弗洛伦斯·福斯特·詹金斯：荒诞的歌者，无畏的热爱

By+Clemency+Burton-Hill+汪亚群

一个人要成为歌手，最起码要有唱歌的天赋。但历史上偏偏就出了一个唱功极烂却极成功的歌唱家——弗洛伦斯·福斯特·詹金斯。尽管五音不全，弗洛伦斯却凭着超凡的自信、绝佳的表演才能和对歌唱的执着与热爱在音乐界获得一席之地。虽然她那完全不着调的唱法令人捧腹，但她对音乐的一腔热爱却令人感动。你可以说她的表演荒诞，却不能否认她对音乐的真爱和因爱而生的勇气。她的故事不仅成就了《跑调天后》这部有望夺得奥斯卡奖的影片，更在音乐史上留下了别致、生动的一笔。

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.”

弗洛伦斯·福斯特·詹金斯是20世纪美国的社交名流和音乐爱好者。她自称是歌剧花腔女高音歌唱家，并名噪一时。作为她那个时代最出名的歌唱家之一，她非常富有，慷慨大方，热衷慈善，拥有大批粉丝，其中不乏一些像诺埃尔·科沃德这样的名人。不过，弗洛伦斯有名并不是因为她有音乐天赋，反而是因为没有音乐天赋。她卖力而又充满爱意地摧残着莫扎特、施特劳斯以及其他杰出作曲家的珍贵作品，她的嗓音出奇的难听，总是悲催地找不着调——对此她似乎全然不知，不过这反而成就了她的传奇。

先前，人们只能在纽约的女子俱乐部或弗洛伦斯自己创办的威尔第俱乐部里私下见到她，所以人们对她的表演有很强烈的需求，以至于1944年她在卡内基音乐厅的演唱会门票一售而空，这次演唱会也因此而载入音乐史册。虽然她的公演也筹集到了（相当于今天）数百万美元的善款，但永远定格在人们心中的画面却是文雅的社会名流们捧腹不已，却使劲儿忍着，努力不让自己笑得滚下过道，同时向她献上雷鸣般的掌声。

人们迄今普遍认为，弗洛伦斯·福斯特·詹金斯仍是“世界上最差劲的歌剧演员”。但最不可思议的是，她自己对此毫不知情。她终生沉浸在错觉中，以为自己是一位真正伟大的艺术家，这在很大程度上应归功于她的第二任丈夫圣克莱尔·贝菲尔德。她热爱自己的歌唱事业，并相信自己为爱慕她的观众带去了极大的快乐——从某种程度上说，的确如此。

长期以来，弗洛伦斯非同寻常的经历令众多作家、导演以及音乐家们痴迷。根据弗洛伦斯的生平创作的作品包括：曾在美国百老汇上演的戏剧《奇珍异宝》和《纪念品》，南非剧作家查尔斯·J·福里创作的《歌之女神》，爱丁堡边缘艺术节上演出过的《女主角万岁》，以及彼得·奎尔特创作的《荣耀！》。2005年，《荣耀！》在伦敦西区首演，后被提名奥利弗奖最佳新喜剧奖。（该剧此后被翻译成27种语言，在全球40多个国家演出，由此可见弗洛伦斯在全世界的魅力。）

“难听但用心”

最近，有两部重要的故事片都以弗洛伦斯的生平为主题：一部是2015年末上映的法语电影《玛格丽特》；另一部是如今这部精彩绝伦的《跑调天后》。《跑调天后》由斯蒂芬·弗里尔斯执导，由梅丽尔·斯特里普和休·格兰特主演，已经有人预测该片有望获得奥斯卡的殊荣。当我问弗里尔斯是什么吸引了他，让他拍这部电影时，他告诉我：“我很喜欢送来的这个剧本，然后就到YouTube上听了弗洛伦斯的原声。她很滑稽——也很感人。”斯特里普本人对弗洛伦斯的描述是“励志又糟糕，动人又逗人”。弗洛伦斯并不只是唱歌难听那么简单，斯特里普指出：“她唱歌难听但用心。”正是这种欢笑和感伤的交融才动人心弦，才最终赢得了人们的喜爱，这一点在弗里尔斯的精彩影片中体现得尤为明显。

由达里尔·W·布洛克执笔的首部福斯特·詹金斯的完整传记也在今年出版。布洛克在博客上评论的都是糟糕的音乐，这让他不可避免地关注到了“夫人”——人们有时这样称呼弗洛伦斯。“弗洛伦斯是我最喜欢的差劲歌手之一。”布洛克对我说。他跟弗里尔斯一样，对自己复杂的写作对象显然充满了热情。如今，在才艺表演类电视节目中，我们仍然能发现“很烂，但很好”这样的现象。对布洛克而言，弗洛伦斯的“声名远播”可以归结为此种现象的终极案例，但又不仅仅是因为这一点。

“大部分人去看她表演可能是为了嘲笑她，”布洛克说，“但显然，他们被她的魅力以及她从表演中得到的纯粹的快乐所征服了。弗洛伦斯热爱音乐，也希望别人热爱音乐。她非常真诚，‘人品又好。据说她从不说任何人坏话。人们是真心喜欢她。”

她很招人喜欢，她对自己所唱的歌有着十足的、发自内心的激情——这些都很重要。“从你正在做的事情中寻找快乐……这[是]每个人都能理解的。”斯特里普说。无论天赋如何，业余爱好者们都曾为自己真正喜欢做的事努力奋斗过，都曾试图立志要有所成就，而弗洛伦斯的故事所提出的问题一定会引发这些人的共鸣。

弗洛伦斯与苏珊·波伊尔这样的人恰恰相反。福斯特·詹金斯更像唐纳德·贝尔-加姆。贝尔-加姆在参加《英国达人秀》试演时尖叫着吼完了艾米·怀恩豪斯的《瓦莱丽》，又以不可思议的方式尝试了惠特妮·休斯顿的《我永远爱你》，但却都取得了很好的收视效果，对此人们不知该如何形容，只能说：“糟透了，但他太有才了。”

高音C杀手

“弗洛伦斯的故事关乎自信。”布洛克指出，“它告诉我们，只要相信自己，人人都可以实现目标。弗洛伦斯非常有钱，这显然对她有所帮助，但这并非事情的全部。她从小就沉浸在自己喜欢的艺术中，对她来说，音乐是一种召唤，而不是追逐名望的工具。像所有真正的艺术家一样，她情不自禁地练习歌唱。人们当然会嘲笑这位滑稽的老太太，她的服装那么可笑，唱功还很糟糕。在这样的情况下，你要么从这位艺术家的表演中找到乐趣，要么对这种拙劣的表演感到厌恶。但就弗洛伦斯而言，大部分人看到的都是她从表演中获得的乐趣以及她给大家带来的欢乐，而不是表演本身的拙劣。”

布洛克解释说，弗洛伦斯的观众“通常分为几类：一类是真心喜欢弗洛伦斯，能包容她的古怪之处；一类来看表演就是为了放声大笑；还有一类则把整件事都看作是某种错乱、荒谬的卡巴莱滑稽剧表演。她的大多数演出都是表演给那些满怀包容心的观众看的——她的朋友、其他常逛俱乐部的女士以及她资助的音乐家等等。人们是来寻开心的，不是要鄙视她。在卡内基音乐厅的那次演出是弗洛伦斯唯一一次正式的公开演出，那时（即1944年，二战期间）人们正亟须开怀大笑，亟须将注意力从现实的恐怖中转移开来”。

我们当中有人即使从没听过弗洛伦斯亲自演唱，也会因为一个可能意想不到的原因而对她留下的音乐心存感激。已故的大卫·鲍威称，弗洛伦斯于1962年发行的那张传奇的同名密纹唱片是他一生最爱的唱片之一。事实上，那张唱片“改变了他的一生”。

“她激励着我们，”布洛克对此表示赞同，“她会喜欢这种说法的。她是艺术家们的守护神，她守护着那些不顾批评必须创作并能有所创作的人。她清楚自己想要什么并且知道如何得到。她不会让任何人阻挡自己。她一心一意，不管人们对她的批评有多尖锐，她都铁了心要表演。她知道有人在批评自己，但她不为所动。”布洛克还说：“瞧，她都去世70多年了，我们还在听她的歌，谈论她。我敢说普通大众中99%的人都说不出第二个像弗洛伦斯这样的20世纪40年代的歌剧演员！如果说要从弗洛伦斯的生平中学到什么的话，那就是要把人生活到极致，享受你能碰到的每一次机会。”