Why Are You Laughing - Harvey Pekar vs. Letterman

I posted the full Harvey Pekar/David Letterman collection a while back, but I know from firsthand experience that that's not for everyone. If you want just the highlights as well as humorous commentary, Blind Mike takes you through Harvey Pekar's appearances on Letterman.

And in case anyone's wondering, I'm fully on Letterman's side in this. The "you're a guest in my house" paradigm is 100% correct. But while I don't fully agree with the thrust of "American Splendor," it is quite a good film.

Late Night - Harvey Pekar

 

The film "American Splendor" seemed to be a unique era in film. It was a low-budget, "small" movie with little or no advertisement and yet it was a "hit" amongst people in my sphere. It just spread through word of mouth, people talked about it.

In the movie Dave Letterman is portrayed as something of a villain. He's the big star that has the ordinary guy on his show and mocks him for laughs. And although the "betrayal" appearance isn't this one, it's pretty clear to me that that element is pure artistic license. Harvey is a NUT (in the best sense of the word) and Dave is a polite talk show host who only occasionally, and lightly, counter-punches to Harvey's flailing arms assault.