The Grass Is Never Greener

Cleveland’s iconoclastic writer, cartoonist, grump, and now film character, Harvey Pekar has a blog:

Right now, I’m being kept busy, mostly by opportunities generated by the movie “American Splendor”. I get these assignments from the various people and companies that advertise “American Splendor” to produce all kinds of things that go hand in hand with promoting it like a cartoon that’ll be a prize in a drawing having to do with the flick or another one that’ll be used on a card promoting East Coast and West Coast “American Splendor” parties. Plus there are magazine editors who’ve seen “A.S.” and want me to do articles, reviews or comic strips for them.

That’s all fine, but how long is this work going to be coming in? Even if “American Splendor” is popular for a relatively long time, we’re only talking about months. The question is – what happens after that? I want to get steady jobs writing for some newspapers and magazines, and I’m really hustling to keep on the right side of the editors I work with now, so that my association with them amounts to more than a one-shot deal. Never have I been able to sit back, relax and enjoy the good stuff while it’s happening because I’m too obsessive preparing for the next (possible) emergency.

What writer hasn’t had these feelings. After 20 years in the business, it has finally occurred to me that editors are people and have to be attended to, like any business arrangement. But if Harvey can’t do a little basking now, that glass will never be half full. Sniff a few flowers, Harve!