I have to admit (reluctantly) that Tom DeLonge was once my idol. I grew up to Blink-182 and modeled a lot of my guitar playing around Tom’s minimalistic approach to playing (nursery rhyme-like melodies at a punk rock pace).

Nevertheless, I grew up as most do. And the guy has been pissing me off for years now. You would NOT BELIEVE the amount of bullshit that he spews on social. The endless self-promoting, the attempted sabotage of the band he helped found (he is no longer a member of Blink-182)… and then this To The Stars Academy shit. I mean, crowdfunding a goddamned spaceship??? And with this so-called disclosure??? Please.

I’m glad your listener called in with the Masonic references on his guitars. It’s blatant and unabashed.

Macbeth? It’s the now-defunct shoe company that Tom started years ago. Macbeth always seemed like a sister company to Atticus, which was an apparel company (founded by Tom and the still current bass player of Blink-182, Mark Hoppus). Neither exists now.

I know this in becoming a lengthy reply, so I’ll leave you with this:

Either Tom is a shill (very possible), or he’s a victim. There’s a great short on YouTube “The Real Reason the CIA Needs Tom DeLonge” and it compares Tom to Paul Bennewitz, which a pretty interesting (and sad) comparison.

Keep up the great work, Nathan!