fran-kly speaking
Urbane social commentator Fran Lebowitz brings her acerbic wit to Houston in special event
Urbane, cool, and possessing a legendary, deadpan, and acerbic wit, author and style icon Fran Lebowitz has been a pop culture powerhouse for decades.
Now, Houstonians can meet the New York City-repping (she believes she should never be allowed to live anywhere else) social commentator in a special event at 7:30 pm Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at Jones Hall.
This event, hosted by Society for Performing Arts, will feature a 30-minute conversation with local PBS host Ernie Manouse, followed by a 60-minute audience Q&A session, and post-event book signing. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased online.
No doubt, Lebowitz and Manouse will discuss Pretend It’s a City, the documentary series centering on Lebowitz directed by Martin Scorsese and nominated for the 2021 Emmys in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series category.
The bookish Lebowitz is author of two books collected in the Fran Lebowitz Reader, with a new preface by the author. She is also the author of the children’s book, Mr. Chas and Lisa Sue Meet the Pandas.
Her stories stem from her colorful working days in NYC; Lebowitz worked odd jobs, such as taxi driving, belt peddling, and apartment cleaning (“with a small specialty in Venetian blinds”), before being hired by Andy Warhol as a columnist for Interview, per her bio.
Later, she joined Mademoiselle and published two best-selling essay collections: Metropolitan Life, and Social Studies. Vanity Fair named her to its International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2008.
Opinionated, off-the-cuff, always one for a one-liner — “success didn't spoil me, I've always been insufferable,” she’s famous for saying — Lebowitz is sure to make for a memorable evening.
