Rosebud in NYC - Fran Lebowitz
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What is Fran Lebowitz's background and family history?
Welcome to Rosebud. This is my podcast with me, Giles Branruth, produced by my friend Harriet Jane. And we're very lucky. We have literally millions of downloads. We've become a huge podcast worldwide. There are millions of you out there. So I'd like you all to join with me now as I say what I say every week as we begin another episode. Are you ready? On the count of three. Three, two, one. Cue the music.
Welcome to Rosebud. Yes, it's a Friday, if you're listening in real time. And it's me, Giles Brandreth, in a state of some excitement because today I'm talking to you from New York City. It's very exciting. We've done a few interviews in New York, and this is a very special one. And my special guest today is someone who, well, really is the sensibility of New York, is the voice of New York. In fact, the New York Times called her a modern-day Dorothy Parker. As some of you may know, I'm the president of the Oscar Wilde Society, and at a recent gathering of Oscar Wilde enthusiasts, we fell to talking about who might be considered a contemporary Oscar Wilde. And we bandied a few names around.
How did Fran Lebowitz's childhood influence her career?
Older people mentioned the great American James Baldwin, who had an incredible way with words. And I know our guest today, well, she was an admirer of James Baldwin. Somebody mentioned Stephen Fry. Well, he's certainly remarkable. He's already been a guest on Rosebud. Well, today's guest is a woman. She's a New Yorker. She's a phenomenon. She is Fran Leibovitz. She's a cultural critic. She's a public speaker. She's an author today with Writer's Block, famous for her books, Metropolitan Life, Social Studies, The Fran Lebowitz Reader. And then she really stopped writing. She was a journalist. She worked, for example, on Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. I don't know that she got on that well with Andy Warhol.
You'll discover as you listen to our conversation with one of the great talkers of our time. I feel very privileged. I saw the Martin Scorsese documentary series about her and I thought, this is a woman I want to meet. And now I am.
What unique experiences shaped Fran's views on writing and creativity?
And now you are too. This is an intimate conversation with a remarkable individual. with a brilliant mind and a wonderful way with words. Welcome to Rosebud with Fran Lebowitz. Cue the music.
Fran, I'm so excited because this is our very first podcast in the United States of America, and I wanted you to be our very first guest for a reason I'll reveal to you at the end of our conversation. You are not familiar with the world of podcasting, are you? Because you don't have Wi-Fi, you don't have internet, you may not even ever have listened to a podcast, though I know you've appeared on a few.
Yes.
I've appeared on millions. I've listened or seen zero. Is there a reason for this? Yeah, I don't look at anything about myself. It doesn't matter what it is. It could be a newspaper. It could be a magazine.
It's about yourself. But are you against Wi-Fi because you don't have a mobile cell phone and things?
No, I'm not against it. I'm just not interested in it.
What was Fran's relationship with Andy Warhol like?
It's not been for you. You know, when they first invented the kind of computer you have in your house, it was called a word processor. So it was before the internet. And a friend of mine who's a screenwriter got one, and she said, this thing is fantastic. You have to come look at it. So I went to her apartment, I looked at it, and I thought, this is just a very fast kind of typewriter, which is all it was then. There was way before the internet. And I don't need this because A, I don't know how to type. And B, I write so slowly, I could write my own blood without hurting myself. So I didn't get it. You know, then eventually it was the internet. Now, obviously I didn't know the whole world would go into this machine.
But by the time it did, I was like so removed from it. I just don't care about it.
Well, I care very much that you're here, and I'm very thrilled that you're here. And I'm going to ask you our first question. Our first question is always the same. I'm going to give you your name. I hope I've got this right. Frances Ann Leibovitz?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Fran Lebowitz's background and family history?
0:00–1:38
2
How did Fran Lebowitz's childhood influence her career?
1:38–2:39
3
What unique experiences shaped Fran's views on writing and creativity?
2:39–3:50
4
What was Fran's relationship with Andy Warhol like?
3:50–4:46
5
How did Fran Lebowitz transition from writing to public speaking?
4:46–5:54
6
What role does Fran's extensive book collection play in her life?
5:54–7:29
7
What are Fran Lebowitz's thoughts on marriage and relationships?
7:29–8:30
8
How does Fran reflect on her life experiences and regrets?
8:30–59:34