that one of the things that's contributed to homo sapiens' success

給人類帶來成功的因素之一，

as a species

做為一個物種，

is our lack of body hair --

是我們缺少體毛 －

that our hairlessness, our nakedness

我們沒有足夠的毛髮，我們的赤裸

combined with our invention of clothing,

與衣服的發明相結合，

gives us the ability to modulate our body temperature

給予我們可以調節體溫的能力，

and thus be able to survive in any climate we choose.

以及我們因而能在我們所選擇的 任何氣候下生存的能力。

And now we've evolved to the point where we can't survive without clothing.

現在我們已經進化到 沒有衣服就不能生存的程度。

And it's more than just utility,

衣服不僅僅具有實用性，

now it's a communication.

現在它也是一種溝通方式。

Everything that we choose to put on is a narrative,

我們選擇穿上的每一件衣服都是一段描述，

a story about where we've been,

一個故事，關於我們去過哪裡，

what we're doing,

我們正在做什麼，

who we want to be.

我們想要成為什麼人。

I was a lonely kid.

我曾經是一個孤獨的小孩。

I didn't have an easy time finding friends to play with,

我很難找到和我一起玩的朋友，

and I ended up making a lot of my own play.

所以我最後自己做自己玩的東西。

I made a lot of my own toys.

我做了很多自己的玩具。

It began with ice cream.

它是從冰淇淋開始的。

There was a Baskin-Robbins in my hometown,

在我的家鄉，有一家巴斯金羅賓斯冰淇淋店。

and they served ice cream from behind the counter

他們在櫃檯後面拿冰淇淋給客人。

in these giant, five-gallon, cardboard tubs.

冰淇淋是放在巨大的 五加侖的硬紙板圓筒裡。

And someone told me -- I was eight years old --

有人告訴我 － 我八歲的時候 －

someone told me that when they were done with those tubs,

有人告訴我，當他們用完那些圓筒的時候，

they washed them out and kept them in the back,

他們會把它們洗乾淨，然後放在後面，

and if you asked they would give you one.

如果你向他們要的話，他們會給你一個。

It took me a couple of weeks to work up the courage,

我用了幾個星期才鼓起勇氣，

but I did, and they did.

但是我還是提出了請求，他們也答應了。

They gave me one -- I went home with this beautiful cardboard tub.

他們給了我一個 － 我帶著這個漂亮的硬紙板圓筒回家了。

I was trying to figure out what I could do with this exotic material --

我試著弄清楚我可以用這個誘人的材料 做些什麼 －

metal ring, top and bottom.

金屬圈，在紙筒上方和下方。

I started turning it over in my head, and I realized, "Wait a minute --

我開始把它放在我的頭上 我意識到：「等一下 －

my head actually fits inside this thing."

我的頭剛好可以放在這個東西裡面。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Yeah, I cut a hole out,

就這樣，我剪出一個洞，

I put some acetate in there

我在那裡放了一些醋酸纖維

and I made myself a space helmet.

然後我給自己做了一個太空頭盔。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I needed a place to wear the space helmet,

我需要一個可以戴太空頭盔的地方，

so I found a refrigerator box a couple blocks from home.

然後我在距離我家幾個街區遠的地方 找到了一個裝冰箱的紙箱。

I pushed it home,

我把它推回家，

and in my parents' guest room closet,

推進我父母客房的衣櫃裡，

I turned it into a spaceship.

我把那裡變成了一個太空船。

I started with a control panel out of cardboard.

我從一個由硬紙板做成的控制板開始。

I cut a hole for a radar screen

我剪了一個洞，用來做雷達屏幕

and put a flashlight underneath it to light it.

並且把一個手電筒放在下面來照亮它。

I put a view screen up, which I offset off the back wall --

我創建了一個視野屏幕 我把它靠在後面的牆上 －

and this is where I thought I was being really clever --

然後，這是我認為我很聰明的地方 －

without permission, I painted the back wall of the closet black

在沒有得到允許的情況下， 我把衣櫃的後牆塗成了黑色，

and put a star field,

並放上一片星空，

which I lit up with some Christmas lights I found in the attic,

我用在閣樓裡找到的一些聖誕節的彩燈 點亮了那片星空，

and I went on some space missions.

然後我開始執行一些太空任務。

A couple years later,

幾年以後，

the movie "Jaws" came out.

電影《大白鯊》上映了。

I was way too young to see it, but I was caught up in "Jaws" fever,

我那時太小了，不能去看那部電影， 但是我沈浸在對《大白鯊》的痴迷中，

like everyone else in America at the time.

就像那時其他的美國人一樣。

There was a store in my town that had a "Jaws" costume in their window,

在我住的市鎮裡，有一家商店， 在櫥窗上掛著《大白鯊》的戲服，

and my mom must have overheard me talking to someone

而且我的媽媽一定是 無意中聽到我對其他人說

about how awesome I thought this costume was,

我覺得那套戲服有多棒，

because a couple days before Halloween,

因為在萬聖節的前幾天，

she blew my freaking mind by giving me this "Jaws" costume.

她送給我那套《大白鯊》的戲服 讓我很驚喜。

Now, I recognize it's a bit of a trope

我意識到這聽起來會很像

for people of a certain age to complain

某個年紀的人們，抱怨現在的小孩 不知道他們的生活有多優渥。

that kids these days have no idea how good they have it,

但是讓我給你們舉一個隨機的事例

but let me just show you a random sampling

關於現在你可以在網上買到的 小孩子的入門級的戲服 ...

of entry-level kids' costumes you can buy online right now ...

...然後這是我媽媽那時 買給我的《大白鯊》的戲服。

... and this is the "Jaws" costume my mom bought for me.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

這是一個像紙一樣薄的鯊魚臉

This is a paper-thin shark face

和一個上面有《大白鯊》海報的塑料圍兜。

and a vinyl bib with the poster of "Jaws" on it.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

我很喜歡它。

And I loved it.

幾年以後，

A couple years later,

我爸爸帶我去看一部叫《黑暗時代》的電影。

my dad took me to a film called "Excalibur."

實際上，我讓他帶我去看了兩次，

I actually got him to take me to it twice,

那不是一件小事， 因為那是一部 R 級電影。

which is no small thing, because it is a hard, R-rated film.

但是並不是那些鮮血、內臟或者是乳房

But it wasn't the blood and guts or the boobs

讓我想要再去看一次那部電影。

that made me want to go see it again.

它們是有點幫助 －

They helped --

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

是那副盔甲。

It was the armor.

《黑暗時代》裡的盔甲對我來說 有一種令人癡迷的美。

The armor in "Excalibur" was intoxicatingly beautiful to me.

這些真的是穿著像鏡面一樣 反光的盔甲的騎士。

These were literally knights in shining, mirror-polished armor.

此外，《黑暗時代》裡的騎士 在任何地方都穿著他們的盔甲。

And moreover, the knights in "Excalibur" wear their armor everywhere.

他們隨時穿著 － 他們穿著盔甲吃飯， 他們穿著盔甲睡覺。

All the time -- they wear it at dinner, they wear it to bed.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

我就在想，「他們和我靈犀相通嗎？

I was like, "Are they reading my mind?

我想一直都穿著盔甲！」

I want to wear armor all the time!"

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

所以我又回去找我最喜歡的材料，

So I went back to my favorite material,

製作東西的入門迷藥，

the gateway drug for making,

褶皺的硬紙板，

corrugated cardboard,

然後我給自己做了一套盔甲，

and I made myself a suit of armor,

還配了一副頸部護盾和一匹白馬。

replete with the neck shields and a white horse.

既然我已經吹噓了我的盔甲，

Now that I've oversold it,

這裡有一張我做的盔甲的圖片。

here's a picture of the armor that I made.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

（掌聲）

(Applause)

這只是我做的第一套盔甲

Now, this is only the first suit of armor I made

受到《黑暗時代》鼓舞（而做的）。

inspired by "Excalibur."

幾年以後，

A couple of years later,

我說服了我爸爸為我做一套正式的盔甲。

I convinced my dad to embark on making me a proper suit of armor.

在大概一個月的時間裡，

Over about a month,

他讓我從使用硬紙板的階段進入到 使用做屋頂的鋁製材料，

he graduated me from cardboard to roofing aluminum called flashing

和至今仍然是我最喜歡的輔助材料之一，

and still, one of my all-time favorite attachment materials,

波普空心铆釘。

POP rivets.

我們小心地，在那一個月裡，

We carefully, over that month,

製作了一套拼接而成的鋁製盔甲，

constructed an articulated suit of aluminum armor

帶有重疊的彎曲部分。

with compound curves.

我們在頭盔上鑽了小孔，以便我可以呼吸，

We drilled holes in the helmet so that I could breathe,

而且我剛好在萬聖節前及時完成， 並穿著它去學校。

and I finished just in time for Halloween and wore it to school.

嗯，它是這場演講中唯一的一件東西

Now, this is the one thing in this talk

我沒有幻燈片可以展示給你們，

that I don't have a slide to show you,

因為這套盔甲沒有照片。

because no photo exists of this armor.

我的確把它穿去了學校，

I did wear it to school,

那時有一個學校年刊的攝影師， 一直在走廊裡來回走，

there was a yearbook photographer patrolling the halls,

但是他從沒看見我， 等一下你就會知道原因。

but he never found me, for reasons that are about to become clear.

我那時並沒有預計到

There were things I didn't anticipate

穿著一套完整的鋁盔甲去學校會發生的事。

about wearing a complete suit of aluminum armor to school.

在第三堂的數學課，我站在教室的後面，

In third period math, I was standing in the back of class,

我站在教室的後面，

and I'm standing in the back of class

因為那套盔甲我無法坐下。

because the armor did not allow me to sit down.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

這是我沒有預計到的第一件事。

This is the first thing I didn't anticipate.

然後我的老師有些關心地看著我，

And then my teacher looks at me sort of concerned

大概在數學課上到一半的時候， 她說：「你覺得還好嗎？」

about halfway through the class and says, "Are you feeling OK?"

我心裡想，「你在開玩笑嗎？ 你問我我感覺好嗎？

I'm thinking, "Are you kidding? Am I feeling OK?

我正穿著一套盔甲！ 我正在享受我一生最...」

I'm wearing a suit of armor! I am having the time of my --"

我正要告訴她我感覺有多棒，

And I'm just about to tell her how great I feel,

這時教室開始向左傾斜

when the classroom starts to list to the left

並且它在這個長長的隧道後面消失了。

and disappear down this long tunnel,

然後我在護理室裡醒來。

and then I woke up in the nurse's office.

我因為熱衰竭而昏倒，

I had passed out from heat exhaustion,

穿著那套盔甲。

wearing the armor.

當我醒來的時候，

And when I woke up,

我沒有因為在同學面前昏倒而尷尬，

I wasn't embarrassed about having passed out in front of my class,

我那時在想，「誰拿走了我的盔甲？ 我的盔甲在哪裡？」

I was wondering, "Who took my armor? Where's my armor?"

好，讓我們快進到許多年以後，

OK, fast-forward a whole bunch of years,

我和一些同事受僱為 ‘探索頻道’製作一個節目，

some colleagues and I get hired to make a show for Discovery Channel,

叫做‘神秘小子’。

called "MythBusters."

在十四年裡，

And over 14 years,

我在工作中學會如何做實驗方法

I learn on the job how to build experimental methodologies

以及如何在電視節目中 講述關於它們的故事。

and how to tell stories about them for television.

我也很早學會

I also learn early on

穿戲服做角色扮演在講故事的過程中 可以起到關鍵的作用。

that costuming can play a key role in this storytelling.

我用戲服在講述故事時，加上幽默性、 滑稽性、生動性，

I use costumes to add humor, comedy, color

以及敘述的清晰性。

and narrative clarity to the stories we're telling.

然後我們做了一集節目，叫作‘垃圾桶探索’，

And then we do an episode called "Dumpster Diving,"

我學到了更多的

and I learn a little bit more

關於戲服角色扮演對我意味著什麼， 更深層次的意義。

about the deeper implications of what costuming means to me.

在那集‘垃圾桶探索’中，

In the episode "Dumpster Diving,"

我們嘗試回答的問題是：

the question we were trying to answer is:

跳進一個垃圾桶

Is jumping into a dumpster as safe

是像電影讓你相信的那樣安全嗎？

as the movies would lead you to believe?

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

這一集有兩個不同的部分。

The episode was going to have two distinct parts to it.

一部分是當我們接受特技替身演員的訓練， 從樓上跳下來，

One was where we get trained to jump off buildings by a stuntman

落到一個安全氣囊上。

into an air bag.

第二部分是這個實驗的升級版。

And the second was the graduation to the experiment:

我們會把一個垃圾桶填滿廢料， 然後我們跳進去。

we'd fill a dumpster full of material and we'd jump into it.

我想從視覺上分開這兩個部分，

I wanted to visually separate these two elements,

然後我想，

and I thought,

「嗯，第一部分的時候，我們在接受訓練， 所以我們應該穿運動裝 －

"Well, for the first part we're training, so we should wear sweatsuits --

哦！讓我們在運動裝後面寫上 ‘特技表演受訓員‘。

Oh! Let's put 'Stunt Trainee' on the back of the sweatsuits.

那是為了訓練用的。」

That's for the training."

但是在第二部分中， 我想要一些有視覺震撼的東西 －

But for the second part, I wanted something really visually striking --

「我知道了！我將要打扮成 《黑客帝國》中的 Neo。」

"I know! I'll dress as Neo from 'The Matrix.'"

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

所以我去了嬉皮街。

So I went to Haight Street.

我買了漂亮的到膝蓋的帶的靴子。

I bought some beautiful knee-high, buckle boots.

我在 eBay 找到了一件飄逸的長外套。

I found a long, flowing coat on eBay.

我戴了太陽鏡，我必須戴隱形眼鏡才能戴它。

I got sunglasses, which I had to wear contact lenses in order to wear.

做實驗的那天到了，

The day of the experiment shoot comes up,

我穿著這套戲服走出了我的車，

and I step out of my car in this costume,

我的同事們看了我一眼...

and my crew takes a look at me ...

然後開始抑制他們咯咯的笑聲。

and start suppressing their church giggles.

他們就像這樣，（壓抑大笑的聲音）。

They're like, "(Laugh sound)."

我在這時感受到兩件不同的事情，

And I feel two distinct things at this moment.

我感到非常尷尬

I feel total embarrassment

因為這樣的事實： 我的同事太清楚

over the fact that it's so nakedly clear to my crew

我完全沈迷於穿著這套戲服。

that I'm completely into wearing this costume.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

但是我心中的製片人提醒我自己

But the producer in my mind reminds myself

不管是快速鏡頭，或是慢動作，

that in the high-speed shot in slow-mo,

飄逸的長外套在我身後會看起來很漂亮。

that flowing coat is going to look beautiful behind me.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

‘神秘小子’播出的第五年，

Five years into the "MythBusters" run,

我們收到邀請出席聖地牙哥的動漫展。

we got invited to appear at San Diego Comic-Con.

我知道動漫展已經很多年了， 只是一直沒有時間去。

I'd known about Comic-Con for years and never had time to go.

這是個大聯盟 － 這是戲服角色扮演的麥加。

This was the big leagues -- this was costuming mecca.

人們從世界各地坐飛機過來，

People fly in from all over the world

在聖地牙哥的展台上 展示他們令人驚異的創作。

to show their amazing creations on the floor in San Diego.

我想參與其中。

And I wanted to participate.

我決定我要做一套精緻的戲服

I decided that I would put together an elaborate costume

能完全遮住我身體的，

that covered me completely,

然後我將匿名走上 聖地亞哥動漫展的展台。

and I would walk the floor of San Diego Comic-Con anonymously.

我選擇的戲服？

The costume I chose?

地獄男爵。

Hellboy.

那不是我的戲服，

That's not my costume,

那是真的地獄男爵。

that's actually Hellboy.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

但是我用了幾個月的時間

But I spent months

組裝了一套我能做到的和影片最貼近的 《地獄男爵》的戲服，

assembling the most screen-accurate Hellboy costume I could,

從靴子，到腰帶，到褲子

from the boots to the belt to the pants

到那隻毀滅一切的右手。

to the right hand of doom.

我找到一個可以製作地獄男爵 假頭和假胸膛的人。

I found a guy who made a prosthetic Hellboy head and chest

然後我把它們戴上。

and I put them on.

我甚至訂做了 符合我眼睛度數的隱形眼鏡。

I even had contact lenses made in my prescription.

我戴著它走上了動漫展的展台

I wore it onto the floor at Comic-Con

我甚至無法告訴你們穿著那套戲服有多熱。

and I can't even tell you how balls hot it was in that costume.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

汗流浹背！我應該記得這個場景。

Sweating! I should've remembered this.

我汗如雨下，而且我的隱形眼鏡 傷到了我的眼睛，

I'm sweating buckets and the contact lenses hurt my eyes,

但是什麼都不重要因為我完全沈浸在其中。

and none of it matters because I'm totally in love.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

我不僅僅是愛上穿上這套戲服 然後走上展台的過程，

Not just with the process of putting on this costume and walking the floor,

我還愛上其他角色扮演者組成的群組。

but also with the community of other costumers.

它不叫 動漫展上的戲服展示，

It's not called costuming at Cons,

它叫做‘戲服角色扮演’。

it's called "cosplay."

表面上，戲服角色扮演是指人們裝扮成

Now ostensibly, cosplay means people who dress up

他們在電影和電視中最喜愛的角色，

as their favorite characters from film and television

尤其是動漫。

and especially anime,

但是戲服角色扮演遠不止這些。

but it is so much more than that.

這些人不只是找到一套戲服然後把它穿上 －

These aren't just people who find a costume and put it on --

他們把戲服混在一起。

they mash them up.

他們根據他們的想法改變戲服。

They bend them to their will.

他們把戲服變成他們想要成為的 那些劇本中的角色。

They change them to be the characters they want to be in those productions.

他們很聰明並且很天才。

They're super clever and genius.

他們讓怪異的旗幟飛起來，真的很漂亮。

They let their freak flag fly and it's beautiful.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

不僅僅是那樣，

But more than that,

他們穿著戲服排練。

they rehearse their costumes.

在動漫展或者其它展覽中，

At Comic-Con or any other Con,

你不僅僅是給到處走的人拍照。

you don't just take pictures of people walking around.

你會走上前，然後說，

You go up and say,

‘嘿，我喜歡你的戲服，我可以照張像片嗎？

"Hey, I like your costume, can I take your picture?"

然後你給他們時間讓他們擺姿勢。

And then you give them time to get into their pose.

他們在很努力的擺姿勢，

They've worked hard on their pose

讓他們的戲服在你的相機上看起來很棒。

to make their costume look great for your camera.

看起來真的很棒。