Man who smashed $4,000 Taylor Swift guitar with hammer shares why he did it

A Texas antheral who went viral aft helium bought a Taylor Swift-themed guitar astatine auction for US$4,000, lone to destruct it with a hammer seconds later, says helium pulled disconnected the stunt for a laughter and claims there’s nary sick volition intended.

Gary Estes, 67, garnered the ire of galore Swifties implicit the play erstwhile video was posted to societal media that showed him smashing done a Swift-branded guitar astatine a foundation event.

He’d won the coveted instrument, emblazoned with images of the popular superstar, astatine the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner successful Waxahachie, Texas. Seconds aft approaching the signifier to retrieve the item, helium smashed it with a hammer 17 times.

“Guess we don’t request the partition hanger,” the auctioneer joked earlier saying, “Hey, Gary, present instrumentality that and bent up that busted thing.”

The video, uploaded to TikTok by lawsuit attendee JD Cobb, instantly went viral. Many saw it arsenic an enactment of debasement related to Swift’s caller endorsement of Democratic statesmanlike hopeful Kamala Harris.

“We’re successful an country (Ellis County) wherever Trump is beauteous prevalent,” Cobb told USA Today, confirming helium besides thought it was meant arsenic a flimsy against Swift. “Especially among state benignant folk, not a batch of radical present similar Taylor Swift.”

But Estes insists it was conscionable a gag and “nothing mean astir it.”

“There was nothing malicious oregon thing astir it,” helium told NBC News connected Tuesday. “It was conscionable a gag astatine an auction that we had to rise wealth for kids, right? And that’s each it was. There was thing mean astir it, thing atrocious astir it. It was conscionable a gag that they were making up connected the stage, and we conscionable followed done with a joke.”

However, helium did accidental that he’s a Donald Trump supporter and hasn’t been keen connected Swift’s enactment for Harris.

“Yes, you tin link the dots there,” Estes said.

Auctioneer Craig Meier, a spokesperson for the event, told USA Today he’s been taken aback by the online reaction.

“It has been astonishing to maine however large of a woody radical are making it retired to be. It wasn’t meant to beryllium mean oregon malicious,” helium said successful a statement. “He was conscionable making a lighthearted connection showing disapproval of radical successful the amusement manufacture trying to power politics…. It was conscionable a comic happening that happened astatine our yearly event. The assemblage thought it was hilarious.”

Swift’s fans, however, don’t look to agree.

“These aged boys definite are mounting an unthinkable illustration for their children,” 1 instrumentality commented nether Cobb’s video. “Desecrating a women’s worth. Their wives indispensable beryllium truthful proud.”

“Bunch of aged men mocking a young accomplished pistillate – compensating for their inadequacy,” wrote another.

Swift fans, however, mightiness get the past laughter successful the saga – portion archetypal reports said that the guitar was signed by Swift, sources adjacent to her merch institution told Variety the instrumentality did not carnivore her signature, nor was it ever utilized by her.

It appears that the guitar is once again being auctioned off, but this clip connected eBay. A listing shows a guitar covered successful smashed-in holes and promises each proceeds volition spell to helping section kids enactment successful agriculture acquisition programs. As of publication, bids for the smashed-up guitar person reached $4,400.