Boston Herald: April 30, 1999, page S24
Tonight's concert at the Middle East has been moved to another location after being canceled when the scheduled performers were falsely tied to the so-called "Trenchcoat Mafia."
The 1999 Boston Subgenius Devival show, featuring musical performances by Bill T. Miller, Cleve Duncan and others, was axed by club owner Joseph Sater. It was sponsored by the Church of the Subgenius, a group of performers and fans that has become famous for its parodies of organized religion.
Tonight's concert will now be held at the Old Cambridge Baptist Church, 1151 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.
According to Devival organizer Friday Jones, Sater canceled the Middle East event two days ago after receiving 14 phone complaints following a distasteful joke made by a Subgenius member on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" program.
Jones said the band member, calling from Florida, jokingly claimed the "evil and sinister" church was affiliated with the Trenchcoat Mafia, the group of disaffected students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., that became famous after last week's shootings. The caller also mentioned the show at the Middle East.
"He made it clear that it was a joke," said Jones, and host Ray Suarez apparently reiterated that it was a joke. While Jones admits it was not funny and that some church members have "poor taste," she doesn't understand why the event she's been planning for months, which sold out the same room last year, is being censored bcause of the joke.
Phone calls to Sater weren't returned prior to deadline.