Fran Lebowitz

In the series, Lebowitz talks with Martin Scorsese about getting kicked out of high school, driving a cab in New York City in the 1970s and not having a cell phone. Originally broadcast January 2021.

Iconoclastic humorist Fran Lebowitz used to be known as a writer. Back in the late 1970s and '80s, she released two popular collections of essays featuring her cutting observations and opinions about life. But that part of her career was cut short by a decades-long case of writer's block — now she's known for talking. The Netflix series Pretend It's a City features Lebowitz in conversation with Martin Scorsese — who directed both the new series and the 2010 HBO documentary about Lebowitz, Public Speaking.

The Washington Post has called Lebowitz "the funniest woman in America." She's come out with her first children's book, "Mr. Chas and Lisa Sue Meet the Pandas." In 1978 she wrote the critically acclaimed essay collection "Metropolitan Life." Lebowitz joins Fresh Air to talk about how her relationship with writing has changed now that she's middle-aged.