This is a tough week for Cleveland – losing our basketball team’s future (both Lebron and now Z), and then, losing Harvey Pekar. I came at Harvey from a different angle than most.
I used to run into Harvey, his wife Joyce, and one of his sidekicks Toby Radloff, at coffee houses, bars, music venues, political events. Growing up, and traveling through a Cleveland young adult’s life, I hadn’t really seen any of his work beyond a few passing glances. People can’t believe that I haven’t seen the movie “American Splendor”, either. I just never gave any of it much thought, not because I didn’t know Harvey or his work were there, but because it just seemed like a part of Cleveland. The last time I saw Harvey was at a friend’s band’s 25th anniversary show at the Beachland. Harvey was there with Joyce, and we shared a beer like a couple guys who run into each other every few years. Nothing more.
When Harvey’s work started to get big time attention, it felt somewhat voyeuristic to me. Sorta like people looking in at Cleveland, like we were strange beings in a strange land, or exhibits in an anthropology study. If he were from another place, Harvey Pekar today would probably rule the media world, or he might just be a strange exhibit from that other place, too. Who knows. Being a bit of an odd duck from Cleveland myself, Harvey made me wonder just how any of us overcome our Cleveland fate to find a future not of decline and decay, but of….splendor.
Not many non-Clevelanders know who Ghoulardi was, or Barnaby, or Superhost. We tend to keep an eye out for people who aren’t from here, but somehow find those guys, and Harvey Pekar, too. We usually keep those folks around. When a transplant to Cleveland posts appreciative links over and over and over again to his Facebook page, that’s a good sign. Pretty soon, Adam’ll be waxing poetic about Mr. Jingeling.
Tags: harvey pekar
I learned about Mr. Jingeling when I interviewed Councilman Cummins last year!