2023-05-04 12:15:00
AWhen Fran Lebowitz entered the Urania stage in Berlin at the weekend, she didn’t hide how reluctant she was to leave New York. “What do you hate about travelling?” she is asked. Her answer: “Travelling.” It’s a trademark joke. Fran – actually Frances Ann – Lebowitz is the last dandy of New York, a relic of the glory days when the city was considered the most dangerous but also the most exciting in the world. She embodies the intellectual US East Coast metropolis like no other, combining glam with spirit.
Ever since Martin Scorsese accompanied her with his camera for Netflix and turned it into the great Netflix hit “Pretend It’s a City”, Fran Lebowitz’s laconic jokes have been known and loved all over the world – including in Berlin, where the hall is open to the last place is filled. There is now also a volume with writings in German called “New York and the rest of the world”. But Lebowitz is particularly impressive on stage and in front of an audience, even if she has to leave her adopted country to do so. Mainly because you can pester Lebowitz with questions during her performances and hope for a witty punchline in return.
Does Lebowitz ever tire of answering audience questions? A curt no that is greeted with resounding laughter. There is only one iron rule: no hall microphones. Why? You can understand it from the very first question, which isn’t really a question, but turns into a lengthy presentation until Lebowitz rudely interrupts. Now a real question she asks. If you give the audience a microphone, she says, you don’t get questions, you get answers. But they are their job – fortunately.
Raised in Morristown, New Jersey, in a typical middle-class family, Lebowitz moved to New York as a young woman. She ends up in the circles of Andy Warhol (“The whole New York art scene could fit into one restaurant back then.”), works as a taxi driver (“How I survived? Lucky.”), writes porn (“Younger people don’t know that more, but before you had to write porn.) and starts working for the legendary newspaper The Village Voice. “There were so many bad jobs, you could have a new bad job every week,” says Lebowitz.
What was it like living in New York in the 1970s? “It’s better to live in 1970s New York in your 20s than in 1920s New York in your 70s.” What is a typical day for you in New York? “First of all, my typical day in New York is one night. During the day it’s too crowded and there’s too much daylight.” Her main occupations: Reading. Make a phone call. Movie theater. parties And smoke. She has smoked at least one pack a day since she was twelve, and Lebowitz is now 72 years old.
No consideration
Lebowitz’s humor is also so charming because it cultivates a certain misanthropy, without which one can hardly survive in the big city. Compulsive positivity is alien to her. “People are terrible,” she said. “I don’t care what they do as long as it doesn’t make any noise.” She often says things like “All of Gods children are not beautiful.” You don’t have to acknowledge and acknowledge every little quirk, you can also consider them with black humor, from which no one should feel safe. You can safely expect good jokes from Lebowitz, but not excessive consideration.
“If I’ve already canceled on the Internet, it doesn’t tell me, because I have work to do,” says Lebowitz. You have to know that Lebowitz lives without a smartphone or computer, she has even refused to use a typewriter. Newspaper, TV, telephone and an alert mind are enough. Are you worried about artificial intelligence? “I’m more concerned about human intelligence.” Another typical punchline. A quick question: “You are so spontaneous, how do you do it? – Coffee.”
“You’re so spontaneous, how do you do it? – Coffee.”
Source: Carsten Koall/dpa
The audience in Berlin is enthusiastic, numerous arms are stretched in the air at every opportunity. Lebowitz asked for an opinion on everything, even about self-service checkouts in supermarkets. Above all, however, also to US American politics. In her New York bubble, it was unimaginable that Trump would be elected president, says Lebowitz. She has never been wrong in her forecasts, except for the 2016 election. And since then, political polarization in the USA has only increased.
Now Lebowitz is even more questioned. What do you think of Joe Biden’s re-election? “He’s too old. He’s just too old. He’s too old to resign himself. If he were your father, they would ask him to hand over the car keys.” What does she think of Ron DeSantis, who might also compete? “DeSantis said in Florida Wokeness will come to die. Honey, everyone comes to Florida to die.” And the changes at Fox News? “I heard Tucker Carlson is gone, I haven’t gotten to enjoy it yet.”
Their political analyzes don’t necessarily go into depth, but that’s not what they came for. What one would like to experience is the art of the aphoristic punchline, which Lebowitz has mastered as ingeniously as Oscar Wilde once did. Another example: “My relationship with money is bad. Although I need it, I hate it.” Or: “Anyone who thinks that rich people are automatically smart hasn’t met either rich or smart people.” Delighted but slightly tired by this firework of punch lines, you think how funny it must be to be with her at a party. It wouldn’t matter which party, the main thing is that Fran Lebowitz is there.
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