VOA标准英语2009-American Comedy Show Finds Lots of Laughs in(在线收听) |
Comedy Central's Daily Show brings its brand of satire to Tehran Sahar Sarshar | Washington, DC 24 November 2009
After almost a year of planning - Jason Jones, The Daily Show's senior foreign correspondent, and Tim Greenberg, his intrepid producer, traveled to Iran before the Iranian elections. They did what no other fake news show has ever done - covered Iran by actually going there. They came back with a series of reports. "Subsequently, we couldn't break them because they were all true. Which was tough, Jones said. "We lied a lot." "The thing that surprised me the most was that people very quickly seemed to understand our humor. Because we do a lot of things, where we're going out, we're asking people ridiculous questions. They have no idea what we're talking about, sometimes it can seem a little offensive. You know? But as quickly if not more so, the Iranian people sort of understood where we were coming from," Greenberg said. "At some point understood the joke, and were happy to sort of be a part of it." "Right, which was the opposite - [the Iranian] people got it better than Americans," Greenberg said. "So if they get it better than Americans do, given the language barrier, I think it just goes to show that they're much more sophisticated people than Americans might like to think. " "America knows very little about what goes on in Iran. So when we first landed, we were a little nervous about what to expect," Greenberg said. "After every single interview and every meeting we had there was a tea session. And they would be offended if you did not sit down for tea. And we had jam packed day, so we had 4 or 5 interviews in a day after which tea was served for everything. And the crew during the day would also want to break for tea. And I was like, 'I can't drink anymore tea. I'm sorry. My teeth are stained. And I've already wet myself," Jones explained. "Cause I do not go into Iranian public bathrooms. I know it drains out apparently better when you squat. But I don't like it, I like to stand." While their focus was on comedy and politics, Jason and Tim also had some moments in which they encountered the kindness and hospitality of Iranians. "I had just spent this great evening with this family. And they were exactly like an American family. Same customs, same sort of sense of family. And then at the end, we kind of all went for a walk and went to this playground - where it was the most bucolic, beautiful scene you've ever seen.," Jones said. "There was a father actually teaching his kid how to walk. There was a woman in full chador on a see-saw with a little girl. And it was this brilliant moment, where tears came to my eyes. When I hear the war drum to bomb these people, I go, 'You're out of your mind. What is your problem? Why on earth would you think these people are out to get you? Because they're really just about something that we're about - which is having a safe, happy, prosperous life.'" The total election fall out was a shock to Tim and Jason. They found it challenging taking a comedic approach during a serious and worrisome time. "What we're equipped to do primarily is comedy; yes, there's content at the heart of it. But this definitely crossed over the line into some things that were not so funny," Greenberg says, "Events just sort of spun beyond our control. It was a little uncomfortable to suddenly be in a very serious place and still try to do comedy. When we went out there, you know everything looked like it was going to be a little bit easier." "Thank you for being such gracious hosts. Thanks for opening your homes and your libraries, your schools and coffee shops and letting me in - and letting me do anything. It was truly some of the most accommodating people I've ever met in my life, over there. And I hope everyone stays safe. And I hope things work out cause clearly right now it's a terrible time," Jones said. |
原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/voastandard/2009/11/87783.html |