Smashing guitars
Encyclopedia
The destruction of musical instruments is a ritual performed by a few pop
, rock
and other musicians during live performance
s, particularly at the end of the gig.
Jerry Lee Lewis
may be the first rock artist to have destroyed his equipment on stage, with several, possibly erroneous, stories of him destroying and burning pianos in the 1950s.
In the mid 1960s, guitarist Pete Townshend
of The Who
was the first guitar-smashing rock artist. Rolling Stone
magazine included his smashing of a Rickenbacker
guitar at the Railway Hotel in September 1964 in their list of the "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock & Roll". A student of Gustav Metzger
, Townshend saw his guitar smashing as a kind of auto-destructive art
.
Keith Moon
, The Who's drummer, was also known for destroying his drum set. The most spectacular episode of this occurred during The Who's debut on U.S. television on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
in 1967. Moon overloaded his bass drum with explosive charges which were detonated during the finale of the song, "My Generation." The explosion caused guest Bette Davis
to faint, set Pete Townshend's hair on fire and, according to legend, contributed to his later partial deafness and tinnitus
. Moon was also injured in the explosion when shrapnel from the cymbals cut his arm. VH1
later placed this event at number ten on their list of the twenty Greatest Rock and Roll Moments on Television.
Jeff Beck
, then a member of the Yardbirds, reluctantly destroyed a guitar in the 1966 film Blowup
after being told to emulate The Who by director Michelangelo Antonioni
. Jimi Hendrix
is also famous for destroying his guitars and amps. He famously burned two guitars at three shows, most notably the Monterey Pop Festival
. Jimi's and The Who's habit of smashing their instruments led to a confrontation backstage at Monterey, over who would go on first.
Instrument Destruction has also featured in other musical genres. Towards the end of Peter Maxwell Davies
's monodrama
Eight Songs for a Mad King
, first performed in 1969, the vocalist seizes the violin from one of the musicians and smashes it.
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Ritchie Blackmore
of Deep Purple
and Rainbow
smashed guitars in performance through the seventies.
Paul Simonon
of The Clash
famously destroyed his bass only once at the side of stage, a photograph of the event becoming the iconic cover to their London Calling
album.
Nine Inch Nails
had a frequent habit of destroying not just guitars but also keyboards and other equipment during tours in the 90s.
Kurt Cobain
and members of Nirvana
smashed guitars and other equipment at performances throughout the band's career.
When on tour, "Weird Al" Yankovic
frequently performs an acoustic ballad parody, You Don't Love Me Anymore
, holding a guitar, but never actually playing it. At the song's conclusion, he smashes the guitar, emulating the conclusion to the song's original music video.
In 2007, Win Butler
of Arcade Fire destroyed an acoustic guitar
at the end of a live performance of Intervention
on Saturday Night Live
, after a string had broken during the performance.
John Hiatt
criticized the practice in the title song of his 1993 hit album Perfectly Good Guitar
.
Matthew Bellamy
currently holds the world record of smashing the most guitars on a tour, according to Guinness World Records.
Christian punk and metal crossover band One Bad Pig wrote a song called Smash the Guitar in which they smashed up a number of guitars in concert. At the Cornerstone Music festival they invited a number of the more mainstream acts to participate in smashing their guitars on stage.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and other musicians during live performance
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s, particularly at the end of the gig.
Early years
In 1956, on the Lawrence Welk Show, a zoot-suited performer billed as "Rockin' Rocky Rockwell" did a mocking rendition of Elvis Presley's hit song "Hound Dog." At the conclusion of the song, he smashed an acoustic guitar to smithereens over his knee.Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
may be the first rock artist to have destroyed his equipment on stage, with several, possibly erroneous, stories of him destroying and burning pianos in the 1950s.
In the mid 1960s, guitarist Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
was the first guitar-smashing rock artist. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine included his smashing of a Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
guitar at the Railway Hotel in September 1964 in their list of the "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock & Roll". A student of Gustav Metzger
Gustav Metzger
Gustav Metzger is an artist and political activist who developed the concept of Auto-Destructive Art and the Art Strike. Together with John Sharkey, he initiated the Destruction in Art Symposium in 1966...
, Townshend saw his guitar smashing as a kind of auto-destructive art
Auto-destructive art
Auto-Destructive art is a term invented by the artist Gustav Metzger in the early 1960s and put into circulation by his article Machine, Auto-Creative and Auto-Destructive Art in the summer 1962 issue of the journal Ark. From 1959, he had made work by spraying acid onto sheets of nylon as a protest...
.
Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
, The Who's drummer, was also known for destroying his drum set. The most spectacular episode of this occurred during The Who's debut on U.S. television on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
in 1967. Moon overloaded his bass drum with explosive charges which were detonated during the finale of the song, "My Generation." The explosion caused guest Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
to faint, set Pete Townshend's hair on fire and, according to legend, contributed to his later partial deafness and tinnitus
Tinnitus
Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
. Moon was also injured in the explosion when shrapnel from the cymbals cut his arm. VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
later placed this event at number ten on their list of the twenty Greatest Rock and Roll Moments on Television.
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, then a member of the Yardbirds, reluctantly destroyed a guitar in the 1966 film Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
after being told to emulate The Who by director Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
. Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
is also famous for destroying his guitars and amps. He famously burned two guitars at three shows, most notably the Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
. Jimi's and The Who's habit of smashing their instruments led to a confrontation backstage at Monterey, over who would go on first.
Instrument Destruction has also featured in other musical genres. Towards the end of Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
's monodrama
Monodrama
A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.- Monodrama in opera :...
Eight Songs for a Mad King
Eight Songs for a Mad King
Eight Songs for a Mad King is a monodrama by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies with a libretto by Randolph Stow, based on words of George III. The work was written for the South-African actor Roy Hart and the composer's ensemble the Pierrot Players, and premiered on 22 April 1969...
, first performed in 1969, the vocalist seizes the violin from one of the musicians and smashes it.
Later instrument destruction
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
of Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
smashed guitars in performance through the seventies.
Paul Simonon
Paul Simonon
Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
of The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
famously destroyed his bass only once at the side of stage, a photograph of the event becoming the iconic cover to their London Calling
London Calling
London Calling is the third studio album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 through CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 through Epic Records...
album.
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
had a frequent habit of destroying not just guitars but also keyboards and other equipment during tours in the 90s.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
and members of Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
smashed guitars and other equipment at performances throughout the band's career.
When on tour, "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
frequently performs an acoustic ballad parody, You Don't Love Me Anymore
You Don't Love Me Anymore
-Cassette single:The following tracks are on the commercial cassette single:# "You Don't Love Me Anymore" – 4:01# "I Was Only Kidding" – 3:31The promo CD single only contains "You Don't Love Me Anymore".-Lyrics:...
, holding a guitar, but never actually playing it. At the song's conclusion, he smashes the guitar, emulating the conclusion to the song's original music video.
In 2007, Win Butler
Win Butler
Win Butler is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the Montreal-based indie rock band Arcade Fire. His wife Régine Chassagne and his brother William Butler are both members of the band.-Life and career:...
of Arcade Fire destroyed an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
at the end of a live performance of Intervention
Intervention (song)
"Intervention" is a song by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. It is the third single released from the band's second full-length album, Neon Bible. The single was released to digital retailers on December 28, 2006, and was released as a 7" vinyl in the UK under Rough Trade Records on May 21,...
on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, after a string had broken during the performance.
John Hiatt
John Hiatt
John Hiatt is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards - although he has never won- and has been awarded a variety of other...
criticized the practice in the title song of his 1993 hit album Perfectly Good Guitar
Perfectly Good Guitar
Perfectly Good Guitar was singer-songwriter John Hiatt's eleventh album, released in 1993. It was his last studio album with A&M Records. It was Hiatt's highest charting album ever, peaking in the top 50 of the Billboard 200...
.
Matthew Bellamy
Matthew Bellamy
Matthew James Bellamy is an English musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, pianist, and main songwriter of the alternative rock band Muse.-Early life:...
currently holds the world record of smashing the most guitars on a tour, according to Guinness World Records.
Christian punk and metal crossover band One Bad Pig wrote a song called Smash the Guitar in which they smashed up a number of guitars in concert. At the Cornerstone Music festival they invited a number of the more mainstream acts to participate in smashing their guitars on stage.
See also
- Gallagher, a comedian who regularly smashes watermelons on stage as part of his act
- Shock rockShock rockShock rock is an umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances.-History:Screamin' Jay Hawkins was arguably the first shock rocker...