美国国家公共电台 NPR--Remembering folk-rock legend David Crosby, who died at age 81

Remembering folk-rock legend David Crosby, who died at age 81

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to Michael Walker, author of Laurel Canyon²: The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary³ Neighborhood, about David Crosby's legacy⁴.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LONG TIME GONE")

CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH: (Singing) Yes, a long, long, long, long time before the dark.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Folk-rock legend David Crosby has died at the age of 81. He was the co-founder of two iconic bands. The Byrds were early pioneers of psychedelic rock. Crosby, Stills & Nash melded pop harmonies of the '50s with the folk revival⁶ of the '60s. In a Fresh Air interview, Crosby's former bandmate Graham Nash recalled the first time the trio sang together.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

GRAHAM NASH: Whatever vocal⁷ sound that Crosby, Stills & Nash has was born in less than 40 seconds - no rehearsing that vocal blend. It happened instantly, and we all knew it so much that we all actually stopped singing the song and started to laugh 'cause it was silly.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HELPLESSLY HOPING")

CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH: (Singing) Helplessly hoping her harlequin hovers⁸ nearby awaiting a word.

MART?NEZ: That fateful meeting took place in a house in Laurel Canyon, which in the '60s was a bohemian enclave in the Hollywood Hills. Here with more on the legacy of David Crosby is Michael Walker, author of a book about the Laurel Canyon scene.

Michael, Crosby didn't write many of the songs for the Byrds or Crosby, Stills & Nash. So how was he important, then, to the sound of both bands?

MICHAEL WALKER: Oh, he's interesting. He's like, if you're making a bottle of wine with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, for example, they'll often add a dash of merlot as a blending grape, 'cause when you listen to their vocals⁹, you hear David - you hear Graham Nash and Stephen Stills a little more distinctly than you do David Crosby. But his voice, this little keening tenor¹⁰, was the glue that held that all together. If you take that piece out, as Graham Nash just said, it doesn't sound like them anymore. But the three of them together is absolutely unmistakable.

That meeting also was brokered¹¹ by Mama Cass of the Mamas and the Papas at her house in the canyon, and she was a person that knew harmony quite well from being in her band. And she could hear what they were going to do before they ever did it, and they were amazed. They came up to her afterwards. How did you know? How did you know this? And she just did, 'cause she kind of knew everything. She was sort of the...

MART?NEZ: She was Mama Cass. She knew.

WALKER: ...Yeah - the doyenne of Laurel Canyon.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. She absolutely knew. Tell us about some of the very dark times that Crosby also went through.

WALKER: Well, that was - he was a man that really - he was a sensualist. He and Cass were very good friends. And they were both like that. They liked good food, good dope, good sex. He liked everything. And this is a man that could con⁵ a 76-foot schooner¹² across the Pacific for thousands of miles with a joint¹³ in one hand and a sextant in the other. So he was - you know, he could manage it for a while. And then it got out of control in the '80s with freebase cocaine¹⁴ and other things. But he did eventually pull himself back in. And it's a tribute to his talent and his perseverance¹⁵ that he was able to end his career performing again.

MART?NEZ: What more can you tell us about David Crosby as a person? - because it sounds like he certainly never held back when it came to enjoying life.

WALKER: No. No, he did not. I mean, he had - he said a really interesting thing one time in his biography. He said he loved things that were better made than they had to be made. And it really struck me as a really interesting point of view for life and for his career because in the studio he was known to be a very - he would be a - he was known to be a pretty difficult guy, but he was always pushing the envelope with the musicians he worked with to not just get it good, but to get it great.

MART?NEZ: Michael Walker is the author of "Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story Of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood." Michael, thank you.

WALKER: Thank you for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE BYRDS SONG, "EIGHT MILES HIGH")

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 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

3 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

4 legacy   

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。

5 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

6 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

7 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。

8 hovers   

鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovers in the sky. 一只老鹰在天空盘旋。
• A hen hovers her chicks. 一只母鸡在孵小鸡。

9 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

10 tenor   

n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意

参考例句：

• The tenor of his speech was that war would come.他讲话的大意是战争将要发生。
• The four parts in singing are soprano,alto,tenor and bass.唱歌的四个声部是女高音、女低音、男高音和男低音。

11 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

12 schooner   

n.纵帆船

参考例句：

• The schooner was driven ashore.那条帆船被冲上了岸。
• The current was bearing coracle and schooner southward at an equal rate.急流正以同样的速度将小筏子和帆船一起冲向南方。

13 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

14 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

15 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。