RIP Harvey Pekar

Pekar was a truly unique American spirit. He will be missed. Gruff, hilarious, intense, creative and unquestionably one-of-a-kind. I interviewed him for my fanzine in the late 80’s and it was an absolute joy. He couldn’t have been nicer. If I can dig up a copy I’ll reprint the very funny things he had to say about David Letterman, who he was somewhat famously sparring with at the time.

Harvey Pekar

Posted by Kevin K. on 07/12/10 at 04:26 PM • Permalink

Categories: I Don't Know Much About Art, But I Know What I Like • News •

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Polly called me earlier to deliver the bad news.

An irreplaceable man, for sure. He almost single-handedly rescued comics from tights’n'fights irrelevance, elevated visual storytelling to Joycean dimensions, and—following in the footsteps of Einstein—made it clear to the world that we sneer at filing clerks and civil servants at our own peril.

Comment by StrangeAppar8us on 07/12/10 at 03:51 PM

He was one reason being a census clerk hasn’t been so bad; if Harvey could take it and still come out Harvey, I figured I could follow his example.

Every small guy who’s ever had life’s common, petty indignities visited upon him, owes Harvey for shedding a little light on his experience.

Comment by Mrs. Polly on 07/13/10 at 02:11 AM

Wow, Tuli Kupferberg died, too? Pekar & Kupferberg were both featured on the covers of my fanzine. If I was Dan Clowes, I’d be very nervous now.

Comment by Kevin K. on 07/13/10 at 09:09 AM

Not only do we have a global economic and environmental crisis and a country full of unloosed loons in colonial costumes, but now we’ve reached the time when OUR generation’s heroes start dropping.

I just depressed myself more. Thanks, progressives!