I love funny people: Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Clower, Joan Rivers, Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, et al. In particular, I greatly enjoy comedians who tell a story, not just jokes.
The first time that I had even heard of Fran Lebowitz was when I picked up a copy of "Social Studies" at Rizzoli Bookstore several years back. I rememeber actually laughing out loud as I leafed through the pages trying to figure out if it was indeed a necessary purchase. It was. Her writing, while quick-witted, painfully observant, and at times acerbic, it never came across as malicious. At least not blatantly so. One of my favorite chapters was titled "How Not To Marry A Millionaire: A Guide For The Misfortune Hunter." It rather distinctly showed the difference between The Haves and The Have Nots. More than hilarious was the sub-section titled, "What Not To Say To Poor People" (Or, more specifically, the "Have Nots" ~
The first time that I had even heard of Fran Lebowitz was when I picked up a copy of "Social Studies" at Rizzoli Bookstore several years back. I rememeber actually laughing out loud as I leafed through the pages trying to figure out if it was indeed a necessary purchase. It was. Her writing, while quick-witted, painfully observant, and at times acerbic, it never came across as malicious. At least not blatantly so. One of my favorite chapters was titled "How Not To Marry A Millionaire: A Guide For The Misfortune Hunter." It rather distinctly showed the difference between The Haves and The Have Nots. More than hilarious was the sub-section titled, "What Not To Say To Poor People" (Or, more specifically, the "Have Nots" ~
- Is that your Daimler blocking the driveway?
- I'll call you around Noon. Will you be up?
- Don't you believe it for a minute - these waiters make an absolute fortune.
- Oh, a uniform. What a great idea.
Since she doesn't write as much as we'd like her to, I was quite thrilled when I recently saw an article about an upcoming documentary, Public Speaking, which was directed by none other than Martin Scorsese. For someone who considers herself to be terribly lazy (not having done much from 1979-2007, by her own admission) it would seem as though slothful behavior has definitely benefited her... at least creatively. Public Speaking premieres on HBO on November 22nd. I can't wait to see it.
(video via HBO)
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