OASIS OF SLACK
Tucson AZ 10 February 2001

FEATURED GUESTS
FIELD REPORTS
PHOTOGRAPHS
PROPAGANDA
CULPRITS
AFTERMATH

WHAT THE HELL IS A SUBGENIUS DEVIVAL?!

This is a very important question and an altogether too common one here in the Naked Pueblo. Sadly, it seems that the message of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius has been largely overlooked in Tucson. That message is one of "slack" - an ethereal, almost indefinable state of being that underlies the motivations and behavior of the SubGenius. Like the Tao, the slack which can be described is not true slack. So instead of attempting to describe it, we will instead attempt to DEMONSTRATE it at the "Oasis of Slack," the first SubGenius devival to be held in Tucson. Events vary from devival to devival, and trying to explain what goes on at these gatherings is a challenge for the most experienced of SubGenius preachers. "A variety show for the socially maladjusted" is a pretty good description. "An orgy at the asylum" is another good one. Essentially, a SubGenius devival is very similar to an old-time, mainstream religious revival in which a series of sermons are presented to the crowd. Some of these preachers' "sermons" will be gentle, even-handed explanations of slack and the other teachings of "Bob", while others will be rabid, wild-eyed denunciations of the Conspiracy that attempts to steal away that slack. Some sermons may take the form of a game show that utilizes audience participation and fabulous prizes, while other sermons will seem to the uninitiated to be slightly off-kilter musical acts involving ukelele musicians and unruly punk rockers. Other sermons may be totally silent, consisting of a series of seemingly unrelated images being projected above the audience or static sculptures conveying meanings far too subtle to be described with mere words. While this barely begins to scratch the surface of what may happen at a SubGenius devival, the fact of the matter is that NOBODY knows what's going to happen until it actually occurs. There was only one way for you to find out and that was to BE THERE. Well-known SubGenius preachers from around the country, including Rev. Ivan Stang, Dr. Owland Howll and Rev. Onan Canobite, are being flown in to help bring enlightenment to the oddballs of Tucson. They will be aided by the awesome local talent of Mat Bevel, Rev. Crawford, Dr. Ygrundas Quimby, Jr., Fire by Eleanor and others. "Just show up, pay the grinning freak at the door, step in and HANG ON!" was the best advice. If you weren't there, sucks to be you.