In the darkened auditorium of the Englert Theatre, the large doors opened, excited audience members headed to their seats, and the lights dimmed before ‘70s pop culture icon Fran Lebowitz walked onto the stage.
Lebowitz is a world renowned social critic and commentator from New York City. Famous for being in the same circles as famous artists such as Martin Scorsese, Andy Warhol, and the New York Dolls, firmly setting herself in the counter culture of that time. She’s also published many of her own works, including the classics “Metropolitan Life” and “Social Studies.” Incredibly enough, this is her first time in Iowa City, and in Iowa.
“I went on YouTube, and saw her for the first time. She’s quite the character,” Dave Bengston, a volunteer for the Englert said. “I love the people the Englert is able to get here.”
The event started with Matteo Lokmic, the lecture committee member who was interviewing Lebowitz. He said that if he had a dream pick to bring to the university, it would be Lebowitz, flashing a smile. Their interview lasted approximately 30 minutes, while the Q&A itself ran for about an hour.
From discussions regarding geography and nostalgia — specifically what Lebowitz penned as the political weaponization of it — to more modernistic jokes about times during the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy, Lokmic and Lebowitz covered an incredible amount of ground.
Continuing along with the political references, Lebowitz made more references to her hometown, weighing her complex opinions on figures such as Zohran Mamdani and utilizing her firebrand humor. When asked, she said “love to be mayor,” and clarified her dream job was to be a Supreme Court Justice.
The conversation then took a turn over to technology, where Lebowitz explained her position on not owning any modern devices: she doesn’t see a use for them rather than being actively against them. Primarily, she utilizes an answering machine, to which the audience reacted with roaring laughter.
Then, the Q&A started, with anyone being able to join in. The first question was, “Do you have any questions you don’t like giving your opinion on?”
Understandably, Lebowitz mentioned anything personal, and then went into a discussion about how she engages with more political questions. She was recently asked if the U.S.was heading toward a civil war. She said she hoped not as she believed the violence would be too high of a cost, contrasting her humorist side —that could be found easily on Wednesday night — with her intellect.
A couple other highlights focus on her belief that friendships are the best possible relationship, and her unyielding support toward school librarians, who she considers “the bastions of a strong democracy.”
Eventually, after answering about a dozen questions, Lebowitz waved, and hastily made her way off the stage. She made an appearance at the book signing in the lobby later, which was done in collaboration with Prairie Lights Bookstore.
“I mainly know that she’s a renowned author, I found out about her through Martin Scorsese’s documentary,” Sumner Codd, a third-year UI student, said. “I was kind of iffy on going, but then I thought, why not take this opportunity?”
One thing many noticed throughout the night was the impressive quality of Lebowitz’s sharp wit. Long joke segways seemed to pop into her head almost immediately after every question, leaving the audience to anticipate each punchline which usually ended in thunderous applause or laughter.
“This whole night was proposed through a traditional pitch by Matteo,” Elijah Redington, also a member of the UI Lecture Committee, said. “We had an internal student pitch, and the committee got to know what Fran Lebowitz was about. We watched her on Stephen Colbert, watched a few of her other lectures, and saw that she would work. After that, it was about seeing if the times and Englert would all work out.”