Man who smashed $4,000 Taylor Swift guitar with hammer explains why he did it – National
A Texas man went viral after buying a Taylor Swift-themed guitar auctioned for US$4,000, only to destroy it with a hammer seconds later, says he pulled off the stunt as a joke and claims there’s no bad intention.
Gary Estes, 67, angered many Swifties this weekend when a video was posted on social media showing him smashing a Swift-branded guitar at a charity event.
He had won the coveted instrument, adorned with images of the pop superstar, at the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner in Waxahachie, Texas. Seconds after approaching the scene to retrieve the object, he smashed it with a hammer 17 times.
“I guess we don’t need the wall rack,” the auctioneer joked before saying, “Hey, Gary, now take this and hang up this broken thing.”
The video, uploaded to TikTok by event attendee JD Cobb immediately went viral. Many saw it as an act of degradation linked to Swift’s recent endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
“We are in an area (Ellis County) where Trump is quite widespread“, Cobb told USA Today, confirming that he also thought it was a slight against Swift. “Especially among the country-type people, there’s not a lot of people out here like Taylor Swift .”
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But Estes insists it was just a joke and “there was nothing mean about it.”
“There was nothing malicious or anything about it,” he told NBC News on Tuesday. “It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for the kids, right? And that’s all it was. There was nothing bad about it, nothing bad. It was just a joke that they made up on stage, and we just continued with a joke.
However, he said he was a Supporter of Donald Trump and did not appreciate Swift’s support of Harris.
“Yes, you can connect the dots here,” Estes said.
Auctioneer Craig Meier, a spokesman for the event, told USA Today that he had been taken aback by the online reaction.
“It surprised me how much people pretend this is a big deal. It was not meant to be unkind or malicious,” he said in a statement. “It was simply making a light-hearted statement showing his disapproval of people in the entertainment industry who attempt to influence the politics….it’s just a funny thing that happened at our annual event. The crowd thought it was hilarious.
Swift’s fans don’t seem to agree, however.
“These old boys are setting an incredible example for their kids,” one fan commented under Cobb’s video. “Desecrating the value of a woman. Their wives must be so proud.
“A bunch of old men making fun of an accomplished young woman – making up for their inadequacy,” wrote another.
Swift fans, however, may have the last laugh in the saga — while initial reports indicated the guitar was signed by Swift, sources close to her sales company told Variety the instrument. did not bear his signatureand she never used it either.
It seems that the guitar is once again put up for auctionbut this time on eBay. One listing shows a guitar covered in broken holes and promises that all proceeds will go toward helping local children participate in agricultural education programs. At the time of publication, bidding for the broken guitar reached $4,400.
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