演讲文本

And Emerson gave me that opportunity

爱默生给了我这个机会

Plus I learned stuff, I learned real stuff

而且我学到了真正的东西

I remember taking a black history course

我记得上过一门黑人历史课

and reading James Baldwin and Dick Gregory

读詹姆斯·鲍德温和迪克·格雷戈里的作品

and for the first time in my life

我人生中第一次意识到

I realized all the things I didn't know

自己不知道这么多东西

I mean, I always knew I couldn't do math

当然 我一直知道自己不懂数学

but I had no idea I was this clueless

但我原来不知道连这些我也不知道

My problem was at that time, Emerson College had no stand-up comedy program

我的问题是 当时在爱默生学院没有单口喜剧节目

I tried out for the drama department

我去过戏剧系

but was intimidated and I just failed miserably

结果失败了 而且失败很惨重

So rather than try again, I got a chip on my shoulder

我没有再尝试 而是感到非常憋屈

to the attitude, oh, this is going to be on the test

我很不喜欢他们的态度 我心想

I was right, they were wrong, I'll show them

我是对的 他们错了 我要证明给他们看

I won't learn anything

我不打算学任何东西

So I kind of turned my back on Emerson

这时 我转身背离了爱默生

and decided to try and go it alone

决定自己出去打拼

I mean, I didn't drop out or anything like that

当然 我没有退学

I just did the basic minimum necessary to get by

我只是在学校中花最小精力 得过且过

So then I literally went door-to-door trying to be a comedian

之后我尝试逐门逐户推销自己的喜剧

You know Boston was a very serious place

波士顿是一个很严肃的地方

especially students in the 60s and 70s

特别是六七十年代的学生

Most clubs did a lot of stop you warm machine music and that kind of stuff

很多俱乐部都只允许一些音乐节目

with the exception of maybe George Carlin and Richard Pryor

除了乔治·卡林和理查德·普赖尔之外

most comedy didn't really fit in with college students

大多数喜剧都不受大学生欢迎

I will go to music clubs and I tell them, I'm a comedian

我去这些音乐俱乐部 说我是喜剧演员

and they said, get lost

他们说 滚开

And then I put a $50 bill on the bar and I'd say

我于是掏出五十美元放到台上 说

look, if people leave, you keep the 50

如果观众离场 这五十就是你的了

but if they laugh and stay, give me my 50 back

如果他们笑了 这五十我就收回来

And that worked out hard at the time

这在当时能起作用 才怪了

Sometimes it was just gut wrenching

有时 这非常虐心

There was just one club I went to said, you're in union?

我去的一家俱乐部问 你是协会成员吗

I said no I didn't know there was union

我说 不是 我不知道有协会

They said, oh yeah, I can't hire you unless you're in union

他们说 我们不能招你 你连协会都没入

He said, go and see my friend at the after office over that street down

他说 你可以到街那头去找我的一位朋友

人物简介和演讲视频

人物简介

杰·雷诺是美国脱口秀主持人，从1992年至2009年一直在NBC电视台主持脱口秀《杰·雷诺今夜秀》，而期间该节目一直保持着高收视率，甚至位于每周收视榜首。本视频是杰·雷诺在母校爱默生学院的毕业演讲，他讲到了自己从一文不名成长为全美顶尖喜剧明星的过程，并给学生提出了20点建议。