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美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Interior Chinatown' Puts That Guy In The Background Front An

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'Interior Chinatown' Puts That Guy In The Background Front An

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Willis Wu is often seen as a generic1 Asian man in a restaurant or the background of a crime scene on a television drama called Black and White. You kind of know the show.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: She's the most accomplished2 young detective in the history of the department. He's a third-generation cop who left Wall Street to honor his father's legacy3. Together, they head the impossible crimes unit tasked with cracking the most unsolvable cases. When all others have failed, the ICU is the last hope for justice. When all others have failed, you call Black and White. This is their story.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMERGENCY VEHICLE SIREN)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Dead asian guy is dead.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: He's dead.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Looks that way.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Our heroes regard the prone4 Asian male body, partially5 covered with a sheet.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Mexican?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Checking.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: A crime scene investigator6 swabs something.

(SOUNDBITE OF CAMERA SHUTTER)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Another measures the radius7 and dispersal pattern of a pool of drying blood. A female officer in uniform - black, 20s, attractive - approaches white lady cop and black dude cop.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: What you got?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Restaurant worker says the parents live nearby. We're hunting down an address.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Good. We'll pay a visit - might have some questions for them. Anyone else?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: A brother - seems to have gone missing.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Black and white exchange a look.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: This might be a case of...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: The Wong guy.

(SOUNDBITE OF "LAW AND ORDER" SOUND EFFECT)

SIMON: But Willis hopes one day to be kung fu guy on movie screens around the world. "Interior Chinatown" is a novel by Charles Yu. And Charles Yu, an award-winning writer for "Westworld" and other shows and author of three books, joins us now from NPR West. Thanks so much for being with us.

CHARLES YU: Thank you so much for having me, Scott.

SIMON: That's a dramatization straight from your book. Did we get it right?

YU: (Laughter) You really did. I was struggling not to laugh and ruin it. But it was - that was wonderful.

SIMON: Yeah. Willis Wu is an actor of large ambitions - so far locked into small roles. Help us appreciate how he feels.

YU: Well, I mean, I think you said it. He's locked in. And he lives this kind of marginal existence. And, you know, we've all seen "Law And Order." And every few seasons, it seems like they do an episode set in Chinatown, and you have the two leads. And they're in the foreground. And it's their story. And way in the background - almost out of focus - is a guy unloading a van. And I wanted to tell a story about that guy.

SIMON: Yeah. Willis Wu was born in the U.S. But he has to put an accent on to get some speaking roles, a line here or two, doesn't he?

YU: Yes. Right. That's part of his job - is to be generic asian man number three. And that's actually about midway up the hierarchy8 in the...

SIMON: Yes. You present...

YU: ...Ladder.

SIMON: You present the hierarchy, don't you? You lay it out for us.

YU: Right. At the bottom is being the dead body. And then at the very top - and this is the most coveted9 role that an Asian guy can get in the world of Black and White, the fictional10 procedural show that I created - is kung fu guy. And that's what Willis dreams of. He's dreamt of being that ever since he was a little boy.

SIMON: What are some of the lines Willis often has to utter?

YU: He has to say things about, doing it for my family's honor. Or you wouldn't understand in my culture.

SIMON: Forgive me, Mr. Yu, have you written lines like that?

YU: (Laughter) Not on purpose. I've probably...

SIMON: Outside of this novel, I mean. Yeah.

YU: (Laughter). I've definitely seen a lot of them.

SIMON: We see so many stories these days. We know so many life stories these days about Chinese American scientists, doctors, lawyers, university presidents, grad students, novelists. What do these stories often miss about Chinese history in America?

YU: I think what I was trying to get at with telling the story this way was capturing something about the feeling of what it's like to be not the center of the action, to - even as you touched on, you know, Chinese Americans and Taiwanese Americans and other Asian American groups have excelled in various fields. And yet, at least from my perspective, there can be still a feeling of it doesn't seem to add up.

This story, to me, came at a time in my life when I - yes, I've been working in TV for a couple of years. But I'm also reaching an age where my own parents are, you know, aging. And they've been in America for decades, more - you know, more than 50 years. And my own kids are reaching an age, too, where they are asking questions.

They can watch the news. And they can ask, are we real Americans? You know, is there a qualifier in front of that? And so positioned between them is this sort of middle-aged11 writer. I wanted to write a book about what it's like from all of their perspectives.

SIMON: I wrote down one of your lines that I admire so much. Willis muses12, someday you want the light to hit your face just right.

YU: It (laughter) - it's a little bit of, you know, who doesn't want that moment?

SIMON: Yeah.

YU: And yet it's not a moment that - especially a lot of Asian actors, you know, have gotten. And recently, we have seen - I mean, it's incredible to watch Awkwafina on stage accepting a Golden Globe. I watched that moment with my daughter, who's 12. And for her to see her - you know, a face that looks like hers get that award - that's something I won't forget.

SIMON: I have to ask, writing for "Westworld" and other shows, with this novel, which I enjoyed a lot, are you biting one of the hands that feeds you?

YU: (Laughter) Hopefully not biting it, maybe nibbling13 it.

(LAUGHTER)

YU: And so I hope it's seen as a way in to talk about issues, hopefully, that's both playful and entertaining but also does get at some more substantial questions and challenges.

SIMON: Charles Yu - his novel "Interior Chinatown." Thank you so much for being with us.

YU: Thank you, Scott.

(SOUNDBITE OF NAKED CITY'S "CHINATOWN")


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 generic mgixr     
adj.一般的,普通的,共有的
参考例句:
  • I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服,不买名牌。
  • The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。
2 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
3 legacy 59YzD     
n.遗产,遗赠;先人(或过去)留下的东西
参考例句:
  • They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
  • He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。
4 prone 50bzu     
adj.(to)易于…的,很可能…的;俯卧的
参考例句:
  • Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
  • He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。
5 partially yL7xm     
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲
参考例句:
  • The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
  • The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静,宵禁部分解除。
6 investigator zRQzo     
n.研究者,调查者,审查者
参考例句:
  • He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
  • The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。
7 radius LTKxp     
n.半径,半径范围;有效航程,范围,界限
参考例句:
  • He has visited every shop within a radius of two miles.周围两英里以内的店铺他都去过。
  • We are measuring the radius of the circle.我们正在测量圆的半径。
8 hierarchy 7d7xN     
n.等级制度;统治集团,领导层
参考例句:
  • There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
  • She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。
9 coveted 3debb66491eb049112465dc3389cfdca     
adj.令人垂涎的;垂涎的,梦寐以求的v.贪求,觊觎(covet的过去分词);垂涎;贪图
参考例句:
  • He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
  • Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 fictional ckEx0     
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。
11 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
12 muses 306ea415b7f016732e8a8cee3311d579     
v.沉思,冥想( muse的第三人称单数 );沉思自语说(某事)
参考例句:
  • We have listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe. 欧洲那种御用的诗才,我们已经听够了。 来自辞典例句
  • Shiki muses that this is, at least, probably the right atmosphere. 志贵觉得这至少是正确的气氛。 来自互联网
13 nibbling 610754a55335f7412ddcddaf447d7d54     
v.啃,一点一点地咬(吃)( nibble的现在分词 );啃出(洞),一点一点咬出(洞);慢慢减少;小口咬
参考例句:
  • We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿,喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
  • He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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TAG标签:   NPR  美国国家电台  英语听力
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