2006年VOA标准英语-Goo Goo Dolls Release New CD

By Larry London
Washington, DC
25 September 2006
 
watch Goo Goo Dolls report

 
Goo Goo Dolls, in concert 
After over 20 years together and a career that includes four Grammy nominations¹, multi-platinum album sales, and chart-topping hits like "Name", "Iris²", "Slide", and "Here Is Gone", the New York trio the Goo Goo Dolls is on the road to promote their latest album, "Let Love In".  Founding members Robbie Takac and Johnny Rzeznik sat down with VOA's Larry London to talk about their journey.

 
Rob Takac
The bandmates of one of the world's most famous rock bands with one of the most unusual names, the Goo Goo Dolls, describe how they have managed to last since their 1986 debut³.  Band member, Rob Takac explains. "We get asked that a lot and it seems to change by the -- the answer seems to change by the day.  Depending on what is going on and I think that that is the biggest answer, you know."

Their new CD, "Let Love In", was released in April.  Their eighth studio album was recorded in a 100-year-old building in Buffalo⁴, New York, complete with cobwebs and what the bandmates describe as ghosts.  Looking back over 20 years together, lead singer Johnny Rzeznik has no regrets.

 
John Rzeznik
“I think if we would have changed anything we would not be here right now.  Have we made mistakes?  Yes, incredibly huge ones, in front of a lot of people.  It is embarrassing but you move on.  I have a history of really bad haircuts over the past 20 years, and you have got to laugh at yourself.  You can not take things too seriously.”

Rzeznik was deeply affected⁵ at age 16 when both his parents died within the same year. “When something like that happens to you when you are a kid, you always sort of … just sort of feel this constant sort of low grade alienation⁶ from everybody and everything.  I mean it is like … intimacy⁷ and friendships and things like that become a little difficult sometimes.  But it also launched an incredible adventure that I have been on for the past 25 years.  It is really pretty amazing, you know?”

In 1998, the Goo Goo Dolls scored a number one hit off the film soundtrack from "City of Angels", starring Nicolas Cage.  Rzeznik explains what the song "Iris" is really about. "I do not know. That is a good question because it is a -- that song was not written from my own perspective.  I wrote the song for a film and I sort of was -- I wrote it from the perspective of the guy in the film.  He is this guy.  He feels these emotions for this woman.  How would I, if I were him, say those things to her, say what I was feeling to her?  I'm just really trying to hit the right note (laughs).”

Do the Goo Goo Dolls plan to take their tour abroad?  "We have recently started playing in front of people in different countries.  We have always, we have gone to Japan a few times and we did okay.  We went to France and bombed miserably⁸ [did poorly].  We did well in Italy.  They seem to like us in Germany and (Britain) but we are mainly concentrating on (Britain) right now because it seems we are doing really well there and it is a different sort of world.  The music world is so different over there than it is in America.  The fans seem to be much more loyal, less fickle⁹, and once you convince them that you are their band, they stick by you.  That is what we are working on now.

To think that somebody on the other side of the world relates to is a pretty powerful thing.  Not in an egotistical way but it is a surprising thing.  It still amazes me.”

After a career that began more than 20 years ago, Rzeznik talks about the future of the Goo Goo Dolls. "It is really hard because in the music business it is, like, it just changes so fast.  You do not know when you become irrelevant¹⁰, which is always why I say I do not know if we are going to make another record.  If we are relevant, yeah.  If we are not, then no.”

MUSIC VIDEO COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC 

1 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

2 iris   

n.虹膜，彩虹

参考例句：

• The opening of the iris is called the pupil.虹膜的开口处叫做瞳孔。
• This incredible human eye,complete with retina and iris,can be found in the Maldives.又是在马尔代夫，有这样一只难以置信的眼睛，连视网膜和虹膜都刻画齐全了。

3 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。

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 alienation   

n.疏远；离间；异化

参考例句：

• The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters.新政策导致许多选民疏远了。
• As almost every conceivable contact between human beings gets automated,the alienation index goes up.随着人与人之间几乎一切能想到的接触方式的自动化，感情疏远指数在不断上升。

7 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

8 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 fickle   

adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的

参考例句：

• Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。
• The weather is so fickle in summer.夏日的天气如此多变。

10 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。