美国国家公共电台 NPR Tom Hanks Is Obsessed With Typewriters (So He Wrote A Book About Them)

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Here is a guy who is crazy - just crazy about typewriters.

TOM HANKS: I have too many typewriters, David. You want one. I should have brought one for you and the staff...

GREENE: (Laughter) Next time.

HANKS: ...Just to help out, man. I don't want these to be a burden to my children when I kick the bucket. I don't want them to say, what are we gonna do with dad's typewriters?

GREENE: So that is, of course, the Tom Hanks.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "APOLLO 13")

HANKS: (As Jim Lovell) Houston, we have a problem.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN")

HANKS: (As Captain John H. Miller) I don't know anything about Ryan. I don't care. Man means nothing. It's just a name. But if finding him so he can go home - if that earns me the right to get back to my wife, well then, that's my mission.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN")

HANKS: (As Jimmy Duggan) There's no crying in baseball.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "CAST AWAY")

HANKS: Wilson. Wilson.

GREENE: Hanks has made us believe he can be anyone, do anything on the big screen. And now he is taking us on a journey on the page.

So the first question I have about your new book...

HANKS: My new book...

GREENE: ...Your new book (laughter) - your book...

HANKS: (Laughter) How about, that's it?

GREENE: Your first book (laughter)...

HANKS: That's it. That's my only shot.

GREENE: OK, Tom Hanks has written a book - just one for now. It's a collection of short stories with varied¹ subjects. There's a World War II veteran on Christmas Eve in 1953. There's a California surfer kid who makes an unsettling discovery. There's even one about time travel. And in every story, Hanks sneaks² in the machine he is so obsessed³ with, the typewriter. Sometimes it's a plot device. Sometimes it really does feel almost hidden. His book is called "Uncommon⁴ Type." And talking to Hanks, you realize his thing with typewriters is not a gimmick⁵. It's a love affair.

HANKS: Yeah. Yeah, it is. There's something about - I don't know. It's a hex in my brain. There is something that I find reassuring⁶, comforting, dazzling and that here is a very specific apparatus⁷ that is meant to do one thing. And it does it perfectly⁸. And that one thing is to translate the thoughts in your head down to paper. Now, that means everything from a shopping list to James Joyce's "Ulysses." Short of carving⁹ words into stone with a hammer and chisel¹⁰, not much is more permanent than a paragraph or a sentence or a love letter or a story typed on paper.

GREENE: Yeah, there's - you talk about the authority - I mean, that a to-do list takes on a whole different life when it is imprinted¹¹ on a piece of paper in that way.

HANKS: There's no doodles. There's no happy faces that you use to dot your eyes with. And I feel very free in writing almost anything on a typewriter, provided it's not much more than a, you know, a page and a half. You do cut and paste your typewritten documents with scissors (laughter) and a stapler¹² and glue. That's the only way you can do it.

GREENE: It gets a little messy.

HANKS: Yeah. Yeah...

GREENE: And then sudenly a computer seems like maybe that would be easier to use.

HANKS: That would be the greatest thing in the world (laughter).

GREENE: There's a beautiful story in your collection, "These Are The Meditations¹³ Of My Heart."

HANKS: Oh.

GREENE: And I mean, it starts with a woman who has gone through a breakup and has no need necessarily for a typewriter for anything. But she buys this plastic typewriter...

HANKS: ...Hunk-a-junk typewriter.

GREENE: Yeah, like a toy essentially¹⁴...

HANKS: Yeah, yeah.

GREENE: I mean, how did that story come together for you?

HANKS: Well, that's actually the story of how I got my first typewriter. I had - a friend of mine had gotten a new Olivetti electric that was gorgeous state of the art typewriter for 1973.

GREENE: When was this?

HANKS: 1973.

GREENE: You got your first ever in...

HANKS: Yeah. He gave me his old typewriter.

GREENE: OK.

HANKS: But I used it for about about a year and a half or so. And I just wanted to get my typewriter service just like the girl did. And it's that - what happens to her in the shop is almost verbatim the conversation I had with the old man.

GREENE: This is a reading. I'd love for you to do it...

HANKS: All right.

GREENE: ...From page 232.

HANKS: Now this man speaks with an accent that I probably won't do here, but...

GREENE: Do it anyway you can.

HANKS: All right.

GREENE: Yeah.

HANKS: (Reading) Look here. The old man waved his arms at the typewriters that lined the wall mountain shelves. These are machines. They are made of steel. They are works of engineers. They were built in factories in America, Germany, Switzerland. Do you know why they are up on that shelf right now? Because they are for sale? Because they were built to last forever. That guy altered my concept of the place a typewriter can hold in your life. It is equal to a wooden chest that your great grandfather carved or the perfect set of doilies that your grandmother hand-stitched themselves or a quilt that your mom passed down to you that she made for you when you were five years old. A typewriter is a - you can carry it around. It can go with you anywhere in the world. Even the biggest one, you can put in a box and lug¹⁵ if you're dumb enough to try to get through...

GREENE: (Laughter).

HANKS: ...Airport security with something like that.

GREENE: But it's - I mean, it's not just typewriters. I mean, it's just gadgets¹⁶ and appliances and cars. I mean, the Plymouth with the power flight auto¹⁷ transmission, Kelvinator fridge and Mr. Coffee Maker¹⁸...

HANKS: Yeah, yeah.

GREENE: It goes on and on. I mean, do you have a reverence¹⁹ for machinery²⁰?

HANKS: There was a time when you as a 6-year-old kid were really invested in the choice of a refrigerator because you'd seen all these commercials - you know, Frigidaire. What a beautiful name - Frigidaire. You look - you know what it means? It means frigid²¹, cold air - frigid air. And that's what's inside a refrigerator.

GREENE: My god, I never even realized - I'm kind of stupid for admitting I never made that connection, but - yeah.

HANKS: Then there was was Norge - N-O-R-G-E. And the jingle²² was knock on any Norge (clapping). And if you knocked on a Norge, you could hear how solid this refrigerator was. A Norge was a solid refrigerator. You know how you knew? - by (singing) knock on any Norge (clapping). I remember being a kid, and I'd go into somebody else's house. And I'd say, wow, you got a Norge.

GREENE: (Laughter) Yeah.

HANKS: That's exciting. And I'd open up the door and see how it would click and see how the shelves were...

GREENE: And you felt like an expert in this. I mean, you knew a lot about fridges.

HANKS: I watched TV.

GREENE: Yeah.

HANKS: There's a book in there, "The Great Refrigerator Wars Of The Early 1960s."

GREENE: That's coming...

HANKS: It'd be a good nonfiction piece.

GREENE: Yeah. That's amazing.

HANKS: Yeah.

GREENE: I find you to be someone who enjoys some personal moments of reflection, looking at the world.

HANKS: Oh, yeah.

GREENE: It was funny. I was finishing a book last night at a really quirky bar-restaurant in Santa Monica.

HANKS: Which one?

GREENE: The Galley²³.

HANKS: (Laughter) Galley - good steaks at The De Galley

GREENE: Good fish, too...

HANKS: ...Good fish - yeah. No...

GREENE: I had grilled²⁴ - yeah - grilled fish...

HANKS: ...Galley's a great place...

GREENE: ...On a salad last night. No, it's great.

HANKS: Yeah, yeah.

GREENE: But I was people-watching. There was this couple next to me and they were just, like, such personalities²⁵. She was complaining to the server about everything. He was, like, wishing that she weren't doing that. Can you do that because of your celebrity²⁶? Like...

HANKS: Yeah, yeah.

GREENE: Can you - how do you do it?

HANKS: Well, one is you just show up, you know? You don't have the black SUV and the guys in suits that are opening the doors and clearing the way for you. But if you're not working, you know, you're just a guy in a pair of pants and a sweatshirt and you just go in - and some people might notice you, but you'll be amazed at how often you can hide in plain sight.

GREENE: Tom Hanks, thank you.

HANKS: Thank you, David - pleasure talking to you.

GREENE: Tom Hanks. His collection of short stories is called "Uncommon Type."

1 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。

2 sneaks   

abbr.sneakers (tennis shoes) 胶底运动鞋（网球鞋）v.潜行( sneak的第三人称单数 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状

参考例句：

• Typhoid fever sneaks in when sanitation fails. 环境卫生搞不好，伤寒就会乘虚而入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Honest boys scorn sneaks and liars. 诚实的人看不起狡诈和撒谎的人。 来自辞典例句

3 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

4 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

5 gimmick   

n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明

参考例句：

• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
• It is just a public relations gimmick.这只不过是一种公关伎俩。

6 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

7 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

8 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

9 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

10 chisel   

n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿

参考例句：

• This chisel is useful for getting into awkward spaces.这凿子在要伸入到犄角儿里时十分有用。
• Camille used a hammer and chisel to carve out a figure from the marble.卡米尔用锤子和凿子将大理石雕刻出一个人像。

11 imprinted   

v.盖印（imprint的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The terrible scenes were indelibly imprinted on his mind. 那些恐怖场面深深地铭刻在他的心中。
• The scene was imprinted on my mind. 那个场面铭刻在我的心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 stapler   

n.订书机

参考例句：

• The stapler belongs to her.这订书机是她的。
• Can you hand me that stapler?请你把订书机拿给我，好吗？

13 meditations   

默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想

参考例句：

• Each sentence seems a quarry of rich meditations. 每一句话似乎都给人以许多冥思默想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations. 我很抱歉，打断你思考问题了。

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 lug   

n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动

参考例句：

• Nobody wants to lug around huge suitcases full of clothes.谁都不想拖着个装满衣服的大箱子到处走。
• Do I have to lug those suitcases all the way to the station?难道非要我把那些手提箱一直拉到车站去吗？

16 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

17 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

18 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

19 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

20 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

21 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

22 jingle   

n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵

参考例句：

• The key fell on the ground with a jingle.钥匙叮当落地。
• The knives and forks set up their regular jingle.刀叉发出常有的叮当声。

23 galley   

n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇；

参考例句：

• The stewardess will get you some water from the galley.空姐会从厨房给你拿些水来。
• Visitors can also go through the large galley where crew members got their meals.游客还可以穿过船员们用餐的厨房。

24 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

25 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

26 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。