Allegedly founded in the 1950’s by J.R. “Bob” Dobbs, the Church of the SubGenius rose to infamy with the publication of SubGenius Pamphlet #1 by Reverend Ivan Stang and Dr. Philo Drummond in 1979. Attempts to classify the organization prove tricky, as the group’s mantra resists definition–the official website claims that “A True SubGenius, however, understands EVERYTHING, INSTANTLY upon exposure to the Word or even just the Face of Dobbs”– but in general the Church mocks organized religion and encourages the subversive, the underground, and most importantly, Slack, or freedom and independent thinking. Generally regarded as a joke of an organization that satirizes Evangelism and Scientology alike, the Church has still managed to recruit thousands of members who pay a $30 lifetime membership, which calls into question whether its followers agree with the Church’s farce or have come to seriously consider its “teachings”. Pee-wee Herman and David Byrne are among the Church’s most famous members.
While the Church has enjoyed fame in since the 80’s among punks, students, and alternative groups, it has more or less faded from the limelight. In 2006, however, it gained media attention as one of its members, known as Reverend Mary Magdalen, entered a legal battle for the custody of her son. After a domestic dispute with her husband, Magdalen was apparently denied custody and declared un-fit for mothering due to her participation at Church of the SubGenius gatherings. Founder Reverend Ivan Stang jumped onboard the cause, attempting to aid Magdelen in her legal battle, but in 2007 she lost the case against her ex-husband.
A reader’s poll in Time Magazine in 2000 voted J.R. Dobbs as the #1 phony or fraud of the 20th Century, yet its members continue to revive the organization in various ways. The Hour of Slack, a weekly radio show produced by Ivan Stang that serves as a compendium of all SubGenius activities and performances, is broadcasted on FM in almost every state, and can be streamed as a podcast.
The Church also holds yearly events in preparation for the end of the world, or X-day. Apparently unshaken that the world did not end on July 5th, 1998 as they had predicted, the Church of the SubGenius has declared July 5th as the newest X-Day. To herald in the momentous occasion, the Church asks all of its members to partake in a clothing-optional weekend full of concerts and debauchery at the Brushwood Folklore Center in Sherman New York. This year’s Burning Man-esque celebration marks the 12th X-day festival and promises its participants “five days of music, beautiful naked Sex Gods and Goddesses, and PURE SLACK.”
9 responses
*patronizing koff*
All due respect, Maddie, but just because you move in different circles doesn’t mean the Church of the SubGenius isn’t thriving. On the contrary, this Slackless new century has resulted in a resurging Golden Age of SubGenius radio ministries and podcasts, not to mention frequent the Church’s frequent Devivals here and in Europe and other Church affairs. I AM pleased and surprised to note that you DID have your ear to the ground enough to note that the X-Day events in Sherman NY are a yet-ongoing yearly blowout–what with the cult-sized grave you have dug here, I figured that would be tossed in the information crypt along with all the rest.
Listen: One overriding fact about the Church of the SubGenius is that we run SO deliberately counter to the mainstream that it’s small wonder that we don’t pop up in whatever media “limelight” is presently snaring your attention. That is neither here nor there, as they say. But I’m still glad you cared enough to print our obit, giving the Church of the SubGenius a chance to remind whatever small slice of the internet world who frequents this corner that yes, the news of our passing has been greatly exaggerated–and we couldn’t be laughing about this gaffe more heartily than we are now.
Thanks for the chortle!
Sincerely,
Rev. Susie the Floozie
“Bob”‘s SlackTime Funhouse
Weekly since 1994 on WREKfm Atlanta
As you’ve probably heard from others, the Church of the SubGenius is alive and well.
You need to check out http://www.subgenius.com for updates on Magdalen’s case, as I believe she got her kid back.
Or you could write Ivan Stang DIRECTLY from the site (there’s contact info there) for the latest news on the Church of the SubGenius, such has he’s been teaching a Course on Line at least the last two, maybe three years at Maybe Logic regarding the History of the SubGenius Foundation.
And, ofcourse, there’s the free for all of alt.slack on usenet (available via Google Groups) and there’s a major subgenius presense on YouTube, Stang keeps a small heard of videos there, as well as Philodrummond and PuzzlingEvidenceTv.
And it’s not just centered around the North East or South, The Puzzling Evidence Radio Show has been on since at least 1983, every week, on KPFA.
And Dr. Hal’s ASK DR. HAL SHOW has been running for 13? 15? years in San Francisco.
Stimpson Jaycat, aka CHIMPSTOP.
Known in the Church of the SubGenius as
The Right Rev. El Bonobo Bandito.
The Church of the SubGenius was converted into a biological weapon and has been successfully infecting up to 500 million human pineal glands.
These infected brains are currently being re-wired into SubGenius drones and come late 2010 the rewiring will be complete and the Church will move into phase three.
The so called counter culture will be the first to be culled by the drones.
Stock up on canned goods.
Thank you very much for the free p.r. for “Bob” and the Church of the SubGenius. I was pleased to learn that we were EVER in the limelight.
I do want to make a couple of corrections. Rev. Magdalen’s case is still not completely settled, but for the last two years, she has had custody of the child — a teenager, now. We deliberately went out of our way to campaign to get Dobbs elected Fraud of the Century in TIME’s poll of 2000 and it is something we are proud of. While we do hold events and produce several radio shows and websites, we are actually best known for our books, which one usually finds in the Humor Section of stores, for some reason. THE BOOK OF THE SUBGENIUS (Simon & Schuster) is now in its 19th printing, and our other two main books, REVELATION X and the most recent one, THE SUBGENIUS PSYCHLOPAEDIA OF SLACK (2006) are also still in print and in stores.
We are still ordaining people for $30 at the rate of from 3 to 5 a day. If these are joke ordainments, then thousands of people have wasted money on divorces after being married by SubGenius ministers.
Thanks again for the attention.
P.S. I paid $30 for a subscription to MAD Magazine, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I believe its teachings. (Although I in fact DO.)
You have hit the nail right on the head.
The Church of the SubGenius has declared bankruptcy. Besides canceling X-day and leaving many musicians and performers with unpaid bills and useless plane tickets, the loss of tax revenue has cause the city of Sherman NY to close it’s only remaining police station and suspend activity at the public library and high school.
While Stang refuses to admit the truth, he was heavily invested in Bernard Maydoff’s Ponzi scheme trying to cover himself for the church’s promise of “eternal salvation or triple your money back”.
It’s so bad that our very founder J.R. “Bob” Dobbs has converted to Kali worship.
The “best of the one true religions” is a fake.
Another correction: Magdalen was NOT married to the man who was involved in the custody battle against her. FYI – get your facts straight!
Also, I’ve seen more press about the Church in the mid-to-late 2000s than in many previous periods.
I infiltrated this organization during their 4th annual X-day celebration. I can tell you one thing is for certain, I don’t rememebr what the one certain thing was.
That’s about all I have to say about that.
Pope Sinphaltimus Exmortus
The First Ever Digital Church Of Mind Slack.
“To know life, you must first fuck death through the gall bladder.” -A. Warhol
Well, it’s still alive, and even on the other side of the Atlantic ocean we still preach the gospel of Bob. We just adhere the slackness, that’s all.
Sincerely,
Iman Abdul Al-Hazzard,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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