The book of the subgenius. (book reviews) People Weekly v20 p10(2) Aug 29, 1983 Are you pr

The book of the subgenius. (book reviews)
 People Weekly  v20 p10(2) Aug 29, 1983

    Are you prepared, friend, for the "coming weird times" ahead? Do you,
neighbor, truly have "slack" in your life? If you cannot say yes to these
questions, brothers and sisters, then the Church of the SubGenius is
looking for you. Though its origins are obscure, in this satrical catechism
by a group of Texas the church describes itself as "inherently bogus." It
was supposedly founded in Dallas in 1953 by the pipe-smoking J.R. ("Bob)
Dobbs. Bob looks suspiciously like a smug version of the comic-strip
character Mark Trail. His church promises "far more laughs and yuks per
dollar than Scientology, the Unification Church or any other religious
group, except possibly the Southern Baptists." Bob's basic message is that
he needs money and you need slack. He preaches that man was born with
"original slack," but that civilization, with its mandatory "jobs," has
sought to suppress it. "Slack," preaches Bob, "is absolutely 'free' time,
devoid of all stress, to do whatever you damn well please for 'eternity.'"
Lest you scoff--though you ought to, anyway, since this is a pretty funny
book--be advised that there are actual chapters of SubGenii, offering
"instant of "Bob"'s pervasive presence, just take a look in the white pages
of your local telephone directory: Bob's Automotive, Bob's Floral, Bob's
Pawn Shop--he's everywhere. (McGraw-Hill, paper, $9.95)

         COPYRIGHT Time Inc. 1983