AS 6: Demon Record Hustler

American Splendor scene #6 (10:00 to 11:11) — the real Harvey Pekar sits at a fake yard sale, talking about his years as a used-record collector / salesman. Harvey’s transition from collecting “sides” to collecting stories.

It’s talk therapy for Josh & Dean as they discuss family issues related to collecting/hoarding. The pros & cons of collecting stamps, baseball cards, comics, and music. Creating an industry from your own collecting. From collecting to creating — collecting as “research.” Shout-outs to the Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Godfather, Marilyn Monroe, and Lester Young!

Episode Notes

Relevant to this episode: some key panels from “How I Quit Collecting Records (and Put Out a Comic Book with the Money I Saved),” from American Splendor #4 (1979, ©Harvey Pekar). Artwork by R. Crumb.

Referred to in this episode: “From the Asylum,” by Josh Neufeld, first published in English in The Vagabonds #1 (Alternative Comics, 2003).

Mentioned in this episode: “The Left Hand of God,” by Dean Haspiel, published in Keyhole #2 (Millennium, 1996)…