Early in his career he was Warhol superstar (under the name Sylva Thinn) and wrote a column for Interview magazine.
[6] In the 1970s, Ayers became involved with Andy Warhol's Factory as the androgynous "Sylva Thinn" (sometimes written as "Silva Thin") and wrote a column for Interview magazine.
[3] He also worked with fellow Athens musicians R.E.M., co-writing the song "Old Man Kensey" from the 1985 album Fables of the Reconstruction.
[9] In 2017 Ayers's friend Michael Stipe presented an art installation in his honor at Moogfest in Durham, North Carolina.
[3] In 2021 German entomologist Phillip Hoenle discovered a new species of ant, which he sent to Yale University taxonomic expert Douglas Booher.