"My name is Harvey Pekar - that's an unusual name - Harvey Pekar. 1960 was the year I got my first apartment and my first phone book. Now imagine my surprise when I looked up my name and saw that in addition to me, another Harvey Pekar was listed. Now I was listed as "Harvey L. Pekar", my middle name is Lawrence, and he was listed as "Harvey Pekar" therefore his was a - was a pure listing. Then in the '70s, I noticed that a third Harvey Pekar was listed in the phone book, now this filled me with curiousity. How can there be three people with such an unusual name in the world, let alone in one city? Then one day, a person I work with, expressed her sympathy with me, concerning what she thought, was the death of my father, and she pointed out an obituary notice in the newspaper for a man named Harvey Pekar. And one of his sons was named Harvey. And these were the other Harvey Pekar's. And six months later, Harvey Pekar Jr. died. And although I've met neither man, I was filled with sadness, 'what were they like?', I thought, it seemed that our lives had been linked in some indefineable way. But the story does not end there, for two years later, another 'Harvey Pekar' appeared in the phone book. Who are these people? Where do they come from? What do they do? What's in a name? Who is "Harvey Pekar"?"

Without a doubt, one of the most creative films you will ever see. It could very easily redefine the "biopic" genre, simply by allowing us access to the actual subject, right along side the written character. This film gives me hope, and it makes me laugh. However unfortunate...as much as I wish to identify with Wendell Berry, I truly identify with Harvey Pekar, without any shift of my heart or mind.

(A Day Later)
...Had a great conversation about Harvey Pekar today, which I wish I could copy and paste on here, but whatever. It was about Harvey's accessibility as an artist and a person - whose work consistently reflects his own life, as well as persons within reach of himself. This is quite different from artists like Bruce Springsteen or Sean Penn - both of whom I highly appreciate and value - but don't feel that I could ever get within 100 yards of, unless I paid good money. Harvey Pekar, on the other hand, might tell me to get the hell off his porch - but at least I could stand on his porch, and knock on his door. The actual point is, however, that Springsteen and Penn are most likely not doing art that reflects their own life, anymore, if ever. They have a great perspective on what is and what isn't - but this often comes from the stories of others, rather than themselves. Harvey Pekar demands reality, for his own context, for his own art, and never allowed the temptation of celebrity, fame, or money to manipulate that. Thus, his art offers something more genuine, something a bit more interactive and tangible. it's underground, from the streets of cleveland.