly pretty)。正是如此,保衛者才祭出「集體回憶」這面大旗,而不將焦點放在天星碼頭的設計和建築美學上。

但反過來說,保衛者在政府米已成炊、社運十萬火急的情況下,不拿「集體回憶」來號召「抗爭」,還會有人理會嘛?

反而是文章的含蓄帶骨寫作方法十分值得學習。

原文連結

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Sing for Absolution


Muse 3/3香港演唱會,不容錯過的live act。狂煲出道以來四張大碟,Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry, AsolutionBlack Holes and Revelation。1998年出道的Muse,在美國竄紅後挾聲勢回流英國,和憑單曲Creep走紅美國回歸英倫樂壇的Radiohead遭遇相似。Muse給人的第一印象是主音Matthew Bellamy的聲音爆似Thom Yorke,而兩隊的現場表演同樣非常之爆,極級powerful,高音扯爆米高峰。Radiohead 03年Glastonbury的表演令人嘆為觀止,Thom Yorke在藍藍燈光下一臉陶醉邊鋼琴Solo邊唱Sail to the Moon,那種幽幽的迷離景象、寧謐如天籟的琴音、似斷未斷如走鋼線的vocal,實在應加入寇比力克《2001太空漫遊》的原聲樂曲!No Surprise前奏響起的叮叮噹噹,就如來自外太空深處一闕搖籃曲。身材矮小的Thom Yorke耳朵尖尖豎起,看上去就似一個降生自遙遠星系的音樂小魔童。自此,我覺得Radiohead是一隊來自太空的樂隊。

至於Muse, 曲風帶著「巴洛克搖滾華麗」(這只是重複某本地樂評人的用語,用字大致如此),其他適用形容詞包括凌厲、激越、搖滾中見古典、發思古之激情,等。近期狂聽新碟中的Starlight,好有公路feel,強勁儲滿電的bassline,如一驅在深藍星空下風馳的Hudson,駛過Jack Kerouac小說On the Road中一段橫越美國東西部捲起滾滾泥塵的公路旅程,心裏懷著一個只有星光知道的秘密。Sing for Absolution.


Jarvis Cocker大碟簡評:
1) 第一首Don't let him waste your time段搶耳的intro和任賢齊多年前的《我是一隻魚》極端相似。
2) 小品式的From Auschwitz To Ipswich最耐聽,Running the World當然不能錯過。
3) Disney Time甚有Black Box Recorder風格,甜美曲目細聽下是殘酷現實,編曲的空洞感勾起一種Stephen King式的恐怖。

Monday, January 29, 2007

最刻骨銘心的愛情

舊時看小說《麥迪遜之橋》(The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller, 1992),為了找theme song Autumn Leaves,費了一番周章。這首老歌好像為故事而寫,要唱得很慢、很靜,才襯托到發生在1965 年美國中部艾奧瓦(Iowa)的一段隱秘不倫之戀。那是一番什麼樣的景象呵,季夏、烈日、樹林的蟬鳴、一個在家門口喝冰茶的農家婦、一個捲著千里塵土的攝影師剛好在門前把車煞停,問路。原本平淡如水的午後,卻不知覺地點起乾柴烈火......

上星三和另一班舊同事吃過飯,到旺角一間廿四小時(!)VCD舖閒逛,發現95年由奇連伊士活(Clint Eastwood)執導和主演的同名電影,原來一直還未看。女主角梅麗史翠普(Meryl Streep),Autumn Leaves不見了,換來去年Arctic Monkeys翻唱過的Baby I'm yours,還有一列的Jazz Collection。果然是眼淚電影,我看過《風雲人物》(It's a Wonderful Life),因導演Frank Capra的童真和主角James Stewart的憨厚而感動,之後看慧雲李(Vivien Leigh)的《魂斷藍橋》(Waterloo Bridge),對大戰亂世的那種火車站的生離死別特別vulnerable。《麥迪遜之橋》由薄薄171頁的小說拍成長135分鐘的電影,到了中後段一發不可收拾。

電影基本上忠於小說。故事敘述National Geographic的攝影師Robert,和來自意大利、大學時修比較文學後來嫁到艾奧瓦的村婦Francesca 邂逅,由相遇、纏綿到分別,Waller的筆觸平淡帶點erotic,中間夾敘很多Robert的人生和感情哲理,這些在電影中刪去不少,但小說最觸動人的卻在後頭,Robert和Francesca遺下的書信才是最讓人掩卷不能自已。

電影中二人的相遇前前後後的細節較豐富,幾個場面經細微改動,更見sensual。加插的Francesca失控的一段來得突然,但符合人物背景思想;在Roseman Bridge影相的一幕,Robert送上一束野花表謝意但遭Francesca捉弄,也是比小說更有心思。梅麗史翠普演來吸引力十足,是催淚一大因素。小說中Francesca的性幻想和Robert的灼熱的目光,幾乎是一撻即著,篇幅頗為economy,電影著重以表情和動作較多描寫她的樸拙、不懂世故,那一幕失控場景加強Francesca的內心掙扎,到二人在大雨滂沱街頭的最後重遇,她丈夫已回來身邊,情人對望無言,充滿宿命感的無奈,按捺心底的激情,讓我想起Edith Wharton的得獎小說The Age of Innocence......

同樣是世俗所認為的adulterous affair,The Age of Innocence的故事也是個一開始便已注定了結局的隱秘愛情悲劇。十九世紀紐約社會的保守、上流社會的人言可畏、親友圈子的狹窄,男主角Newland Archer即將和未婚妻May成婚,May的表姊、飽歷風霜的Countess Olenska自歐洲回來,Newland才驚為天人......兩個故事不同時空,題材卻相似,而且末段都有一段「第三者」的confession。年老的Francesca伴丈夫走生命最後一程,他滿帶歉意的說"I know you had your own dreams. I'm sorry I couldn't give them to you";幾十年過去,Newland一直未忘Olenska,May原來是知道的,在臨終時,她才開口說一直曉得二人的情事。Responsibility is the word,兩個美好的家庭維繫下來,摧毀的是刻骨銘心的愛情。Robert一直遵守Francesca的請求,終其一生沒有再找她;Newland Archer在May死後才遠赴法國尋Olenska,卻因不忍破壞年青美好的回憶,最終也沒有找她.......

李天命《哲道行者》:
最刻骨銘心的愛情必包含「至愛」、「隱蔽」和「衝突」這三大元素。
活過,愛過,春青過.......不枉此生,藏於永恒。
深情者,即使獨行,仍是同行。

Saturday, January 13, 2007

世事如棋

2006年12月25日,星期一,和莊友和下莊到銅鑼灣打冷慶祝聖誕。余麗B送我一張聖誕卡,祝我早日離開北韓。

2006年12月29日,星期五,我離開了北韓。

兩星期後──

2007年1月12日,星期五,收到OFFER ,星期一返工,中環上班,五日工,朝九晚五,重回人間。

兩星期,無拉拉多了一個月糧,兩篇稿見報,有稿費收,還有一份工等緊我。幸好我近排有瘋狂購物。

真係好爽。

余麗B真係好口。

Friday, January 12, 2007

閉上眼睛 夢遊戀愛中


或者說,《戀愛夢遊中》整齣戲是一個情緒和感覺的合集,又或者說:一團糟。但這個一團糟,正是主角Stéphane內心最如實的反映。在月曆印刷公司工作的Stéphane,生活悶出個鳥來,導演 Michel Gondry(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004)透過夢境的媒介,把孤獨又帶點小器的Stéphane還原到孩童貪玩的狀態。他對新搬來的鄰居Stéphanie萌生情愫,但天生藝術家的Stéphane怕羞,唯有在夢中才能靠近心儀的對象。現實的種種規限、界線,讓路給輕鬆、傻更更、天馬行空而且也很bitter-sweet的戀愛想像。


不用說Stéphane和Stéphane玩手指、玩手作仔模型、砌玻璃紙勞作充滿童真,夢境中左穿右插的紙皮瓦通城市景觀、在房中奔馳亂跑的動物公仔,還有很多一不留神晃眼便過的小玩意,導演處心重現墮入愛河的新奇、純真、患得患失的感覺,有時的確讓人分不清夢境與現實,這個情緒和感覺的合集由頭到尾彷彿讓人鑽進亂籠、困惑、痛苦的迷宮,戀愛不就是這樣子的嗎?

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

陽光小小姐.戀愛夢遊中

今日到戲院看了《陽光小小姐》(Little Miss Sunshine),格局和幾年前看的《潮女私房菜》(Pieces of April)大同小異,都是一家各有性格的人,因為一個緣故,同乘一車踏上一段多事又擾攘的旅程。至今我仍記得飾演煙不離手阿媽的女演員Patricia Clarkson,其次是飾「潮女」的Katie Holmes整火雞如何雞手鴨腳。《陽光小小姐》中的阿媽也是煙剷一名,還有一名吸毒阿爺、讀尼采的憤世少年、創業不成破產的中年父親、普魯斯特學者自殺不成的同性戀舅父和參選小小姐豆丁一名。人物組合確是花過心思,但兩片感覺大似,今次有點感動不來,也不喜歡結局的胡鬧,反而《潮》片結局的溫馨感卻是十分信手拈來,自然而動人。


其餘感想
1:十六七歲的少年讀尼采(或其他哲學書),很危險,這些愛思考的少年,思考的是「人生問題」,通常會變成憤世嫉俗,都幾難頂。
2:自殺不成舅父由Steve Carell飾,造型似伊朗總統內賈德。



***

上星期看的《戀愛夢遊中》(The Science of Sleep),對胃口得多。男主角Stéphane(Gael García Bernal飾)的現實與夢境(或者說幻想)交織在初頭還分得清楚,但中段講到那封攝門底的信原來是真有其事時,二者的界線一下子搞模糊了,這倒是電影成功之處。男主角演來神經質,白痴位最好笑,當中莫如他爬窗潛入女主角Stéphanie(Charlotte Gainsbourg飾)房中,想替她修理機械馬仔,卻撞正對方回家,他彷如小孩大叫一聲躍入床中。還有那部「一秒未來時光機」,以及末段二人一段神經兮兮的對話。電影的手作仔、模型、道具讓人目不暇給,但又像是孩童不完整、滿是瑕疵的勞作。整齣戲的感覺是嬉戲胡鬧中帶著成長苦澀的憂傷。

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

巴黎、爵士樂與的士夠格:A history of Discothèque

電影《北非諜影》的故事有這麼一節:外表冷酷但內心熱情的堪富利保加(Humphrey Bogart),在巴黎淪陷前夕和英格麗褒曼(Ingrid Bergman)有過一段浪漫的邂逅。褒曼的丈夫是反納粹領袖,以為丈夫已死,才被保加吸引住。二人在納粹入城當日短聚片刻,club-singer Sam便是在這時彈唱繞樑的《As Time Goes By》。褒曼原本約好和保加一同離開巴黎,但臨時得悉丈夫未死,撇下保加一個在火車站淋雨......

保加在法屬的摩洛哥Casablanca擁有一間nightclub,冷峻的保加對褒曼不辭而別一直耿耿於懷,但一日褒曼和丈夫意外來臨,一直跟隨保加的Sam,聽到褒曼那句我見猶憐的經典台詞"Play it again, Sam",再次唱出《As Time Goes By》:

You must remember this,
A kiss is just a kiss,
a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by......

納粹在1941年6月14日開始佔領巴黎,在此之前,巴黎有些nightclub一直有著濃郁的美國爵士氣氛。在一次世界大戰之後,紐約出現由非洲黑人的藝術、文學、音樂和文化構成的「哈林文藝復興」,這些黑人爵士樂手、舞孃和藝術家於整個運動在三十年代中衰落後,發現有巴黎這個天堂尋夢園。法國對黑人原始主義這種獨立於西方影響的思想十分欣賞,二戰前巴黎的自由土壤最終能滋生出新形式的藝術。爵士名人如Arthur Briggs, Dexter Gordon, Benny Carter和舞蹈家Josephine Baker均是在如此的背景下抵達歐洲。

但隨著二戰前納粹在歐洲冒起,很多美國黑人都趕著回國。納粹的魔爪一伸展到巴黎,蓬勃的舞廳和夜生活立即成為首要的打擊目標,黑人和猶太人合作的拿手好戲──爵士樂──自是首當其衝。法國抵抗納粹入侵的一段歷史,是以歡樂喧鬧的爵士樂作為背景音樂。

新的舞廳、夜總會轉到地下發展,就像美國非法經營的酒吧,這些夜場所要不停轉換地點,行會員制,顧客要密碼出入,這種新形式的nightclub,便稱之為Discothèque,法文意即"record library",唱片館。現場演出、公開地點的經營太危險,播放由美國而來最新爵士唱碟的Discothèque,很快成為形容同類夜總會的名詞。

1941年,一間地下酒吧Le Discothèque在Rue Huchette開業,專播爵士樂唱碟,為對抗納粹的戰士和普通市民帶來一點逃避現實的撫慰。Le Discothèque的裝潢簡陋,但一杯酒,一支歌,一班同道人,是世上唯一具有人情味的地方。

1944年納粹撤退,這些地下酒吧急不及待重見天日慶祝。彼岸的黑人樂手回來了,爵士樂和酒精的味道又再一次在自由的空氣中飄盪。新的巴黎浮泛著歡樂的聲音和願景,規模更大的舞蹈團在各處表演,這一波的黑人文化運動一直延續到六十年代。Discothèque的新場景和美國的酒精文化一經碰撞,Disco──的士高是以在二十世下半葉伊始宣告誕生。

Monday, January 08, 2007

Rock Profile - D

Dance Rock

Dance-rock,又名dance-punk, disco-punk, punk-funk,由電子跳舞音樂的節拍和punk-rock的樂器演奏和音樂結合而成,起源於七十年代後期的紐約和英倫,著名的有來自列斯的Gang of Four和紐約的Liquid Liquid。這股風潮於八十年代後期和差不多整個九十年代,因其他形式的跳舞音樂興起和新科技的出現而沒落。

踏入廿一世紀,dance-rock呈強勢回歸之勢,The Killers, The Rapture, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party和Scissor Sisters均在商業上取得成功,但這股氣勢能持續多久,視乎這些樂隊之後的專輯能否玩出新花樣。The Killers的第二張大碟令很多樂迷失望,Franz Ferdinand在第二張專輯尋求轉型,The Rapture和Scissor Sisters算是繼續帶來驚喜。唱片公司若只懂重覆公式,dance-rock很快又會成過氣名詞。


Disco

至於Disco,則是一種更為流行、更容易接受的節拍音樂,由1977年尊達拉華達主演的電影《週末狂熱》(Saturday Night Fever)帶進文化主流,在全球各地沸騰。片中的音樂由Bee Gees包辦,是Bee Gees事業的轉捩點,三首單曲"How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", and "Night Fever"成為disco年代的經典。風潮所及,連The Rolling Stones,Rod Stewart和Queen等主要搖滾巨星都在音樂加入disco元素。到了七十年代末,瘋狂的disco熱退燒,至今已無以復加,但卻影響了後來hip-hop音樂的形成。


Discothèque

Discothèque,發音為disko-tek,在法文指夜總會(nightclub)的一種,由唱片騎師(DJ)播放錄製好的音樂,而非由駐場樂隊現場演奏,也不是disco音樂誕生的地方。Discothèque一字最早約在1941年由"disc"和"bibliothèque"兩字合成,意即「唱片館」。Discothèque於巴黎在二次大戰時出現,播放美國爵士樂手的唱片。在今天這字和夜總會同義,至於"disco",則是在六十年代美國對Discothèque的簡稱,指播放disco音樂的地方。