51 Facts About Tom DeLonge

Thomas Matthew DeLonge was born on December 13,1975 and is an American musician, singer, songwriter, author, filmmaker, actor, and entrepreneur.

Tom DeLonge received his first guitar as a child and later began writing punk rock songs.

Outside of music, Tom DeLonge has founded companies such as Macbeth Footwear, which sells vegan and organic clothing; Modlife, which sells technology designed to help artists monetize their creations; and To the Stars, which is dedicated to the exploration of fringe science.

Tom DeLonge scored and produced the sci-fi film Love, has multiple film projects in development, and wrote the children's book The Lonely Astronaut on Christmas Eve.

Thomas Matthew Tom DeLonge was born in Poway, California, on December 13,1975, the son of a mortgage broker mother and an oil company executive father.

Tom DeLonge has a brother named Shon and a sister named Kari.

Tom DeLonge's first musical instrument was a trumpet, which he received as a Christmas gift at age 11.

Tom DeLonge originally planned to become a firefighter, and participated in the San Diego Cadet Program.

Tom DeLonge first picked up the guitar from a friend at church camp, and became preoccupied by the instrument.

Tom DeLonge received his first guitar as a Christmas present from two friends in the sixth grade, which he described as a "beat-up, shitty acoustic guitar that was worth about $30".

Tom DeLonge consequently dyed his hair purple and began practicing the guitar loudly in his bedroom.

Tom DeLonge attempted to form a band named Big Oily Men, which was essentially a one-man band because its line-up consisted of whomever he could persuade to join him for short periods.

Tom DeLonge's parents were constantly fighting in his formative years, culminating in a divorce when he was 18.

Tom DeLonge was removed from Poway High School in the second half of his junior year for going to a basketball game while inebriated.

Tom DeLonge was forced to attend a different school for one semester, nearby Rancho Bernardo High School, where he became friends with Kerry Key, and his girlfriend, Anne Hoppus.

The trio first operated under a variety of names, including Duck Tape and Figure 8, until Tom DeLonge rechristened the band "Blink".

Tom DeLonge called clubs constantly in San Diego asking for a spot to play, as well as calling up local high schools convincing them that Blink was a "motivational band with a strong anti-drug message" in hopes to play at an assembly or lunch.

Cargo Records signed the band on a "trial basis"; Hoppus was the only member to sign the contract, as Tom DeLonge was at work at the time and Raynor was still a minor.

Tom DeLonge became uncomfortable with the hefty touring schedule, during which he was unable to see his growing family.

Tom DeLonge eventually expressed his desire to take a half-year respite from touring in order to spend more time with family.

Tom DeLonge disliked television cameras everywhere, feeling his personal privacy was invaded.

Tom DeLonge considered his bandmates priorities "mad, mad different", and the breakdown in communication led to heated exchanges, resulting in his exit from the group.

Tom DeLonge felt psychologically hurt by the band's dissolution, likening it to a divorce and calling it a "traumatic experience" and a "disaster".

Tom DeLonge had been known for his role in the Blink-182 as "the low-brow prankster" and wanted to restart his career without worrying whether fans would find him funny.

Thoroughly utilized by the band, Tom DeLonge often discussed minor details and plans for accompanying films and other promotional matter, and his managers approached him having an "intervention" in which they disquietingly questioned his frame of mind.

Tom DeLonge would reunite with Blink-182 near the end of 2008.

Tom DeLonge found out via the TV news at an airport while waiting to board a flight; within minutes, he was crying in his seat.

Tom DeLonge was the first to approach the subject of reuniting, and Blink-182 announced their reunion, a new album, and a reunion tour in February 2009 at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.

Tom DeLonge recorded at his studio in San Diego while Hoppus and Barker recorded in Los Angeles.

Tom DeLonge later expressed dissatisfaction at the method of recording for Neighborhoods, conceding that it led to a "loss of unity" within the band.

Two months later, Tom DeLonge shed some light on what his other projects entailed, claiming that he was working with "best selling authors" to co-write 15 novels with accompanying soundtrack EPs.

Tom DeLonge used this guitar on all of the touring in support of Cheshire Cat, as well as the recording and touring of Dude Ranch in 1997 before retiring it that fall.

Tom DeLonge used the Les Pauls on select tracks of Enema of the State before retiring them in 1999.

Tom DeLonge removed all electronics from the guitar except for the bridge volume control and replaced the stock bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan Invader.

In December 2022, Tom DeLonge revealed that he began using Fender Starcasters, moving away from his endorsement deal with Gibson and coinciding with his return to Blink-182.

Tom DeLonge employed the Marshall JCM900 amps for his work on Dude Ranch, in which he improved his guitar tone.

Tom DeLonge carried this setup over into Blink-182 when he first returned in 2009.

Tom DeLonge has shifted from punk rock in recent years, moving toward an effects-laden progressive-inspired sound.

Tom DeLonge has stated the first album he "ever fell in love with" was The Joshua Tree by U2, after which he delved into punk rock.

Tom DeLonge was unsure if the band's status in the music industry would grow or last, and he expanded into business beginning in 1998.

Tom DeLonge started a holding group, Really Likable People, with a US$20,000 investment.

In 2011, Tom DeLonge launched Strange Times, a website devoted to extraterrestrial life, paranormal activity, cryptozoology, and conspiracy theories.

Tom DeLonge approached filmmaking when he directed the music video for the song "This Photograph is Proof " by Taking Back Sunday in 2004.

In June 2012, Tom DeLonge was working on two films: a feature-length Poet film and a film based on Strange Times.

In December 2013, Tom DeLonge released a children's book, The Lonely Astronaut on Christmas Eve.

Tom DeLonge participated in a charity auction benefiting Rady Children's Hospital Foundation allowing fans to bid on a package including the book.

In October 2016, Tom DeLonge released his third novel, Strange Times: The Ghost in the Girl.

Tom DeLonge has been a believer in aliens, UFOs, and conspiracy theories since his youth, well before founding Blink-182.

In 2014, Tom DeLonge shared an article on Twitter which purported that the Smithsonian Institution had admitted to destroying thousands of skeletons belonging to giant humans in the early 1900s; the article was published by World Daily News Report, a satirical website whose disclaimer page clarifies that it publishes content of a fictional nature.

In 1996, Tom DeLonge began dating Jennifer Jenkins, whom he had known since high school.

The band Jimmy Eat World performed at the reception and Tom DeLonge gave each groomsman, including Mark Hoppus, silver yo-yos from Tiffany's.