Integrity doesn’t make lots of money. He had no ability to sell out. Thank goodness Joyce always respected that integrity. And thank goodness he met her and was able to share a productive and loving life with her.
Harvey Pekar was an intellectual giant. He had a deep understanding of how sincere, authentic personal expression can resonate universally among all people because we all share so many experiences and feelings in our everyday lives. He was a thoughtful surrogate for all people -- white, black, liberal, conservative, etc. His art derives from what's the same about all of us, not what's different.
After Pekar's death, David Letterman reportedly said, "“I loved Harvey. He was a wonderful guest. The kind you don’t see anymore. The only real problem with Harvey was my immaturity.” I had wondered if he felt badly for letting his temper get the best of him; I like Letterman more for not only realizing he could have handled his unusual guest differently, but for admitting it publicly . . . I hope he made that statement to Pekar himself.
I grew up loving Letterman's comedic genius but differed on his presenting Harvey like a joke when he was being real. And then later, a while after Harvey's passing, I saw Letterman talking to Howard stern and said he regretted the way he treated some guests and said "there was this one guy from cleveland.." and he said he would have loved to speak with him more with Dave's matured world view. I was almost in tears.
@@Baphalope Do you remember where and when he said that to Stern about Pekar? Was it on Dave's show or Howard's show? Could you fink a link perhaps? thanks bro
I would add “insecurity” to Letterman’s personal assessment. He admired Johnny Carson immensely but the thing that set Carson apart from Letterman was he ALWAYS made the guest look good. He treated stars and non celebrity guests with dignity. DL hurled sarcastic remarks at the guests that he didn’t care for. When he got to CBS I found him so narcissistic I stopped watching.
Man, were these two perfect for each other. Through his work, movie, and interviews, everything Harvey stood for lives on. He was simultaneously a small man and a giant among men.
Harvey had a lot of knocks in life, but he really lucked up (for lack of a better word) when he met Joyce. She got him and she loved him. That's a huge deal.
I just found out about Harvey recently. What a wonderful Man n Joyce is a great Woman. He was really blessed to meet Her I watched the Movie three times. Twice in one day. All the Letterman appearances. Where he could have been treated better. I bought a comic book of His and waiting to receive it. God bless these two ❤
Harvey pekar is a very facinating and odd little man. an enigma wrapped in a mylar bag. he is my hero in a cheap halloween costume. harvey pekar is just frickin awsome!!!
Full disclosure: I was unaware of American Splendor (for the most part) until my little brother turned me onto him (RIP Ben... the best person I will ever know). We shared a lot of things with each other and made the other aware of things that slipped through our own personal cracks. RIP Ben... you were the best person I have or will ever have the privilege to know. I wish more than anything you would have known how much you were loved, how ridiculously important you were, and the hole you left in so many hearts. I'm trying to move on but it's hard little bro, and even though I'm trying i usually fail. You were the best of us. And no matter what I do, I cant match up. I keep trying but i keep failing, just like I failed you. I've had this grand plan to follow through with some of your wishes, your dreams... but that's a fallacy. I'll be seeing you soon, I hope.
Great interview!!! .. all three of you.. I'm a big fan since hearing a recording of Harvey on the radio being interviewed and then watching the movie. The interview was so well done, and it's sad Harvey's been gone now about 13 years.
This isn't a knock against Joyce Brabner--it's great to hear all that she has to say. She's obviously intelligent and outspoken and an important part of the American Splendor equation, but is allowed to take most of this interview up with her comments. The interviewer, who does a tremendous job despite her insistence on nearly constantly speaking, tries time after time to ask Harvey Pekar direct questions and steer the interview back towards him. She should have realized this and let Harvey speak.
man i have seen this with other people before as well. men that are being interviewed because they have some level of fame. and their female companion that they bring along ust jumps right into the conversation constantly.
I was going to comment on this myself but you summed up everything I was going to say and probably better. Yes, I found her a little bit annoying for that very reason.
@@newwavepop It's interesting to note that visual artists (and ones who were actually friends and working in the same medium) like Pekar and R. Crumb, with quintessentially masculine (if self-doubting/loathing, in their cases) artistic personas also eventually created their art with and/or around their wives/female partners, in collaboration. Not against it, but it dilutes and weakens the initial aesthetic/concept; it softens it to a degree.
I think it was because Harvey was somewhat of a joke to Letterman and Harvey was aware of that and he didn't like it. Harvey was a very smart man and could go toe to toe with Letterman.
If this is a show about free speech, have a vaccine debate because we're getting shut down on Facebook, Amazon, RUclips, Pinterest, and even Google. Scary times in America
rjb555 shut the fuck you numbskull. Anti-vax has been around since vaccines were invented and the intelligent among us wrote you idiots off long ago. Just because you have the freedom to say what you want doesn’t mean anyone should listen. And besides this is a video about the comic book medium. Get a grip on your life and worry about a real issue. Or maybe read a book about vaccines. I bet you’ve never done that. Just a cursory search online for bias confirming news articles.
There is no vaccine debate. There are the well-established facts, and then there is the paranoid disinformation. It's no different from the flat earth "debate" or the creation vs science "debate".
luuke luketer LOL this comment aged like milk. Trump didn’t do shit. And before you respond I don’t think it’s because the dems wouldn’t let him. You got duped by a big orange idiot and now we have 60,000 dead in the US. Proud of your vote now? Dumbass
You two idiots don't know how lucky you are to have president trump as our leader. You don't remember when certain politicians called him racist and xenophobic and visiting China town in San Francisco and then have the audacity to blame death on this great man who has not stopped working and protecting all of us . do some research before slamming somebody find the video clips there out there
Yeah, desperate times calls for desperate measures. They both ugly as hell and they know they cant chose, but better take whats offering. Sad to see this really, imagine living with a partner while knowing he/she is there only because no other choices were possible or at least bearable... this is what i call an "compromise of eternal strangers"
They'd been married for 30 years by this point. They look that way because they are old. They're both fiercely intelligent, independent people who found each other and built a life together. Get your head out of your ass.
Integrity doesn’t make lots of money.
He had no ability to sell out.
Thank goodness Joyce always respected that integrity.
And thank goodness he met her and was able to share a productive and loving life with her.
Harvey Pekar was an intellectual giant. He had a deep understanding of how sincere, authentic personal expression can resonate universally among all people because we all share so many experiences and feelings in our everyday lives. He was a thoughtful surrogate for all people -- white, black, liberal, conservative, etc. His art derives from what's the same about all of us, not what's different.
Yours is the best, most eloquent description of him, and you're absolutely correct.
Lol You mispelled colossal ahole. Shut up, man!
I only discovered him today. I watched a movie and I watched all the clips from Letterman. I’m fascinated.
Same
I suggest picking up some of his comic strips. You won't be disappointed.
After Pekar's death, David Letterman reportedly said, "“I loved Harvey. He was a wonderful guest. The kind you don’t see anymore. The only real problem with Harvey was my immaturity.” I had wondered if he felt badly for letting his temper get the best of him; I like Letterman more for not only realizing he could have handled his unusual guest differently, but for admitting it publicly . . . I hope he made that statement to Pekar himself.
I grew up loving Letterman's comedic genius but differed on his presenting Harvey like a joke when he was being real. And then later, a while after Harvey's passing, I saw Letterman talking to Howard stern and said he regretted the way he treated some guests and said "there was this one guy from cleveland.." and he said he would have loved to speak with him more with Dave's matured world view. I was almost in tears.
@@Baphalope Do you remember where and when he said that to Stern about Pekar? Was it on Dave's show or Howard's show?
Could you fink a link perhaps? thanks bro
I would add “insecurity” to Letterman’s personal assessment.
He admired Johnny Carson immensely but the thing that set Carson apart from Letterman was he ALWAYS made the guest look good. He treated stars and non celebrity guests with dignity. DL hurled sarcastic remarks at the guests that he didn’t care for. When he got to CBS I found him so narcissistic I stopped watching.
Letterman was an asshole, that's what made him so watchable and funny. Later in life he matured and he was not as funny but a better host.
A day late and a dollar short, Dave!
I have so much respect for Joyce. Brilliant woman. Integrity is the word.
The interviewer in this program is masterful. Harvey deserved a quality interview like this.
💯
Man, were these two perfect for each other. Through his work, movie, and interviews, everything Harvey stood for lives on. He was simultaneously a small man and a giant among men.
Joyce also used him, she was depressed when he was a loser, the second money and TV fame came into play she all of a sudden felt like Disneyland.
I only discovered Harvey Pekar when the movie came out. I'm not in America. I am fascinated by this man.
Harvey had a lot of knocks in life, but he really lucked up (for lack of a better word) when he met Joyce. She got him and she loved him.
That's a huge deal.
I just found out about Harvey recently. What a wonderful Man n Joyce is a great Woman. He was really blessed to meet Her
I watched the Movie three times. Twice in one day. All the Letterman appearances. Where he could have been treated better.
I bought a comic book of His and waiting to receive it.
God bless these two ❤
Harvey pekar is a very facinating and odd little man. an enigma wrapped in a mylar bag. he is my hero in a cheap halloween costume. harvey pekar is just frickin awsome!!!
albert thorp he aint got no costume he is just a neighborhood kid, why is everyone so stupid....im riffing the movie, dont go getting perturbed.
Freakin gems ... wish I could've met you Mr. Pekar
Ha ha, Ken Paulson does his best to keep Harvey in the conversation without being rude to Joyce.
Good interview
Good interview. Very respectful interviewer.
What can one say? These are two of the greatest people the country has produced
🙏 amen
Full disclosure: I was unaware of American Splendor (for the most part) until my little brother turned me onto him (RIP Ben... the best person I will ever know). We shared a lot of things with each other and made the other aware of things that slipped through our own personal cracks.
RIP Ben... you were the best person I have or will ever have the privilege to know. I wish more than anything you would have known how much you were loved, how ridiculously important you were, and the hole you left in so many hearts. I'm trying to move on but it's hard little bro, and even though I'm trying i usually fail.
You were the best of us. And no matter what I do, I cant match up. I keep trying but i keep failing, just like I failed you. I've had this grand plan to follow through with some of your wishes, your dreams... but that's a fallacy.
I'll be seeing you soon, I hope.
Excellent interview.
Fascinating, intelligent, independent people. I was interested by the comic book and the movie, but seeing them here is what really impresses me.
Great interview!!! .. all three of you.. I'm a big fan since hearing a recording of Harvey on the radio being interviewed and then watching the movie. The interview was so well done, and it's sad Harvey's been gone now about 13 years.
How did I miss this guy back in the day?! He is a quintessentially strange Midwesterner. Like a rough diamond.
Joyce has a droll sense of humour!
wow, what a contrast to seeing him on Late Nite. Hmm...
Damn this was good. And for people out there who don't know Robert Crumb...watch the documentary "Crumb" its one of the greatest docs all time.
RIP to Joyce Brabner, who died on August 2 at age 72.
Awesomeness
Behind every great man is a great woman❤
Harvey is the type of human that we need in office. Poor, working man, seeing the world for what it is not what he was told.
Favorite couple
This isn't a knock against Joyce Brabner--it's great to hear all that she has to say. She's obviously intelligent and outspoken and an important part of the American Splendor equation, but is allowed to take most of this interview up with her comments. The interviewer, who does a tremendous job despite her insistence on nearly constantly speaking, tries time after time to ask Harvey Pekar direct questions and steer the interview back towards him. She should have realized this and let Harvey speak.
man i have seen this with other people before as well. men that are being interviewed because they have some level of fame. and their female companion that they bring along ust jumps right into the conversation constantly.
@@newwavepop
Apparently people who knew them personally said she was always a little unpleasant that way.
I was going to comment on this myself but you summed up everything I was going to say and probably better. Yes, I found her a little bit annoying for that very reason.
@@newwavepop It's interesting to note that visual artists (and ones who were actually friends and working in the same medium) like Pekar and R. Crumb, with quintessentially masculine (if self-doubting/loathing, in their cases) artistic personas also eventually created their art with and/or around their wives/female partners, in collaboration. Not against it, but it dilutes and weakens the initial aesthetic/concept; it softens it to a degree.
Wow, what a row of misogynistic, condescending comments. RIP to both of them
So mellowed out compared to his appearances with Letterman.
I think it was because Harvey was somewhat of a joke to Letterman and Harvey was aware of that and he didn't like it. Harvey was a very smart man and could go toe to toe with Letterman.
12:47 this is the most romantic thing I ever heard in my live!
I bet he coulda been the greatest chess player
Jesus Christ Joyce! You mind if Harvey gets a word in?
You mind spelling Demian the proper way?
what happens when one gets past 42 years old in the mind
He should have tried Howard the Duck; it was more up his alley than he thought.
Harvey reminds me a lot of Bob Newhart, but smarter and funnier !
Hahaha hahaha
If this is a show about free speech, have a vaccine debate because we're getting shut down on Facebook, Amazon, RUclips, Pinterest, and even Google. Scary times in America
rjb555 shut the fuck you numbskull. Anti-vax has been around since vaccines were invented and the intelligent among us wrote you idiots off long ago. Just because you have the freedom to say what you want doesn’t mean anyone should listen.
And besides this is a video about the comic book medium. Get a grip on your life and worry about a real issue. Or maybe read a book about vaccines. I bet you’ve never done that. Just a cursory search online for bias confirming news articles.
There is no vaccine debate. There are the well-established facts, and then there is the paranoid disinformation. It's no different from the flat earth "debate" or the creation vs science "debate".
@@gatsbygoodwood2575 bet this person has never changed their mind. i had so many people giving me so much grief for not wanting that shot.
Trump's bringing manufacturing back............I believe it man........
luuke luketer LOL this comment aged like milk. Trump didn’t do shit. And before you respond I don’t think it’s because the dems wouldn’t let him. You got duped by a big orange idiot and now we have 60,000 dead in the US. Proud of your vote now? Dumbass
Trump is a bloviating moronic con man.
You two idiots don't know how lucky you are to have president trump as our leader. You don't remember when certain politicians called him racist and xenophobic and visiting China town in San Francisco and then have the audacity to blame death on this great man who has not stopped working and protecting all of us . do some research before slamming somebody find the video clips there out there
@@joemc8402 Trump lost. Seems that America disagreed with you.
Well...he didn’t bring manufacturing back, but he did leave office with a rampant virus infecting the country.
Yeah, desperate times calls for desperate measures. They both ugly as hell and they know they cant chose, but better take whats offering. Sad to see this really, imagine living with a partner while knowing he/she is there only because no other choices were possible or at least bearable... this is what i call an "compromise of eternal strangers"
That's quite a shallow and unimaginative opinion
@intimat That’s not necessarily true, and the reasons are likely more complex than even their own takes on how/why they got together…
They'd been married for 30 years by this point. They look that way because they are old. They're both fiercely intelligent, independent people who found each other and built a life together. Get your head out of your ass.