MUST SEE!!!!!!! HARVEY PEKAR on David Letterman 1980's late night

how can we have another shot of that door this door now that Paul lived in New York City a long time doesn't this look like every front door on every apartment in New York City oh my gosh yeah is it that uh actually I think at all fairness to the fire department I think would that one tool he could have ripped right in there immediately but we wanted him slugging away with the axe because we thought it would be fun did you think it was fun so it was six then it was not no it was not fixed he just had several tools from which to choose and we selected the the axe lower of of his tools well not necessarily the slower we thought of it as being more dramatic funny how they still that's right speaking of tools look what I have here ah let's get ready for our next guest oh what a lovely weekend here in New York you missed a great weekend Paul how was your weekend great I stacked bar withers matter of fact season M ever stack fire one has never in my life I haven't done it you know some writers turn their lives into art our next guest turns his life into comic books folks please welcome back the author of American Splendor straight off the streets of Cleveland Harvey Pekar would you uh going into that little competition would you have a favored one position over another ten what do you that's you know that what do you expect me to do with this show man I hope you don't blame me for it it's so screwed up man it's a waste what do you mean it's screwed up I thought it was going on honey what did you get the list of questions I asked you to ask me right here we'll get to them in a second but but would you have known here I got no comment on that okay let the record show mr. Peter has no comment run all right a little busting down the door demonstration yeah how have you been I'm doing fine David how are you oh pretty good you are you I feel pretty good okay how are things in New York things here have been alright yeah yeah with a lovely weekend lovely weather were you here from back in Indianapolis everything's fine back in Indianapolis how are things in glocca Morra day okay well you got me there Harvey I know I can see one how about the let's talk a little bit about that your reactions to the big stock market crash oh yeah that was why I should ask me what a fine well I don't know I don't feel like talking about it then you don't want to talk about not talk about I wouldn't know if you don't talk about it Harvey my sort of update you know Harvey it was about a year ago this month that's right almost last month a year ago last month that you made your first appearance on a show what has happened to you since have we been able David we've been able to positively influence your life slightly yeah that's why I'm sticking with it but it's yeah you know it's no cat with no pants it's slow-going I still had the same job uh-huh where do you work tell people again where you work I work at the VA hospital in Cleveland folks where I'm a file clerk how long have you worked there I worked there for about 22 years I got seven more years to go when I retire I get a pension now have you been able to I know you come on and you mention your comic book and so forth have we have we been able to help the sales of your little as a matter of fact the why is that despoil because you know you're the people here apparently don't read much even when they got pictures to look at sorry that's it I'm sorry but I'm not gonna give you no slack yeah yeah the same to you I don't I don't suppose that has anything to do with your winning personality does it that they David that's what I'm selling that's what I'm selling is you that's right you're the commodity that's right yeah my winning personality and I understand quotation I understand Harvey that there are not one but maybe several plays about your life in the works is that true do I do I hear that correct that's right David let's talk about that for a second close ah yeah there might be a little something in it for you that's right and that's what it's about money no I mean just merely being on television isn't much is it no not for a guy like you an unsophisticated guy I'm sorry I well and that's unsophisticated well I I don't find you the world's most sophisticated right yeah well you'd never get away with yeah anyway you ever but I'm guessing you could walk into the finest restaurants in town and deliver meat they've no room for the night let him bask in his glory where were we now tell me about the place tell me about the place alright I got one at the that was one that was done at adaptation of my work that was done in Lancaster Pennsylvania in 1985 it was someone act play no I was like four acts uh funny you should ask there there's there's one currently being done at the arena Theatre in Washington all you folks in Washington get out there and go down and see it it's been very well received as a result of that a guy from New York is talking to me about signing an option and maybe sending it up here the arena theaters are great place wait a minute I got winnaman I get a percentage of the money there's people in Washington you want to help me out you're you know working for the government a lot of you you know and you know I could help you know I guess I could use a little help you know hurry when I look at you on the monitor there I think of myself you look like every police artist sketch I've ever seen David we to me you're sorry I know I should just a faucet polite response for three months you got your writers work on jokes you know cuz I embarrass you too lastly that's right that's right that's right now now did you help write the the plays at all did they come and talk to you they just even came to talk to me and they adapted my material some of the lines of mine yeah well that must be a big thrill for you is a big yeah that's a real honor to have your life detected on stage yeah you bet yeah it's great yeah house your house your wife for Joyce she's doing real well she's also a writer she's all yes she writes and she had us a comic book Oh real war stories real Wars right yeah you have a copy of it out there um no I don't you don't I'm sorry dude up before we supposed to have a copy well you know but that's okay what do you enjoy new what's a fun like you ever have like a getaway weekend you and Joyce giver yeah we're you know we had a getaway weekend this weekend we went up to New York they you got you're still here yeah so you haven't yeah what now what do you do for fun when you just want to really relax and get away from the pressure of being a file clerk I'm not wrong I know I I didn't I didn't mean that I didn't mean that because I know it's it's all right I could give you day thank you very much yeah I know you're you know intentions are the best road to hell is paved with good intentions Dave keep that in mind now that I hurt your feelings are because it was only a whip of the tie no Dave I know I know all about you what do I do I like to read a good book read a good bull ax yeah read a good book yeah eat a jelly doughnut jelly doughnut that's right I can eat him now you know my cholesterol is down so I can I can eat him again good been there for a while you were having a cholesterol problem I was but uh you know like I conquered it you know I went out to and and dieted you know I got I got it down you know does have an iron will David I know you do yeah thank you you know I have the strength of 10 men what the hell you think I well I knew that would impress India what are we doing oh do a commercial Harvey and then we'll come back and continue there's really a guy friend all right we're back Harvey don't now if I keep you your house yeah don't worry no wonder cousin you ever invited me to your house keys I wouldn't put my feet up on your table your house to take it off are needed a good arms thank you very I just wanted well you shouldn't behave that way if you don't want to nobody's buying my book they claim they see you like this why do I want to give this guy money I don't know but you know like other people people you would folks there's some people out there that might don't even pitch I get a little owned by the damn damn about that so David what's uh you want a better book folks oh yeah you want to go back well so how much how much is the book I don't know that I got all different prices my whole book so what do you mean you have all different price well I some of the books I don't publish myself some I do just some you know if you want to give me some extra money I'll take it alright what can I tell you what about what about a fine 695 795 Harvey what about us water what about a green clay do you ever see that maybe writing a baby you know yeah the price is right yeah yeah that's right David I noticed every time it seems like whenever you're on this show within about a week or two we see a piece published somewhere about your experience that's right Dan you know because my stuff is about real life so you know I write about the show I mean it's it's part of my life Why Why should there be and I think I must say in all honesty that the pieces are hand er handled fairly objective right yeah I think you do a nice day I do a nice job I portray you very well I always give you the benefit of doubt I do appreciate know i yeah you know you're a good Union man and everything I just joined a union did you which union are you in I'm an astronaut just like you will graduate others do well look I'm proud to be in the same union with you man well let's go to the picnic together yeah let's do that now or what I show right the waste I show the ice or the ice show let's not frighten me in Harvey maybe I knew you loved big skating again Harvey is there anything you want to cover all from your list of questions because we've talked about none of it that's all right you know well that's that's right here unpredictability you know that's that's the key to leave my appeal Davis unpredictability is there anything you want to mention the stock market at all sure no I don't want to talk about the stock market that was just a sham question I put in there I see I see to throw us off the track right David yeah you know I'm tricky I'm a tricky guy uh so so what's going on now is your wife looting the dressing rooms while you're out here is that what's happening it's just some kind of elaborate if you don't want to talk about the questions and that was yeah well everything you become clear you after the show David is there anything you want to leave us with her well you you really you really not done much you just came out and you started crabbing and you didn't answer the questions is there anything you want to leave us with what the hell do I have to leave you with anything for just thank you that's all you know I'm not making any kind of money on the show I had to join a union man I had a pig like you know 440 bucks to join the Union but that's okay I don't complain I don't try and duck like some of your other guests do and try sorry you know I'm 40 Union yeah all right well good harlot right listen it's good to see you again I hope you have a great holiday season thank salaat you heard about the tree there's not gonna be a treatment here I could care less welcome back

Channel: Dalton Holmen

Views: 266,348

Rating: 4.8718977 out of 5

Keywords: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989

Id: 09hcCkO7AYw

Length: 11min 48sec (708 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 03 2012