SPEAKER_01: If you're prescribed NERTEK® ODT, or MedJapan® 75 mg for migraine attacks, does the fear of running out of medication stop you from treating every migraine attack? If so, ask about two eight-packs per month. That's 16 tablets, and most insurance plans cover it. NERTEK® ODT is approved for the acute treatment of migraine attacks
SPEAKER_02: and preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. Don't take if allergic to NERTEK® ODT or any of its ingredients. Allergic reactions can occur even days after using and include trouble breathing, rash, and swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Most common side effects were nausea and indigestion stomach pain. A maximum dose of 75 mg can be taken daily to treat migraine attacks or every other day to prevent them. The safety of using more than 18 doses of NERTEK® ODT in a 30-day period has not been established. For full prescribing information, call 1-833-4-NERTEK® or visit nertek.com. Double the packs to treat more migraine attacks.
SPEAKER_01: Ask your doctor if two eight-packs of NERTEK® ODT is right for you.
SPEAKER_00: Hi! From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about comediennees— women throughout history who've made us laugh. They transgress societal norms through comedy and often spoke out against injustice using their sharp wit.
Today we're talking about a New York City icon. She's a self-proclaimed homebody, but spend enough time in the city and you're likely to catch a glimpse of her dressed in her signature cowboy boots and Anderson & Shepherd coat over top a white shirt and cuffed Levi jeans.
Let's talk about Fran Lebowitz.
Fran Lebowitz was born on October 27, 1950, in Morristown, New Jersey. From a young age, Fran had strong opinions and wasn't afraid to share them. The only issue was that the adults in her life didn't really want to hear them. Fran would frequently get sent out of class for talking back. Her mother would send her to bed at 730 because she couldn't stand to listen to her anymore. In addition to being outspoken, Fran was undeniably funny. But once again, she was told this was not a quality people cared for. Her mother, in particular, told her that boys didn't like funny girls. As it turned out, that didn't really matter to Fran.
When Fran graduated junior high, she won the award for being the class wit, but she was too afraid to bring it home because of her mother's words.
School was not Fran's forte.
She struggled to keep her grades up and to follow the rules. In hopes of improving her GPA, Fran's parents enrolled her in an all-girls high school. But that didn't work either. Once, Fran was suspended for coming to school on Halloween dressed as Fidel Castro. She thought it was funny, but not everyone agreed. In her expulsion letter, the headmaster wrote, She's a bad influence on the other girls and is usurping my power.
In New Jersey, Fran was an outsider. She was too opinionated, too funny, and too gay to stay in the suburbs, where, at the time, none of those things were appreciated or accepted. But there was a place not too far from her hometown that called to her.
Growing up, Fran regularly visited New York City. To her, it was the most exciting place in the world. So in 1970, Fran left Morristown and moved to Manhattan. She arrived with $200 in her pocket and no place to stay. But she immediately knew she was home. After bopping between friends' apartments, she rented her own apartment in the West Village. The apartment didn't have a kitchen or a bathroom ceiling, but it was hers. To support herself, Fran had a series of odd jobs. She cleaned apartments, sold belts, and drove taxis. The one job she refused to do was waitress. She said, You know what? I'm not going to smile at men for money, because that's what that job is.
As a young New Yorker, Fran loved the nightlife.
She enjoyed the exclusivity and covertness of the clubs. And all the cute people didn't hurt either. For her, a night out was about sex and dancing. It was also about staying out of her rundown apartment. In an interview she later said, I'm quite sure that for at least 10 years of my life I went out every single night, all night long. I very rarely came home before it was light.
When she wasn't going out, Fran was selling advertising space and writing film and book reviews for a magazine called Changes.
She wanted to be a writer, so she asked a friend who was writing for Andy Warhol's magazine Interview to set up a meeting with the editor. By 1972, Fran was a columnist. She first had a column reviewing bad movies and then developed a column called I Cover the Waterfront.
Her work was a collage of cultural satire, advice, hilariously biting commentary on dilettantes and social climbers, and rants on a variety of topics that bothered Fran. And most things bother Fran.
SPEAKER_03: I must say, I didn't even like teenagers when I was a teenager, including myself. I have a theory about teenagers was that teenagers' main intent in life seems to be to annoy those around them. So I feel that one of the less populous states, like Wyoming, should be cleared of all adults and all teenagers should move into the state.
SPEAKER_00:
She doesn't like adults who roller skate or people who are unnaturally tan. She can't stand tourists and aftershave lotion. She thinks the news never tells you anything and she hates digital watches, calculators and technology in general. Despite being a writer, Fran has never owned a typewriter or a computer. She doesn't even have a cell phone. If you want to get in contact with Fran, you have to call her landline.
SPEAKER_00: Eventually, Fran's column earned her a book deal. In 1978, she published Metropolitan Life, a collection of comedic essays on fashion trends, fads, morals and American customs, all seen through Fran's sharp-witted, scrutinizing lens. The book was a sensation. Overnight, Fran solidified herself as a humorist. The book's success resulted in a second collection of essays in 1981 called Social Studies. She divided her book into sections, People, Places, Things and Ideas. In People, you'd find How Not to Marry a Millionaire, a Guide for the Misfortune Hunter. In Ideas, When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Shut Them.
After those two books, writing came to a halt for Fran. She developed what she calls writer's blockade. Aside from a children's book in 1994, Fran hasn't published a book since. Instead, she's established herself as a popular public speaker. Fran attributes this to two things. She said, I am a psychotic perfectionist when it comes to writing, which makes it very hard. It's a combination of that and the fact that if I'm not the laziest person that ever lived, that I'm certainly among them. Writing is really hard and I'm really lazy, and talking is easy for me.
Today, Fran tours around the world doing live appearances that feature a Questions from the Audience segment.
This is her favorite recreational activity.
She says she derives joy from the fact that growing up, not many people asked her questions or cared for her opinions. And now, that's exactly what she makes a living doing.
Fran's success has put her in the same room as many famous, influential people.
One of those people was writer and novelist Toni Morrison.
After doing a reading together, the two became fast friends.
Throughout their 40-year friendship, they talked on the phone almost every day. Up until Donald Trump was elected president, Fran thought she was always right. And the only person who could change her mind about something was Toni.
One thing Fran will probably never change her mind about is New York. She has said that New York City is pretty much unrecognizable from when she first arrived. Still, she loves it and doesn't believe she would be allowed to live anywhere else. She enjoys spending her days leafing through books at the bookstore, visiting museums, and reading one of the 12,000 books from her collection.
If you can't attend one of Fran's live appearances, you can learn more about her in the HBO documentary Public Speaking and a Netflix limited documentary series, Pretend It's a City.
All month we're talking about comediennees. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Willmanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01: from treating every migraine attack? If so, ask about two eight-packs per month. That's 16 tablets, and most insurance plans cover it.
SPEAKER_02: NURTEC ODT is approved for the acute treatment of migraine attacks and preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. Don't take if allergic to NURTEC ODT or any of its ingredients. Allergic reactions can occur even days after using and include trouble breathing, rash, and swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Most common side effects were nausea and indigestion stomach pain. A maximum dose of 75 milligrams can be taken daily to treat migraine attacks or every other day to prevent them. The safety of using more than 18 doses of NURTEC ODT in a 30-day period has not been established. For full prescribing information, call 1-833-4-NURTEC or visit nurtec.com.
SPEAKER_01: Double the packs to treat more migraine attacks. Ask your doctor if two eight-packs of NURTEC ODT is right for you.
