Angela Nissel faces down grief with a laugh

安吉拉·尼塞尔（Angela Nissel）：用笑声直面悲伤

The author’s latest book, Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead, finds humor in difficult times. 这位作者的最新著作《Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead》在艰难时刻中发掘了幽默。

Angela Nissel’s latest book, Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead, is my kind of memoir. Sure, it’s a deeply emotional tale about caring for a terminally ill parent. But it’s delivered with the sort of gallows humor that I often turn to to get me through tough times. 安吉拉·尼塞尔的最新著作《Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead》正是我喜欢的那类回忆录。当然，这是一个关于照顾绝症父母的深情故事，但它以一种我常用来度过难关的“绞刑架幽默”（苦中作乐）呈现出来。

Of course, that sort of dark humor should come as no surprise from Nissel. She first made a splash with The Broke Diaries, which grew out of a blog she kept in college detailing her daily struggles and, at times, embarrassment at being a broke student. Eventually she went on to produce and write for hit shows including Scrubs and The Boondocks. 当然，尼塞尔会有这种黑色幽默并不令人意外。她最初凭借《The Broke Diaries》一举成名，该书源于她在大学期间撰写的博客，详细记录了她作为一名贫困学生的日常挣扎，有时甚至是尴尬经历。后来，她继续为《实习医生风云》（Scrubs）和《黑人一家亲》（The Boondocks）等热门剧集担任制片人和编剧。

One of her most lasting contributions is undeniably Okayplayer, which she co-founded with Questlove. Though, as we’ll find out shortly, being involved with one of the most important online outlets in hip hop is something of a bittersweet memory for Nissel. 她最持久的贡献之一无疑是 Okayplayer，这是她与 Questlove 共同创立的网站。不过，正如我们稍后会了解到的，参与这个嘻哈界最重要的在线平台之一，对尼塞尔来说是一段苦乐参半的回忆。

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What is your most indispensable tool? 你最不可或缺的工具是什么？

A knockoff Swiss Army Knife. It was a gift from the Scrubs grips over 20 years ago. I always have a screwdriver, a knife, and a corkscrew in my pocket. I feel like a badass. 一把仿制的瑞士军刀。这是 20 多年前《实习医生风云》剧组的场务送给我的礼物。我的口袋里总装着螺丝刀、小刀和开瓶器。我觉得自己酷毙了。

Which is the most underappreciated? 哪样东西最被低估？

My dog. He’s analog and breaks down my cardboard boxes in seconds. Now they all fit in the recycle bin. 我的狗。它是“模拟”的，几秒钟就能把我的纸板箱拆碎。现在它们都能塞进回收箱了。

What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer? 你在新手机或电脑上安装的第一个应用程序是什么？

Craigslist. Youngins sleep on Craigslist. I’ve found a free patio set and in the early aughts when I was lonely and new in L.A. I made a friend to go clubbing with. I forgot my wallet, and she thought I was scamming her and we never hung out again, but I still love Craigslist. Craigslist。现在的年轻人忽视了 Craigslist。我曾在上面找到过一套免费的露台家具；21 世纪初，当我刚到洛杉矶感到孤独时，我还通过它结识了一位一起去夜店的朋友。虽然我当时忘了带钱包，她以为我在骗她，我们后来再也没见过面，但我依然热爱 Craigslist。

What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone? 你希望手机能改变的一点是什么？

That I somehow still butt dial people. The phone biometrically knows my face, but can’t tell when it’s my wallet accidentally dialing someone? 我居然还会误触拨号。手机能通过生物识别认出我的脸，却分辨不出是我的钱包在误拨电话吗？

What sites do you have pinned to your tab bar? 你把哪些网站固定在标签栏上？

Wordle. Connections. Essays I swear I’m going to get around to reading but never do. Now I feel badly. I’m going to read one. Wordle、Connections，还有那些我发誓要读但从未读过的文章。现在我感到很内疚，我得去读一篇了。

How many tabs do you have open right now? 你现在开了多少个标签页？

I limited myself to four or my anxiety starts skyrocketing. 我限制自己只开四个，否则我的焦虑感就会飙升。

Which social media platform do you use the most? 你使用最多的社交媒体平台是什么？

Instagram, because I’ve been told by my book publisher that in 2026 I have to make “charismatic vertical videos” to sell my latest book. I’m working on being both vertical and charismatic. Instagram，因为我的出版商告诉我，在 2026 年，我必须制作“有魅力的竖屏视频”来推销我的新书。我正在努力让自己既“竖屏”又有魅力。

What is your happy place online? 你在网上的快乐源泉是什么？

A small corner of Reddit where we laugh at the shenanigans of one celebrity wife. I love that place so much I even thanked our group by nickname in my latest book’s acknowledgments. Reddit 的一个小角落，我们在那里嘲笑某位名人妻子的滑稽行为。我太喜欢那个地方了，甚至在我的新书致谢中用昵称感谢了我们的群组。

What is your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned? 你拥有过的最喜欢的电子产品是什么？

My first Fitbit. For a person who grew up on Commodore 64s that took an hour to load video games, wearable tech that instantly tells you how lazy you are seemed like something out of The Jetsons. Now robots are performing surgeries, and the goalpost for futuristic tech has moved. 我的第一个 Fitbit。对于一个在 Commodore 64（加载游戏需要一小时）时代长大的人来说，这种能瞬间告诉你有多懒的可穿戴设备简直就像《杰森一家》（The Jetsons）里的东西。现在机器人都能做手术了，未来科技的标准已经变了。

Which was the most disappointing? 哪样最让你失望？

Wearable tech that was supposed to shock me into breaking bad habits. I was like, “Why am I doing this to myself?” 那种本应通过电击来帮我改掉坏习惯的可穿戴设备。我当时心想：“我为什么要这样折磨自己？”

What game do you have the fondest memories of? 你记忆最深刻的游戏是什么？

Castle Wolfenstein! The mechanics of that game on the Commodore 64 blew me away! Of course, now, it looks like Pong compared to newer games, but when I played it with my brother, I remember feeling like I was in the future, yet killing Nazis from the past. 《德军总部》（Castle Wolfenstein）！在 Commodore 64 上玩这款游戏时的机制让我大开眼界！当然，现在和新游戏比起来它看起来就像《乓》（Pong），但当我和哥哥一起玩时，我记得那种感觉——仿佛身处未来，却在消灭过去的纳粹。

What is one thing you wish you had created? 你希望自己创造的一样东西是什么？

I wish I’d created The Blackening. It’s a movie. It’s so brilliant that I’m unsure how they got it made. A lot of brilliance tends to die in development out here in Hollywood to make way for “sure money bet” reboots. 我希望我创作了《The Blackening》。那是一部电影。它太精彩了，我甚至不知道他们是怎么把它拍出来的。在好莱坞，很多才华横溢的作品往往在开发阶段就夭折了，只为了给那些“稳赚不赔”的翻拍片让路。

What creation are you most proud of? 你最引以为傲的作品是什么？

The groundbreaking site I created with Questlove. 我和 Questlove 一起创建的那个开创性网站。

Which are you least proud of? 你最不引以为傲的是什么？

The groundbreaking site I created with Questlove. For 25 years, I’ve had to answer questions about why the only woman involved isn’t mentioned in the creation of the website, why the man I hired suddenly replaced me, or why I don’t know who owns the site. I’ve also learned of how many women — mostly of color — have been erased from their creations as the Internet moved from “cool place to hang” to corporate megamall. I’m proud of my part in Internet hip-hop history, but I hate how many women I meet who have been erased. 还是我和 Questlove 一起创建的那个开创性网站。25 年来，我不得不回答各种问题：为什么作为唯一的女性参与者，我在网站的创建记录中却只字未提？为什么我雇佣的人突然取代了我？或者为什么我连网站的所有者是谁都不知道？我也了解到，随着互联网从“酷炫的社交场所”变成“企业大卖场”，有多少女性——尤其是少数族裔女性——从她们的创造中被抹去了。我为自己在互联网嘻哈历史中所扮演的角色感到自豪，但我痛恨见到那么多被抹去贡献的女性。

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 你收到过最好的建议是什么？

Be interesting and interested! That means get offline and have things to talk about besides what social media is talking about. Despite us being so connected, we have a loneliness problem in the US. Getting offline, taking local community college classes, and free birdwatching groups has taught me so much and given me new acquaintances, both bird and human. 做一个有趣且对世界感兴趣的人！这意味着要下线，去寻找社交媒体讨论之外的话题。尽管我们联系如此紧密，但美国仍存在严重的孤独问题。下线、参加当地社区大学的课程、加入免费的观鸟小组，这些经历教会了我很多，也让我结识了新朋友，无论是鸟类还是人类。

What do you do when you need to focus? 当你需要专注时会做什么？

Take an edible. I’m an experienced user now. They used to make me paranoid, but now I’m like an edibles master, and I know just the right dose to take so my anxiety disappears, and I can relax into making some art without the voice in my head that says “This sucks! Everyone is going to hate this, and you’ll die broke!” 吃一颗大麻软糖。我现在已经是老手了。它们过去常让我感到多疑，但现在我成了“软糖大师”，我知道该吃多少剂量，这样焦虑就会消失，我可以放松地进行创作，而脑子里不会再有那个声音说：“这太烂了！所有人都会讨厌它，你会穷困潦倒地死去！”

What do you do when you’re feeling stuck? 当你感到卡壳时会做什么？

Give myself permission to relax and take in someone else’s creation. 允许自己放松，去欣赏别人的作品。