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美国国家公共电台 NPR--'A tragedy that makes you laugh': HBO's 'White House Plumbers' revisits Watergate

时间:2023-12-19 01:39来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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'A tragedy that makes you laugh': HBO's 'White House Plumbers1' revisits Watergate

Transcript2

HBO's new five-part miniseries, White House Plumbers, revisits the infamous3 Watergate burglary that brought down President Richard Nixon from the perspective of the men who orchestrated it: G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, played by Justin Theroux and Woody Harrelson.

"I certainly never thought of it as a comedy because to me, it's such a horrific period in American history," director David Mandel told NPR's Leila Fadel. "I keep calling it a tragedy that makes you laugh."

The story is familiar, yes. The point of view, less so.

The "plumbers" — Liddy, ex-FBI, and Hunt, ex-CIA — were charged with the task of stopping leaks like the Pentagon Papers. Their goal: To get Nixon reelected.

In 1972, they attempted to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate. They were caught, and the scandal ultimately led to Nixon's resignation two years later, after his administration repeatedly tried to cover up their involvement.

Theroux and Mandel spoke4 to Morning Edition about what drew them to the series and how characters like Liddy paved the way for today's right-wing extremism.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Justin Theroux

Liddy wrote a book called Will, which was his sort of autobiography5, which sometimes reads like a tall tale, Paul Bunyan type. When he talks about his childhood, he depicts6 himself as this sort of scrawny Irish guy from Hoboken, a kid who got bullied7 a lot. And he would do these insane things to get over his fears. So he trapped a rat, killed it and then ate it. He was afraid of thunderstorms. So he would strap8 himself to a tree during a thunder and lightning storm. And I had sympathy for him as this bullied kid. Like some people who get bullied, they look for sources of strength in odd places.

David Mandel

If Gordon Liddy existed nowadays, he'd be in a chat room somewhere. He's actually oddly a very modern character who was mostly obsessed9 with getting famous, and he really didn't care how it happened. He would have been happy to have had some sort of a scandal. He talked a big game, but didn't actually serve in the war and never quite actually killed anyone and had these delusions10. There's a desperation to him that's part of why he's so dangerous.

He was happy to take a bullet for Nixon, literally11. I think he did, unfortunately, create a playbook for being unapologetic about criminal activity and using it to get famous, frankly12.

On drawing on the experience of Veep

David Mandel

Obviously, Veep is a pure comedy with very written jokes. You know, this show will make you laugh, but they're not jokes. It's character and real world things that you just find so shocking and horrible. This mix of, "oh my God, they were breaking in to try and basically undermine the will of the American people." These are guys that just are so desperate to be one step closer to power. And I think that's something that unfortunately infects just D.C. as a whole.

David Mandel

I think, unfortunately, this "true believer-ism" has been infecting politics really since Nixon. I like to say: We have very short memories. And so Watergate happens and then we think to ourselves, well, at least that's over with. That can never happen again. And then it happens again and again and again.

On parallels with today's politics

David Mandel

We certainly didn't lean into it, but we wanted it there. Every time you hear them talking about the press being evil, you would go, "Hey, that does sound familiar." And in a way, maybe that gives you a chance to look at what's going on today and start to realize, "Wow, this has been going on much longer than I realized." None of this is new. That kind of gives you a little bit of perspective, you get the modern-day perspective on Watergate and you kind of get this 50-year perspective on what's going on right now in our government.

Justin Theroux

There are times, in reading this, playing it and watching it, where there's almost something kind of adorable or corny. I mean, it's obviously horrific. But by comparison... Nixon could be shamed enough to actually resign. Whereas now there's been so many impeachments13 of both Republican and Democratic presidents. Where is this procedural process that's going to happen? Nothing happens.

David Mandel

The other day, the reporter Jonathan Allen said that it's important to watch this show because it reminds you what shame is. You know, we've all forgotten what shame is in politics.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 plumbers 74967bded53f9cdf3d49cad38cfca8ba     
n.管子工,水暖工( plumber的名词复数 );[美][口](防止泄密的)堵漏人员
参考例句:
  • Plumbers charge by the hour for their work. 水管工人的工作是以小时收费的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Plumbers, carpenters, and other workmen finished the new house quickly. 管道工、木工及其他工匠很快完成了这幢新房子。 来自辞典例句
2 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
3 infamous K7ax3     
adj.声名狼藉的,臭名昭著的,邪恶的
参考例句:
  • He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
  • I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。
4 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
5 autobiography ZOOyX     
n.自传
参考例句:
  • He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
  • His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。
6 depicts fd8ee09c0b2264bb6b44abf7282d37f6     
描绘,描画( depict的第三人称单数 ); 描述
参考例句:
  • The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
  • He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
7 bullied 2225065183ebf4326f236cf6e2003ccc     
adj.被欺负了v.恐吓,威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
  • The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 strap 5GhzK     
n.皮带,带子;v.用带扣住,束牢;用绷带包扎
参考例句:
  • She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
  • The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。
9 obsessed 66a4be1417f7cf074208a6d81c8f3384     
adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的
参考例句:
  • He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
  • The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
10 delusions 2aa783957a753fb9191a38d959fe2c25     
n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 );谬见;错觉;妄想
参考例句:
  • the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
  • She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行,她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句
11 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
12 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
13 impeachments 9c21d5b9385627b352573de8020d1f57     
n.控告( impeachment的名词复数 );检举;弹劾;怀疑
参考例句:
  • The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. 参议院独自拥有审理一切弹劾案的全权。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • Clause 6:The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. 6.所有弹劾案,只有参议院有权审理。 来自互联网
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