美国国家公共电台 NPR The 84-Year-Old Grandmother Who Fronts D.C.'s Coolest House Band

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST: 

On a Sunday night in Washington, D.C., a white-haired grandmother is warming up for her set at a local dive bar.

ALICE DONAHUE: (Playing piano). You know what that is? "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer¹" (laughter).

CHANG: This is Alice Donahue. She's 84 years old, and she plays in a band called Granny and the Boys - four middle-aged² men on bass³, guitar, drums and vocals⁴, one granny at the keyboard. Their band plays a live funk fusion⁵ show every Sunday at a bar called Showtime. And though folks of all ages come, the majority are people in their 20s and 30s. For them, Granny is something of a novelty.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Celebrate Granny's 84th birthday. Did anybody give it up for Alice?

(CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: She can't hear you. Come on, make some noise. Eighty-four years, that's a blessing⁶ from God, right?

(SOUNDBITE OF GRANNY AND THE BOYS SONG)

CHANG: Granny's band is led by her partner, Richard Lynch. He lives in the apartment above the bar. A few days after the show, we went back there to interview the two of them.

DONAHUE: Come on this way. Sorry, we are preparing for Sunday night because we had a show last night.

CHANG: Granny and the Boys got the bar gig a few years ago. The power had gone out, and the bar's owner came upstairs to ask Richard if he could play a few songs for his patrons. Richard brought Alice to perform with him, and people loved it so much that the owner offered them a monthly gig, which then became a weekly show by popular demand. But Alice and Richard's story together starts long before that. The two of them are 20 years apart. She's 84. He's 64. And they've been dating for about 20 years.

RICHARD LYNCH: I was working at Maryland University at the Roy Rogers, and I saw her sitting in the cafeteria and I wanted to meet her.

CHANG: What was it about her that drew you to her?

LYNCH: She was just pretty as heck. I saw all these young people sitting in there and I just saw one elderly lady. And I said, OK, why is she here? She was holding a music book. And I said, that's my cue. And some damn fool walks up behind her and just snatches the book right out her hand.

CHANG: You did that?

LYNCH: I said hey, what you got here? I see you're reading a music book.

CHANG: (Laughter).

DONAHUE: And you have to understand, I'm white, he's black.

CHANG: What was going through your mind, Alice?

DONAHUE: I had just registered to go back to the University of Maryland to take some credit courses in the Golden Age Group. And I'm sitting there. And normally, because it had been just about a year since my husband had passed, I would have reacted like (grunting), you know? But I didn't. I said, gee⁷, he's got a friendly face. Maybe he's a little off the wall, but (laughter) he's got a friendly face. And then we started talking music. See, that's a common language.

CHANG: Yeah.

DONAHUE: We started...

CHANG: Could you tell he was hitting on you?

DONAHUE: I thought he'd have to be crazy...

CHANG: (Laughter).

DONAHUE: ...Because I'm 64 and he's 44. I mean, I know he's a little off the wall, but that's completely off the planet. So, you know, (laughter) I didn't even let that register. I thought, he's just interested in music. And then you take it from there what you did.

LYNCH: And I told her I was interested in her. And I said I had a band, I was recording⁸, and would you like to manage? And I said, before you answer, would you like to go out on a date? And she said, well, my husband just passed. I'm going to tell you what I told her - I'll wait till you finish grieving. I'll be here. Everything else is history.

CHANG: So, Alice, when you decided⁹ to manage the band, was it because you were drawn¹⁰ into Richard as a person, or it was this idea of being able to perform music that attracted you?

DONAHUE: It - I had never even thought of performing. I thought, you know, I could learn some things from a band. And my professor in Maryland had actually said to me, you'll learn a lot more managing a band than you will sitting in a classroom here. And then about a year and a half later, the keyboard player had personal problems. And we had a show coming at Farragut Square. Farragut Square at noon with federal workers...

CHANG: Oh, it's jammed, yeah.

DONAHUE: ...All walking around. And he says, you have to do this show.

CHANG: Up until then, had you ever remotely done anything close to managing a band or performing live music with a band?

DONAHUE: No. No. Never performed live, never did a recital¹¹, never did anything.

CHANG: That must have been terrifying.

DONAHUE: It was. It was a baptism of fire. And then - he's not telling you - besides the federal workers, he went and told all his musical friends that this elderly white lady was now playing keyboard with the band. And guess who all turned out walking around the stage? Is she really doing it?

CHANG: No pressure.

DONAHUE: But I made it. And from then on, I was the keyboard person. And that was 19, 18 years ago.

LYNCH: (Laughter) Best decision I've ever made.

(SOUNDBITE OF GRANNY AND THE BOYS SONG)

CHANG: Funk, or fusion, as you call it - had you ever been drawn to that kind of music before?

DONAHUE: No, strictly¹² classical right up until I met him. In fact, I was trying to get a degree in music therapy, but Maryland doesn't offer that. I really always had believed that music heals and brings people together, so I wanted to try to get the degree, but I couldn't. And, you know, it's funny. God has put me in that same position right now because I really believe when people come in downstairs for whatever reason - some have had a frustrating¹³ day, some have lost their latest significant other, and for different reasons - but they - when they leave, they have all said to me they feel so much better.

CHANG: So in a way, you are practicing music therapy.

DONAHUE: In a very practical life situation, not by the book.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GRANNY AND THE BOYS: (Singing) Been going through some funky¹⁴ changes, changes are the same.

CHANG: What did you do when you were married? Did you work?

DONAHUE: No, I had the five children (laughter).

CHANG: Oh, you were busy enough.

DONAHUE: That is work.

(LAUGHTER)

CHANG: Yes.

DONAHUE: Very rapidly, I had four and five years when I was first married. And then eight years came along, the spoiled one.

CHANG: Have your kids been surprised by how you've evolved? Like...

DONAHUE: They are, and they were a little skeptical¹⁵. I mean, how can she be doing this? It might be too much on her physically¹⁶ and all this and that. But they have seen that it has improved me, not lessened¹⁷ me. And of course, now they can't - my daughter - I don't know if this can go over the air, but there was one write-up who called me the badass octogenarian, and she read it, and she just loved it.

(SOUNDBITE OF GRANNY AND THE BOYS SONG)

CHANG: Alice, when you were in your 60s...

DONAHUE: Yeah.

CHANG: ...This is after your husband had passed - did you have any clue that you would find new love, a new chapter professionally?

DONAHUE: No. No.

CHANG: You would be able to combat your anxieties about performing? I mean...

DONAHUE: I can only say God has a tremendous sense of humor because I have not been recognized on the piano for 81 years. That's longer than most people live. If that's not hysterically¹⁸ funny, I don't know what is.

(SOUNDBITE OF ALICE DONAHUE'S "CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE")

CHANG: Alice Donahue, also known as Granny, and Richard Lynch, her bandleader. Their group is called Granny and the Boys.

(SOUNDBITE OF ALICE DONAHUE'S "CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE")

1 reindeer   

n.驯鹿

参考例句：

• The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
• The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。

2 middle-aged   

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。

3 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

4 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。

5 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

6 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

7 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

8 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。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 recital   

n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会

参考例句：

• She is going to give a piano recital.她即将举行钢琴独奏会。
• I had their total attention during the thirty-five minutes that my recital took.在我叙述的35分钟内，他们完全被我吸引了。

12 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

13 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

15 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

16 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

17 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

18 hysterically   

ad. 歇斯底里地

参考例句：

• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。
• She sobbed hysterically, and her thin body was shaken. 她歇斯底里地抽泣着，她瘦弱的身体哭得直颤抖。