-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
And few New Yorkers have been as ubiquitous in the entertainment world, from acting1 to writing to podcasting, as Michael Rapaport. His path to more than 100 TV and film credits began with stand-up comedy in the late '80s. These days, he is starring in the Showtime series "White Famous."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "WHITE FAMOUS")
MICHAEL RAPAPORT: (As Teddy Snow) Peter, you should be embarrassed.
JACK2 DAVENPORT: (As Peter King) Interesting...
RAPAPORT: (As Teddy Snow) Well, why do you keep saying, interesting? This isn't NPR, Peter. This is a condescending3, stupid conversation that you started.
DAVENPORT: (As Peter King) Joe (ph), look. That's interesting too because that...
GREEN: OK, we should tell you that Rapaport is actually a fan of NPR. He's also an obsessive4 sports fan, and that is what he writes about in a new book. The book has a title that's kind of funny and even accurate, but just heads-up - the title may not be something parents want their kids to hear. And that is how we began our conversation when Rapaport paid a visit to our studio in New York City.
So "This Book Has Balls" - I actually - I don't know yet if we're going to have to bleep that or not, depending - I mean, it is a sports reference, I guess.
RAPAPORT: Come on, man. You have to bleep "This Book Has Balls"?
GREEN: (Laughter).
RAPAPORT: NPR, it's 2017, man. You guys - who are you fooling?
GREEN: I - you know, I'm on your side here. I don't care.
RAPAPORT: Basketball, football, tennis ball, soccer ball...
GREEN: So Michael Rapaport and I talked about his book and his shattered hoop5 dreams.
RAPAPORT: Grew up wanting to be a pro6 basketball player, and I continued playing all sports until I was about 13. But when I saw Larry Bird play Magic Johnson in the NCAA championship game, that was, like, a game-changer for me. I wanted to be like Larry Bird. I wanted to be like Magic Johnson. And I set a goal of being in the NBA, and I would live my life accordingly. I practiced. I didn't go to family functions because I had my life on a practice schedule, and I just loved it.
GREEN: You got to explain this to me because you mentioned Larry Bird, the great Boston Celtic. Dare I say, you kind of look like him?
RAPAPORT: Yes, yes. You know, when I was a kid, people used to call me bird. And I took it as a compliment because I knew, although they weren't comparing my games, it was as close as I could get to being as good as Larry Bird. I don't think if you - if we weren't talking about basketball and I wasn't so much in love with basketball, I wouldn't get the comparison, but I'll take it, although definitely now I don't think Larry has aged7 as well as me, so...
GREEN: (Laughter) But you hated Larry Bird.
RAPAPORT: I hated him.
GREEN: Like, how did you - you wanted to be him, but you hated him.
RAPAPORT: Once he became a Celtic, my DNA8 took over. And I didn't grow up in this kind of family where, you know, you were taught to hate Boston sports. I just hated the Celtics intuitively and naturally.
GREEN: It's just happened. You're born that way.
RAPAPORT: It was like a fish to water.
GREEN: You have a 23-point list in the book of why Cleveland's LeBron James will never be Michael Jordan, the legend from the Chicago Bulls. You blast LeBron for everything from his headbands to his sneakers to his shaving habits. But you actually write in the end that LeBron is better than Michael Jordan in some ways, especially off the court. Explain that.
RAPAPORT: LeBron, you know, has done so much off the court, you know, from social issues, speaking out on race and politics, so I wanted to give him that respect and acknowledge him, you know, because as much as I wanted to break his chops, you know, I wanted to acknowledge that he's been a great star. And I'm sure he's inspired many, many other athletes and many other, you know, sort of famous people to continue speaking out when necessary and when they feel like it.
GREEN: Although it did get personal at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. You were with your kids, and you were trying to say hi to LeBron.
RAPAPORT: And he was rude to my kids. He turned his back to us.
GREEN: Did you ever have a chance to ask him about that incident or...
RAPAPORT: No, I never spoke9 to him about it. And that's just one...
GREEN: ...Because, like, couldn't he - could he have just been, like, not realizing who you were or not...
RAPAPORT: Nah, nope, nope, nope, no, no.
GREEN: No, OK, all right, all right, just...
RAPAPORT: I'd met LeBron before he played a game in the NBA. He knows exactly who I am.
GREEN: Couldn't it - maybe just, like, a bad day he was having?
RAPAPORT: Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nope.
GREEN: All right, OK, well, one thing you wrote about that - about the LeBron incident - you wrote, you've read about my past, LeBron; you understand the level of emotion I live with inside my body. And that hit me - that level of emotion, especially about sports. It - is that what prompted you to write this book?
RAPAPORT: Pretty much. You're asking me good - these are very NPR-like questions. I like that.
GREEN: (Laughter) Well, thank you. We try.
RAPAPORT: You know, I'm a fan, you know? And, you know, I'm - again, I'm making fun of myself. And it's - sports is one of the only safe places where you can articulate your emotions. That ABC "Wide World Of Sports" motto - the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat - you know, that's what I was talking about, you know, because I definitely feel the thrill of victory, and I feel the agony of defeat.
GREEN: Yeah, I - the - when I read your book or listen to you, the thing I really connect with - I remember these long drives. I would go to Pittsburgh Steelers games at a time when I lived, you know, like, four hours away. And if they lost, I would want to spend the four-hour drive back listening to sports talk radio from Pittsburgh and hearing everyone else be angry with me. And it was, like, I - that's why I need it.
RAPAPORT: Right.
GREEN: What does that say about us sports fans?
RAPAPORT: You know what? It doesn't say anything about us. It's, like - it's a culture, you know? It's a culture to itself. And it's, like, we get off on the loving, we get off on the hating, we get off on the frustrations10, we - the highs and lows of it. And it's a great thing because, you know, we have so much going on with politics and problems in the world.
And I think sports is been a safe haven11. You know, I'll never forget when the Yankees were in the World Series after 9/11 that year. You know, it was, like, that's where we went to let our guards down. And that's where we went to sort of forget about what was going on in the world.
GREEN: But how can it do both things? How can it be intertwined with politics in a way that you like and also be a safe haven from politics?
RAPAPORT: It just does. You're not necessarily going to like it. You know, obviously the kneeling has been the subject of the year. You know, it's, like, before you get to the arena12, before you get to the gym, you're a person. And before you put on your Cleveland Cavaliers jersey13 as LeBron - he's a person. He's a father. He's a black man.
And I'm glad that he speaks out because people are tired of just, you know, being - you're going to cheer for me when I'm making plays, but you're going to vilify14 me when I'm speaking out. Nah, you're going to love me. You're going to understand my experience. And I'm glad that these athletes are not just, you know, happy just being, you know, pieces of meat, essentially15.
GREEN: Let me just finish by asking you what you hope people will get out of your book.
RAPAPORT: I think I hope people will get out of "This Book Has Balls" - it's a good time. It's a celebration of the true essence of loving, hating and everything in between with sports, and a little bit of "Real Housewives."
GREEN: The MVP of talking trash, Michael Rapaport - thanks so much for talking trash with us.
RAPAPORT: Yo, I appreciate this interview. These are - these were - this was great. Please don't cut this out. I'm a fan of NPR, so it's a real honor for me to be here.
(SOUNDBITE OF BEATS ANTIQUE'S "CAT SKILLZ")
GREEN: We didn't cut it out, Michael. His new book is called "This Book Has Balls: Sports Rants16 From The MVP Of Talking Trash."
收听单词发音 |
1
acting
|
|
| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
jack
|
|
| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
condescending
|
|
| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
obsessive
|
|
| adj. 着迷的, 强迫性的, 分神的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
hoop
|
|
| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
pro
|
|
| n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
aged
|
|
| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
DNA
|
|
| (缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
frustrations
|
|
| 挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
haven
|
|
| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
arena
|
|
| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
jersey
|
|
| n.运动衫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
vilify
|
|
| v.诽谤，中伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
essentially
|
|
| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
rants
|
|
| n.夸夸其谈( rant的名词复数 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨v.夸夸其谈( rant的第三人称单数 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
购买
在百度中搜索