美国国家公共电台 NPR--Tammy Wynette and George Jones' love story is told in a new Showtime series

Tammy Wynette and George Jones' love story is told in a new Showtime series

Transcript¹

"George & Tammy" is a 6-part Showtime series about the careers and marriage of country music's George Jones & Tammy Wynette. Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain star.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WE'RE GONNA HOLD ON")

GEORGE JONES AND TAMMY WYNETTE: (Singing) We're going to hold on.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Tammy Wynette loved George Jones before she met him. She was the aspiring³ country singer; he was already a legend. When they finally did meet, they fell madly in love and made beautiful music. But it was a tough road. He was an alcoholic⁴, she was addicted⁵ to painkillers⁶, and the songs that would come to define them were confessions⁷ of the real pain they were living through. Their story's being told in the limited Showtime series "George & Tammy," and the singing voices you hear belong to the actors themselves. Jones is played by Michael Shannon.

MICHAEL SHANNON: The song I really love, at least of the solo stuff, is "The Door."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GEORGE AND TAMMY")

SHANNON: (As George Jones, singing) To hear that sound and to know it's really over.

MARTIN: Tammy Wynette is played by Jessica Chastain.

JESSICA CHASTAIN: I loved singing "Help Me Make It Through The Night."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GEORGE AND TAMMY")

CHASTAIN: (As Tammy Wynette, singing) I don't want to be alone. Help me make it through the night.

MARTIN: I asked both actors what it was like for them to be connected to each other in those harmonies.

SHANNON: Yeah, it's kind of spooky. You know, we worked on it such a long time before we even started shooting. We had kind of a music boot camp with our vocal⁸ coach, Ron Browning, out of Nashville. I think it was a couple of months. We just went in Monday through Friday and just sang all day. And for him, his approach was, you know, very much geared towards that intimacy⁹. You know, he would have us sing the songs sitting on a piano bench with our knees touching¹⁰, you know, and staring at each other and...

MARTIN: Wow. That's intense.

SHANNON: Yeah, it's really heavy, you know? It's like - because, you know, the singing ideally is coming from somewhere very deep inside of you, and you're sharing that with somebody else. And it was hard sometimes to maintain the eye contact without getting, you know, kind of overwhelmed

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GEORGE AND TAMMY")

MICHAEL SHANNON AND JESSICA CHASTAIN: (As George Jones and Tammy Wynette, singing) Take me, take me.

MARTIN: There's an authenticity¹¹ that you really can't fake when you're singing songs and looking into someone's eyes, Jessica.

CHASTAIN: Yeah, there was - Ron actually had us one day sing a song to each other, one of our solos - and the other person got to choose which song they wanted to be sung to them - and then just stare at each other and sing the song. I have never done that before.

MARTIN: Right.

CHASTAIN: I mean, Mike - maybe I'm - maybe I misjudged. It seemed like it was pretty easy for him, but I was such a, you know, wreck¹² of nerves. And it's incredibly vulnerable. But I think what I loved about this series is the songs weren't ever set up as, like, oh, here's the musical number. It was set up almost like a monologue¹³. It's like, OK - or a scene between us. We're communicating what's happening emotionally on the music.

MARTIN: Yeah. What did each of you know about George Jones and Tammy Wynette before you saw the script?

SHANNON: Oh, I didn't know much at all. I mean, I'm from Kentucky originally, so I guess most people assume if you're from Kentucky, you grow up with country music in the house, but I didn't. My only exposure really was - we would watch "Hee Haw" on TV sometimes. But it was funny. As soon as I signed on and I started telling my friends that I was playing George Jones, it shocked me how many people there were in my life that were huge fans and...

MARTIN: Oh, really?

SHANNON: ...I had no idea. You know, they're like, oh, you're playing George? They'd say, oh, he's a character, and they'd tell the stories. And, I mean, it was, frankly¹⁴, I think, part of his appeal. You know, I think some of these figures in country music or in music in general, they're kind of fascinating because they're such train wrecks¹⁵, you know?

MARTIN: Yeah.

SHANNON: And people want to see, when is this person going to fall apart? Can they literally¹⁶, you know, do all of this harm to themselves and still walk out on stage and sing a song?

MARTIN: Yeah.

SHANNON: And when they do that, there's this unfortunate kind of exhilaration about it, like, wow, look at that. That's amazing - you know? - as this person's kind of beating the tar² out of themselves.

MARTIN: Jessica, what did you learn about Tammy that you hadn't known before?

CHASTAIN: I probably misjudged her. You know, there's this idea of "Stand By Your Man" and "Run, Woman, Run." You know, a lot of these songs are, you know, you need a man in your life. You've got to run back to him 'cause you may not find someone else. Or there was this whole feminist¹⁷ movement against "Stand By Your Man" and the Hillary Clinton controversy¹⁸ when she said, I'm no Tammy Wynette standing¹⁹ by my man. It's just - it caused such a hoopla.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GEORGE AND TAMMY")

CHASTAIN: (As Tammy Wynette, singing) Stand by your man. Give him two arms to cling to.

I think for me, it felt like, wow, I'm really going to cross a bridge here. How am I going to relate to this person? And then the more reading I did about her, I was just really shocked by everything she went through. And I developed this empathy. I kind of - I guess I was more - I felt more shame about myself for my misjudgments and preconceived ideas of who she was.

MARTIN: Because you thought she was just this person who just sublimated²⁰ herself to the men around her?

CHASTAIN: Yeah, well, that's - I imagined that she was, in some sense, a bad example for women. The reality is she was - when she showed up in Nashville, she showed up with three kids. She was a single, divorced woman. She had been institutionalized and had electric shock therapy for trying to leave her first husband. And she showed up in Nashville determined²¹ to be a singer in a time when, like, female singers were not really given the same respect and platform that men were. I mean, still to this day, there's - I've talked to some people in Nashville. It's still an issue. But in the 1960s, it was really shocking. She never was anybody's doormat. She made her own decisions, her own choices, and I find her to be quite a formidable woman. And yet she also had to play this part...

MARTIN: Right.

CHASTAIN: ...In order to be accepted as an artist.

MARTIN: Well, your chemistry and your artistic²² partnership²³ has brought to life the partnership of these two artists, George and Tammy. It's a phenomenal show. You can catch the first episode on demand. The second one's coming up Sunday night. Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon, thank you so much for making the time to talk with us.

SHANNON: Our pleasure.

CHASTAIN: Thank you very, very much.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GEORGE AND TAMMY")

SHANNON AND CHASTAIN: (As George Jones and Tammy Wynette, singing) We're going to hold on.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

3 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

4 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

5 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

6 painkillers   

n.止痛药( painkiller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some painkillers to ease the pain. 医生给了他一些止疼片以减缓疼痛。 来自辞典例句
• The primary painkillers - opiates, like OxyContin - are widely feared, misunderstood and underused. 人们对主要的镇痛药——如鸦片剂奥施康定——存在广泛的恐惧、误解，因此没有充分利用。 来自时文部分

7 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

9 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

10 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

11 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

12 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

13 monologue   

n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白

参考例句：

• The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
• He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。

14 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

15 wrecks   

n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉

参考例句：

• The shores are strewn with wrecks. 海岸上满布失事船只的残骸。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My next care was to get together the wrecks of my fortune. 第二件我所关心的事就是集聚破产后的余财。 来自辞典例句

16 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

17 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

18 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

19 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

20 sublimated   

v.（使某物质）升华( sublimate的过去式和过去分词 )；使净化；纯化

参考例句：

• Their affection to each other was sublimated into a lasting friendship. 他俩之间的感情被升华成一种永久的友谊。 来自互联网
• Finally migrates the utilization, sublimated to the text the understanding. 最后是迁移运用，升华对文本的理解。 来自互联网

21 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

22 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

23 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。