A.I. State Of Mind
Dementia & Legacy
A comix writer/entrepreneur I'm pals with posted about his fear of dementia. As my immediate memory isn't very good either, dementia is something I'm afraid of, too. I can remember faces and spaces better than names and places (a symptom of my visual acumen?). But my writer pal is worried he'll never get to write all the stories he has in mind and wanted to know if there was a way to teach Artificial Intelligence his unique style. Devise an App that could manifest his particular set of sensibilities, his creative DNA, so it could step in and take over were his mind to go sideways. And, if successful, perpetuate his legacy long after he's dead.
When I collaborated with the late/great Harvey Pekar, I drew some of his real-life stories for his American Splendor comic book series. When I drew his origin, "The Quitter," I learned that both his parents died of dementia and it made me wonder if the reason Harvey wrote down and conveyed every damned minute detail of his life is because he was worried of losing his mind, too. His comix were his memories. Something for him to read about himself. A creator sharing stories of his former self to a stranger. Alas, Harvey passed away with a healthy mind. So, none of what I posited came true.
On the heels of writing a new play about memory and the fear of dementia, I have to wonder if we're meant to perpetuate our own legacy? Does our work die when we die? Of course not. But do we need to create versions of ourselves to perpetuate our sensibilities long after we're gone? I don't think so.
Television writer David Milch wrote his memoir, Life’s Work. It's pretty damned great and he wrote it (with some help) just as he was entering a dramatic phase of his dementia. I pray no one builds a David Milch robot or App or filter that apes the way he thought and wrote. I'm happy with the work he did on his own.
If I die with a bunch of unproduced ideas in motion, I'll consider myself lucky.
Speaking of legacies: it's only been a few days since I launched my new comix Kickstarter, THE RED HOOK x DEAN HASPIEL, and we're getting close to my initial goal. A goal I hope we can double (if not triple) by the end of the campaign. In this project I blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. Please check out the story and rewards, make your pledge, and tell all your friends. Much appreciated!
CLICK HERE
And while you're scrolling Kickstarter, take a look see at Joel Meadows' FACE TO FACE, featuring 50 portraits of well regarded comix makers, including me!
Jen Ferguson and I are exhibiting and selling original paintings in the "Winter Blues" show at BrooklynOne this Saturday. If you're in town, don't be shy to visit the gallery and grab a drink with us during the opening reception. For those who can’t make it, I'll reveal my watercolor art in the next newsletter.
Meanwhile, Whitney Matheson has just published, "Andy Warhol," a chapter from her upcoming memoir and it's getting lots of great responses (as I knew it would).
Read it HERE (and subscribe).
Happy Birthday, Superman — whose official birthday is February 29th aka Leap Year!
See you in the gutters!
--Dean
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