{{short description|American radio personality (1946–2015)}} {{Infobox person | name = Riley Martin | image = File:Riley L Martin.png | birth_name = Riley Lee Martin | birth_date = {{birth date|1946|5|9}} | birth_place = Natchez, Mississippi, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|12|22|1946|5|9}} | death_place = Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | occupation = Author, radio personality | website = {{URL|http://www.rileymartin.com/|Official website}} }}

'''Riley Lee Martin''' (May 9, 1946 – December 22, 2015)<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/nation-now/2016/01/06/howard-stern-show-riley-martin-alien-expert-dead/78348978/|title='Howard Stern Show' alien expert Riley Martin dead at 69|work = USA Today|author= Mary Bowerman|date=2016-01-06|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Don|title=Galactic traveler 'Wack Packer' Riley Martin, often a guest of Howard Stern, will be missed|website=nydailynews.com|date=2016-01-07|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/stern-wack-packer-riley-martin-knew-aliens-water-jugs-article-1.2489354|access-date=2019-09-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Riley Martin's Obituary|website=The Star-Ledger Obituaries|date=6 January 2016|url=https://obits.nj.com/obituaries/southjerseytimes/obituary.aspx?n=riley-martin&pid=177174274}}</ref> was an American self-described alien contactee, author and radio host. Martin was the author of the book ''The Coming of Tan'',<ref name="TanBook">{{cite book|last=Martin|first=Riley|author-link=Riley Martin|author2=Tan|title=The Coming of Tan|url=https://www.rileymartin.com/|website=Rileymartin.com|access-date=2013-07-01}}</ref> which describes his life and his alleged alien visitation. He hosted ''The Riley Martin Show'' on the Sirius XM Radio channel Howard 101. He appeared on ''The Howard Stern Show'' and was considered part of the Wack Pack.<ref name="nyd">[http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/howard-stern-wack-pack-member-riley-martin-dies-article-1.2487900 Howard Stern ‘wack pack’ member Riley Martin dies],nydailynews.com</ref>

==Biography== Martin stated on his website that he "was born May 9, 1946, in Mississippi to a family of sharecroppers of African American and Native American descent".<ref name="about">{{cite web |url=http://www.rileymartin.com/about_riley_martin.html |title=Riley Martin, The Riley Martin Show, Riley Martin Show and Howard Stern |website=Rileymartin.com |date=1946-05-09 |access-date=2016-01-06 |archive-date=2016-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111053842/http://www.rileymartin.com/about_riley_martin.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He claimed he was first visited by aliens in November 1953, near the St. Francis River while living in Arkansas.<ref>{{cite book|last=Martin|first=Riley|author-link=Riley Martin|author2=Tan|title=The Coming of Tan|url=http://www.rileymartin.com/|access-date=2013-07-01|chapter=Chapter One – The Coming of Tan|chapter-url=http://www.rileymartin.com/|quote=I was but seven years of age in November of 1953, when I first saw the strange lights above the river near my home in Northeastern Arkansas.|page=6}}</ref>

Martin characterized his interaction with the aliens as positive. The ''Biaviian'' alien ''O-Qua Tangin Wann'' (also known as ''Tan''), is listed as the co-author of his book.<ref name="TanBook"/> He asserted that a significant amount of knowledge was uploaded into his brain by the aliens within a matter of minutes, including 144,000 different alien "symbols".<ref name="nyd"/>

Martin claimed that these aliens, flying aboard 'The Great mother ship', gave him this knowledge so that he could produce and sell hand-drawings of these symbols, which were to allow passage aboard the Mother Ship when the Earth was to have been 'transformed' in 2012.<ref name="nyd"/>

According to his website, he had been a regular caller on The Howard Stern Show since 1996.<ref name="about"/> He was given his own show (which he initially announced under the title of ''Hello Earth'') after calling in to The Howard Stern Show on March 13, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Thomas |last1=Panasci |first2=Jason |last2=Kaplan |date=2006-03-13 |title=Look Out Late Night<!-- headline used in index: https://web.archive.org/web/20060410015143/http://www.howardstern.com/archive.hs?t=r --> |url=http://howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1142236800 |website=Howard Stern.com |location= |publisher= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060531155936/http://howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1142236800 |archive-date=2006-05-31 |access-date=2026-04-08|quote=Howard said&nbsp;...&nbsp;he’d give him a shot on the air.&nbsp;...&nbsp;Riley explained that his show, which he noted will be called “Hello Earth,”&nbsp;...}}</ref>

Shortly afterwards, Martin started hosting a weekly Internet radio show, ''The Official Riley Martin Radio Show'', first broadcast on May 2, 2006.<ref name="artistfirst">{{cite web|url=https://www.artistfirst.com/rileyarchive.htm |title=RileyMartin.org - Hosted by |website=Artistfirst.com |access-date=2026-04-08}}</ref> It was reportedly broadcast until 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |author=<!--not stated--> |date=2016-01-05 |title=Howard Stern Wack Packer Riley Martin, Dead at 69 |url=https://www.howardstern.com/news/2016/01/04/farewell-friend-martin-rip-riley-martin/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=Howard Stern |language=en-US}}</ref>

Martin's official Facebook fan page<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/RileyMartinOfficial/ |title=Riley Martin |website=Facebook |access-date=2016-01-06}}</ref> and Twitter feed<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/RileyLMartin/status/684484008818806784 |title=Riley Martin on Twitter: "Wayfarers, friends & fans, Riley told me to tell you all that he loves you. He also admonished me that the..." |website=Twitter |date=2011-05-22 |access-date=2016-01-06}}</ref> announced his death on January 5, 2016, although it had occurred in December 2015. The producer of his radio show told TMZ that Martin had died "a few days before Christmas".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2016/01/05/riley-martin-dead-howard-stern-show/|title=Howard Stern Show's Alien Expert Riley Martin Dies|date=6 January 2016|work=tmz.com}}</ref>

==References in other media== On their album ''The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness'', Jedi Mind Tricks released a song titled "Books of Blood: The Coming of Tan" featuring El Eloh. The track is about aliens and features a short speech by Martin.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

The plot of season 2, episode 3 of ''Brickleberry'', "Woody's Girl," revolves around a follower of a cult that worships Lord "Tarzishian," which talks about re-joining the "mothership," and chants of "oh-qa-tanzin-wan." There is also a brief appearance of a cult follower that resembles Riley Martin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3164176/ |title=Woody's Girl |publisher=IMDb}}</ref>

Riley Martin was featured in an episode of ''Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/video-clips/jym1pp/rob-dyrdeks-fantasy-factory-beam-me-up-rob |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118072758/http://www.mtv.com/video-clips/jym1pp/rob-dyrdeks-fantasy-factory-beam-me-up-rob |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 18, 2015 |title=Beam Me Up, Rob - Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory (Video Clip)|website=MTV.com}}</ref> and CMT's "My Big Redneck Vacation" reality show.

==See also== *''Coast to Coast AM'' *Extraterrestrial life in culture *Grey alien *UFO

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{wikiquote}} *[http://www.rileymartin.com Riley Martin.com] *[http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/CachedPage&c=Genre&cid=1178811105960 The Riley Martin Show] *[http://www.rileymartinizer.com/ RileyMartinizer.com – Translates web pages and text into "Riley-Speak"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618091951/http://rileymartinizer.com/ |date=2013-06-18 }} *[http://www.uplyrics.com/jedi_mind_tricks_lyrics_10162/books_of_blood_:_the_coming_of_tan_lyrics_348942.html Lyrics for 'Books of Blood: The Coming of Tan' by Jedi Mind Tricks]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Riley}} Category:1946 births Category:2015 deaths Category:20th-century African-American people Category:Contactees Category:African-American radio personalities Category:American outsider artists Category:American conspiracy theorists Category:People from Natchez, Mississippi Category:American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent