The other day I watched rockstar Tom DeLonge's interview with Joe Rogan. At the time it came out, everyone was talking saying Tom was a raving lunatic, and that's what Rogan seems to think of it too. For me, he doesn't strike me as having gone off the rails, his thoughts are obviously quite clear and intelligible, and he is often grounded enough to say things in a way that can communicate with those around him. However, there were a few indications of eccentricity - his lack of awareness that Joe was making fun of him, his telling of unusual and pointless anecdotes, and the seemingly outlandish claims about his high level connections in government.

It's unlikely that everything or most of what DeLonge claims is true. It's possible that he's not crazy, and he's a conman, doing it for the fame, a fading star craving the attention which his music once commanded, or doing it for the money, collecting from early investors in the project. It's also possible that he's just gullible, somehow being fooled into accepting too much, believing too much, and hoping too much. This is the most likely scenario.

Background

Tom DeLonge is best known for his role as lead singer and frontman of the popular punk group, Blink 182. He's also an entrepreneur, having founded companies such as Atticus Clothing, MacBeth Footwear, music merchandise company Modlife, and media outlet Strange Times. Obviously, Tom's status as a successful entrepreneur and musician reduces the likelihood that he's doing this for the money. It's possible for someone to turn from a productive member of society into a crook, but generally people's behaviour and motivations are consistent.

Now, DeLonge is the founder of To The Stars Inc., a company whose stated mission is to slowly disclose information about unidentified aerial phenomena and extraterrestrials. It's important to note that DeLonge has been obsessed with extraterrestrials and UFOs for a very, very long time.

A history of interest

In the song "Aliens Exist", released in 1999, Tom sings about something being in the backroom, conspiracies being dumb, and the final lines: "I'm not like you guys/12 Majestic lies" - a reference to the alleged Operation Majestic 12, supposedly authorised by Harry Truman to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash at Roswell, New Mexico. Like many people, I've heard the songs on the radio, but never knew the reference. Consistent to what he stated about his future intentions in Rogan's interview, Tom has already been including references to ETs in media for many years.

The non-disclosure project

Throughout the interview, when Rogan asks a question, Tom's frequent response is "I can't talk about that," which frustrated a lot of listeners. That makes it less likely that he's crazy - a madman can make up any answer on the spot and believe it, and is less prone to restraint. It also provides evidence opposing a con, as a salesman loves to build up his story, and is afraid of being seen as not knowing.

The associates

Delonge does say stuff in the interview about high level officials, saying "look at the people I'm surrounded by" to give weight to his claims. Many disregarded this as big talk, but it's true - Tom is talking to powerful people, and they're talking back.

Politics

For example, Delonge was in communication with Hilary Clinton's former campaign manager John Podesta. We can see from the Wikileak'd emails that DeLonge and Podesta were corresponding in 2016. One email is an invitation to a Google hangout, dated 2016-01-25.

As an amusing aside, perhaps foreshadowing Trump's "Space Force", in one email of Podesta's to a Vice reporter talking about the potential of UFO disclosure, Podesta writes he is interested in "making the UNIVERSE GREAT AGAIN."

Tech

The CC'd section of the invite shows [email protected] - that is, Rob Weiss, head of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Skunk Works - otherwise known as the Advanced Development Programs, known for its development of stealth fighter aircraft. It's likely an organisation with a lot of technological secrets.

Also CC'd, Michael Carey, ex USAF officer and CSO of ATLAS Space Engineering, a company focused on connecting businesses to satellite data through the cloud.

Military

Also CC'd, one Neil McCasland, most likely Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, the former commander of an air force research laboratory in Ohio, with a budget of $2.2 B. Tom mentions something interesting about McCasland in another email:

When Roswell crashed, they shipped it to the laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. General McCasland was in charge of that exact laboratory up to a couple years ago.

Tom's UFO media

The same day, DeLonge sends a rough draft to Podesta and special assistant Milia Fisher, talking about the documentary "that Podesta is in." DeLonge also discusses other media, novels, non-fiction books, TV series and feature films.

About his teaser, DeLonge writes:

Please understand the teaser is made to "pander" to a youth audience, and then we will change their views in the actual film from a conspiratorial one, to a new non-cynical and supportive one.

Leaked promo material sourced from the Podesta emails

Here we can see Tom's intentions as a government PR agent. He wants to influence young people's views of certain government institutions. Phrased another way, he wants to be a mouthpiece of the military industrial complex. Put in a more cynical and unsupportive way, he's asking to be a useful idiot.

I'm just like you guys

When Tom accepted the UFO researcher of the year award from the International UFO Congress he said:

"I'm just like you guys.... I read all the same authors as you guys, hundreds of books. I look at all the same sites."

Hearing an internationally famous rockstar telling us that he's just like us seems disingenuous, and later when he says "I've read it all. I know it all," Tom shows his eccentricity. Then again, perhaps there is some context and nuance that is clearer to attendees of the International UFO Congress.

The useful idiot

In this email, Tom offers to help with Clinton's campaign:

Get some sleep out there on that campaign trail, by the way- If I can help I am happy to do it. Hillary's office called me twice in the past to help her run for the Senate. I met her while I was campaigning for John Kerry. Always loved her. Always wanted a female leader.

Podesta forwards another of Tom's emails to Jennifer Palmieri, director of communications for Hillary Clinton's campaign. This one mentions how the youth is scouring the Internet for Podesta's connection to UFO or ET disclosure, praising him for establishing himself as a reputable figure. Podesta adds the enigmatic note "Our secret plan." Palmieri responds with a single word: "Jesus."

Tom's novel "Sekret Machines" is available for purchase on his website. A pirated version is also easily available, as it was included as an attachment in one of the leaked Podesta emails. In the foreword, Tom affirms intent to be complicit with the authorities:

When the meeting came, I took the bull by the horns, and I pitched him an idea, mostly about a benign idea I had for a project that could help the youth lose their cynical views of the Government and the Department of Defense.

YouTuber Mouthy Buddha presents what he believes is a related case, the story of Paul Bennowitz, a researcher fooled into believing that secret government aircraft projects were really extraterrestrial in nature, in a manipulation which eventually lead to his own tragic demise:

The motivations

To try to get a clear picture, it's important to know what each party is seeking. Tom's hand is more or less face up, whereas the government's plans are open to speculation.

Tom's motivations are, most likely:-

1. Find out what's really going on with all this crazy alien shit.
2. Bring it to light to prepare the public for the release of new tech.
3. Kiss a little ass if he has to.

The motives of the government and ex-gov agents are to use Tom as a mouthpiece, plus any combination of the following:-

1. Actually present the truth.
2. Spread disinformation to exaggerate their capabilities.
3. Spread it to downplay their capabilities.
4. Discredit Tom completely, along with the questions he's raising, increasing confusion around the issue.

Conclusion - selling one's soul

After so many years of involvement in ufology, it's hard to believe that Tom DeLonge doesn't know that governments lie about UFOs, or think that they wouldn't lie to him. In his own videos he even says clearly that there has been a lot of "disinformation" released. Somehow, he was willing to overlook that long enough to make a deal. On the surface, it seems ridiculous that the Department of Defense would need a fading rockstar to be their spokesperson. On the other hand, it makes sense that any master of manipulation would look for a way to exploit an opportunity, or person, who happened to show up, and that is what Podesta's sneaky comments indicate.

In some aspects, Tom DeLonge is an expert communicator, writing pop songs creative enough to capture the imagination of many young people, then delegating and leading people enough to start several companies. At the same time, he can be out of touch in the moment, as demonstrated in the Joe Rogan interview, missing subtle cues, and presenting trivial details as if they're somehow groundbreaking, such as the part in the podcast where DeLonge emphasises a confusing anecdote about adding a reference to Greek myths to the end of the novel. Those qualities, along with his Mulder-level desire to believe, might be what leads to his credulity.

I suspect that DeLonge has been shown some things, which, in the right context, were sufficient to allow him to believe that the US government has reverse-engineered extraterrestrial technology, and then he accepted the agents' plans as if they were a package deal. Tom wants to believe, to be significant, and he has been deceived.

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About me

My name is Kurt Robinson. I grew up in Australia, and for now, the world is my home. I write interesting things about voluntaryism, futurism, science fiction, travelling the world, and psychedelics. Remember to press follow so you can stay up to date with all the cool shit I post, and follow our podcast where we talk about crazy ideas for open-minded people, here: @paradise-paradox theparadiseparadox.com, like The Paradise Paradox on Facebook here, and subscribe to The Paradise Paradox on YouTube, and on iTunes.

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