美国国家公共电台 NPR M.I.A. Takes 'AIM' At A Global Message

M.I.A. Takes 'AIM' At A Global Message 

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0002:30repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: 

A lot of people heard the rapper M.I.A.'s biggest hit in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire."

MIA: (Singing) All I want to do is...

MIA: (Singing) ...And...

MIA: (Singing) ...And take your money.

MONTAGNE: And a lot more Americans saw her give the middle finger to America during a Super Bowl halftime show. That gesture led our colleague David Greene to ask M.I.A. this a couple of years ago.

DAVID GREENE, BYLINE²: A lot of people describe you as provocative³.

MIA: Yes.

GREENE: Is that a fair label?

MIA: I don't know. I don't intentionally⁴ go, oh, what is provocative? - and try to do that.

MONTAGNE: David spoke⁵ with M.I.A again this week about her new album and her latest provocation⁶.

GREENE: Let's remember, M.I.A. grew up in war-torn Sri Lanka and then, later, in public housing in London. And she has made a career fighting for and singing about refugees, minorities and social justice.

MIA: (Singing) Borders - what's up with that? Politics - what's up with that?

GREENE: So it was a bit surprising to some people when she seemed to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement and two fellow musicians. It was in an interview back in April when she said, quote, "Is Beyonce or Kendrick Lamar going to say Muslim lives matter or Syrian lives matter or this kid in Pakistan matters?"

I asked her about those comments. She says her point is that a few mega-stars get so much of the world's attention, she fears some causes get overlooked.

MIA: (Singing) Going to be doing it like that.

When you have 20 icons⁷, and all 20 icons are American - apart from, say, Adele and Coldplay, who are British - you know, then the pressure kind of goes on someone like me. And I was saying, well, if we've got 10 artists to listen to for the next 10 years, either make those artists varied⁸ or open up the floodgates for these artists to talk about other issues.

And don't just make it particular to their own experience because it's shutting down a lot of current affairs that is affecting the rest of the world.

GREENE: And M.I.A. wonders, if the big stars aren't going to speak out for other causes, who will?

MIA: If we're waiting for Syrian kids to come up and talk about Syria, we might be waiting for a long time because those kids are not going to get that opportunity.

GREENE: Stir a little bit of controversy¹⁰ - that is vintage M.I.A.

MIA: (Singing) At the border, I see the patroller cruising past in their car, hiding in my Toyota Corolla. Everybody say YALA.

GREENE: Although, things do seem surprisingly calm for the 41-year-old musician these days. Her fifth album is out. It's called "AIM." And she says it may well be her last. M.I.A.'s been focusing a lot on being a mom. She has a 7-year-old son. And she's been trying to find a balance. She wants him to know about his mom's tough upbringing. But she also reminds him...

MIA: You are now, actually, a privileged kid.

GREENE: You've said that to him.

MIA: I have said that to him, yeah.

GREENE: I've read there was some conversation you had with him where he was, like, Mom, you're a star. We can eat better than this.

MIA: Yeah, that's right.

GREENE: Tell - what exactly happened there?

MIA: That was my old approach, you know, when I was literally¹¹ putting him through boot camp. I'd be like, you know, when I was your age, I just had a dead bird to play with...

GREENE: Uh-huh.

MIA: ...Which I liked (laughter).

GREENE: OK.

MIA: Yeah. And he's not really going for that right now.

GREENE: He literally said to you, Mom, we can eat better than this with...

MIA: Yeah. He's a smart kid. Yeah (laughter).

MIA: (Singing) Bass¹², bass, bass, bass...

GREENE: What's striking is at this moment, when the world feels like it's on fire - terrorism, a refugee crisis, racial tensions in the U.S. and elsewhere - M.I.A. is sounding more upbeat. On the new album, there's even a collaboration¹³ with a former boy band star, Zayn Malik from One Direction in the song freedom to.

MIA: (Singing) Even aliens see the presentation. Yeah, tune¹⁴ up the dial on the station. And think of me sort of like Tarzan. And I'm swinging this beat - salvation¹⁵.

ZAYN MALIK: (Singing) All the stars are still shining.

MIA: If I can be optimistic on this record, that really feels like a revival¹⁶ to United Colors of Benetton, like, in the '90s.

GREENE: Benetton, the store, yeah.

MIA: Yeah - and where they used to run adverts¹⁷ about unity⁹ and people coming together. It was called United Colors of Benetton. And when I came to America for the first time, and I was listening to, like, hip-hop stations, like, erase¹⁸ the color line was, like, the catchphrase on, you know, Beats 92 FM.

And it was like a movement in the '90s to destroy racism¹⁹. And the only way we thought we could destroy it - and I'm such a dinosaur²⁰, I could talk about this now. But in the '90s...

GREENE: (Laughter) A 41-year-old dinosaur.

MIA: Yeah. So in the '90s, that's what I used to be a part of. It was like our cure for racism is unity, you know? And I think that's why right now, even though it's not very trendy for me to be about love and unity and peace - it's the most, like, uncoolest thing for M.I.A. - brand M.I.A. to ever, like, push. But right now I feel like it's the most revolutionary thing you can do.

MIA: (Singing) What haters say about me don't worry me. I keep it moving forward to what's ahead of me. You're going to see I'm not going to waste energy.

GREENE: What do you tell people who have embraced your music? And at this moment, when there is a lot of anger about social injustices²¹, they would say to you, don't go soft on us now.

MIA: I know. I know.

GREENE: This is when we need you the most.

MIA: Well, this is what, you know, my families say. All the world has gone M.I.A. And you've just gone M.I.A. And it's like (laughter), you need to get out there and go on tour talk and talk to your fans because they must be like, you know, thinking, where is she right now?

MIA: (Singing) I'm someone's shot of whiskey - not everyone's tea - 'cause I'm free. And I'm a freak. All the people I love I try to keep. We get deep, keep it street. And we're never going to stay asleep.

This is a really weird²² time for human beings right now. And if you want positive change, and if you want to break the cycle, then you have to break it in yourself.

GREENE: So are you saying that when we're angry at something in the world, whether it be a war in Syria or racial inequality or something, that we should check ourselves before we respond with just anger?

MIA: Well, I think it's important to have anger. But you have to direct the anger into something constructive²³. And it has to be productive. And the outcome of the anger and anger-led change has to be better than where you were before.

MIA: (Singing) It starts when I'm heading over - getting blessings²⁴ in the shower.

MONTAGNE: Rapper M.I.A. talking to our own David Greene about her new album out today.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PAPER PLANES")

(SOUNDBITE OF SHOTS FIRING)

(SOUNDBITE OF CASH REGISTER)

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BORDERS")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BORDERS")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OLA")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREEDUN")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREEDUN")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FINALLY")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FINALLY")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SURVIVOR")

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 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。

3 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

4 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

7 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

9 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

14 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

15 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

16 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。

17 adverts   

advertisements 广告，做广告

参考例句：

• the adverts on television 电视广告
• The adverts are not very informative. 这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。

18 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

19 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

20 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

21 injustices   

不公平( injustice的名词复数 )； 非正义； 待…不公正； 冤枉

参考例句：

• One who committed many injustices is doomed to failure. 多行不义必自毙。
• He felt confident that his injustices would be righted. 他相信他的冤屈会受到昭雪的。

22 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

23 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

24 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》