I fucked up so many times in so many different ways during the course of my life. I’m now filled with regret and remorse.
When I was younger I thought I was hot shit. I was a bit of an egomaniac on an ego trip. And I often fancied I was this Great Man.
But nowadays I’m in a more humble position. I’ve been humbled and humiliated by Life plenty. So I no longer feel like some hotshot that’s on top of it all.
I miss those days when I thought I was hot shit.
(I still don’t understand what this AI thing is. What it’s about. And how it works. But one of my Facebook friends tried to explain it to me by submitting my name “Ace Backwords” to the AI app. And it spewed out this)
Ace: You might not be aware of AI, but it is certainly familiar with you… I asked ChatGPT this… “Write me a documentary style article about Ace Backwards” … It wrote this in about 6 seconds…
ChatGPT
Ace Backwords: The Art of Revealing Life on the Margins
Ace Backwords is a writer and cartoonist who has made a name for himself with his autobiographical comics and zines. Born in California in the 1960s, Backwords grew up in a dysfunctional family and struggled with drug addiction and homelessness for much of his young adult life. It was during this time that he began creating comics as a way to document his experiences and connect with others who shared his struggles.
In the early 1990s, Backwords began publishing his work in underground zines and alternative newspapers, such as The San Francisco Bay Guardian and Maximum Rocknroll. His comics, which often touched on topics such as addiction, mental illness, and homelessness, resonated with readers who saw their own experiences reflected in Backwords’ raw and unflinching portrayal of life on the margins of society.
Backwords’ comics are notable for their honesty and authenticity. He is not afraid to reveal the darker aspects of his life, including his struggles with addiction and mental health issues. But his work is not just a catalogue of personal struggles. It is also a celebration of the creativity and resilience of those who live on the fringes of society. Backwords’ characters are often outsiders, misfits, and rebels who are fiercely independent and determined to live life on their own terms.
One of Backwords’ most famous comics is “The Adventures of the Homeless Guy,” a series that chronicles his experiences living on the streets of San Francisco. The comic is notable for its vivid portrayal of the gritty and often dangerous world of homelessness, as well as its unflinching critique of the social and economic forces that contribute to homelessness.
Despite the often bleak subject matter of his work, Backwords’ comics are infused with humor and a sense of hope. His characters are survivors who refuse to be defined by their circumstances, and his comics are a testament to the power of art to transform even the most difficult experiences into something meaningful and beautiful.
Today, Ace Backwords continues to publish his comics and zines, and his work has been collected in several anthologies, including “The Worst of Ace Backwords” and “The Ace Backwords Reader.” His comics have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and he is considered one of the most important voices in the underground comics scene.
Ace Backwords’ art is a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is beauty to be found, and that the most profound truths are often revealed by those who live on the margins of society. His work is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.
“We’re here on Earth to fart around.” — Kurt Vonnegut
Vonnegut was one of those writers that seemed really profound to me when I was 17. And I read and re-read all of his paperbacks. . . But after that, I lost interest in Vonnegut.
Slaughterhouse 5 was probably my favorite. I read and re-read that one multiple times. A fun read. Billy Pilgrim. Unstuck in time. “So it goes.” He even references the historian David Irving re the bombing of Dresden.
Mother Night was another good one. An interesting take on racial issues. And the profound line: “Be careful who you pretend to be. Because that’s who you become.”
God Bless You Mr Rosewater was another fun read. Vonnegut had a gift to play around with various philosophical concepts while delivering a fun story line as a novelist
This morning at this cafe the cashier accidentally gave me back $10 too much in change. For a split-second I considered just pocketing the money and not saying anything. But then I said: “uh, I think you gave me back too much money.” She looked at the receipt and said: “Oh, you’re right.” I handed her back the dough. And then she had to figure out how to correct the mistake she had made on their records. Finally, after much confusion, she called the owner from the back room. And, after some time, he was finally able to sort out the problem and rectify the situation. . . .Meanwhile, a long line of people have lined up behind me, waiting to make their orders. And they’re sort of grumbling at me, because I’ve wasted 10 minutes of their time and they assume I’m somehow the cause of the problem. So I didn’t even score any points for my act of honesty.
As I’m leaving the place, I’m sort of pissed. Regretting that I didn’t just take the money. . . Sometimes I actually will just take the money when they accidentally give me too much. Figuring it just evens out all the times when they accidentally give me too little money. So I suppose I practice “situational ethics.”
But I hate it when I do the right thing, and I just end up feeling worse for doing it.
Another morning on planet earth. . . Countless centuries down through the ages on this global sphere revolving around the sun, involving the creation and evolution of endless myriad life forms, amidst the eternal process of galaxies and universes within the infinite expanse of time and space, to produce. . . . Mini Scaredy the Feral Cat!!
So the system works.
Moo Cat always does this funny thing after eating her breakfast. She’ll spend a long time smacking her chops and licking her lips. With this look on her face like she’s savoring all the flavors of the different foods she just ate. Ha ha. (I always give her a variety of food to choose from). . . Then she’ll go back to the cat food dish and survey all the different leftover foods that are still in the dish. Sniff it over like she’s thinking, “My stomach is full. But do I want one more little taste of this, that, or, the other thing?? Decisions decisions. Hmm.” Then she’ll nibble at a bit more of the food. And then walk over to me with big, contented smile on her face. . . And then belches right in my face.
UGHH! Cat-food breath. Ha ha.
Ace Backwords 