How much would you pay to demonstrate to the world that you’re not a fan of Taylor Swift? In the case of an auction-goer in the US, the figure would appear to be somewhere in the region of $4,000, the amount the man in question is believed to have paid for an Eras Tour-themed guitar that he purchased and then immediately smashed up.
While the motivation for the bizarre stunt hasn’t been revealed, some have speculated that it could be some form of political protest in light of Swift’s decision to endorse Kamala Harris in the upcoming US presidential election. It took place in Texas, at the Ellis County Wild Game dinner and charity auction, all proceeds from which go towards supporting agricultural education in Ellis County.
Describing the guitar up for auction on its Facebook page prior to the event, the dinner organisers confirmed that it was “autographed by country music star Taylor Swift,” and billed it as a “once in a lifetime opportunity to buy” the item.
The winning bidder, though, clearly had no intention of cherishing the guitar, immediately setting about it with a hammer. It appears that he’d made his intentions clear beforehand; as he went to pick up his purchase, the auctioneer can be heard to say “he wasn’t joking - at least we don’t need the wall hanger”.
Video footage from the event (posted by TikTok user jdcobb58) suggests that there was a mixed reaction to the guitar being destroyed, with shouts of “no!” then drowned out by cheers.
It’s also worth noting that, despite his actions, the man did appear to take the guitar with him when he’d finished, so maybe some part of him is a Swiftie after all.
Taylor, of course, knows a thing or two about broken instruments, having suffered a series of piano malfunctions during her ongoing Eras Tour. This is set to wrap-up in December following a final run of shows in Toronto and Vancouver.
