這正是今屆奧斯卡最佳紀錄片《Searching For Sugar Man》(港譯：尋找隱世巨星) 給我的啟示。如果形容音樂紀錄片《Searching for Sugar Man》故事中的美國搖滾歌手Rodriguez的經歷是一個現代童話實不為過。
影片主人翁Sixto Rodriguez在70年代推出過兩張唱片，雖未能在美國成功闖出音樂事業，卻在地球另一方南非成為了深入民心的搖滾icon人物，彼方樂迷對Rodriguez有如神一般的神秘icon，甚至有傳他因事業失意在舞台上吞槍自殺，後來卻憑南非的一間唱片舖老闆和當地樂評人的努力，尋找到離開樂壇默默隱世生活的Rodriguez。導演Malik Bendjelloul 一次機緣巧合到南非找尋拍攝題材，去到一間唱片店，遇到了身為Rodriguez樂迷的老闆Stephen ”Sugar” Segerman，Sugar將Searching for Rodriguez的離奇經歷告訴了Malik，於是促成電影《Searching for Sugarman》的誕生。
Was it a huntsman or a player
That made you pay the cost
That now assumes relaxed positions
And prostitutes your loss?
Were you tortured by your own thirst
In those pleasures that you seek
That made you Tom the curious
That makes you James the weak?
And you claim you got something going
Something you call unique
But I've seen your self-pity showing
And the tears rolled down your cheeks.
Soon you know I'll leave you
And I'll never look behind
'Cos I was born for the purpose
That crucifies your mind.
So con, convince your mirror
As you've always done before
Giving substance to shadows
Giving substance ever more.
And you assume you got something to offer
Secrets shiny and new
But how much of you is repetition
That you didn't whisper to him too.
《Crucify Your Mind》是Rodriguez另一首令人動容的作品，木結他之上加上了響亮的電結他與管樂器交織下的歌曲引子，已有一種風景緩緩移動的意景，當中And prostitutes your loss?／Were you tortured by your own thirst／In those pleasures that you seek／That made you Tom the curious／That makes you James the weak?他用的詞用字很特別，也像詩，內容正如"As The Tears Roll Down Your Cheeks"一句有著令人淚流的力量。
Cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas
And I talked to Jesus at the sewer
And the Pope said it was none of his God-damned business
While the rain drank champagne
My Estonian Archangel came and got me wasted
Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted
Oh but they'll take their bonus pay to Molly McDonald,
Neon ladies, beauty is that which obeys, is bought or borrowed
Cause my heart's become a crooked hotel full of rumours
But it's I who pays the rent for these fingered-face out-of-tuners
And I make 16 solid half hour friendships every evening
Cause your queen of hearts who is half a stone
And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving
Oh but they play those token games on Willy Thompson
And give a medal to replace the son of Mrs. Annie Johnson
Cause they told me everybody's got to pay their dues
And I explained that I had overpaid them
So overdued I went to the company store
and the clerk there said that they had just been invaded
So I set sail in a teardrop and escaped beneath the doorsill
Cause the smell of her perfume echoes in my head still
Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun
In weekends of whiskey sours
Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book and plant flowers?
《Cause》也是Rodriguez的重要傑作，也是另一首令筆者動容的歌曲，雖然他在下水道對上天提出控訴，但在木結他與弦樂的點綴下氣氛很莊嚴美麗，令我聯想到Terrence Malick的電影《To the Wonder》中充滿了神聖自然光的畫面，神聖不是來自沒有慈悲之心的牧師、不是你需要祂時祂未必會現身的神，而是來自人性的內心真摯的呼喊。難道這首歌也不叫你動容?
I wonder how many times you've been had
And I wonder how many plans have gone bad
I wonder how many times you had sex
And I wonder do you know who'll be next
I wonder I wonder wonder I do
I wonder about the love you can't find
And I wonder about the loneliness that's mine
I wonder how much going have you got
And I wonder about your friends that are not
I wonder I wonder wonder I do
I wonder about the tears in children's eyes
And I wonder about the soldier that dies
I wonder will this hatred ever end
I wonder and worry my friend
I wonder I wonder wonder don't you?
I wonder how many times you been had
And I wonder how many dreams have gone bad
I wonder how many times you had sex
And I wonder do you know who'll be next
I wonder I wonder wonder I do
《I Wonder》歌詞中提到了性與社會風俗，行雲流水式Organ聲中控訴出政治、經濟與種族的不平等。片中解釋說，正是這些特點特別吸引在地球另一端的全南非反對種族隔離制度與加爾文主義道德觀的年輕人，Rodriguez啟發了他們反對政府壓迫的意識，當年深受Rodriguez音樂影響而組成反政府南非樂隊的音樂人也亮相片中受訪。一個在70、80甚至90年代在美國寂寂無聞的Rodriguez，在南就像The Rolling Stones和Elvis Presley一樣受歡迎，在70、80年代差不多每一個南非的中產家庭，除了有Bob Dylan、Simon and Garfunkel的唱片，就必定有Rodriguez那張《Cold Fact》黑膠。
And you measure for wealth by the things you can hold
And you measure for love by the sweet things you're told
And you live in the past or a dream that you're in
And your selfishness is your cardinal sin.
And you want to be held with highest regard
It delights you so much if he's trying so hard
And you try to conceal your ordinary ways
With a smile or a shrug or some stolen cliché.
'Cos don't you understand, and don't you look about
I'm trying to take nothing from you
So why should you act so put out for me?
'Cos emotionally you're the same basic trip
And you know that I know of the times that you've slipped
So don't try to impress me, you're just pins and paint
And don't try to charm me with things that you ain't.
And don't try to enchant me with your manner of dress
'Cos a monkey in silk is a monkey no less
So measure for measure reflect on my said
And when I won't see you then measure it dead.
'Cos don't you understand, and don't you look about
I'm trying to take nothing from you
So why should you act so put out for me?
有人讚Rodriguez是Bob Dylan、Donovan及Cat Stevens的混合，沒錯，這首歌中的Rodriguez唱腔很有Cat Stevens的味道，但歌曲仍流露出Dylan的氣息，結他上的編曲卻令我覺得像是Dylan名曲《Desolation Row》濃縮版，詞就像Dylan另一名曲《Like A Rolling Stone》，有一種斯文而有力的控訴，如“And don't try to enchant me with your manner of dress／'Cos a monkey in silk is a monkey no less／So measure for measure reflect on my said／And when I won't see you then measure it dead.” 歌詞開頭也道盡了生命的意義，我們不應以眼前所擁有而去量度一個人的財富，也不應只用說得出的甜蜜美好事情去量度獲得的愛。我們也不應只留戀過去或已逝去的夢。他那幾句"Cos don't you understand, and don't you look about/ I'm trying to take nothing from you/ So why should you act so put out for me ?" 或許，可以是當你我遇上一些只做損人不利己的好事之徒，又或面對無故作出仇視態度者時最佳的回應。
萬梅山莊莊主
在線雷達
發表於 2013-5-20 22:49:28
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油顏色
發表於 2013-5-21 07:19:28
懷才不遇大有人在, 實在唔係個個人都識知人善任, Rodriguez其實係70s時已經比好多人有個好好既開始~
以前真系冇留意過佢!
