But because I was young, I had this long hair, and people used to try to tip me with joints. I think if there were no such thing as men, there would be no word processors. I would wake up and be so excited because I could smoke. I would personally just like to vet each person. Fran Lebowitz and Martin Scorsese Seek a Missing New York in 'Pretend It's a City' The Netflix series, featuring Lebowitz and directed by Scorsese, offers acerbic commentary and a sense of. He was stuck, and he asked me to come help. The way the admissions director of Harvard decides who goes to Harvard, Id like to decide who comes here. Im always sorry when I see that someone has tried out 11 new comedians and I wasnt there. Thats good for at least an hour of not writing. Unless they own a hotel chain, I dont think a single one of these eight million people are happy about this. January 30, 2011. Fran Lebowitz has tough love for tough COVID-19 times. Two rare items of Andy Warhol: 1) Pop goes art - Institut fr Popkultur - 1990 - Box - Contains several items: - Glossy folder of loose-leaf art-paper reproductions. Its the thing that Im most criticized for. I remember I got $500 for it. It was kind of adolescent-petulantsulking, rebellious. Although complaint was her form, the result was a celebration of practical intelligence, a kind of Dr. Atkins epicureanism. I don't care how she makes her money but she helps make the world a better place in to live in. Lebowitz: Ive had a number of interesting, colorful jobs. It could be clean and less dangerous, and not horrible, not under a tidal wave of tourists. In The Fran Lebowitz Reader, that first book has been re-released in combination with her second 1981 essay collection, Social Studies. Now, even if you have money, you can have a horrible apartment. Black cigarettes, every horrible adolescent smoking gesture imaginable. LEBOWITZ: Thats kind of backwards. He was the one that was supposed to be president. It was written in the nineteenth century by, I think, a seven- or eight-year-old child who was the daughter of someone very rich who had this book printed. We Pick Up With Our Adventurers As The Party Begins. In fact, most of the offending language appears in the trailer alone. If theyd known anyone in London, they would have sent me there. Romantic love is mental illness. I wanted to see Robert Young. . It was 87. But I know a lot about them because its impossible not to. But her crankiness betrayed a heart of gold. The first thing I did was a movie review column, just bad movies, called Best of the Worst. There used to be a company called AIP, American International Picturesthey mostly made movies for drive-ins; some of them would come to Times Square. I think Brigid Polk did that once. ' Thats how I feel. The rest of them were mostly folksingers and blues musicians and other horrible poets. Lucy is about the making of a person. To me, dictating a book seems impossible. A pen goes exactly at your speed, whereas that machine jumps. And I was really distraught. People say, Oh, did you like New York better when it was filthy and dangerous? No. He wrote a lot of books. All Rights Reserved. But in modern America - where, despite ostensible separation of church and state, the only thing that trumps the cross in terms of influence is the dollar sign - its possibly even worse. And he would type it. I would say maybe 74, 75. When I was younger, I might have said six months, although I think the longest relationship I was ever in was three years. Then 50 questions, then 20 questions, then, finally, you said, Can you see Im trying to read?. AIDS completely changed American culture. Or acceptance or understanding. It was one room, but that makes it sound grander than it was. I Cover The Waterfront. One of them was my columns. In introducing Fran Lebowitz to a contemporary large audience, the combination of biographical perspective and quasi-vrit style addresses the opposition between private and public (Arendt and Habermas). 2. - Booklet on 'New York's Underground' - Large . Their antidote to this was giving me about 22 Thorazines. President Biden repeatedly framed his campaign and his administration as defending "the rule of law" after what he and others portrayed as the lawless reign of President Trump . Ill also invent things, like I have to clean the entire apartment before I write. I said to my friends, 'He's going to make you long for de Blasio, [and] he was terrible,'" the author . That was on the second floor. I ended up smoking Lucky Strikes, just because I liked the way it looked, the gesture. And I even have the Richie Rich home game. In clips of them talking on stage, Lebowitz looks uncharacteristically awestruck. America is a great idea, so thats why its a great country. CLEMENTE: How do you keep ten thousand books in order, do you have a personal librarian? I do remember that the worst movie I ever saw was called Four Flies on Gray Velvet, with Mimsy Farmer, one of your great loves. My favorite thing to do is to call another writer who has a deadline, because they will stay on the phone with you. When she was sixteen, her family interrupted her education, sending her to work as a nanny in New York. Used Planes comes out every single month. Why was your first apartment so horrible, apart from the roaches? Knowledge of a culture. Theres no reason why it has to be the way it is. Plus they are paid by the minute. CLEMENTE: And when you wrote these columns, how did you go about that? French symbolist? The dancers sit there waiting for him to come up with something. But I did actually graduate from high school, because I took the New Jersey High School Equivalency Test. CLEMENTE: Have you been following the presidential campaign? And a piano player is sitting there as well. I hated the we. Lebowitz: Sepia is my all-time favorite. CLEMENTE: You didnt have a kitchen, but I doubt that you cook. The novel is reputedly about rich people who want to be artists, and artists who want to be rich people. Fran took on modern manners, aesthetics and culture the way William Buckley takes on liberalism. Since we are on the pages of Interview magazine, should we go back to your beginnings at Interview? I hate money. And if you asked them, Do you like that Jew? She would say, No, I hate him. Do you like that girl in the head scarf? No, I hate her. But heres the great thing about New York: They leave each other alone. Speaking to celebrated New Yorker Fran Lebowitz over the phone is an experience as hilarious and eye-opening as one would imagine it to be. My fathermy stepfatherhad gotten ill, and my parents had three boy children. I think I got to 2, and then I slept 22 hours. I am alternately very gregariousvery sociableand then very solitary. Lebowitz: I was 19 at the time, so I thought it was entertaining. This conversation began at a public event at the 92nd Street Y in 2013, and was picked up again in her Vermont kitchen eight years later, in the summer of 2021, when the social restrictions of the pandemic had, for a time, eased. And with AIDS, a whole generation of gay men died practically all at once, within a couple of years. The 70-year-old . There are certain relationships I think Im great at: Im the worlds greatest daughter. Her first published work, movie and book reviews, appeared in that magazine when she was twenty years old. Fran Lebowitz: I Cover the Waterfront. Id like to be admissions director of New York. The building is still there. At the age of 27, Fran Lebowitz has been suddenly hailed as the funniest writer to come down the pike since Dorothy Parker or, by some accounts, Oscar Wilde. Lebowitz: I dont know if any inspire me. In the early 1970s, Andy Warhol hired Lebowitz as a columnist for his magazine Interview, where she wrote a column, I Cover The Waterfront. The first time we went to dinner and a movie togetherthis was shortly after we metwe got out of the movie, and she said, "Let's get a cab.". I saw the only job that was worse than writing. I Married Joan, I Love Lucy, I loved all those situation comedies. High Times: What are your favorite magazines? Fran Lebowitz, ace epigrammatist, is further a first-rate conversationalist, a hall-of-fame bibliomaniac, a chronic self-caricaturist, a gal-about-town, the soul of the city, a snappish social . Ms. Lebowitz was interviewed by Glenn OBrien, a longtime friend who has proposed marriage on several occasions. Getty Images. What youre supposed to have is, say, all Henry Jamess novels and the letters, which is more elegant. I would stand in front of the class and report on a book I had made up. There are these prototypes all over the place, mixed in with my own crummy furniture. High Times: Do you ever think you cant do it? We think his version of the navy pinstripe would fit right in Fran's rotation. I never saw those issues. A prominent liberal Democrat with a keen political eye, Lebowitz has. Here's one guarantee in 2021: author Fran Lebowitz won't read this. And a rooming house is different than a boarding house because there were no kitchens. As a Democrat, Id quite like him to be the candidate. Thanks for offering this from your Archive. I always was.FRAN LEBOWITZ. High Times: I remember telling you youd never make it as a writer until you learned how to type. I have a number of bookcases, big wooden bookcases with glass doors; most of them are 19th century. The one I wrote myself was called House of Leather. I would have liked to have met Nabokov. I have a great collection of A.I.P. But, I mean, years ago I had a girlfriend who summed me up perfectly. I did that for a couple of years. Lebowitz: I had a parakeet when I was four called Polka Dotty, and I killed Polka Dotty by eating its food. Hes not going to be president. There were two funny ones that were real crowd pleasers when I used to read them. They were also the most interesting people. In Andy Warhol's Interview: Volume 1: Best of the First Decade 1969-1979, edited by Sara J . There was a sink in the bathroom. Im such a slow writer I have no need for anything as fast as a word processor. . On the other hand, in the last few weeks, a couple of times I had dinner with people where I was the only American at the table, and I was yelled at for Donald Trump, like he was my fault. Needless to say, I'm a big fan and I'm telling everyone I know to watch it right away. I could have written a trilogy in 11 hours. The day my grounding was up and I was going to be allowed to go out on Saturday I got the flu and was sick for two weeks. It reminds me of when a choreographer I know was creating a ballet. High Times: What was the style? And in order to do that, you have to change it so they like it. I also did some subcontract work for porn writers. Frances Ann Lebowitz ( / libwts /; [1] born October 27, 1950) is an American author, [2] public speaker, [3] [4] and occasional actor. My inspiration for wanting to be a beatnik was not Allen Ginsberg or Jack Kerouac but Maynard G. Krebs from the Dobie Gillis show. I saw a group-therapy movieand the whole thing took place in redwood hot tubs with people screaming their problems at each other. Three or four hours, okay, fine. Its very disconcerting to be in the basement of a night club at ten oclock in the morning reading poetry on a stage with a spotlight on you and no one there. CLEMENTE: One of my favorite things that you ever published was something that came out at the height of the AIDS epidemic, when the amount of nonsensical, prejudiced, ridiculous things being said was really extraordinary, and you came up with a few paragraphs that really nailed the situation. I wasnt glamorous and rebellious. And then, that machine is waiting for you, just humming uh-huh, yes?. In person, that voice pours out in great glittering riffs (on politics and personal space, on AIDS, the 80s, New York, and everything in between) that set Lebowitz atop our list of dream dinner-party guests and probably put her in the running for greatest talkers ever. SHOP NOW. I remember what year that was. Lebowitz: No. What are they going to possibly say thats of interest? LEBOWITZ: Money. After addressing her reaction to the Mueller . Its not human nature. Then I try to bargain with them to wait until I get to the absolute edge of the deadline. Its too expensive. I loved dressing up and going out. In the vein of Lebowitz's acclaimed Netflix limited series, Pretend It's a CityThe Fran Lebowitz Reader brings together two of the famed author's bestsellers, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies.In "elegant, finely honed prose" (The Washington Post Book World), Lebowitz limns the vicissitudes of contemporary urban lifeits fads, trends, crazes, morals, and fashions. If you don't know Fran Lebowitz, you'll get to know her very well in Pretend It's a City, the new 7-episode docuseries directed by her longtime friend, Martin Scorsese.Lebowitz has been . LEBOWITZ: I drove a cab. He wasnt a comedian, but he was the funniest talk-show guest. High Times: When you were writing The Best of the Worst what was the best bad movie you ever saw? By Kate Mossman Enough time has passed, Fran Lebowitz thinks, to admit she went to a birthday party on 9/11. It was actually a show for farmers. People say, Well, what would you do with Times Square? And I always think, Gee, I dont know. I knew about four or five people who wrote porn books at the time that I was a poet. Because it doesnt agitate against human nature. Light? I didnt want to have my consciousness expanded, I wanted to have it restricted. But all the girls I knew when I was young who had to workthere were rich girlsbut the ones who had to work were waitresses. But I really dont like animals at all. Pretend It's a City. You're only as good as your last haircut. Stay home! The writer and raconteur embodied the hip, downtown Manhattan of the 70s. Shes really not our type. I was home sick when I was expelled. The two things I hate the most. Ill take you to 21 if you type for me. Ive typed some of my columns. Exec Producer, Star, "Pretend It's a City" Having previously starred in and produced a documentary with pal Martin Scorsese (HBO's "Public Speaking"), Lebowitz knew what type of . At one point, I dont know why I had this idea, but it was probably after Andy did those big MaosI had this idea to do this wallpaper of Mao, and we made this fake wallpaper. LEBOWITZ: Or ballet. This is America, what is the culture? Your email address will not be published. Those memories are a constant source of some strange pleasure for me. When it was on at 1:30 I saw no reason to get up in the morning, but now its on at 11:30, so sometimes I wake up to watch it. Of course, every year it gets harder to find them. I did every single one like that. I remember it because they gave me the topic: What was the effect of AIDS on the culture? After the latters death, the former mysteriously disappeared. CLEMENTE: And the illustrations were by Marc Balet? And especially the ones that I knew. And now I eat a steak before I write, like a prizefighter. Maybe 20 people had read it, and he acted like it was in the Daily News. EW cover star Bowen Yang stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers . Fran rose to her now-legend status starting at Interview magazine where she wrote a column called "I Cover the Waterfront," She is also the author of two books, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies, and the world awaits further writings. This has never occurred. The New York Times, especially at that time, was gigantic. Interview, at the time, six people read it, believe me. So I didnt have a kitchen. - 48-page book (text in German) covering the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Andy Warhol, the Velvet Underground in film and a discography, with many b&w and colour photos. Im very vilified for this, I have to say. I like Woody Allen. Fran was raised in Morristown, New Jersey. CLEMENTE: What aspect of New York do you think has really fundamentally changed? One of the movies was The Thing with Two Heads, starring Ray Milland and Rosie Grier. Did you write it at the last minute? Id rather have people shooting up in my apartment; at least I dont have to smell it. I wanted to be a beatnik. There was nothing televisiony or psychological about it. Lebowitz: Ill never make it as a typist. But there was a myth about her. Full-time Im watching daytime TV., The following interview took place one afternoon in an apartment overlooking the East River. I was very bitter about it because I had before me what seemed to be a successful future. In her study at home in North Bennington, 2018. The title refers to her frustration with people so absorbed in their devices that they bump into you on the street. Metropolitan Life is a 1978 bestselling collection of comedic essays and the debut book by writer Fran Lebowitz. Also a TV show that was on Sunday morning for four hours: I cant remember the name of it, but Sonny Fox was the emcee. Monday June 7 2021. Fran Lebowitz is a world treasure. A pen. For some reason, I decided to cut off my hair and bleach it blond. I love Richard Pryor. You sit or stand in the subway, and you look aroundI do, because I dont have a phone so Im not playing a gameand you see people. She rented a theater and sat on stage and called people up and didnt tell them. Lebowitz: I was unceremoniously expelled from prep school in my senior year for no apparent reason. Fran Lebowitzs trademark is the sneer; she disapproves of virtually everything except sleep, cigarette smoking, and good furniture. I also have several writing habits necessitated by living in this apartment. 15 Times Fran Lebowitz Was The Most Interesting Woman In The Room. I always liked people who are older. She is alive to the advantage in the irony that her literary heritage had not predicted her, exalted, brave, free. And I read them. Your email address will not be published. LEBOWITZ: I only know how many there are because for the last several years Ive moved every five minutes, so theyre counted. October 3, 2022 | 2:24pm. There may, in fact, still be no ceiling in the bathroom. I clearly had one of those eating problems, but I didnt know what they were. Id call it Hello, This is Fran.. Because you could always get shifts in a restaurant. So theyre in alphabetical order, within each section. You have to say fuck, you have to have these kinds of sex. Theres a connection. LEBOWITZ: I think one manifestation of integrity is holding a grudge. Fran Lebowitz is 69 years old October 27. In between writing books Lebowitz is a guest editor and occasional columnist for Vanity Fair. In an excerpt from The Art of Fiction no. As boring as reading it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To celebrate, were republishing Glenn OBriens interview with the living legend from the August, 1978 print edition of High Times. During the time that I read poetry, because I was such a wonderful reader of it, people who actually had a legitimate interest in poetry would hear me and ask me to send it to them because they thought it was good. I still have the clothes I bought at Bonwit Teller. One is that deers are rats. I wanted to know what a vodka for women meant. Fran Lebowitz: "A dumb woman is the preferred woman in the USA" The essayist and speaker on her Manhattan lockdown, 9/11 and disappointing Americans - from Andy Warhol to Joe Biden. In the past ten years, Lebowitz has been a regular guest on the television showLate Nightwith David Letterman. But now, as Ive grown up, all my friends have developed much more mature writing habits. People always say pop culture. As if we have some high culture to distinguish it from. Im a great relative. When I first came here, meeting writers wasnt available to me; but now that I have met tons of those people, I wish I hadnt. I dont want them to come. 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