By day, Randy Williams is a familiar voice on San Diego radio. By self-declared decree, he’s also the Sultan of Slowjamastan.
The broadcaster, who serves as program director for Z90 and Magic 92.5, and hosts the internationally syndicated “Sunday Night Slow Jams,” founded the micronation in 2021 on 11 acres in the Imperial Valley.
What began as Williams’ cheeky creative project has grown into a phenomenon, with more than 25,000 citizens across dozens of countries, a parliament, passports, and even its own currency (nevermind that all of the above lack legal standing by any government or major international organizations). Along the way, Slowjamastan has drawn international media attention, earning coverage from a variety of outlets including the BBC and Vice.
Williams shares what he’s learned from creating a country from scratch — and his advice for anyone daring enough to start one of their own.
Why start a micronation
“There is no right or wrong way to make a micronation,” he says. “Micronations are all about self-expression and breaking the mold and doing things your way. You’re the leader, the president, the sultan, the king, the dictator.”
Main ingredient: Land
“If you’re serious, you need land. And it doesn’t have to be a 43-acre desert plot. If you’re a 14-year-old who only makes an allowance, the land can be your backyard, your den, your bedroom, even a public park.
“There are micronations claiming territory on Mars, on the moon, in Antarctica. My friend, the Grand Duchy of Westarctica, leads one of the most recognized micronations in the world, and he has never once set foot in his own country. (It’s located on 620,000 square miles of land in Antarctica.) So the bar for a territory is genuinely flexible.”
Okay, you’ve got land. What’s next?
“A website is really important. It should tell your location, your ideals, your government structure — explain what you’re about. From there, think about all the things any real country has, like a flag, a national anthem, laws, currency, passports.”
Williams cautions, though, against getting derailed by expense.
“I remind kids to use construction paper, cardboard, magic markers. It’s not about having expensive things. It’s all about using your imagination and your creativity.” (He adds with a laugh, “Although I have to admit, Slowjamastan has been the biggest financial mistake of my entire life.”)
Create a compelling identity for your itsy-bitsy nation
Ask most people who’ve actually heard of Slowjamastan what it’s about and they’ll immediately tell you that it’s the country that bans Crocs.
“I simply used the major tenets of radio broadcasting. The best brands, the best morning shows — they’re successful because they’re known for one thing. For Slowjamastan, that one thing is the prohibition of Crocs. The anti-Croc law.”
This fixation didn’t come out of nowhere. For years, Williams had been mentally compiling a list of small everyday peeves. When he started his own country, it became the perfect place to outlaw them.
“I just opened a Word doc and spilled out all of my little annoyances. Crocs. ‘Reply all’ on emails. Leaving time on the microwave if you’ve removed your burrito before the timer goes off.”
Recruit citizens
Williams visited Molossia and desperately wanted to become a citizen. He was told no — Molossia’s citizenship is limited to the founding family.
“A really big part of creating Slowjamastan was that I wanted to let everybody be involved.”
So citizenship is free. For those who want more, premium citizenship gets you a photo on the website, a document with a seal, and your own citizen number. Ambassadorships are available to anyone, anywhere — want to be the Slowjamastan Ambassador to Albuquerque? The Sultan will set up a webpage for you and order business cards.
Then there’s the cabinet. Slowjamastan has a parliament with government roles, and if you have a passion — any passion, as long as it’s G-rated — you can turn it into a title. For instance, there is currently a Director of Bean and Cheese Burrito Affairs serving in the Slowjamastan government.
“We created a club. A family, a sense of belonging.”
Qualities needed for the leader of a micronation
“Thick skin is non-negotiable. You’re going to be called crazy, nuts, a cult leader.” (Though Williams is quick to clarify that micronations are not cults.)
“Also make sure you’re having fun. If you’re going to do something, even if it’s work, make sure it’s fun. That’s my main rule in life.”
What makes a successful micronation
For Williams, the first moment of real success was when someone posted a photo of Slowjamastan’s sign to Reddit and hundreds of people began wildly speculating about what was happening in the California desert. He watched the thread in delight.
“I was the disruptive kid in third grade trying to make the whole class laugh and getting yelled at by the teacher. So I’m basically doing that on a worldwide stage now.”
He has but one regret: “Without asking permission, I transformed my radio station’s office into the Consulate of the Republic of Slowjamastan, got it listed on Google Maps and Apple Maps, and watched with satisfaction as the consulate outranked his own company in GPS searches. But my boss was not pleased.”
Things came to a head when a package arrived at the consulate that, to Williams’ “Forensic Files”-trained eye, appeared to be a pipe bomb. He reported it to HR, the bomb squad arrived, and the building was cleared. Turns out it was a completely harmless gift from a fellow micronation in Nevada — scrolls of treaties rolled inside a PVC tube with bags of crystals.
The incident forced Williams to remove the consulate address from every public platform.
Move over ComiCon. MicroCon 2027 is headed for San Diego
MicroCon is the annual gathering of the global micronational community — heads of state, cabinet ministers, directors of bean and cheese burrito affairs, all of it. It is, according to the website, “the global gathering of small nations with big personalities, hosted in a city where tacos, palm trees, and international intrigue collide: San Diego, California. This isn’t just another conference. This is the summit where presidents in polyester sashes and kings with handmade passports come together to trade ideas, laugh at bureaucracy, and toast to the art of taking nation-building into their own hands.”
Williams attended three previous conventions before deciding he could do it better.
His vision for the San Diego-based is characteristically maximalist. The main conference day will take place at the Ultimate Skybox, high above downtown with views of Petco Park. The evening moves to a yacht with City Cruises for dinner, dancing, awards, and a sail beneath the Coronado Bridge. Excursions include a trip to Puerto Nuevo, Mexico, for lobster on the beach, with a stop at Friendship Park — where the border wall meets the Pacific Ocean.
“These are guys that own micro nations and are obviously fans of borders and lines and geographical anomalies. There’s nothing much cooler than actually seeing a border wall that goes right into the sea.”
The second excursion goes east into the desert to visit Slowjamastan itself, with stops at the Salton Sea, Slab City, Bombay Beach, and Salvation Mountain. At this point, few spots remain open for non-citizens to attend MicroCon.
“We’re pairing the best location in the world with the most fun micronation.”
Slowjamastan is located on California State Highway 78 near the Salton Sea. Citizenship is free at slowjamastan.com. Crocs are, and shall remain, prohibited.