美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Wheeler' Follows Life And Career Of Little-Known Country Music Singer

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

A new movie called "Wheeler" follows an aspiring¹ country singer-songwriter who moves to Nashville looking for a break. The film eavesdrops² documentary-style on confessional songs that may have viewers seeking out more of the music and story of Wheeler Bryson. Critic Bob Mondello says, good luck with that.

BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE³: Like most music documentaries, "Wheeler" begins with glimpses of a musician in his native habitat - in this case, a scruffy⁴ Texan wrangling⁵ horses as a buddy⁶ looks on.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

STEPHEN DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) You know Bobby, don't you?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Yeah. Hi, Bobby.

RYAN ROSS: (As Bobby Ross) Hey, good to see you, Jimmy.

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) You got some fancy camera gear over there, huh?

ROSS: (As Bobby Ross) I told you. I'm here to make you look good, Man.

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) Bobby, Bobby - all right, Man, bring your toys, whatever you want to do. I'll see you back at the house.

MONDELLO: They soon head to Nashville where Wheeler hits a few open mikes, and Bobby's camera captures his performances, warts⁷ and all.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

DORFF: (Singing as Wheeler Bryson) Drinking dozen - have to. Time to live it up again. Drinking dozen - have to be sin.

MONDELLO: The camera's also there when Wheeler meets songwriter Bobby Tomberlin and convinces him to come hear him.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) I just wanted to introduce myself - Wheeler Bryson.

BOBBY TOMBERLIN: Hey, I'm Bobby.

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) Never met a real-time songwriter before.

MONDELLO: All of this looks and feels authentic⁸, but "Wheeler" is actually actor Stephen Dorff gone incognito⁹. The star of films like "The Power Of One" and "Blade," Dorff in real life is the son of a three-time Grammy nominee¹⁰ and the brother of a songwriter who died recently. For the film's two-week shooting schedule, the actor wore prosthetics so he wouldn't be recognized and used a few music business ins he had, Tomberlin included, to create a fictional¹¹ portrait...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: It's good to have you hear, Man.

MONDELLO: ...In a real setting.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) Thank you. I can't believe I'm at the Bluebird.

MONDELLO: The songs are his, which is to say written by Dorff, as was the script when it wasn't just improvised¹². And the performances were captured live.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

DORFF: (Singing as Wheeler Bryson) Hey, hey, Mr. Bartender, I don't want to remember. I just want to surrender now.

MONDELLO: And the audience onscreen - as far as they know, they're watching the real thing - a country music wannabe named Wheeler Bryson who writes his own songs and sings them in this gravelly voice. And to judge from their response, they seem to like him.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

DORFF: (Singing as Wheeler Bryson) Pour me; pour me out of this town.

(APPLAUSE)

MONDELLO: Also unaware¹³ that Wheeler isn't just Wheeler were the musicians with whom he laid down tracks for a studio recording¹⁴. You have to figure that's impressive, their testimonials for the camera apparently¹⁵ genuine.

Now, when Sacha Baron¹⁶ Cohen does this sort of thing as Borat, he's punking the folks around him for comic effect. Dorff isn't. He's inhabiting Wheeler, sustaining a character in clubs and on the street with the unblinking focus a tightrope¹⁷ walker brings to a high wire.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM "WHEELER")

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) Yeah, you know, I was coming here, and I was expecting to find a keyboard because I'd been to, like - we went to one bar, and they...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: Right.

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) They had a piano.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: And it's a guitar town. Ain't any pianos around.

DORFF: (As Wheeler Bryson) So if you want to play keys, you got to bring your own.

MONDELLO: His acting¹⁸ has to be persuasive¹⁹ both to the camera in short bursts and to the people around him in real time. Forget the Texas twang or drop character, and he won't get a second take. Wheeler is more a faux cinema-verite stunt²⁰ than a propulsive²¹ drama, and it doesn't quite earn the ending Dorff and director Ryan Ross had given it. But its central performance is an arresting star-turn, and watching real people react to that star-turn makes "Wheeler" arresting in its own right. I'm Bob Mondello.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHEELER")

DORFF: (Singing as Wheeler Bryson) One's good. Three is better. Make this buzz last forever. Pour me another round. Pour me; pour me out of this town. Pour me, Baby. Pour me out of this town.

1 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

2 eavesdrops   

偷听（别人的谈话）( eavesdrop的名词复数 )

参考例句：

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

5 wrangling   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The two sides have spent most of their time wrangling over procedural problems. 双方大部分时间都在围绕程序问题争论不休。 来自辞典例句
• The children were wrangling (with each other) over the new toy. 孩子为新玩具（互相）争吵。 来自辞典例句

6 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

7 warts   

n.疣( wart的名词复数 )；肉赘；树瘤；缺点

参考例句：

• You agreed to marry me, warts and all! 是你同意和我结婚的，我又没掩饰缺陷。 来自辞典例句
• Talk about trying to cure warts with spunk-water such a blame fool way as that! 用那样糊涂蛋的方法还谈什么仙水治疣子！ 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

8 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

9 incognito   

adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的

参考例句：

• He preferred to remain incognito.他更喜欢继续隐姓埋名下去。
• He didn't want to be recognized,so he travelled incognito.他不想被人认出，所以出行时隐瞒身分。

10 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

11 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

12 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

13 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

14 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

15 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

16 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

17 tightrope   

n.绷紧的绳索或钢丝

参考例句：

• The audience held their breath as the acrobat walked along the tightrope.杂技演员走钢丝时，观众都屏住了呼吸。
• The tightrope walker kept her balance by holding up an umbrella.走钢丝的演员举着一把伞，保持身体的均衡。

18 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

19 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

20 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

21 propulsive   

adj.推进的

参考例句：

• The fish uses its tail fins for propulsive force throgh the water.鱼靠尾鳍在水中前进。
• Interest in jet propulsive force was now growing at the Air Ministry.航空部对喷气推进的兴趣正在增加。