2007年VOA标准英语-Jewish Reggae Artist Believes in Himself

By Paige Kollock
Washington
30 August 2007
 

For many people around the world, religion and music are inextricably tied.  The Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley became famous for singing about faith, God and the Bible.  He also sang songs about freedom and devotion.  Now another reggae artist of similar devotion, but a much different religion, is gaining popularity for his spiritual songs.  Paige Kollock reports. 

Matisyahu

You would not know it by looking at him, but this man rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. 

You also might not guess that he was once a high school dropout¹ named Matthew Miller², for whom religion was an afterthought.

But now, he is Matisyahu, a Hebrew name that means "gift from God." 

"My whole life I dreamed of making music."

Matthew Miller

Matisyahu grew up outside New York City.  An ordinary American teenager with a rebellious³ side, young Matthew left high school to follow Phish, a music group with zealous⁴ and sometimes drug-friendly fans.  "In a lot of ways, all of my music stems out from that place -- that kid on the street just experiencing life in such a raw way.  Like when it rains, you're getting rained on."

By age 22, he had traveled to Israel and discovered that Judaism was the core of who he was.  He returned to New York and enrolled⁵ in a school to study the Torah. 

One day, it occurred to him that he could combine his devotion to Judaism with his love of music, and Matisyahu the artist was born.

Now 28, he is married with two sons.  He maintains a Hasidic Jewish lifestyle -- praying three times a day, eating Kosher food and not performing on the Sabbath.

Matisyahu performing

Some people labeled him a "gimmick⁶" when he started performing because his traditional attire⁷ was so contradictory⁸ to his rap and reggae beats.

But fans at a concert in Philadelphia, in the eastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania, know he is genuine. One fan said, "I'm Catholic so I think it's ironic⁹ that I like Matisyahu so much, but I think he brings a belief, a pureness. It's really what music should be about."

Matisyahu says he is more interested in spreading his message of hope, love and faith than in fame or wealth. 

His message to aspiring¹⁰ musicians?  Believe in yourself. "I came from this place in my life where I felt totally stuck, like I didn't know how to make any of it happen And at that point I made this huge, tremendous change in my life and I become religious and I moved away.  I changed my life, like, 380 degrees."

And in doing so, he found a way to become the musician he always wanted to be. 

1 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

2 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

3 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

4 zealous   

adj.狂热的，热心的

参考例句：

• She made zealous efforts to clean up the classroom.她非常热心地努力清扫教室。
• She is a zealous supporter of our cause.她是我们事业的热心支持者。

5 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 gimmick   

n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明

参考例句：

• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
• It is just a public relations gimmick.这只不过是一种公关伎俩。

7 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

8 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

9 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

10 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句