About the man

What can be said of Gussie Jives?

Well first off, it can probably be said that he’s got a weird-ass name.

Many have asked how Jives came to have a bizarre and silly pseudonym. Some have theorized that it was a misspelling of “Guessie”. Some just believe he’s an oddball. The truth indeed is weirder still. The legend of the Jives name lies in a somewhat obscure Kevin Spacey film from 1994, a film that coincidentally was filmed in Canada, titled The Ref in which Richard Bright is constantly referring to Denis Leary as “Gussie” through several bouts of verbal abuse. Similar love for different funk groups such as Kool and the Gang and Earth, Wind and Fire, as well as the extent to which music influences him led Gussie to consider himself more Jive than most.

Jives’ legend began in a downtown Toronto hospital in the summer of 1985. It was the thick of the Mulroney years, a young Val Kilmer’s star was on the rise and Marty McFly was being chased by Libyans in a time-traveling De Lorean. And for some reason, Jives didn’t want to come into the world all that easily, necessitating the use of a suction cup strategically placed on the child’s bald cranium. A fruitful childhood ensued, with an enjoyment of The Real Ghostbusters cartoons including Lorenzo Music’s hilarious nonchalant repartees and Arsenio Hall’s inexplicable presence away from his late night talk show. And then they cocked it up with that Slimer thing.

Jives’ brand loyalty was seen throughout his life, as well as his completist personality. Jives held a need to know every facet of a fictional world or conversely an artists’ personality, beginning with his collection of Calvin and Hobbes, a collection that he still possesses in its completeness to this day. Seemingly oblivious to popular music until 1997, Jives’ first album was Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? which he parlayed into a similarly complete collection of Oasis albums. While certainly unable to own every single Magic: The Gathering card, he can still remember the first five cards he received in a long-gone comic shop in Lawrence Village called Hall of Heroes. They were three mountains, an Atog and Kird Ape. He continues to wish those cards remained in his possession.

A penchant for games was always apparent, especially growing up in the burgeoning information age. Memorable moments are focused around the large grey Nintendo Entertainment System and the rather silly games that Jives owned, such as Wrath of the Black Manta where he would play as a purple ninja who sounded like Nancy Reagan on a bender. The PC yielded other such memorable titles such as Lemmings, Myst and the intriguing world of Math Circus where you would be constantly reminded that Zelda the Witch’s wand was “very sharp” and should not be walked into. Jives was certainly not a gamer by any means, as he has never owned a console beyond Genesis, but the influence existed regardless.

The next crucial turning point in Jives’ life was the advent of the cable modem. The slow, annoying days of 14.4K modems long gone, Jives was able to indulge in all the porn the Interwebs had to offer. Of course there was also online gaming to be had as well, with regular bouts of Diablo II along the way until Jives eventually became bored with it. However, Jives began to have the idea to come up with his own crazy adventures, parlaying them into a semi-successful (?) lemon writing career. That lasted until the middle of 2002 when the thrill of writing porn wore off., and the name of Gussie Jives faded into online obscurity.

Jives’ life trucked along until a chance occurrence at the end of Jives’ high school career. Sick with a cold, Jives’ Interweb travels brought him to the works of one anthro artist named Amanda Payne. Struck by the unique character design and startling interactions between them, Jives delved into the world of Wrongside. Deeply affected, Jives eventually decided to take up the mantle of Gussie Jives once again, this time as an anthro artist. Beginning with an old role-playing character named Bors Fortinbras, Jives created his own characters in their own unique world, intent on bringing them to the world.

And so for the past 4 years, Jives has honed his craft and allowed the story of Bors, Sabine and their comrades take a life of its own. Along the way, he gained new influences and new understandings and the world of Ruferus evolved. The music of Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip, that of Neil Peart and Rush, as well as the swashbuckling adventures of Richard Sharpe leading to a keen interest in military history, the completist nature of Jives continues to run strong, as does his commitment to the continuation of The Ruferus Saga and the characters who make it flourish.