Sunday nights in Melbourne are often a quiet affair, however entering the foyer of Hamer Hall revealed a hive of excitement as a crowd of impatient fans waited to see Fran Lebowitz speak.
What immediately surprised me was the mix of people in attendance. There were loner arty patrons, elderly couples and groups of young friends. This undoubtedly reflected the diversity of Lebowitz’s work, which comprised not just decades of social commentary but also a relatively recent Netflix limited series. I found myself there due to later, as I suspect did many of the other younger people in attendance.
One thing that everyone had in common though, was that this clearly was not their first speaking event. Seemingly everyone was engaged in an interesting conversation, glass of wine in hand. There was no confusion about the entry doors, what ‘the circle’ was, and no need for staff to explain things more than once. Everyone was polite, almost surprisingly so.
Coming off a weekend at the football hosted out of a derelict steel shed, gliding around the immaculately fitted Hamer Hall with the help of well trained staff hit me with a very clear though – there are levels to society and a $90 online ticketed event is not the same a $20 cash-in-hand community football game.
The event was conducted in two parts. A half hour interview to start, followed by an hour long question and answer portion. Sitting with Crickey editor-in-chief Sophie Black, Lebowitz kicked off the event by commenting on a pretty wide range of topical issues. However Black’s very first question about Lebowitz’ outfit seemed to bemuse the speaker and audience alike, only to be saved by Lebowitz’ excellent anecdote about her irritating boot maker, which thankfully reframed the interview into an exploration of her wit rather than a breakdown of her appearance.
Black’s subsequent line of questioning worked though many of today’s headline issues. The impact of social media, the upcoming US presidential election, Trump, and travel experiences. Lebowitz excellently and humorously addressed each, sharing her confusion of technology and her distain for the current American political climate.
Considering however that there was an hour of audience Q&A to follow, the general nature of the line of questioning was disappointing, and the interview felt much less like a conversation and much more like a tick-box exercise. Questions about Lebowitz’s work or even questions exploring here personal identity would have been appreciated.
The failure to engage or challenge Lebowitz during the interview process was also a missed opportunity, at times Black sheepishly agreed with comments simply to move the ‘conversation’ along. This was even the case when Black was visibly troubled by Lebowitz’s comments on the death of Journalism in the internet age. Rather than explore the comments, they were brushed aside in favour of the next topic by the internet media editor.
Although the general nature of the questions did frame the event well and provided an excellent platform for Lebowitz to muse about modern life, at times it felt as though there was only on difference between the two parts of the event. In the first part Lebowitz was read questions, in the second part she had to read them herself.
Ironically for a self-proclaimed luddite, the question and answer portion of the event was conducted a via digital submission of questions. Lebowitz addressed the format with a clever quip about anonymity and from that moment, had the audience in her hands.
The questions largely covered Lebowitz’s experiences in New York, travel and her thoughts on politics. Her insights into the atmosphere of New York on 2016 election day were fascinating, as were her experiences travelling for speaking events, where she explained her lack of energy for the whole process.
Her most valuable comments for me were her thoughts on reading and art. Specifically the destruction of the hobby by Oprah’s book club and her views that reading should provide not a mirror but a door. I would love to hear her discuss in greater detail her views on the craft and her views on art.
Although the questions themselves were pretty benign, Lebowitz brought energy in her responses and often flipped questions on their head. Rather than address a Montreal based patron’s question for example, she provided a scathing critique on Montreal itslef. Rather than provide advice about AI and the future of humanity, she explained the issues didn’t bother her because she would be dead by the time they reared their ugly heads.
Lebowitz’s responses presented a deep seeded pessimism, in contrast to the hopeful and curious nature of her audience’s questions. This dynamic reveals a unique interplay between the two parties. Lebowitz’s is different from others for her ability to break things down rather destroy the things that irritate her, which is seemingly everything. Her audience seems to believe that they can put these things back together in a better way, Lebowitz seems to believe the broken pieces were never meant to be brought together in the first place.
In regards to questions about her travel my feeling is a little odd. Lebowitz is only travelling by virtue of her audience’s desire to ask her questions about travel. We’ve put someone under pressure and then asked them what the pressure is like. The whole situation is a fabrication! Similarly the questions about New York also feels a little surface level.
‘Let’s hear what New York is like, from a real New Yorker’.
I understand the attraction of these questions – for many aspiring artists in the audience Lebowitz embodies their dream New York experience. She is a successful writer who attends decedent parties with film makers, lives in luxurious buildings and is still in touch with common people. By her own admission though this dream is not the reality. She faces constant financial difficulties, does a job she doesn’t want to do, and travels places she doesn’t want to go.
Of course many of her musings about the city are cool, she is after all famous for these critiques, however the city which platformed her did not make her. Her fearlessness to criticise everyone from Bloomberg to children, her desire to engage in and create art are intrinsic characteristics beyond what the city provided for her. It would have been enjoyable to hear more questions about who she is and why she is, rather than where she has been.
I optimistically hope people came away with the realisation that a focus on themselves and their art adds true value. They have the ability to create their dream ‘New York’ here in Melbourne if they want to, as is evidence by someone who famously espouses the value of working alone.
I really enjoyed the event overall and like many did afterwards bought a copy of Lebowitz’s book. Following the event many attendees also quickly waited in line to see herher. The line was so long it appears Lebowitz would be signing books for longer than the speaking event itself. For all of the brilliant, funny and controversial things she has to say on that night in Melbourne, I guess it made sense that most of the writer’s time would be spent writing.
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