Watch This: Pee-Wee As Himself

The new HBO documentary Pee-Wee As Himself isn't the boilerplate Hollywood profile you think it is. You get the biographical details you expect – how young avant-garde artist Paul Ruebens created the persona of Pee-Wee Herman, and the meteoric rise and fall that followed. But you also get a sense of what it cost Reubens to insist that Pee-Wee wasn't simply a persona, but in fact a real person. It's streaming now on Max.

Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy