Papa Joe contemplates fate of Earth from bridge of X-ist Star Destroyer
Papa Joe Mama is the founder of the Holocaustals, who believe that all the Pinks should and will be euthanized on X-Day. The Ivangelicals, led by Rev. Ivan Stang, disagree, saying that the Pinks should only be enslaved. (In more recent years, Dr. K'Taden Legume has also led the Holocaustal movement.) Papa Joe is one of the more divisive church leaders, often taking explosive positions and pushing the envelope of good taste. His militaristic costumes are almost as controversial as his politically incorrect rants, which are known for angering the softer, fuzzier church members. His comic book contribution to The Stark Fist magazine ("Never F*ck with the Cops"), for example, had to be heavily censored to prevent an uprising from the Californiacators. That being said, his official sermons are painstakingly crafted, earning him the nick name as "the thinking man's demagogue."
One of P.J's more friendlier Subgenius outfits.
Like the devil himself, "P.J." is often spotted in a variety of different disguises.
Papa Joe was one of the first Subgenius preachers to seek being a "heel".
Papa Joe is also infamous in church circles for his dark sense of humor and devising devious pranks. It was he, who in 1999, called NPR's "Talk of The Nation" program posing as a concerned listener, and warned Boston that a "doomsday cult" was coming to town to perform a Devival that could inspire violence. Boston City Council member Ken Reeves heard about the call during a public City Council Meeting, and pressured the venue to cancel the event. Although the Devival went on as scheduled, it was forced to do so on the outside steps of a nearby Episcopal church. The Subgenius Church further responded by producing and dedicating a special radio drama to Mr. Reeves, entitled "I Was A Cultist for the A.T.F.", in which Stang, St. Janor Hypecleets, and Papa Joe all played themselves.
Papa Joe is also blamed for publicly admitting that the real motivation behind filming the 2017 "Slacking Towards Bethelhem" documentary wasn't to confess that the Subgenius Church was a satire, but it was actually a "Grand Scam" devised in order to fool the normals into thinking it was all just a joke. (The ruse was intended to encourage The Conspiracy to let down its guard and make the incoming alien invasion all the more deadly.) He did not reveal if Stang and himself had come to an agreement on which fate would befall the normals (be it slavery, genocide, or a combination of both). Although the revelation that the comedy aspects of the church are really psychological warfare were only admitted late in his speech after normals supposedly tuned out, some conspiracy pinks may have actually heard it, causing alarm among some higher ups.
But perhaps Papa Joe's most unpopular transgression was adding as much as 6,663 years to the deadline of X-day. Historically, July 5, 1998 was assumed to be X-day, the dateline for Subgenius Dominance. (Although the Maydiests claim 7/5 means the 7th of May.) When the big day arrived, nearly 400 attendees gathered at the Sherman Campground Landing Site and were disappointed that the escape saucers did not appear at 7AM as promised. Stang, attempting to calm the agitated crowd, produced a sacred piece of paper that he claimed "Bob" himself wrote the famous 1998 year upon. Papa Joe, seeing the paper in Stang's shaking hands, snatched it and turned it upside down, declaring the date actually read "8661"! When Stang admitted it was possible he misread the numbers, he was thrown in the campground poop pile and feathered by angry followers. For his part, Joe later speculated that it was also possible The Conspiracy had manipulated public calendar dates by several years or decades, so that 1998 would seem to come and go without judgment (hoping to prompt Subgenius followers to lose faith). Most recently, however, Papa Joe has fallen back on the tried and true Fundamentalist belief that every syllable that "Bob" spoke is literally 100% accurate, and that when Jehovah wishes the end to come, he will utilize Subgenius Time Control to change the current date to July 5th, 1998.
Here are 2 videos of Papa Joe Mama and Glassmadness broadcasting on the Puzzling Evidence Show on KPFA on 4/20/1991:
And here is a full-length feature film of SubGenius Euro X-Day 2002 held in England, with Papa Joe Mama as one of the main participants:
