2006年VOA标准英语-Macy Gray: Living Big

By Craig Fitzpatrick
Washington, DC
10 July 2006
 
watch Macy Gray report

Macy Gray exploded onto the music scene at the turn of the millennium¹ with her song "I Try" and she has never looked back.   Her raspy voice gives each genre² of music an extra dimension³, whether she is singing jazz, R&B or soul.  And that voice has made audiences of all colors from around the world flock⁴ to her concerts.  VOA's Larry London sat down with Macy Gray recently to ask her about her life and her music.

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Macy Gray   
  
Macy Gray is the lady with the big hair. . . and even bigger hits. 

And her hit, "I Try," recorded in 1999, always has audiences signing along. 

Even her fans overseas, which don't speak English, join in. Macy Gray recalls⁵ an incident. "We went to Turkey once and I remember there were these two fans right in front the whole show and they knew every single word and they stared at me the whole time.  They were totally in awe⁶ of the show. And then they somehow got backstage after the show, didn't speak a word of English, not one word, all they knew is, "I love you Macy Gray," and they tried to kiss me."

 
Macy Gray, formerly⁷ known as Natalie McIntyre
  
The fans love her now. But she says, growing up in Canton, Ohio was not easy.  She was singled out as being different.  Self-described as a goofy kid, she says she was picked on. "For my voice, my big feet, and I was really tall, really tall and skinny when I was a kid and I had a lot of hair, that I didn't know how to comb yet.  My hair was always all over the place.  So I was one of those goofy kids that always got picked on."

Back then her name was Natalie McIntyre. She eventually adopted the name Macy Gray, from an elderly neighbor.  "I was riding my bike and I fell and I looked up and I was under a mailbox and it said Macy Gray on it.  So I was a kid, and from then on, like when I would write stories for class, I always had a character named Macy Gray.  It was just a name that stuck with me." 

 
Macy Gray, living big 
  
And with that name and a raspy voice she got a lot of attention.  "I believe that music can save your life.  Because I took piano and my mother was always putting me in like creative atmospheres, you know, and it really, had everything to do with who I became and the fact that, you know, I was able to do, make my dreams come true."

And since music saved her life, she is now giving back to those less fortunate.

"We built this school and it's going really great.  And we're like really reaching out to the inner-city, with kids who are from low income, troubled families, and getting them into the school, so it's a great thing."

Macy Gray, talented, outlandish, with big hair and a big heart.   Her new album, called "Big," will debut⁸ in September.

1 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

2 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

3 dimension   

n.尺寸，长(或宽、深、厚)度；大小，程度

参考例句：

• A third dimension has been recently added,that of service.最近又提出了第三方面的需求，即服务的需要。
• Length is one dimension,and breadth is another.长是一种度量，宽又是另一种度量。

4 flock   

n.羊群，一群，大量；vi.群集，聚集，成群

参考例句：

• A flock of customers were waiting for the store to open.一群顾客在等候着商店开门。
• A few sheep have been lost from the flock.羊群里少了几只羊。

5 recalls   

回忆起( recall的第三人称单数 )； 使想起； 使想到； 勾起

参考例句：

• The sight recalls the days of childhood to me. 那情景使我想起了童年。
• Moreover, extensive use of voluntary recalls can undercut agency accountability. 此外，大量利用自愿撤回会削弱行政机关的责任心。

6 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

7 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

8 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。