Harvey’s Radio Commentaries

Starting in 1999, Harvey contributed short commentaries to the local public radio station WKSU. Topics included his feelings on turning 60, speeding tickets, Veterans Day, his appearances on David Letterman —and his name. Yes, Harvey himself recorded an audio version of “The Harvey Pekar Name Story,” the legendary piece he wrote for American Splendor #2 (illustrated by the inimitable R. Crumb)!

Now, “The Harvey Pekar Name Story” has a storied history—at least to me (Josh)—in that I use it all the time as a jumping-off point for teaching comics to my students. I show them the original piece, then an homage piece I made, and then samples of homages by other cartoonists. Due to the simplicity of the concept, it’s a great way to get nervous newbie cartoonists to dip their proverbial pens into the water.

But long before I started using the piece as a teaching prompt, it had been recognized as a remarkable mini-narrative, specifically in the field of theater and film. For instance, Dan Castellaneta of Homer Simpson fame performed it in 1990-1991 as part of an American Splendor stage production. You can hear his rendition of the story here (starts around 1:12):

And then there’s Paul Giamatti’s performance from the American Splendor film:

Finally, to hear Harvey’s own version, from his first WKSU commentary, go here, where you can also listen to a selection of others Harvey recorded over the years.