THOUGHT YOU WERE ONE OF THEM ALREADY: I Want to Join the Illuminati! Katy Perry

The Illuminati! To paraphrase Nigel Tufnel, no one knows who they are, or what they're doing – probably because the world isn't actually controlled by a shadowy, occult super-team of pop stars, politicians and whatnot. But if you believe your average YouTube commenter (and who doesn't) practically everything a singer or rapper might do in a video or photo shoot – cover their face with a hand for a second, show off their modern art collection, wear a funny hat – is actually a totally spooky Illuminati ritual.

For Katy Perry, the Illuminati accusations really started with her uncharacteristically dark Grammy performance of "Dark Horse," and that song's Egyptian-themed music video. A headline on the site Infowars screamed, in all caps, "ILLUMINATI PRIESTESS CONDUCTS WITCHCRAFT CEREMONY IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD." Another site did a detailed breakdown of the video, noting soberly that "birdcages are symbols of mind control."

In interviews for her new Rolling Stone cover story with senior writer Brian Hiatt, Perry shared her thoughts on the odd controversy.  "Listen," she says, "if the Illuminati exist, I would like to be invited! I see all that shit, and I'm like, 'Come on, let me in! I want to be in the club!' I have no idea what it is. It sounds crazy.

"Weird people on the Internet that have nothing to do find, like, strange triangles in your hand motions," she continues. "I guess you've kind of made it when they think you're in the Illuminati. But listen, I believe in aliens, so if people want to believe in Illuminati, great."

For more from Katy Perry, check out the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands now.