Ivan Stang

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. In May 2006 he finished writing, editing and designing a new SubGenius book for Thunder's Mouth Press, The SubGenius Psychlopaedia of Slack: The Bobliographon. He has appeared on several national radio and television shows, including The Jon Stewart Show on MTV. Stang is an instructor on the faculty of the Maybe Logic Academy. Both he and J.R. "Bob" Dobbs appear as characters in John Shirley's science fiction novel Kamus of Kadizar: The Black Hole of Carcosa.

• Birth Name — Douglass St. Clair Smith • Born — 21 August 1953 • Birthplace — Washington, D.C. • Occupation — Writer, filmmaker, publisher • Known for — Co-Founder of Church of the SubGenius

Stang also founded the business entity of the Church, the SubGenius Foundation. The SubGenius Foundation was located in Dallas, Texas, for most of its existence, though Stang relocated to Cleveland Heights, Ohio in 1999. The SubGenius Foundation was based there from 1999 to 2017, and the syndicated show The Hour of Slack is produced partially at WCSB at Cleveland State University. His "Rants" are a regular feature at the Starwood Festival and WinterStar Symposium, both produced by the Association for Consciousness Exploration (ACE). The Church has collaborated with ACE on a number of projects, including CDs, DVDs and the Rant 'n Rave events in Cleveland, Ohio. He was awarded Best Crack-Pot Preacher by the Cleveland Scene in 2000. Stang continues to promote the Church, and he is a prominent member of Cleveland's underground pop culture scene. In 2017 the Foundation and Stang moved to Glen Rose, Texas.

In 1988, Stang compiled a book called High Weirdness by Mail — A Directory of the Fringe: Crackpots, Kooks & True Visionaries. The book examined many non-mainstream or marginal cultural movements of the period, as well as providing contact information for those wishing to interact directly with people involved in these movements.

Partial filmography includes: • 1969 – The Wad and the Worm (Director, writer, animator) • 1973 – Let's Visit the World of the Future (Director, writer, & actor) • 1978 – Reproduction Cycle Among Unicellular Life Forms Under the Rocks of Mars (Director, writer, & narrator) • 1979 – Mono (Director & writer) • 1987 – China Run (Video editor) • 1989 – Arise!: The SubGenius Video (Island Records) (Director, writer, & appears as self) • 1990 – The Cu Chi Tunnels (Video & script editor) • 1992 – Arise!: The SubGenius Video (Polygram Records) ASIN 6302311616 (Director, writer, & appears as self) • 1992 – Church of the Subgenius: Sect? Satire? Or Satanism? (Appears as self) • 1999 – Grass (Narrator & does commentary) • 2000 – Duelin' Firemen! (Actor) • 2003 – Maybe Logic: The Lives and Ideas of Robert Anton Wilson (Appears as self) • 2008 – God's Cartoonist: The Comic Crusade of Jack Chick (Appears as self) • 2023 - "Time for the Show: The Movie" (Actor)