Conversation with Fran Lebowitz about her loyalty to New York City, life during the pandemic, surviving the presidential election. Broadcast on Montez Press Radio (NYC) on November 17, 2020.

Quotes from the interview:

“The cops in New York have disappeared. I think their feelings are hurt. They didn’t know people didn’t like them, they thought they were beloved, I don’t know.”

“I feel that my life is a statement against Mike Pence.”

“The only thing uniting anyone in this country is Bill de Blasio. I would say that everyone in New York who I know or have spoken to hates Bill de Blasio. It is the uniting feature of New York. Rich people poor people old people young people white people black people...he is extremely tall, and I would guess that’s where all his self-confidence comes from. Because it certainly could not come from his many accomplishments. When he was trying to decide about the schools, you know, open them or not, and they would ask him at these press conferences, he would sit there like, I don’t know...maybe Tuesday...like he was trying to decide what kind of dessert to order....Universal Pre-K is really an important thing. And he’s the first mayor in decades who paid any attention to poor people. I really liked that about him.”

“I remember as a child particularly loving Salvador Dali. When I was a child, I would go to the Museum of Modern Art, and – I don’t know the name of the painting, the one with the melting watches – I would stand in front of this painting, I was so riveted. And in my later life I came to the conclusion that Dali is a child’s idea of a genius.”

“Art criticism happens to be – and this is hardly an original observation – the kind of writing that is so filled with jargon, it can make you want to jump out a window. I’ve never entirely understood this, because as a topic for a writer it’s incredibly rich....of course, there have been great art critics. But, some of these people you start reading it and it’s like trying to read cement. The words are English, I am a native speaker of English...if I keep thinking, What are you talking about? You’re doing something wrong, not me."

“Women don’t have a choice about growing up. In a certain way, there are very few men in the world, there are many more boys. And that is because people take care of them – and the people who take care of them are women. Women are forced to grow up. I’m not saying all men are childish, I’m just saying I have known very few childish women in my life...one thing is better. Men take care of children a lot more. When I was a child the idea was out of the question. So if you are taking care of a 3-year-old, guess who’s the 3-year-old and not you. So, that’s helpful to make people grow up.”