J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius

I first heard of the Church Of The SubGenius in a Robert Anton Wilson book of essays. His writing didn't go deep into the actual structure of it, just touching on enough of its absurdities to make it seem like a religion disguised as a joke. Or vice versa. Or a joke that mutated into a religion. Or a decades-long performance art piece. Or maybe it was just a silly club, like the Elks Lodge by way of MAD Magazine. I never followed up on it because I became busy with other things in life. But I saw this pop up on a streaming site and my curiosity was piqued. This documentary aims to set the record straight -- or, at least, firmly crooked -- about the enigmatic underground group. What this is not is for the average person, which is just how the church's founders would like it, as it was started as a poke in the eye of guru groups and cults by some weirdos who didn't really fit into the standard buckets of people out there. And then it attracted other people who felt that same sense of exclusion. Some took it as seriously as it took itself, and some took it seriously, and disturbingly so. The documentary -- a standard format of talking heads and archival footage -- doesn't aim to do anything more than explain how it started, how it took on a life of its own, and how its changed in modern times. And to that end, it does a fine job. The creators of it don't try to work the audience; they're straight-forward and honest. Everyone involved, in fact, is pretty up front, which is, in a way, nice. They're not afraid to peel back the curtain. In this day and age, they all seem to understand that, whatever the Church Of The SubGenius is to someone -- satirical art piece, genuine affinity group, serious religion -- it is important to let them have the opportunity to make that discovery. It does kind of suck, though, to see that one of its founders more or less views it as a business now. I think the bigger problem here, though, may be that by peeling back the curtain, it kind of robs anyone interested in it of the opportunity to make up their own mind. By seeing how it started and it what it is now, it feels just like any other club, albeit one with very silly origins and lore. What interest I once had is now not only sated, but snuffed out. I was never going to be a believer in it, because come on, look at its central figure, but I find it hard to find it more than an amusing trifle now that I've seen behind the curtain. It was much more intriguing as a mysterious group of potential nutjobs and wondering what kind of nutjobs they are. Now that I know it's just some old hippies who don't take any of it seriously, it makes the whole thing seem like National Lampoon created a church. I don't think that's the intent the makers of this doc had in mind. I can't imagine the number of people who read my reviews -- already a small number -- will be interested in this. If you are, be warned; while insightful and well-made, this documentary will be a peeking behind the veil that you can't unsee. It demystifies something that is meant to survive on its sense of mystery tangled in absurdity. And once the mystery is gone, it doesn't feel absurd anymore. It just feels hokey.