FORMER ROCK STAR ON ROCKY GROUND:
USES UFOS TO ADVANCE HIS FAME AND FORTUNE
(Originally published Dec 2020)
A deep-dive into the activities of former rock star-turned-UFO research star Tom DeLonge and his extraterrestrial research enterprise established in 2017, "To the Stars Academy" (TTSA), reveals a bizarre mix of deceit, gullibility, fantasy, and overclaim. DeLonge's organization's mission is to professionally and scientifically examine UFO sightings, reports and other evidence; evaluate possible UFO debris; and develop new technologies relating to areas such as energy systems (i.e. "Zero Point Energy") and other exotic propulsion based on their findings.
But DeLonge's true UFO research motives can be found in a need for continued fame and a need for money to maintain an accustomed lifestyle. This investigation shows that the star (the former lead member of Blink 182, a pop punk band) and his organization promote falsehoods, lie about meetings with government officials, and have shown no technical acumen. He and his organization have a history of hype and unfulfilled promises. Despite the passage of years and the taking of other people's money, they have yet to produce any reports in peer-reviewed journals, the test results of supposed UFO crash debris, or any original scientific discovery. But most disturbing is this: At least one of TTSA's board members has a history of likely illegal business dealings involving securing people's money in return for nothing. This board member appears to be the driving force behind the organization, and he is applying his unsavory business "skills" to help TTSA secure contracts and boost sales.
The Business of Tom's Business
In the transcript for the 2020 Annual Stockholders Meeting for TTSA (a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation), Tom DeLonge introduces TTSA's Board of Directors member Christopher Mizer. DeLonge indicates that Mizer leads "new business development" for TTSA. You can view the meeting transcript here.
DeLonge extolls Mizer's experience in private equity, finance and business development. Had DeLonge conducted even basic reference and background checking before hiring Chris Mizer, he would have found Mizer to have been accused by many for past financial schemes and involvement in very questionable companies. This man has been engaged in penny stocks and related investments for years. From the Yahoo Finance forum, we see sixty-five reactions to Mizer's penny stock, IFAN, which he calls a company "in the
development stage" that is engaged "in design, development and distribution of software for mobile payment." Founded in 2010, the company still characterizes itself as a "development stage" company. This is a classic con maneuver. Extend expectations of success or results year after year. "We're almost there." "We only need". Kind of like the "Finding Bigfoot" TV show where the Bigfoot is endlessly sought but never actually found.
One dissatisfied investor in Mizer writes of IFAN, "It appears to have flat-lined for the time-being, playing possum before a run?" Another adds, "IFAN becoming totally cash-less." And this damning comment: "IFAN is effectively a dead company for the last 2 years, all these daily trades are nothing but fake trades to mislead shareholders that IFAN is still alive. I am now sure both the IFAN thugs namely Steven Scholl and Christopher Mizer…leaving behind suckered shareholders!" But the most blunt poster wrote of Mizer, that he is "going to jail for a very long time for fraud and running this IFAN scam for so long!" He continues: "They lured investors first by mailing them the flashy multi color flyers (and) making all false claims that Google, Apple or Facebook was going to acquire them soon, and afterward supplying them with faulty misleading information to support their claims."
Researcher Frank Stalter discovered and related to me that Mizer is also on the "Advisory Board" of a Multi-Level Marketing company called "Therapeutic Solutions International Inc." which makes health claims for their products that are likely illegal. Their "Nutraceutical Division" certainly straddles the line relative to FDA regulations prohibiting making claims for such products being able to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Unfortunately, one of Mizer's company products hints at efficacy for COVID, which is a downright dangerous claim. Not only that, but the supplements that they offer are sold for prices that are many, many times the cost of similar products. One supplement that Mizer sells is an antioxidant extract of blueberry called pterostilbene. He sells a 40 day supply for a whopping $398.00. Comparable products from online retailers sell for $40.00. Mizer's company's Chief Medical Officer graduated from a Caribbean Medical School, falsely claimed doing residency at UCSF, and created never-launched "health charities".
It is very likely that Mizer is applying these kinds of techniques of overclaiming and overcharging to gain investor monies and contracts in his business development role with DeLonge's TTSA. This is a very serious matter and one must wonder if DeLonge knew of Mizer's reputation. If he didn't, he should have. If he did, Mizer should never have been brought on board.
Re-Inventing Himself as a Government Contractor
From This:
Tom Delonge, Rock Star
To This:
Tom DeLonge, UFO Businessman
Somehow TTSA has wrangled a $750,000 government contract which to me is rather concerning. The US Army recently announced that it is partnering with TTSA to share insights of potential interest relating to novel power technologies and on any unusual retrieved materials. It is remarkable that the Army did not vet the backgrounds of the players and the many other "issues" with TTSA before agreeing to a payout to them. I have failed to see any mention of or evidence that TTSA employs professionals with backgrounds in areas such as metallurgy or materials science or engineering.
But I think I have figured out the method to their (occasionally successful) madness: It is likely that that wizard of business, Christopher Mizer (described above) has advised DeLonge on how to charm, finagle, and partner with someone who is gullible and naïve enough within a defense agency to hand over a grant or contract to him. Like his consultant Dr. Eric Davis of Baylor University, there are a group of theoretical physicists who are outside the mainstream of science who have coaxed (conned?) like-minded non-applied science types (often friends) in federal defense agencies to grant them contracts. Proposing and securing such grants and contracts is sometimes successful because these researchers apply for them through those inside government who either independently believe in (or have been led to believe in) such things.
DeLonge Believes That the Roswell UFO Crash Was of a Nazi-ET Craft
Against the conclusions of almost all researchers that have investigated the UFO crash at Roswell in 1947, Tom DeLonge believes that the crash was that of a Nazi-ET inspired craft. He bases this on the lone testimony of a retired general (who he conveniently does not name) that he met in an airport restaurant some years ago. The General related this tale, and gullible DeLonge bought it. It did not occur to him that the General was disinforming or lying, or simply an old man who enjoys a free dinner and playing cloak and dagger for giggles. According to DeLonge, he met with a shadowy figure who revealed the first bit of information after convening with government officials about his UFO research. "I fly out to this airport and I sit at a table in a restaurant at the airport," DeLonge stated. "No one's in there, and this gentleman sits down. And the waiter comes up, he waves off the waiter, and he looks me in the eye and he says, 'It was the Cold War and we found a life form.' That's when I started shitting my pants." Then, DeLonge jumps topics to the Nazis and how they had a leg up on US technology, explaining, "They were 100 years ahead of us about what their guys did at the end of the war in South America." Apparently, this led ex-Nazis to join NASA because "they knew some shit that was very important." He told DeLonge that what crashed at Roswell was German, by way of Argentina. He continues, "But it had hallmarks and technology based on alien technology. So, we put out a story saying, 'It's alien!' And then we put out a story saying, 'It's a weather balloon!' But the real thing it was we didn't want anyone to guess." This from a man who has likely never personally interviewed a first-hand Roswell witness or intimately familiarized himself with the forty years of amassed research on the Roswell subject. And frankly, the idea of Nazis secretly relocated to South America collaborating with aliens is not only asinine--it seems like it finds its roots in historical revisionism and Reich supremacy.
DeLonge Faked That He Met with President Bill Clinton
DeLonge is boastful about how he will change the world. He told American internet and media company Mic.com in 2016, "I can't tour nine months out of the year with enough time to do the enormity of what I'm setting out to do. When you're an individual like me...dealing with something that's a national security issue, and you're being gifted with the opportunity to communicate something you've been passionate about your whole life--something that has the opportunity to change the world over time--being a small part of that is enormously important for my life path." This includes, apparently, being of such importance that DeLonge claimed that he was meeting with a former President to discuss UFOs:
In July of 2016, DeLonge shared a photo on Instagram with his followers of his "secret meeting" with a two-term Commander-in-Chief of the United States. DeLonge says of the accompanying photo: "Believe it or not, this is what a Sekret [sic] Meeting looks like." He further captioned the photo, "They were waiting for my arrival. I seem to have been doing quite a lot of these lately. And yes, it is who you think it is..." The image is of the backside of an older man with white hair. Tom's implication is obvious: it is Bill Clinton. Of course the man looks only vaguely like Clinton. And if this was to be such a very high-level secret meeting, why is it that what we are seeing are men assembled in a public place? But when he realized what he had stupidly done, Tom took a run. He deleted the photo from Instagram. But at right is the archived version:
DeLonge's Promotion of Known Hoaxes
The examples of this sort of thing are numerous. DeLonge has a long history of posting (and then often deleting) photos and reports after he sees that he may be wrong. Illustrative of this was a November 2012 Seattle, WA video clip he shared recently of a
black, very long, disc-like object flying 200 feet above warehouse-like buildings (shown conclusively to be a CGI image by Ufologist Scott Brando). DeLonge traveled to Italy to, among other things, view a 2006 Italian photo by Antonino Spinnato of a helicopter accompanied by a black, splotchy UFO which DeLonge promoted online as genuine–which was later shown to probably be a bug (researcher Robert Scheaffer).
But perhaps the most egregious example of DeLonge's unrestrained promotion is shown in his touting TTSA's payment of $35,000 to researcher Linda Howe to purchase alleged Roswell UFO debris from her. Known in UFO circles as "Art's Parts", this layered material was originally mailed to former Coast-to-Coast radio host Art Bell nearly 25 years ago. These very-terrestrial-looking "pieces" have been shown to be comprised of 25 alternating layers of bismuth (a brittle crystalline white and pink-tinged metal) and alloyed magnesium/zinc. Technologist Nicholas Reiter, many years ago, found reference in the technical literature to the "Betterton-Kroll" process, an obscure process which uses layered bismuth and magnesium/zinc to extract impurities out of lead. The process results in a unique industrial "slag". Fortean Times magazine of the UK endorsed this prosaic conclusion in an authoritative piece published in 2016.
I had the opportunity to speak with Linda Howe recently on another research matter, and slipped in a question about Art's Parts. I asked her if Isotopic Ratio Analysis (the definitive test to determine if a material is of off-Earth origin) had been applied to the material. She was evasive in directly answering, and I wondered if she even knew what such testing was. She did not offer any details, the lab involved, or the test results, though I asked. If isotopic ratio analysis was indeed conducted and proved ET origin, it would be the biggest scientific news in history. And it does not take weeks or months--and certainly not years--to perform an isotopic ratio analysis to determine conclusively whether the engineered material is Earthly or not. Then there is the obvious: If Howe really believed that she possessed actual Roswell UFO debris because she had it isotopically tested, would she sell it for $35,000? A major science museum would pay millions.
And she should have known from the beginning, a quarter-century ago, that the material was sent to Art Bell anonymously. It was accompanied by a most ridiculous letter, replete with grammar and spelling errors and outrageous claims. This includes stating that the sender's Grandfather retrieved the material from the Roswell crash, that the surviving alien called the Earth "Terra" (!), and that the craft's "dimensional power plant" had self-destructed upon crashing. The letter-writing nut also claimed to have been friends with Neil Armstrong! I can think of 35,000 dollars (I mean reasons) why Linda Howe would sell the "debris". But why would Tom DeLonge buy it? Did he do that little due diligence beforehand? Or is he looking to string along interest for another 25 years, building his treasure chest of "evidence", enticing those with money with his supposed "otherworldly" wares?
DeLonge Was Not the First to Show the Famous "Tic-Tac" UFO Video
Tom did not introduce the famed "Tic-Tac"-shaped UFO video recorded by USS Nimitz personnel (acknowledged as genuine by the Pentagon) even though he wants to closely associate himself with it. In fact, many years before, the video had been posted to the UFO forum of the paranormal website Above Top Secret (ATS) (www.abovetopsecret.com), where an anonymous individual named "The Final Theory" released some of the now-famous video in February of 2007, a decade before DeLonge's first mention of it. I might add that 2007 is the very year of the formation of the secret Pentagon UFO study group, Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP)--something that cannot be a coincidence.
A Troubled, Drug Addicted Past
With a years-long addiction to pain killers and a penchant for pot, DeLonge's dealings with drugs is self-admitted. Of course everyone who is reading this knows someone who has had similar problems. This information on DeLonge is not in any way given in a judgmental or disparaging way. But is it given to offer perspective: This addictive personality is combined with a lack of discernment, proneness to fantasy, a need for fame and money and a sense of self-importance to solve it all. He has no higher education, and he was removed from his High School in 11th grade for attending class inebriated. As someone who searches for and helps select CEOs for some of the world's leading corporations retained as an executive search consultant, I can personally assure readers that his profile is not the kind that would be sought at that level for any organization. And I certainly would not make investments in an organization led by someone with such a background.
What Kind of "Academy" is Tom Running?
An "Academy" is an institution of distinguished scholars and scientists that aims to promote and maintain standards in its particular field.
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If part of the TTSA mission is to evaluate the composition of anomalous debris, what are the names of the metallurgists, materials scientists and engineers engaged in this evaluation? The few technical types that I find associated with TTSA are experimental physicists, a long-retired aeronautical engineer, and now-resigned Garry Nolan, who is a microbiologist with access to a mass spectrometer.
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If the Academy tests things, what was the name of the laboratory that conducted analysis on the debris for which they paid Linda Howe $35,000.00 ("Art's Parts")? Did this laboratory perform the conclusive and definitive test called Isotopic Ratio Analysis to determine if the debris has off-Earth origin? Did they do this with the other "anomalous" material they have? If the results were positive for ET origin, it would be historical and DeLonge would be announcing the discovery from the rooftops.
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If part of the TTSA mission is to develop novel technologies gained from items of potentially non-Earth origin, how can it be headed by someone like DeLonge? He has no education in science or business, the only college work he's done is to perform at them, and he was in search of a high school which would take him after being thrown out of his first one.
With the help of people like his Board Member Chris Mizer, DeLonge has, like a guru, convinced people that he is somehow going to be able to project manage the development of systems that even Lockheed, Boeing and MIT have not achieved! Their speculated "Zero Point Energy" systems are simply that. There are no valid theories that predict any way to extract this energy. At the same time, there are experiments and patents on this. But this is no big thing. DeLonge, his associate physicist Dr. Eric Davis, and similar folks are simply not understanding that actual, ridable craft will not come about through their efforts, ever. Such energy cannot be harnessed in the traditional sense. The idea of zero-point energy is that there is a finite, minimum amount of motion (more accurately, kinetic energy) in all matter, even at absolute zero. These people are conning interest and dollars out of people for things that are not actionable in the real world.
Follow the Money
As musical tastes changed, so did the fortunes of the band DeLonge helped front, Blink 182. They were most popular in 1999, over twenty years ago, and their last album did not exactly do brisk sales. They are all now 44 years or older, Dads with families and with little appeal to late teens and 20 somethings. Former bandmates characterize DeLonge as entrepreneurial and resourceful. He likely quit the band several years ago because he knew about the difficulty of maintaining music relevancy in today's market and continuing to be able to make the kind of money (he is a multi-millionaire) to which he is accustomed. So he opted to combine his passion for cash with his passion for UFOs. Former Blink 182 bandmate Travis Barker relates that DeLonge's behavior on tour, when
DeLonge was coaxed to briefly re-unite with the band some years ago, turned from distant and "introverted" until "money started coming in," after which "he'd get excited about Blink." He recounts that they used to go out, "light up" and sky-gaze for ET craft.
DeLonge traded on his fame, fronted a bit of his money to make more money, and cobbled together (bought off?) what he thought would be a "dream team". He would pay them to study UFO sightings and films, as well as supposed UFO debris, and to build revolutionary systems. And DeLonge--just as when he was a rock star on tour and on the band website--even offers To the Stars Academy "merch", or promotional merchandise, like T-shirts.
One TTSA mission is to design and fabricate "free-energy" systems that will power everything without cost or pollution and allow for interstellar flight. Mr. DeLonge, with no training in engineering, has convinced people (again, like a guru) that he is somehow going to be able to project manage the development of systems that even Lockheed, Boeing and MIT have not achieved!
Perhaps DeLonge himself gives us the answer to his true motivations in a buried line found within a section of the TTSA website itself: "TTSA is an independent multi-media entertainment company founded by award-winning musician, author and director, Tom DeLonge."