美国国家公共电台 NPR John Cameron Mitchell On Punks, Aliens And The Queerness Of 'How To Talk To Girls'

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

More than a decade ago, the author Neil Gaiman wrote a short story that captures some of the strangeness of being a teenager discovering the world. It's called "How To Talk To Girls At Parties." It's really only one scene. Two boys stumble upon a party where the girls seem rather alien because, as it turns out, the girls are actual aliens. Here's Neil Gaiman reading a bit of the story.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NEIL GAIMAN: (Reading) Understand me; all the girls at that party in the twilight¹ were lovely. They all had perfect faces. But more important than that, they had whatever strangeness and proportion of oddness or humanity it is that makes a beauty something more than a shop window dummy³.

SHAPIRO: Fast-forward to the present day, and the writer-director John Cameron Mitchell has expanded "How To Talk To Girls At Parties" into a full-length film.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE DYSCHORDS SONG, "CLIMB OVER ME")

SHAPIRO: Like the story, the movie is set in the 1970s punk scene of Croydon, England, a dingy⁴ area south of London. The soundtrack is full of new music that sounds like it could have come from that era.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CLIMB OVER ME")

THE DYSCHORDS: (Singing) Oh, yeah, it's killing⁵ me. Climb, climb over me.

SHAPIRO: "How To Talk To Girls At Parties" is a low-budget independent film with some big-name actors like Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. She plays an alien named Zan, a kind of traveler who wants a different way of experiencing life on Earth.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES")

ELLE FANNING: (As Zan) You constantly use words like enrichment and authenticity⁶, but we're behaving more like tourists than travelers.

SHAPIRO: Zan's big adventure begins when she meets a human boy and runs off with him. Director John Cameron Mitchell's other movies focus on adult themes. His films include "Rabbit Hole" and "Hedwig And The Angry Inch." So I asked him what attracted him to this sweet, punk, sci-fi, Romeo-Juliet tale.

JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL: I've always wanted to make my YA teenage love story that had, you know, little idea bombs throughout, one of which is, you know, this idea of punk, you know, being identified in a certain way. My favorite thing is sort of destroying things that are not useful in order for a plethora⁷ of other things to grow out of the scorched⁸ ground.

SHAPIRO: That's a great definition.

MITCHELL: You know, Nicole Kidman calls it - I wrote her a line saying it's the fag end of the blues⁹. You know, it's the end of it.

SHAPIRO: Fag being British slang for the butt¹⁰ of a cigarette.

MITCHELL: Butt of a cigarette - the fag end of the blues, you know, the last gasp¹¹.

SHAPIRO: It is so grounded in the '70s, this movie is. And so many of your stars are young. I mean, Elle Fanning is 20 years old. What did you tell them about this time that you lived through and they did not to ground them in the details of it?

MITCHELL: Well, funnily enough, I mean, the older actors who were generally British, you know, they all knew that. They knew what a midnight movie was. They knew what punk rock was even if they weren't punks. The kids - they didn't really know about punk. But they were so happy to when I gave them certain movies to watch, "The Filth¹² And The Fury," and books about The Roxy, which was the first punk club. And it's funny because I didn't ask them not to wash, which was...

SHAPIRO: (Laughter).

MITCHELL: ...Much more common back then 'cause, you know, I didn't want to do that to the poor dressers and the other actors.

SHAPIRO: You know, punks and rockers have used alien imagery for a long time, David Bowie most notably¹³ but lots of others, too. What do you think happens when you introduce actual aliens into this world of punks?

MITCHELL: They kind of take on the form of what aliens might look like to humans in the '70s. So they have rubber suits. They have geometric patterns. They're unnaturally¹⁴ interesting-looking, you know, quite beautiful, physical specimens¹⁵. And they're confronted with grubby, messy, bloody¹⁶, sexy fragrances¹⁷ of bodily fluids and secretions¹⁸ that is repellent for most of them but is like catnip for Zan, our alien heroine.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES")

FANNING: (As Zan) Do more punk to me.

MITCHELL: So the aliens are - in the tradition of aliens-on-Earth-movie - learns something from the humans, and the humans learn something from the aliens. It is, you know, our "Contact" or our "Close Encounters" but with much more of a sense of humor and zany, midnight movie, '70s vibe.

SHAPIRO: Tell me about Nicole Kidman's character because she was not in the original Neil Gaiman short story. She was created from whole cloth. If people have seen her in "Big Little Lies," this character is basically the exact opposite of that (laughter).

MITCHELL: Yes, Nicole - Philippa, our writer, wrote a character named Allison who became Boadicea 'cause I always liked that name. Every British schoolchild knows Boadicea. She was the Celtic princess or queen, really, who drove the Romans out of London. You know, Nicole's character says the first punk was a she. And Nicole's character really is a bit of Vivienne Westwood, a bit of Malcolm McLaren. You know, she's much bawdier¹⁹ and brave.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES")

NICOLE KIDMAN: (As Queen Boadicea) Right, then. Right, then, you crowd, shut it. Tonight I am delighted to announce that The Dyschords will be welcoming a guest singer who will also be modeling some of my...

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Where's Slap?

KIDMAN: (As Queen Boadicea) Shut your gaping²⁰ gob. He's on probation²¹.

SHAPIRO: Just to give people an image of Boadicea, Nicole Kidman's character, we're talking about spiky²² silver and black hair and a high collar piece that's made entirely²³ out of zippers²⁴ and very strong eyeliner. She's somebody you don't mess with.

MITCHELL: No. So she was just there for, like, six days and really kicked ass²⁵. And she was really a pro² about it. But we kind of, you know, forced her into a non-comfortable zone with our rock 'n' roll filming techniques because, you know, she got hit in the head with a guitar, and one the actors kept spitting in her face by accident. And she...

SHAPIRO: Oh, God, really?

MITCHELL: ...Hated that. Well, he was the punk singer, you know? And she actually hauled off and cracked him across the face when he did it one too many times.

SHAPIRO: Really?

MITCHELL: Yeah. And I kept it in the film.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES")

KIDMAN: (As Queen Boadicea) What are you, suicidal?

MARTIN TOMLINSON: (As Slap) You remind me of my mum. Bo, I'm a golden goose.

KIDMAN: (As Queen Boadicea) You haven't laid a golden egg yet, have you? I've had it, Slap.

TOMLINSON: (As Slap) So where's the afterparty?

SHAPIRO: Your films have almost always been about outsiders, whether it was "Hedwig And The Angry Inch," which is about a transgender woman from East Berlin, or "Shortbus," which is about sexual outsiders in a different way. This movie is much less explicitly²⁷ queer, but do you still see a connection with the other feature films you've made?

MITCHELL: Yeah. I mean, you know, for me rock 'n' roll and punk are queer. There's a queerness about rock 'n' roll and gender²⁶ bending. But I do think of "How To Talk To Girls" as a queer film. It's the - it's how you look at things as opposed to who you have sex with that makes you queer. It's how you look at the world through a bit of a prism of perhaps the fluidity of gender, the understanding that the underdog has something to say that might be useful to society.

So I think "How To Talk To Girls" is definitely a part of my, you know, landscape and the things that I'm interested in. I'm - I came out of comic books and science fiction and fantasy, and I want to explore that more. And you put Broadway, Borscht Belt, punk rock, glam rock and comic books together, and you probably get one of my films.

SHAPIRO: John Cameron Mitchell, thank you so much for talking with us about your new movie.

MITCHELL: You're welcome, Ari.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE DYSCHORDS SONG, "PLANNED ADOLESCENCE²⁸")

SHAPIRO: The film is called "How To Talk To Girls At Parties." John Cameron Mitchell is the director and co-screenwriter.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PLANNED ADOLESCENCE")

THE DYSCHORDS: (Singing) The city is (unintelligible). She's singing, I love you, oh, oh, oh, oh. I had a planned adolescence. Why don't you rest? (Unintelligible).

1 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

2 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

3 dummy   

n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头

参考例句：

• The police suspect that the device is not a real bomb but a dummy.警方怀疑那个装置不是真炸弹，只是一个假货。
• The boys played soldier with dummy swords made of wood.男孩们用木头做的假木剑玩打仗游戏。

4 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

7 plethora   

n.过量，过剩

参考例句：

• Java comes with a plethora of ready-made types.Java配套提供了数量众多的现成类型。
• A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market.大批新的运营商将获准进入该市场。

8 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

9 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

10 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

11 gasp   

n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说

参考例句：

• She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
• The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

12 filth   

n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥

参考例句：

• I don't know how you can read such filth.我不明白你怎么会去读这种淫秽下流的东西。
• The dialogue was all filth and innuendo.这段对话全是下流的言辞和影射。

13 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

14 unnaturally   

adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地

参考例句：

• Her voice sounded unnaturally loud. 她的嗓音很响亮，但是有点反常。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her eyes were unnaturally bright. 她的眼睛亮得不自然。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

17 fragrances   

n.芳香，香味( fragrance的名词复数 )；香水

参考例句：

• The bath oil comes in various fragrances. 这种沐浴油有不同的香味。
• This toilet soap lathers so nicely and has several fragrances. 这种香皂起泡很多，并且有好几种香味。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 secretions   

n.分泌（物）( secretion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lysozyme is an enzyme found in egg white, tears, and other secretions. 溶菌酶是存在于卵白、泪和其他分泌物中的一种酶。 来自辞典例句
• Chest percussion and vibration are used with postural drainage to help dislodge secretions. 在做体位引流时要敲击和振动胸部帮助分泌物松动排出。 来自辞典例句

19 bawdier   

adj.低级下流的( bawdy的比较级 )

参考例句：

20 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

22 spiky   

adj.长而尖的，大钉似的

参考例句：

• Your hairbrush is too spiky for me.你的发刷，我觉得太尖了。
• The spiky handwriting on the airmail envelope from London was obviously hers.发自伦敦的航空信封上的尖长字迹分明是她的。

23 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

24 zippers   

n.拉链( zipper的名词复数 )；用拉链的人，装拉链的包

参考例句：

• Buttons, zippers should be glitch free and sharp edge. 纽扣、拉链应无毛刺和锐利边缘。 来自互联网
• Buttons, Zippers, Trimmings and Accessories for the Garment Industry. 主营钮扣，拉链，装饰品和其他服装辅料。 来自互联网

25 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

26 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

27 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

28 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。