July 12th, 2010 / 12:43 pm
Author News

Seriously, 2010. Fuck off.

Harvey Pekar

Tags:

66 Comments

  1. Dinty—
  2. Matthew Simmons—

      I like this.

  3. Matthew Simmons—

      httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0akXKxbflM

  4. voorface—

      Maybe I’m callous, but I find it really hard to care about the constant stream of dying old men.

  5. Mike Meginnis—

      Awww, geeze. Lame.

  6. j—

      you’d prefer young women eh?

  7. darby2—

      you mean like, as opposed to dying old women, or just old people dying in general.

      ive kind of been having thoughts about the number of old dying people, and i wonder if like the number of even marginally famous people has just become so vast that it is inevitable to see the stream we are seeing, and it will only continue as a population grows and becomes more aware of the marginally famous.

  8. Dreezer—

      Old people are stoopid. And lame.

  9. voorface—

      Men tend to die younger than women, so there have been more of Pekar’s generation of late. The last famous woman I can think of who died was Louise Bourgeois and she was 98.

  10. voorface—

      and yes, I would care more about young women dying (young men too). Who wouldn’t?

  11. Matthew Simmons—

      You are welcome to not care. That doesn’t mean I have to share your apathy to dying old men.

  12. Nerds—

      I doubt there has ever been anyone who has been as sanguine about receiving the cold, violet embrace of death as Harvey Pekar.

  13. Jordan—

      +1

  14. mark leidner—

      it’s hard to care about any great artist’s death, since if they were good they’re not really dead

  15. Jordan—

      Except for the part where a) you realize this means no more new work or b) you actually know them and miss them or c) you are a human so you have feelings

  16. d—

      Making a display of his books at the library today. Aghast when someone I work with – at a fucking library! – didn’t know who he was.

      RIP

  17. mark leidner—

      all good points but none as interesting or true as keats “a thing of beauty is a joy forever” or whitman “if you want me again look for me under your boot-soles” google it up

  18. jereme—

      whitman was a fecal freak.

  19. Neil—

      All the people who are going out of there way to say how indifferent they are to Pekar’s death are really cutting edge. I’m very impressed by your verbal shrugs. Oh, well. Compassion is weak and false. You guys rule.

  20. voorface—

      I wasn’t trying to be cutting edge, I was saying men from this generation are dropping like flies and I find it difficult to care about it. Funny that in an obit for a notoriously straight-talking, honest guy people get so irrated at one person speaking his mind in a single sentence.

  21. Jordan—

      Well Mark, it’s been nice knowing your work and not you.

  22. Dinty—
  23. Matthew Simmons—

      I like this.

  24. Matthew Simmons—

      httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0akXKxbflM

  25. voorface—

      Maybe I’m callous, but I find it really hard to care about the constant stream of dying old men.

  26. Mike Meginnis—

      Awww, geeze. Lame.

  27. j—

      you’d prefer young women eh?

  28. Matthew Simmons—

      You prefaced it with, “maybe I’m callous…” I was simply agreeing with you.

  29. darby2—

      you mean like, as opposed to dying old women, or just old people dying in general.

      ive kind of been having thoughts about the number of old dying people, and i wonder if like the number of even marginally famous people has just become so vast that it is inevitable to see the stream we are seeing, and it will only continue as a population grows and becomes more aware of the marginally famous.

  30. voorface—

      Fair enough.

  31. Steven Augustine—

      Christ, I can still remember Dave pulling the wings off the fly of Harvey’s soul, right there on TV. Same thing he’d do to “Brother Theodore”, another “oddball”, a cabaret artist who came to Letterman straight from frigging Dachau, only to have Dave make fun of his hairdo! I’m ashamed that I used to laugh at sadisto-provincialist Dave going after “little guys” like Harvey as a moistening prelude to schlurrpping Donald Trump’s matted, ginger, robber-baron ass. Well I guess that’s the beauty of growing up. Decay with grace, Harve.

  32. Dreezer—

      Old people are stoopid. And lame.

  33. Justin—

      a true man can die but there are sadder things

      what is heaven anyway but fresh bread & jazz records

  34. voorface—

      Men tend to die younger than women, so there have been more of Pekar’s generation of late. The last famous woman I can think of who died was Louise Bourgeois and she was 98.

  35. voorface—

      and yes, I would care more about young women dying (young men too). Who wouldn’t?

  36. Matthew Simmons—

      You are welcome to not care. That doesn’t mean I have to share your apathy to dying old men.

  37. mark leidner—

      i don’t know why you say goodbye i say hello

  38. Jordan—

      Yes I know. Someday you may, though.

  39. Nerds—

      I doubt there has ever been anyone who has been as sanguine about receiving the cold, violet embrace of death as Harvey Pekar.

  40. Jordan—

      +1

  41. mark leidner—

      it’s hard to care about any great artist’s death, since if they were good they’re not really dead

  42. Jordan—

      Except for the part where a) you realize this means no more new work or b) you actually know them and miss them or c) you are a human so you have feelings

  43. d—

      Making a display of his books at the library today. Aghast when someone I work with – at a fucking library! – didn’t know who he was.

      RIP

  44. mark leidner—

      all good points but none as interesting or true as keats “a thing of beauty is a joy forever” or whitman “if you want me again look for me under your boot-soles” google it up

  45. jereme—

      whitman was a fecal freak.

  46. Matthew Simmons—
  47. Neil—

      All the people who are going out of there way to say how indifferent they are to Pekar’s death are really cutting edge. I’m very impressed by your verbal shrugs. Oh, well. Compassion is weak and false. You guys rule.

  48. voorface—

      I wasn’t trying to be cutting edge, I was saying men from this generation are dropping like flies and I find it difficult to care about it. Funny that in an obit for a notoriously straight-talking, honest guy people get so irrated at one person speaking his mind in a single sentence.

  49. Jordan—

      Well Mark, it’s been nice knowing your work and not you.

  50. jak cardini—

      american splendorless

  51. Matthew Simmons—

      Also, I liked that thing you wrote about Witch House.

  52. Matthew Simmons—

      You prefaced it with, “maybe I’m callous…” I was simply agreeing with you.

  53. voorface—

      Fair enough.

  54. Steven Augustine—

      Christ, I can still remember Dave pulling the wings off the fly of Harvey’s soul, right there on TV. Same thing he’d do to “Brother Theodore”, another “oddball”, a cabaret artist who came to Letterman straight from frigging Dachau, only to have Dave make fun of his hairdo! I’m ashamed that I used to laugh at sadisto-provincialist Dave going after “little guys” like Harvey as a moistening prelude to schlurrpping Donald Trump’s matted, ginger, robber-baron ass. Well I guess that’s the beauty of growing up. Decay with grace, Harve.

  55. Joseph Young—

      he couldn’t have felt too much pain, considering he went on (we can assume voluntarily) 8 times.

  56. Justin—

      a true man can die but there are sadder things

      what is heaven anyway but fresh bread & jazz records

  57. mark leidner—

      i don’t know why you say goodbye i say hello

  58. Jordan—

      Yes I know. Someday you may, though.

  59. Matthew Simmons—
  60. jak cardini—

      american splendorless

  61. Matthew Simmons—

      Also, I liked that thing you wrote about Witch House.

  62. Joseph Young—

      he couldn’t have felt too much pain, considering he went on (we can assume voluntarily) 8 times.

  63. Sean—

      This one really did it for me. Harvey came to our university and he was a huge hit. Gracious, kind, really connected with the students. He wrote a comic about his visit (of course)

      http://www.smithmag.net/pekarproject/2010/03/10/story-20/

      I was eating dinner with him and we started talking about Russian authors. Just casually. The next day he seeks me out and hands me a long handwritten list of authors I should read.

      Totally kind guy.

      I’ll miss him.

  64. Sean—

      This one really did it for me. Harvey came to our university and he was a huge hit. Gracious, kind, really connected with the students. He wrote a comic about his visit (of course)

      http://www.smithmag.net/pekarproject/2010/03/10/story-20/

      I was eating dinner with him and we started talking about Russian authors. Just casually. The next day he seeks me out and hands me a long handwritten list of authors I should read.

      Totally kind guy.

      I’ll miss him.

  65. Steven Augustine—

      Only a guy under 42 could say something like that.

  66. Steven Augustine—

      Only a guy under 42 could say something like that.