第26屆MTV音樂錄影帶大獎(VMA)的開場永遠是最值得人回味的時刻，而邀請VMA的老手麥當(dāng)娜為開場致辭絕對不會令觀眾失望。麥當(dāng)娜以一身黑色拉鏈夾克搭配黑色裙子的裝扮走上沒有燈光的舞臺，做出了感人肺腑的發(fā)言---向已故流行邁克爾·杰克遜致敬。以下是她的致辭
Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters. So do I. When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world's most beloved child. When I was six, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it. I spent my childhood searching for my mother’s figures. sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your chilidhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world for your entire life.
邁克爾·杰克遜出生于1958年8月。我也是。邁克爾·杰克遜是在美國中西部的郊區(qū)長大的，而我也是。邁克爾·杰克遜有八個兄弟姐妹，我也有。在邁克爾·杰克遜年僅6歲的時候，他便成為了一個超級巨星，或許更是世界上最多人鐘愛的小孩。而我6歲的時候，母親永遠離開了我。我從沒有擁有過母愛，而他卻從來沒有享受過童年。當(dāng)一個人意識到永遠得不到某種東西時，他就會對此念念不忘。我耗盡了童年尋找母親的形象，有時我做到了。但當(dāng)你的一生都被安置在放大鏡下被人關(guān)注時，試問你又如何重新找回你的童年？
There is no question that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest talents the world has ever known. That when he sang a song at the ripe old age of eight he could make you feel like an experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words. That when he moved he had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Muhammad Ali. That his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn’t just make you want to dance but actually made you believe you could fly, dare to dream, be anything that you wanted to be. Because that is what heroes do and Michael Jackson was a hero.
毫無疑問MJ是世界上最偉大的天才之一。當(dāng)他還是個8歲的小孩時，他的歌聲已經(jīng)讓人感覺像個飽經(jīng)滄桑的成人在述說他的故事，也因此扣人心 弦......他的舞臺魅力，有著歌舞弗雷德·阿斯泰爾（Fred Astaire）的優(yōu)雅又有著拳王阿里的震撼力。這使得他的音樂有一種難以言喻的魔力，讓你不僅僅想隨之而舞，更讓你相信你可以飛翔，勇于面對自己的夢想，成為任何你想成為的人。因為這就是英雄的影響力！而邁克爾·杰克遜就是個英雄！
He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, and sold hundreds of millions of records and dined with prime ministers and presidents. Girls fell in love with him, boys fell in love with him, everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed otherworldly — but he was a human being.
他在世界各地的足球場做過演出，他有著數(shù)億張的全球?qū)］嬩N量，他接受過許多國家首相和總統(tǒng)的宴請。女孩兒們迷上了他，男孩兒愛上了他，每個人都想和他一樣跳舞，他是那么的超凡脫俗，但卻同時是個凡人。
Like most performers he was shy and plagued with insecurities. I can’t say we were great friends, but in 1991 I decided I wanted to try to get to know him better. I asked him out to dinner, I said “My treat, I’ll drive — just you and me.”
正如大部分歌手一樣，他很靦腆，又深深為自身的不安全感而困擾。我無法說我們是很要好的朋友，但是在1991年我決定我要讓自己更為深入地了解他。于是我邀請他共度晚餐，我說："我請客，我開車，就你和我。"
He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out, but he was still wearing sunglasses. I said, “Michael, I feel like I’m talking to a limousine. Do you think you can take off your glasses so I can see your eyes?”
他答應(yīng)了，并只身一人不帶任何保鏢出現(xiàn)在我家中。我開車和他出去，天已經(jīng)很黑的可他仍然戴著他的墨鏡。我說："邁克爾，我覺得我是在跟這部車說話。你能把眼鏡摘掉讓我看見你的眼睛嗎？"
He paused for a moment then he tossed the glasses out the window, looked at me with a wink and a smile and said, “Can you see me now? Is that better?”
他猶豫了一會兒然后把眼鏡扔出窗外，用閃爍的眼睛直視著我，笑著說："現(xiàn)在你能看見我了沒？有沒有好點？"
In that moment, I could see both his vulnerability and his charm. The rest of the dinner, I was hellbent on getting him to eat French fries, drink wine, have dessert and say bad words. Things he never seemed to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie and sat on the couch like two kids, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, his hand snuck over and held mine.
在這時我終于感受到他的脆弱和他的魅力。在接下來的晚餐時間里，我盡我所能地讓他和我一起吃法式炸薯條、一起喝紅酒吃甜點，甚至講粗口，讓他做一些 他似乎從來不允許自己做的事。后來，我們又開車回到我的家，一起像小孩兒一樣坐在長沙發(fā)上看電影?？粗粗?，他悄悄地把手搭過來摟住了我。
It felt like he was looking for a friend more than a romance, and I was happy to oblige. In that moment, he didn’t feel like a superstar. He felt like a human being.
那種感覺，就像他正試圖抱他的朋友而非戀人，而我非常高興地接受了他。就是這樣的時刻，讓我覺得他不再是一個超級巨星，他只是一個平凡的人。
We went out a few more times together, and then for one reason or another we fell out of touch. Then the witch hunt began, and it seemed like one negative story after another was coming out about Michael. I felt his pain, I know what it’s like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you. I know what it’s like to feel helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is so loud you feel like your voice can never be heard.
在那之后， 我們又一起出去過幾次，但后來因為某些原因我們失去了聯(lián)系。緊接著，巫婆的詛咒似乎就開始了，關(guān)于邁克爾的壞消息一個接著一個不斷地傳出。我可以體會他的 痛苦。我很清楚當(dāng)一個人走在街上而全世界似乎都與你為敵的感覺，我也很清楚那種無助和無法為自己辯護的痛苦，因為那些嘶吼著要將你處死的聲音實在太大，以 至于無論你如何大聲否認也沒人聽見。
But I had a childhood, and I was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without the glare of the spotligh.
我是有童年的，而我也允許在鎂光燈照不到的屬于我的世界里犯錯和做我自己。
When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London, days away from the start of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue as me a week later. All I could think about in this moment was, “I had abandoned him.” That we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature who had once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all passing judgement. Most of us had turned our backs on him.
當(dāng)我第一次聽到MJ去世的消息時，我人在倫敦，巡回演唱會剛開始了幾天。而邁克爾原本也計劃在一周之后來這里演出。當(dāng)時我的感覺便是我遺棄了他，我們都遺棄了他！因為我們竟然默許這位曾給世界帶來巨大影響的俊杰遭受各種流言的折磨。當(dāng)他試圖建立自己的家庭和重拾他的事業(yè)時，我們都忙于對他做出評定。我們中的大部分人都拒絕了他。
In a desperate attempt to hold on to his memory, I went on the Internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage and I thought, “my God, he was so unique, so original, so rare, and there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king.”
在我傷心欲絕的時候，我不斷上網(wǎng)重溫他以前在電視或演唱會上的表演片段，以憑吊我對他的思念。而每每這個時刻，我便會覺得："老天！他真的是獨一無二，極其大膽又極具獨創(chuàng)性。毫無疑問永遠都不會有另一個人能像他那樣。他就是一個王者。"
But he was also a human being, and alas we are all human beings and sometimes we have to lose things before we can appreciate them. I want to end this on a positive note and say that my sons, age nine and four, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There’s a whole lot of crotch grabbing and moon walking going on in my house. And, it seems like a whole new generation of kids have discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is right now he is smiling about this.
但同時他又是個凡人。唉，我們都是凡人，以至于有時總要失去之后才懂得珍惜。最后， 我想以一個積極樂觀的方式結(jié)束我的發(fā)言。我的兩個兒子，9歲和4歲，都非常癡迷于MJ，成天都在家里跳月球步，就好像全世界新一代的小孩兒們發(fā)現(xiàn)了杰克遜的天賦，并將他重新復(fù)活一樣。無論邁克爾現(xiàn)在身在何處，我都希望他看到這一些時都是面帶微笑的。
Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being but he was a king. Long live the king.
是的，邁克爾·杰克遜是一個人類，但他是一個王者！一個永世長存的王者！
Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters. So do I. When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world's most beloved child. When I was six, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it. I spent my childhood searching for my mother’s figures. sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your chilidhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world for your entire life.
邁克爾·杰克遜出生于1958年8月。我也是。邁克爾·杰克遜是在美國中西部的郊區(qū)長大的，而我也是。邁克爾·杰克遜有八個兄弟姐妹，我也有。在邁克爾·杰克遜年僅6歲的時候，他便成為了一個超級巨星，或許更是世界上最多人鐘愛的小孩。而我6歲的時候，母親永遠離開了我。我從沒有擁有過母愛，而他卻從來沒有享受過童年。當(dāng)一個人意識到永遠得不到某種東西時，他就會對此念念不忘。我耗盡了童年尋找母親的形象，有時我做到了。但當(dāng)你的一生都被安置在放大鏡下被人關(guān)注時，試問你又如何重新找回你的童年？
There is no question that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest talents the world has ever known. That when he sang a song at the ripe old age of eight he could make you feel like an experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words. That when he moved he had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Muhammad Ali. That his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn’t just make you want to dance but actually made you believe you could fly, dare to dream, be anything that you wanted to be. Because that is what heroes do and Michael Jackson was a hero.
毫無疑問MJ是世界上最偉大的天才之一。當(dāng)他還是個8歲的小孩時，他的歌聲已經(jīng)讓人感覺像個飽經(jīng)滄桑的成人在述說他的故事，也因此扣人心 弦......他的舞臺魅力，有著歌舞弗雷德·阿斯泰爾（Fred Astaire）的優(yōu)雅又有著拳王阿里的震撼力。這使得他的音樂有一種難以言喻的魔力，讓你不僅僅想隨之而舞，更讓你相信你可以飛翔，勇于面對自己的夢想，成為任何你想成為的人。因為這就是英雄的影響力！而邁克爾·杰克遜就是個英雄！
He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, and sold hundreds of millions of records and dined with prime ministers and presidents. Girls fell in love with him, boys fell in love with him, everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed otherworldly — but he was a human being.
他在世界各地的足球場做過演出，他有著數(shù)億張的全球?qū)］嬩N量，他接受過許多國家首相和總統(tǒng)的宴請。女孩兒們迷上了他，男孩兒愛上了他，每個人都想和他一樣跳舞，他是那么的超凡脫俗，但卻同時是個凡人。
Like most performers he was shy and plagued with insecurities. I can’t say we were great friends, but in 1991 I decided I wanted to try to get to know him better. I asked him out to dinner, I said “My treat, I’ll drive — just you and me.”
正如大部分歌手一樣，他很靦腆，又深深為自身的不安全感而困擾。我無法說我們是很要好的朋友，但是在1991年我決定我要讓自己更為深入地了解他。于是我邀請他共度晚餐，我說："我請客，我開車，就你和我。"
He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out, but he was still wearing sunglasses. I said, “Michael, I feel like I’m talking to a limousine. Do you think you can take off your glasses so I can see your eyes?”
他答應(yīng)了，并只身一人不帶任何保鏢出現(xiàn)在我家中。我開車和他出去，天已經(jīng)很黑的可他仍然戴著他的墨鏡。我說："邁克爾，我覺得我是在跟這部車說話。你能把眼鏡摘掉讓我看見你的眼睛嗎？"
He paused for a moment then he tossed the glasses out the window, looked at me with a wink and a smile and said, “Can you see me now? Is that better?”
他猶豫了一會兒然后把眼鏡扔出窗外，用閃爍的眼睛直視著我，笑著說："現(xiàn)在你能看見我了沒？有沒有好點？"
In that moment, I could see both his vulnerability and his charm. The rest of the dinner, I was hellbent on getting him to eat French fries, drink wine, have dessert and say bad words. Things he never seemed to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie and sat on the couch like two kids, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, his hand snuck over and held mine.
在這時我終于感受到他的脆弱和他的魅力。在接下來的晚餐時間里，我盡我所能地讓他和我一起吃法式炸薯條、一起喝紅酒吃甜點，甚至講粗口，讓他做一些 他似乎從來不允許自己做的事。后來，我們又開車回到我的家，一起像小孩兒一樣坐在長沙發(fā)上看電影?？粗粗?，他悄悄地把手搭過來摟住了我。
It felt like he was looking for a friend more than a romance, and I was happy to oblige. In that moment, he didn’t feel like a superstar. He felt like a human being.
那種感覺，就像他正試圖抱他的朋友而非戀人，而我非常高興地接受了他。就是這樣的時刻，讓我覺得他不再是一個超級巨星，他只是一個平凡的人。
We went out a few more times together, and then for one reason or another we fell out of touch. Then the witch hunt began, and it seemed like one negative story after another was coming out about Michael. I felt his pain, I know what it’s like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you. I know what it’s like to feel helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is so loud you feel like your voice can never be heard.
在那之后， 我們又一起出去過幾次，但后來因為某些原因我們失去了聯(lián)系。緊接著，巫婆的詛咒似乎就開始了，關(guān)于邁克爾的壞消息一個接著一個不斷地傳出。我可以體會他的 痛苦。我很清楚當(dāng)一個人走在街上而全世界似乎都與你為敵的感覺，我也很清楚那種無助和無法為自己辯護的痛苦，因為那些嘶吼著要將你處死的聲音實在太大，以 至于無論你如何大聲否認也沒人聽見。
But I had a childhood, and I was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without the glare of the spotligh.
我是有童年的，而我也允許在鎂光燈照不到的屬于我的世界里犯錯和做我自己。
When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London, days away from the start of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue as me a week later. All I could think about in this moment was, “I had abandoned him.” That we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature who had once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all passing judgement. Most of us had turned our backs on him.
當(dāng)我第一次聽到MJ去世的消息時，我人在倫敦，巡回演唱會剛開始了幾天。而邁克爾原本也計劃在一周之后來這里演出。當(dāng)時我的感覺便是我遺棄了他，我們都遺棄了他！因為我們竟然默許這位曾給世界帶來巨大影響的俊杰遭受各種流言的折磨。當(dāng)他試圖建立自己的家庭和重拾他的事業(yè)時，我們都忙于對他做出評定。我們中的大部分人都拒絕了他。
In a desperate attempt to hold on to his memory, I went on the Internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage and I thought, “my God, he was so unique, so original, so rare, and there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king.”
在我傷心欲絕的時候，我不斷上網(wǎng)重溫他以前在電視或演唱會上的表演片段，以憑吊我對他的思念。而每每這個時刻，我便會覺得："老天！他真的是獨一無二，極其大膽又極具獨創(chuàng)性。毫無疑問永遠都不會有另一個人能像他那樣。他就是一個王者。"
But he was also a human being, and alas we are all human beings and sometimes we have to lose things before we can appreciate them. I want to end this on a positive note and say that my sons, age nine and four, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There’s a whole lot of crotch grabbing and moon walking going on in my house. And, it seems like a whole new generation of kids have discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is right now he is smiling about this.
但同時他又是個凡人。唉，我們都是凡人，以至于有時總要失去之后才懂得珍惜。最后， 我想以一個積極樂觀的方式結(jié)束我的發(fā)言。我的兩個兒子，9歲和4歲，都非常癡迷于MJ，成天都在家里跳月球步，就好像全世界新一代的小孩兒們發(fā)現(xiàn)了杰克遜的天賦，并將他重新復(fù)活一樣。無論邁克爾現(xiàn)在身在何處，我都希望他看到這一些時都是面帶微笑的。
Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being but he was a king. Long live the king.
是的，邁克爾·杰克遜是一個人類，但他是一個王者！一個永世長存的王者！