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。」