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一個(gè)人要成為歌手，最起碼要有唱歌的天賦。但歷史上偏偏就出了一個(gè)唱功極爛卻極成功的歌唱家——弗洛倫斯·福斯特·詹金斯。盡管五音不全，弗洛倫斯卻憑著超凡的自信、絕佳的表演才能和對(duì)歌唱的執(zhí)著與熱愛(ài)在音樂(lè)界獲得一席之地。雖然她那完全不著調(diào)的唱法令人捧腹，但她對(duì)音樂(lè)的一腔熱愛(ài)卻令人感動(dòng)。你可以說(shuō)她的表演荒誕，卻不能否認(rèn)她對(duì)音樂(lè)的真愛(ài)和因愛(ài)而生的勇氣。她的故事不僅成就了《跑調(diào)天后》這部有望奪得奧斯卡獎(jiǎng)的影片，更在音樂(lè)史上留下了別致、生動(dòng)的一筆。

Florence Foster Jenkins was a 20th-Century US socialite and music-lover who styled herself as an operatic coloratura1） soprano2） and became a sensation. One of the most famous singers of her day， she was incredibly rich， a generous philanthropist， and garnered legions of fans including celebrities such as No?l Coward3）. Florences fame， however， rested not on her musical talent， but rather its opposite. Her astonishingly bad voice and abject4） inability—seemingly unbeknownst to her—to pitch correctly became the stuff of legend as she worked hard to lovingly massacre her way through gems by Mozart， Strauss and other leading composers.

Having previously only been seen in private at New York womens clubs or in her own establishment， the Verdi Club， such was the demand for her performances that she went on to sell out5） Carnegie Hall in a 1944 concert that has entered the annals of music history. While her public performances also raised millions of dollars （in todays terms） for charity， the abiding6） image is that of polite society guffawing7）， jaws clenched， trying not to roll down the aisles with laughter as they showered her with thunderous applause.

Florence Foster Jenkins remains， it is widely agreed， “the worst opera singer in the world.” But the most incredible thing of all is that she had no idea. The illusion that she was a truly great artist was maintained， thanks in no small part to her second husband St. Clair Bayfield， throughout her life. She loved what she did and she believed she was bringing great pleasure to her adoring audiences—which， in a way， she was.

Her extraordinary story has long held a fascination for writers， directors and musicians. Works based on Florences life include the US plays Precious Few and Souvenir， which ran on Broadway； Goddess of Song， by the South African playwright Charles J. Fourie； Viva La Diva， which appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe8）； and Glorious！ by Peter Quilter， which opened in 2005 in Londons West End and was nominated for the Olivier Award9） for Best New Comedy. （It has since been translated into 27 languages and performed in more than 40 countries worldwide， such is the international nature of her appeal.）

“Bad with Heart”

More recently， Florences life has been the subject of two major feature films： Marguerite， a French-language offering from late 2015， and now the utterly fabulous Florence Foster Jenkins， directed by Stephen Frears10）. It stars Meryl Streep11） and Hugh Grant12） and is already being tipped13） for Oscar glory. When I asked Frears why he was drawn to make this film， he told me： “I loved the script Id been sent， and I then listened to the real Florence on YouTube. She was ridiculous—and touching.” Streep herself has described Florence as “aspirational and terrible， moving and amusing.” Florence was not just bad， she points out： “She was bad with heart.” And its this heartstring-tugging combination of hilarity14） and pathos15） that proves so winning， especially in Frearss brilliant film.

This year also sees the publication of the first full biography of Foster Jenkins， by Darryl W. Bullock， whose blog about bad music inevitably led him to “Madame，” as she was sometimes known. “Florence is one of my favourite bad singers，” he tells me； like Frears he is clearly brimful16） of warmth towards his complicated subject. For Bullock， her notoriety boils down to17） much more than her being perhaps the ultimate example of the “its so bad， its good” phenomenon that we still see in television talent shows today.

“Most people probably went to see her in order to scoff，” he says， “but its clear that they were won over by her charm and the sheer joy she got from performing. Florence loved music and wanted others to love it too. She was absolutely sincere， and she was a ‘good sort： Its said of her that she never had a bad word to say about anyone. People genuinely liked her.”

Thats important： her likability and her absolute， authentic passion for the music she sung. “The idea of finding joy in what youre doing … [is] something everybody can understand，” says Streep. Florences story raises questions that must resonate for any amateur whos ever worked hard at doing something they truly love； whos ever tried to will themselves into becoming something， anything， regardless of their levels of talent.

Florence is the opposite of， say， Susan Boyle18）. Foster Jenkins is rather closer to someone like Donald Bell-Gam， whose own audition for that show， with its screeching19） hack of Amy Winehouse20）s Valerie or incredible stab at Whitney Houston21）s I Will Always Love You made excellent TV and defies description22） other than： “so bad he was brilliant.”

Murder on the High Cs

“Florences story is about self-belief，” notes Bullock. “Its about the idea that anyone can achieve their goals so long as they believe in themselves. Obviously it helped that she was massively wealthy， but thats not everything. She immersed herself in her art from a very young age： For her music was a calling， not something she did for fame. Like all true artists she was compelled to practice her art. Of course people laughed at this ridiculous old lady， her ludicrous costumes and terrible singing； in these instances you either find the fun in what the artist is offering up or you feel revulsion23） at the ineptitude24）. With Florence most people see the enjoyment she got and gave， not the wretchedness of the performance itself.”

He explains that Florences audience “was usually split between people who genuinely cared for her and forgave her eccentricities， people who came to laugh and others who treated the whole thing like some sort of perverted25）， absurd cabaret26）. Most of her performances were given to forgiving audiences—friends， other clubwomen， musicians she patronised and so on. People came to have fun but not to be spiteful. The Carnegie Hall show was her only proper public performance， and happened at a time （1944， in the midst of war） when people were desperate for a laugh and a distraction from the horrors of real life.”

Even those of us who never heard Florence in the flesh can be grateful to her legacy for one perhaps unexpected reason. The late David Bowie27） described her legendary self-titled 1962 LP28） as one of his favourite records of all time； indeed one that “changed his life.”

“She is an inspiration，” agrees Bullock. “She would have loved that. Shes the patron saint of artists who have to create， and will create， despite the criticisms. She knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it； she didnt let anyone get in her way. She was single-minded and utterly determined to perform， no matter what brickbats29） were thrown at her. She was aware of her critics but rose above30） them.” He adds： “And hey， were still listening to—and discussing—her more than seventy years after she died. I defy 99% of the public to name one other opera singer from the 1940s！ If theres a lesson to be learned from Florences life it is simply to live your life to the fullest， and enjoy every opportunity that comes your way.”

弗洛倫斯·福斯特·詹金斯是20世紀(jì)美國(guó)的社交名流和音樂(lè)愛(ài)好者。她自稱是歌劇花腔女高音歌唱家，并名噪一時(shí)。作為她那個(gè)時(shí)代最出名的歌唱家之一，她非常富有，慷慨大方，熱衷慈善，擁有大批粉絲，其中不乏一些像諾埃爾·科沃德這樣的名人。不過(guò)，弗洛倫斯有名并不是因?yàn)樗幸魳?lè)天賦，反而是因?yàn)闆](méi)有音樂(lè)天賦。她賣力而又充滿愛(ài)意地摧殘著莫扎特、施特勞斯以及其他杰出作曲家的珍貴作品，她的嗓音出奇的難聽(tīng)，總是悲催地找不著調(diào)——對(duì)此她似乎全然不知，不過(guò)這反而成就了她的傳奇。

先前，人們只能在紐約的女子俱樂(lè)部或弗洛倫斯自己創(chuàng)辦的威爾第俱樂(lè)部里私下見(jiàn)到她，所以人們對(duì)她的表演有很強(qiáng)烈的需求，以至于1944年她在卡內(nèi)基音樂(lè)廳的演唱會(huì)門票一售而空，這次演唱會(huì)也因此而載入音樂(lè)史冊(cè)。雖然她的公演也籌集到了（相當(dāng)于今天）數(shù)百萬(wàn)美元的善款，但永遠(yuǎn)定格在人們心中的畫面卻是文雅的社會(huì)名流們捧腹不已，卻使勁兒忍著，努力不讓自己笑得滾下過(guò)道，同時(shí)向她獻(xiàn)上雷鳴般的掌聲。

人們迄今普遍認(rèn)為，弗洛倫斯·福斯特·詹金斯仍是“世界上最差勁的歌劇演員”。但最不可思議的是，她自己對(duì)此毫不知情。她終生沉浸在錯(cuò)覺(jué)中，以為自己是一位真正偉大的藝術(shù)家，這在很大程度上應(yīng)歸功于她的第二任丈夫圣克萊爾·貝菲爾德。她熱愛(ài)自己的歌唱事業(yè)，并相信自己為愛(ài)慕她的觀眾帶去了極大的快樂(lè)——從某種程度上說(shuō)，的確如此。

長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)，弗洛倫斯非同尋常的經(jīng)歷令眾多作家、導(dǎo)演以及音樂(lè)家們癡迷。根據(jù)弗洛倫斯的生平創(chuàng)作的作品包括：曾在美國(guó)百老匯上演的戲劇《奇珍異寶》和《紀(jì)念品》，南非劇作家查爾斯·J·福里創(chuàng)作的《歌之女神》，愛(ài)丁堡邊緣藝術(shù)節(jié)上演出過(guò)的《女主角萬(wàn)歲》，以及彼得·奎爾特創(chuàng)作的《榮耀！》。2005年，《榮耀！》在倫敦西區(qū)首演，后被提名奧利弗獎(jiǎng)最佳新喜劇獎(jiǎng)。（該劇此后被翻譯成27種語(yǔ)言，在全球40多個(gè)國(guó)家演出，由此可見(jiàn)弗洛倫斯在全世界的魅力。）

“難聽(tīng)但用心”

最近，有兩部重要的故事片都以弗洛倫斯的生平為主題：一部是2015年末上映的法語(yǔ)電影《瑪格麗特》；另一部是如今這部精彩絕倫的《跑調(diào)天后》?！杜苷{(diào)天后》由斯蒂芬·弗里爾斯執(zhí)導(dǎo)，由梅麗爾·斯特里普和休·格蘭特主演，已經(jīng)有人預(yù)測(cè)該片有望獲得奧斯卡的殊榮。當(dāng)我問(wèn)弗里爾斯是什么吸引了他，讓他拍這部電影時(shí)，他告訴我：“我很喜歡送來(lái)的這個(gè)劇本，然后就到Y(jié)ouTube上聽(tīng)了弗洛倫斯的原聲。她很滑稽——也很感人?！彼固乩锲毡救藢?duì)弗洛倫斯的描述是“勵(lì)志又糟糕，動(dòng)人又逗人”。弗洛倫斯并不只是唱歌難聽(tīng)那么簡(jiǎn)單，斯特里普指出：“她唱歌難聽(tīng)但用心?！闭沁@種歡笑和感傷的交融才動(dòng)人心弦，才最終贏得了人們的喜愛(ài)，這一點(diǎn)在弗里爾斯的精彩影片中體現(xiàn)得尤為明顯。

由達(dá)里爾·W·布洛克執(zhí)筆的首部福斯特·詹金斯的完整傳記也在今年出版。布洛克在博客上評(píng)論的都是糟糕的音樂(lè)，這讓他不可避免地關(guān)注到了“夫人”——人們有時(shí)這樣稱呼弗洛倫斯。“弗洛倫斯是我最喜歡的差勁歌手之一。”布洛克對(duì)我說(shuō)。他跟弗里爾斯一樣，對(duì)自己復(fù)雜的寫作對(duì)象顯然充滿了熱情。如今，在才藝表演類電視節(jié)目中，我們?nèi)匀荒馨l(fā)現(xiàn)“很爛，但很好”這樣的現(xiàn)象。對(duì)布洛克而言，弗洛倫斯的“聲名遠(yuǎn)播”可以歸結(jié)為此種現(xiàn)象的終極案例，但又不僅僅是因?yàn)檫@一點(diǎn)。

“大部分人去看她表演可能是為了嘲笑她，”布洛克說(shuō)，“但顯然，他們被她的魅力以及她從表演中得到的純粹的快樂(lè)所征服了。弗洛倫斯熱愛(ài)音樂(lè)，也希望別人熱愛(ài)音樂(lè)。她非常真誠(chéng)，‘人品又好。據(jù)說(shuō)她從不說(shuō)任何人壞話。人們是真心喜歡她?！?/p>

她很招人喜歡，她對(duì)自己所唱的歌有著十足的、發(fā)自內(nèi)心的激情——這些都很重要。“從你正在做的事情中尋找快樂(lè)……這[是]每個(gè)人都能理解的?！彼固乩锲照f(shuō)。無(wú)論天賦如何，業(yè)余愛(ài)好者們都曾為自己真正喜歡做的事努力奮斗過(guò)，都曾試圖立志要有所成就，而弗洛倫斯的故事所提出的問(wèn)題一定會(huì)引發(fā)這些人的共鳴。

弗洛倫斯與蘇珊·波伊爾這樣的人恰恰相反。福斯特·詹金斯更像唐納德·貝爾-加姆。貝爾-加姆在參加《英國(guó)達(dá)人秀》試演時(shí)尖叫著吼完了艾米·懷恩豪斯的《瓦萊麗》，又以不可思議的方式嘗試了惠特妮·休斯頓的《我永遠(yuǎn)愛(ài)你》，但卻都取得了很好的收視效果，對(duì)此人們不知該如何形容，只能說(shuō)：“糟透了，但他太有才了。”

高音C殺手

“弗洛倫斯的故事關(guān)乎自信?！辈悸蹇酥赋?，“它告訴我們，只要相信自己，人人都可以實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)。弗洛倫斯非常有錢，這顯然對(duì)她有所幫助，但這并非事情的全部。她從小就沉浸在自己喜歡的藝術(shù)中，對(duì)她來(lái)說(shuō)，音樂(lè)是一種召喚，而不是追逐名望的工具。像所有真正的藝術(shù)家一樣，她情不自禁地練習(xí)歌唱。人們當(dāng)然會(huì)嘲笑這位滑稽的老太太，她的服裝那么可笑，唱功還很糟糕。在這樣的情況下，你要么從這位藝術(shù)家的表演中找到樂(lè)趣，要么對(duì)這種拙劣的表演感到厭惡。但就弗洛倫斯而言，大部分人看到的都是她從表演中獲得的樂(lè)趣以及她給大家?guī)?lái)的歡樂(lè)，而不是表演本身的拙劣?！?/p>

布洛克解釋說(shuō)，弗洛倫斯的觀眾“通常分為幾類：一類是真心喜歡弗洛倫斯，能包容她的古怪之處；一類來(lái)看表演就是為了放聲大笑；還有一類則把整件事都看作是某種錯(cuò)亂、荒謬的卡巴萊滑稽劇表演。她的大多數(shù)演出都是表演給那些滿懷包容心的觀眾看的——她的朋友、其他常逛俱樂(lè)部的女士以及她資助的音樂(lè)家等等。人們是來(lái)尋開(kāi)心的，不是要鄙視她。在卡內(nèi)基音樂(lè)廳的那次演出是弗洛倫斯唯一一次正式的公開(kāi)演出，那時(shí)（即1944年，二戰(zhàn)期間）人們正亟須開(kāi)懷大笑，亟須將注意力從現(xiàn)實(shí)的恐怖中轉(zhuǎn)移開(kāi)來(lái)”。

我們當(dāng)中有人即使從沒(méi)聽(tīng)過(guò)弗洛倫斯親自演唱，也會(huì)因?yàn)橐粋€(gè)可能意想不到的原因而對(duì)她留下的音樂(lè)心存感激。已故的大衛(wèi)·鮑威稱，弗洛倫斯于1962年發(fā)行的那張傳奇的同名密紋唱片是他一生最愛(ài)的唱片之一。事實(shí)上，那張唱片“改變了他的一生”。

“她激勵(lì)著我們，”布洛克對(duì)此表示贊同，“她會(huì)喜歡這種說(shuō)法的。她是藝術(shù)家們的守護(hù)神，她守護(hù)著那些不顧批評(píng)必須創(chuàng)作并能有所創(chuàng)作的人。她清楚自己想要什么并且知道如何得到。她不會(huì)讓任何人阻擋自己。她一心一意，不管人們對(duì)她的批評(píng)有多尖銳，她都鐵了心要表演。她知道有人在批評(píng)自己，但她不為所動(dòng)?！辈悸蹇诉€說(shuō)：“瞧，她都去世70多年了，我們還在聽(tīng)她的歌，談?wù)撍?。我敢說(shuō)普通大眾中99%的人都說(shuō)不出第二個(gè)像弗洛倫斯這樣的20世紀(jì)40年代的歌劇演員！如果說(shuō)要從弗洛倫斯的生平中學(xué)到什么的話，那就是要把人生活到極致，享受你能碰到的每一次機(jī)會(huì)?！?