This is an original single sheet printed paper advertisement (A.K.A. handbill, flyer or print) for a concert performance gig by professional musicians at a music venue or a music recording as released on CD and cassette. Obscure slices of Rock'n'Roll Americana, these regional street art posters were usually printed in limited runs of a few hundred and often less than 100.For those who seek SLACK, here's a vintageearly eighties Subgenius application with the original Dallas addressItem:HandbillSize in inches:8.5" x 11"Location:TexasDate:©1980Condition:Very Good+, 7 of 10 or betterCombine items to save $$$!The Church of the SubGenius is a pseudo-religious organization, originally based in Dallas It has found acceptance in underground pop-culture circles and been embraced on college campuses, in the underground music scene, and on the Internet. The organization is widely seen as a satire Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organisations, states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. In Celtic societies, it was thought a bard's satire could have physical effects, similar to a curse. that mocks organized religion, though its most devoted adherents adamantly challenge this viewpoint, usually on the grounds that it is far too much trouble to attack something which is already dead. Because of its similarities to the tenets of Discordianism, SubGenius is often described as an offshoot of that belief. Its members state that the organization developed on its own, however, with the publication of SubGenius Pamphlet #1 (a.k.a. The World Ends Tomorrow And You May Die!) by Ivan Stang Ivan Stang is the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius. He is credited with founding the Church in 1979, though Stang himself denies this and claims the organization was founded in 1953 by J. R. "Bob" Dobbs. Since the publication of the first SubGenius pamphlet in 1980, Stang has embarked on a worldwide crusade (spanning at least three continents) to promote the Church. and the original SubGenius Foundation. The original group, using such pseudonyms as "Pastor Buck Naked," "Suzie the Floozie," "Palmer Vreedeez," and "Pope Sternodox," forwarded their literature to a number of underground pop-culture figures such as R. Crumb Robert Crumb (who signs his work as "R. Crumb") is an artist, born on August 30th 1943, whose entire adult life has been dedicated to drawing comic strips and comic books. He never joined the mainstream comic book publishing industry; since the 1960s, he has been one of the founders and major participants in the field of underground comics. Before fame struck, Crumb lived in Cleveland, Ohio and worked at American Greetings. He lived with his first wife, Dana Morgan Crumb, two cats named Stanley and Oliver, and a large collection of toy robots. He would sometimes entertain visitors by setting all the robots in motion to watch the cats' reactions. He had accumulated a huge stack of sketchbooks filled with materials that were eventually published , who embraced it and incorporated it into their work. Crumb's promotion of the Church through his comic book series Weirdo brought many new members into the fold, including artists, musicians, and writers. Their efforts resulted in the publication of the Book of the SubGenius The Book of the SubGenius: Being the Divine Wisdom, Guidance, and Prophecy of J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs, High Epopt of the Church of the SubGenius, Here Inscribed for the Salvation of Future Generations and in the Hope that Slack May Someday Reign on this Earth is seen as the "bible" of the Church of the SubGenius. It was first published by McGraw-Hill in 1983, and subsequently re-printed several times. It was compiled from the Church's ongoing zine publication, The Stark Fist of Removal. It is usually found in the humor section of most bookstores, though zealous SubGenius followers often move it into the religion section instead.. The popularization of the Internet in the mid-1990s brought a new surge of interest in the Church, resulting in dozens of home-made, elaborately decorated web sites and two Usenet newsgroups, alt.slack and alt.binaries.slack Alt.binaries.slack is a Usenet newsgroup created for the purpose of posting pictures, sounds, and utilities related to the Church of the SubGenius, making them available for everyone to see and hear. Because the Church of the SubGenius is well known for encouraging sick and twisted humor, the newsgroup is also home to artists who post humorous artwork of all sorts (including some pieces that may be considered distasteful). A fair amount of the pictures on alt.binaries.slack are adult-oriented, and may be considered offensive by some viewers. The denizens of the newsgroup state that they enjoy deliberately offending those who are too easily offended. Ivan Stang maintains the official SubGenius home page at http://www.subgenius.com today. The Church's weekly radio program, the Hour of Slack, is a staple of many college radio stations. Such high-profile names as Pee-Wee Herman Paul Rubenfeld David Byrne (born May 14, 1952 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a musician best known as a founding member and the principal songwriter of the New Wave band Talking Heads. have become SubGenius ministers, though they generally keep their affiliations with the Church quiet in order to protect their public image. "Bob" Image copyright (C) The SubGenius Foundation, Inc. The central figurehead and symbol of the Church is the smiling, pipe-smoking face of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs J. R. "Bob" Dobbs is the pipe-smoking figurehead of the Church of the SubGenius. His image is derived from a piece of 1950s clip-art. According to SubGenius dogma, "Bob" was an aluminum-siding salesman in the 1950s who saw a vision of God on a television set he had built himself. The vision inspired him to write the "PreScriptures" (as described in the Book of the SubGenius) and found the Church.The Church claims that "Bob" (the quotes are included when spelling his name) founded the Church after he saw a vision of God The noun God refers to any of a number of postulated immortal, supernatural beings, usually said to rule, alone or in company with other gods, over the destinies of humankind and the universe. on his homemade TV. Since that time, "Bob" has been killed and raised from the dead numerous times, though the Church denies any similarity between this claim and the Biblical account of Jesus Christ's resurrection. The Church guards the trademark and copyright on "Bob's" image, though his face has been used by many artistic figures, showing up on such places as albums by the rock band Sublime and the movie The Wizard of Speed and Time The Wizard of Speed and Time is a low-budget movie written, directed, and starring animator Mike Jittlov. (The Church has recently adopted a new symbol called the "Dobbs Icon," which is a stylized cross with three bars and a pipe, placed in a pattern that matches the eyes, nose, mouth, and pipe of "Bob's" image.) Slack The central belief in the Church is the pursuit of Slack, which generally stands for the sense of freedom, independence, and original thinking that comes when you achieve your personal goals. The Church states that we were all born with Original Slack, but that Slack has been stolen from us by a worldwide conspiracy of normal people. The Church encourages originality and frowns on actions seen as "pinkness," which happens when you bow down to authority and the accepted limits of society. Popular Church phrases supporting these goals are "The SubGenius Must Have Slack" and "F*ck 'Em If They Can't Take A Joke." Sense of Humor The Church encourages humor, comedy, parody, and satire to a point far exceeding that of most other religious faiths. This belief is probably why the Church is seen as an elaborate joke, a mockery of organized religion, and a parody of controversial religious groups and cults. Almost nothing is considered off-limits to comedy in SubGenius circles, and the group's jokes often veer into the realm of bad taste. Church members frequently pull practical jokes on each other, even as they are using their comedic talents to other ends. Devivals SubGenius gatherings, or Devivals, can be seen as a combination of religious preaching, stand-up comedy, and rock concerts. When the local members of the Church hold a Devival in their area, it typically occurs at a popular nightclub, and it features SubGenius preachers backed by rock bands with such names as the Swinging Love Corpses, Doktors for "Bob," Saint N and Hellena Handbasket, Jehovah Hates Phred, Einstein's Secret Outlaws, and the Kings of Feedback. Attendees at Devivals are encouraged to bring money and spend it at the ever-present sales table. Some Devivals have been known to veer out of control. In 1999, officials of the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts pressured owners of the Middle East nightclub to cancel the booked devival because of a mistaken belief that the organizers were affiliated with the Trenchcoat Mafia (the organization claimed to have been responsible for the Columbine high school shooting tragedy). Clenches Church members living in the same geographic area are encouraged (though it is not mandatory) to form a group: a local club or "clench." These clenches are typically the ones who bind together in order to put a Devival together. Some of these clenches even position themselves as their own religion; this is encouraged by the Church, and is officially known as a "schism." Ivan Stang himself has been quoted as saying, "Quit the church and start your own damn religion!" X-Day The biggest SubGenius Devival is held each year on July 5th, or X-Day. The Church claims this is the day foretold by "Bob," when the world will be destroyed by invading alien armies (known as the Xists). Only the members of the Church of the SubGenius will be saved from the coming apocalypse, though so
