Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Ivan Stang

Role / Field:

American writer and broadcaster, best known for founding the Church of the SubGenius.

Born:

1954-08-21

Century / Era:

1954s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Ivan Stang (born Douglass St. Clair Smith; August 21, 1953) is an American writer, filmmaker and broadcaster, best known as the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius. He is credited with founding the Church with friend Philo Drummond in 1979, though Stang himself denied this and claimed the organization was founded in 1953 by J. R.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

"Bob" Dobbs. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, he attended the St. Mark's School of Texas. 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.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

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. Stang also founded the business entity of the Church, the SubGenius...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aarathi — Contemporary (Born in 1954) (1954): Veteran Indian actress celebrated for her roles in Kannada cinema during the 1970s and 1980s.
• Alan Hollinghurst — Contemporary (Born in 1954) (1954): Acclaimed English novelist, poet, and literary figure known for mainstreaming gay-themed fiction.
• Alan Turing — Contemporary (Died in 1954) (1954): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• Alfonso VII of León and Castile — Shared historical date (08-21 · Died) (1157): King of León, Castile, and Galicia; sought to establish an imperial title in Iberia.
• Aubrey Beardsley — Shared historical date (08-21 · Born) (1872): Pioneering English illustrator known for decadent, erotic black ink drawings.
• Ahmad Shah Massoud — Historical peer (Born in 1953) (1953): Afghan military leader, known as the "Lion of Panjshir", fought against foreign occupations.
• Alan Moore — Historical peer (Born in 1953) (1953): Pioneering British comic book writer celebrated for deconstructing genre tropes.
• A. P. Elkin — Historical peer (Died in 1979) (1979): Influential Australian anthropologist and Anglican clergyman (1891–1979)
• A. Philip Randolph — Historical peer (Died in 1979) (1979): Pioneer labor unionist and civil rights activist who fought for racial equality.
• Abby Wambach — Historical peer (Born in 1980) (1980): Iconic American soccer forward, celebrated for her goal-scoring prowess and longevity.
• 1954 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1954
• August 21 (08-21) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 21

Frequently Asked Questions about Ivan Stang