Members
The Church of the SubGenius' founders were based in Dallas when they distributed their first document. The SubGenius Foundation moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1999. In 2009, Stang claimed that the Church had 40,000 members, but the actual number may be much lower. As of 2012, becoming a minister in the Church consists of paying a $35 fee; Stang has estimated that there are 10,000 ministers and that the Church's annual income has reached $100,000.
Most SubGenius members are male, and, according to Stang, many of them are social outcasts. He maintains that those who do not fit into society will ultimately triumph over those who do. The Church has experienced success converting college students, particularly at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It has also gained popularity in several American cities, including San Francisco, Little Rock, and Cleveland. A few Church members have voiced concerns about converts who failed to practice the faith in an ironic spirit, fearing that they acted like serious cult-followers. Stang has expressed concern that the Church's doctrines could exacerbate pre-existing psychoses of mentally ill devotees, although he believes that the Church genuinely helps many adherents.
Notable associates of the Church include Mark Mothersbaugh, Mojo Nixon, Paul Mavrides, Paul Reubens, members of Negativland, and R. Crumb. Crumb, a cartoonist, provided early publicity for the church by reprinting Sub Genius Pamphlet #1 in his comics anthology Weirdo. References to the Church are present in several works of art, including the Internet-based collaborative fiction Ong's Hat, the comic book The Middleman, the band Sublime's album 40oz. to Freedom, and the television program Pee-wee's Playhouse.
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