Smashing guitars

[sparquelito]

I reckon it's been about 50 years or more since Pete Townsend first smashed his guitar to bits at the end of a The Who performance at the Railway Tavern in Harrow and Wealdstone.

 

And to this day, nothing says 'the show is over now' like the guitar playing utterly-destroying his guitar onstage at the end of a raucous show.

Some other before The Who did it surely, and other notable guitar players have followed suit;

Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck (though with some trepidation), even Jerry Lewis of all people!

Recall that The Clash's London Calling album cover featured a photograph of bassist Paul Simonon smashing his Fender P-Bass onto the stage of The Paladium.

 

And lets not forget Paul Stanley of KISS.

It was said that Paul Stanley, during the 1970's, traveled with a large supply of surplus Gibson Marauders and L6S guitars, meant strictly for smashing at the finale of a show.

And every now and then you will hear tell of a modern rock guitarist destroying his axe at some music festival, in an attempt to be a big shot or to show the crowd of young dorks in attendance that the band has more money than common sense.

 

Here is my feeling on the matter, and you are free to disagree with me of course:

 

I HATE IT.

 

I have never been impressed with a performer destroying a perfectly good guitar.

It rankles on every nerve in my body.

 

Most of us worked so hard for our money, and we coveted each guitar we saved up for.

The very thought of smashing a guitar just for showy effect is offensive to me.

 

 

What say you on this matter?

:unsure:

 

[american cheez]

not a fan of it myself

['Scales]

 

Here is my feeling on the matter, and you are free to disagree with me of course:

I HATE IT.

It rankles on every nerve in my body.

The very thought of smashing a guitar just for showy effect is offensive to me.

 

What say you on this matter?

 

 

Well I wouldn't necessarily disagree (judge not and all that), but I'm certain it has way, way, WAY, less affect on me than that!

 

I suppose the fact that you can recall specifics of all those incidents suggests the artist made an impression on more than just the guitar though

[sparquelito]

Well I wouldn't necessarily disagree (judge not and all that), but I'm certain it has way, way, WAY, less affect on me than that!

 

I suppose the fact that you can recall specifics of all those incidents suggests the artist made an impression on more than just the guitar though

 

 

To be fair, I am an avid reader and student of abnormal human psychology and true crime.

 

I can recall, for instance, far too many details of Ted Bundy's murders, the horrific slaughter of Dr Jeffrey MacDonald's own family, and the Mason Family murders.

 

Smashing guitars, yeah;

it's kind of like that for me.

[Murph]

I only smash crappy guitars.

 

Never good ones.

['Scales]

Sometimes I guess it could be considered a mercy killing...

 

[badbluesplayer]

I always figured Hendrix and Townsend and those guys were really manic and wasted and that's why they did that stuff.

[zigzag]

Pretty cool the first time. Not so much afterwards.

[pappy]

Sometimes I guess it could be considered a mercy killing...

 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7XwdMWXz7QA

 

OUCH,that actually hurt!!!

[glp2012]

It's not my guitar. Why do I care how Pete Townsend or anybody else takes care of their equipment? Now, if he smashed my guitar, it would be on...

[Karloff]

Guitar lives matter.

[deeman]

I will fight with my life to defend someone's freedom to smash their own guitar.

[kidblast]

I don't care if someone is so inclined but it does nothing for me, and don't think it ads anything to a performance. In fact in a way it degrades it imho.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

I will fight with my life to defend someone's freedom to smash their own guitar.

 

This.

[quapman]

Don't care one iota!

I am neither impressed or insulted by it.

Smash away.

[Hall]

Restraining Order, maybe?

[Retired]

1465148635[/url]' post='1775403']

Don't care one iota!

I am neither impressed or insulted by it.

Smash away.

 

That's how I feel. Not impressed or offended. It's their guitar. If they want to buy one and smash it, so be it. Funny thing though, I've never played in a band and I remember my mother bought me this very cheap red hollow body guitar. Don't remember the model but the strings were like a mile off the frets down by the bridge. I couldn't even begin to press them down that far to play it. I adjusted the bridge all the way down and they were still like 5/8" away. As a teen playing, and trying to play this guitar, my mother insists I smashed a guitar in my bedroom way back. Must have been that guitar! Lol

[stein]

I will fight with my life to defend someone's freedom to smash their own guitar.

 

 

Restraining Order, maybe?

See, this is where it gets sticky.

 

While I do agree one has the right to smash a guitar, one also has the right to be against it, or fight for a noble cause. Then we get into activism, majority, State's rights, etc. This could get ugly.

 

Being practical, smashing guitars invokes passion and feelings of loss and violence in others. It's meant to, and for many, the thought of seeing an instrument made with care and effort and craftsmanship designed to bring joy to others destroyed causes mental anguish and leads to smoking and drug use.

 

More practical, one must judge the guitar being smashed individually. Perhaps it is a very cheap guitar, or maybe it has cat piss on it (which you can never get rid of). Some guitars are better off being destroyed for the good of everyone, so making a sweeping generalization or a law that covers all would be worse and cause more injustice than it prevents.

 

If it HAS to be, I might suggest a process where individuals who wish to smash a guitar obtains a permit, and each guitar being smashed goes through an approval process, and salvageable parts identified and required to be recycled. A public awareness campaign could be done to ensure the public that when a guitar is smashed, they can rest assured it needs it and is a good thing. It would also provide jobs and thus help the economy, for a department to issue permits and evaluate guitars, a department to regulate and enforce, as well as a recycling program which would be used to help the poor.

[StRanger7032]

I guess the only thing that bothers me about guitar smashing is that they're often expensive instruments that many aspiring players could never afford. It seems sort of selfish for a rock star to destroy something of value just because they can afford to. Of course they have (and should have) the right to do it, but I have the right to be slightly annoyed by it. The first few times probably had good shock value and made a statement, but after that it just seems like wasteful repetition because that's what the crowd expected. Then again, the broken pieces are probably worth more than the guitar if they can be tied to a particular artist and concert. I seem to remember the Strat that Hendrix set on fire at Monterey going for an obscene amount of $.

[rct]

It's right up there with fake guitars for me, I don't care. I don't wonder why others care, like with fakes.

 

rct

[OldCowboy]

Practical and financial considerations aside, although I have some strong opinions on those, the bottom line to me is where it puts my feeling about the musician. As I interpret the statement of guitar smashing, it tells me that he's an a$$h+le.

[charlie brown]

Hated it, when I first saw it happen, in "The Sixties," and I STILL hate it! Moronic!

 

CB

[stein]

It's right up there with fake guitars for me, I don't care. I don't wonder why others care, like with fakes.

 

rct

Ok, how about if before we go smashing, we put them in a case, and thrash that around?

[sparquelito]

It's right up there with fake guitars for me, I don't care. I don't wonder why others care, like with fakes.

 

rct

 

 

Though I do hate the stage gimmick of smashing guitars (and it's been done to death over the years), I really don't lose sleep over it.

It's a deal with me, but not a big deal.

 

Truth be told, I just thought it would be a topic that would stimulate some fresh conversation, spark a memory or two, and maybe even convince some random female passer-by to flash us her titters.

That's all.

 

Sometimes when you have an idea, you have to run it up the flagpole and see if anybody salutes.

On a few occasions, they salute.

Some walk right on by.

Other times, they just pi$$ on the flagpole.

:unsure:

 

[bluesguitar65]

I reckon it's been about 50 years or more since Pete Townsend first smashed his guitar to bits at the end of a The Who performance at the Railway Tavern in Harrow and Wealdstone.

 

And to this day, nothing says 'the show is over now' like the guitar playing utterly-destroying his guitar onstage at the end of a raucous show.

Some other before The Who did it surely, and other notable guitar players have followed suit;

Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck (though with some trepidation), even Jerry Lewis of all people!

Recall that The Clash's London Calling album cover featured a photograph of bassist Paul Simonon smashing his Fender P-Bass onto the stage of The Paladium.

 

And lets not forget Paul Stanley of KISS.

It was said that Paul Stanley, during the 1970's, traveled with a large supply of surplus Gibson Marauders and L6S guitars, meant strictly for smashing at the finale of a show.

And every now and then you will hear tell of a modern rock guitarist destroying his axe at some music festival, in an attempt to be a big shot or to show the crowd of young dorks in attendance that the band has more money than common sense.

 

Here is my feeling on the matter, and you are free to disagree with me of course:

 

I HATE IT.

 

I have never been impressed with a performer destroying a perfectly good guitar.

It rankles on every nerve in my body.

 

Most of us worked so hard for our money, and we coveted each guitar we saved up for.

The very thought of smashing a guitar just for showy effect is offensive to me.

 

 

What say you on this matter?

:unsure:

 

 

Hmmmmm…..I thought it was Jimi Hendrix was the first to smash is guitar before Pete Townsend….this was during the Monterey Pop festival. [confused]

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7toYWFEyk