Harvey Pekar RIP

[clifford_thornton]

From American Splendor and other comics to his jazz criticism and liner notes, I've long appreciated Mr. Pekar's work. It's too bad that he's left us, but there's a treasure trove to be uncovered in those file folders.

Story here.

[Quincy]

I was introduced to him through his appearances on the David Letterman Show. Whew-ee, what an introduction! I couldn't figure out how much of the friction was staged or real (I guess it was real.) I don't think we can blame his death on LeBron leaving Cleveland. He left behind a great body of work.

[Larry Kart]

Sorry to hear this. Had a fair amount of contact with him off and on over the years -- from the days I was editing his Down Beat record reviews (1969-70) to the ones when I was asking him to write book reviews (and/or he was asking me to assign some to him) for the Chicago Tribune (mid- to -late 1990s). The second or third act of his life (the "American Splendor" part) was among the most heartening things I've ever witnessed -- not that Harvey didn't more or less remain the same cranky guy he'd always been, but that anyone could find and/or pioneer a medium for himself the way he did, and one that was so damn effective, was amazing.

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah pretty real, considering how freaked Dave got when Harvey went political. What a neat guy; I wish I could have met him.

[blind-blake]

I've really come to enjoy his comics and jazz reviews. I may never have heard of Joe Maneri without his mentioning him. I'll miss him.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/20080-playing-it-by-ear-john-laporta

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A82077

[AllenLowe]

oy Harvey, I'm truly sorry - when Devilin Tune came out he called me every week for about 3 months as he was writing a review - fascinating guy, smart as hell, terrible writer, I always thought, but with a mind that worked in mysterious but interesting ways. We became fast friends on the telephone, and then a year went by, I called him up but he could not remember who I was, which threw me (though someone told me that the fame and money that came from the film completely freaked him out and sent him running, in the psychological sense).

shocked and sorry to hear this.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

RIP ...

His liners and reviews were always that of the understated real listener w/o over indulgence and his "How I Quit Collecting Records and Put Out a Comic Book ..." is a classic home hitter.

(and I'd have never heard of "Paniots 9" either w/o American Splendor)

Pekar just seemed to typify Cleveland (too bad about the whole Letterman thing, turning him into the organ grinder sidekick foil ... Bourdain is much more the real guy).

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=J38mp_ON64Y

Edited July 12, 2010 by Man with the Golden Arm

[catesta]

Bummer

That Bourdain in Cleveland episode with Pekar is one of my all-time favorites.

[skeith]

Sad news indeed.

[Alexander]

RIP Harvey. A great writer has passed...

[colinmce]

A sad day indeed. RIP.

[BruceH]

Oh no.

[mikelz777]

I'm very sorry to hear of Harvey's passing. His stories struck a chord with me and I could relate to his experiences in many ways. Although I've never met the man, I feel I know him better than most people I see on a regular basis. I'm glad that he shared so much of his life with us, warts and all. While 70 isn't exactly young, it still seems he left before his time. I guess we sometimes tend to forget that none of us are going to live forever.

Edited July 12, 2010 by mikelz777

[paul secor]

Shocked to read this. I knew that Harvey Pekar wasn't a young man and that he'd had health problems, but I guess I figured that he'd just keep going. He was one the the great characters of the literary/music world, and he'll be missed.

The first time I came across his name was when I started reading Down Beat in the early 60's. Can't remember when he began writing for them - Larry K. probably knows that - but I do remember having the impression from reading his reviews that he was an older man. I was surprised to find out years later that he was only in his twenties at that time.

Then, years later, I read a review of the first American Splendor Anthology by, iirc, David H. Rosenthal in The NY Times. It seemed like something that would interest me and it did.

It probably was a good thing that Harvey Pekar found some fame outside the world of reviews and comics in his later years, though from reading his later comics he seemed to have some mixed feelings about the fame and glory aspects. I'm sure he welcomed the financial rewards.

Goodbye, Mr. Pekar. All of us are one of a kind, but you were more so than most of us. Thanks for everything.

Edited July 13, 2010 by paul secor

[Chuck Nessa]

Harvey first contacted me about Von Freeman (he was a big fan and did an interesting piece in Jazz Times). My favorite phone call from him was to ask if it was ok to give my phone number to Leon Leavitt, who'd asked for it. Leavitt had been the major source for out of print jazz lps for years. Harvey explained Leon had been dumping his personal collection on ebay and now wanted to buy cds. After I said it was ok to pass on the phone number, Harvey said "He's got plenty of money. Don't give him no deals. He will pay top dollar". The next day I received a call and sold one of everything I had.

Thanks Harvey.

After the movie and the illness he was more difficult to reach. Sorry to say I didn't have contact in the last couple of years.

You can read his VF piece here.

Edited July 12, 2010 by Chuck Nessa

[kinuta]

Sorry to hear it. I really liked his work.

[BruceH]

Shocked to read this. I knew that Harvey Pekar wasn't a young man and that he'd had health problems, but I guess I figured that he's just keep going.

Same here. I just didn't think of him dying; guess I assumed he was good for another 10 or 20 years. RIP Harvey.

[Larry Kart]

The first time I came across his name was when I started reading Down Beat in the early 60's. Can't remember when he began writing for them - Larry K. probably knows that - but I do remember having the impression from reading his reviews that he was an older man. I was surprised to find out years later that he was only in his twenties at that time.

I believe Harvey got his start writing about jazz at The Jazz Review. He wrote an angry letter to the magazine about a piece or review he didn't like (I believe it was a negative assessment of Lennie Tristano), and Martin Williams wrote back suggesting that Harvey turn his letter into an article about Tristano, which he did (Jazz Review, July 1960).

[Big Wheel]

The first time I came across his name was when I started reading Down Beat in the early 60's. Can't remember when he began writing for them - Larry K. probably knows that - but I do remember having the impression from reading his reviews that he was an older man. I was surprised to find out years later that he was only in his twenties at that time.

I believe Harvey got his start writing about jazz at The Jazz Review. He wrote an angry letter to the magazine about a piece or review he didn't like (I believe it was a negative assessment of Lennie Tristano), and Martin Williams wrote back suggesting that Harvey turn his letter into an article about Tristano, which he did (Jazz Review, July 1960).

The July 1960 issue isn't up on the Jazz Review online archive, but the January 1960 issue (which is the latest one posted at this time), has a review from Pekar of Ben Webster and Associates. Did Pekar's angry letter come before or after this?

[brownie]

Thoroughly enjoyed his articles and review in Down Beat and his work with R. Crumb?

Sad to hear (even if not surprised after watching 'American Splendor') that he suffered from depression, among other health problems.

[Larry Kart]

The first time I came across his name was when I started reading Down Beat in the early 60's. Can't remember when he began writing for them - Larry K. probably knows that - but I do remember having the impression from reading his reviews that he was an older man. I was surprised to find out years later that he was only in his twenties at that time.

I believe Harvey got his start writing about jazz at The Jazz Review. He wrote an angry letter to the magazine about a piece or review he didn't like (I believe it was a negative assessment of Lennie Tristano), and Martin Williams wrote back suggesting that Harvey turn his letter into an article about Tristano, which he did (Jazz Review, July 1960).

The July 1960 issue isn't up on the Jazz Review online archive, but the January 1960 issue (which is the latest one posted at this time), has a review from Pekar of Ben Webster and Associates. Did Pekar's angry letter come before or after this?

Unless I've got my facts haywire, I would guess that they held onto Harvey's initial Tristano piece for several months until it could be placed after the two pieces about Lee Konitz (by Max Harrison and Michael James)that ran in the July 1960 issue. I wouldn't be surprised if Harvey himself wrote about all this in an issue of American Splendor.

An archive of Harvey's jazz reviews for the Austin Chronicle can be found here:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Archive/author?oid=oid%3A73812

[Larry Kart]

Apparently Harvey's first Jazz Review piece was on Fats Navarro, published in 1959. It should be up on the Jazz Review's online archive.

November 1959 issue

[Larry Kart]

The Navarro piece makes it clear that Harvey was responding to negative assessments of Navarro from other writers, so this must be the one that began as a letter to Martin Williams.

[clifford_thornton]

Here's a fine tribute from the younger set.

[Chuck Nessa]

Very fine piece. Thanks.