美国国家公共电台 NPR Actor Ed Harris Says Sam Shepard Was 'Iconically American'

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

One of this country's most prolific¹ playwrights² has died. Sam Shepard, who portrayed³ the frayed⁴ ends of the American experience - rugged⁵ characters, toxic⁶ relationships. He wrote more than 40 plays, among them "True West" and "Buried Child," which won a Pulitzer Prize. His play "Fool For Love" was made into a film in 1985, with Shepard himself in the lead role.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FOOL FOR LOVE")

SAM SHEPARD: (As Eddie) If you're staying here, I'm staying here. You'll never get rid of me. I'll track you down no matter where you go. I know exactly how your mind works. I've been right every time, every single time.

ED HARRIS: In poetry, I was riding the rhythm of it. It just carries you along once you've committed to it and trusted it. His words were beautiful.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

That's actor Ed Harris. He collaborated⁷ with Sam Shepard over the course of more than 35 years. Harris calls Shepard iconically American and said his works explored ideas of masculinity.

HARRIS: It wasn't macho masculinity. It wasn't stupid masculinity. I think he was pretty true to himself and carved out a way to be in the world that made sense to him, you know. He wasn't trying to prove anything to anybody.

INSKEEP: So who was Sam Shepard? Well, he grew up with a father he described as a violent alcoholic⁸. And alcoholism became a frequent theme in his writing. In a 2002 interview, Fresh Air's Terry Gross asked about his childhood and whether Shepard had to become one of his own hardboiled characters to live under his father's roof.

(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW, "FRESH AIR")

SHEPARD: No, I never as a kid thought of myself as hardboiled. That came later. I mean, you may be able to bear certain things, but I just never had that kind of image of myself.

CHANG: Shepard was also an actor and earned an Oscar nomination⁹ for his performance as the pilot Chuck Yeager in the 1983 film "The Right Stuff."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE RIGHT STUFF")

SHEPARD: (As Chuck Yeager) Well, I'll tell you what, half these engineers never been off the ground, you know. I mean, they're liable to tell you that the sound barrier is a brick wall in the sky. It'll rip your ears off if you try to go through it.

CHANG: He co-starred in that film with Ed Harris, who recalls one of their offstage moments.

HARRIS: When we were doing "The Right Stuff," you know, we'd go out and drink a bit. And Sam was a pretty good drinker. One night - we got in the elevator one time. I was pretty drunk. And he says, Ed, you don't know how to drink. And he was probably right because I used to just try to get obliterated¹⁰. And Sam always maintained a certain verticalness, if I may (laughter).

CHANG: Shepard returned to New York last year for a revival¹¹ of "Buried Child," which starred his friend, Ed Harris.

HARRIS: That's when I realized something was going on. And he told me he'd been diagnosed with ALS. And, you know, he kept it pretty quiet, but he was starting to suffer back then from it. So it's - you know, it happened pretty quick for him. But I'm glad he's at peace. I think he was probably ready to go.

INSKEEP: His family kept his death quiet for a few days after he died in Kentucky on Thursday at age 73.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S "BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER")

1 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

2 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

6 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

7 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

8 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。

9 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

10 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。