# Musicians who destroy their instruments (stage gimmick) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040 "2016-09-15T21:16:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/1 "2016-09-15T21:16:40Z")
Jimi Hendrix Pete Townshend Keith Moon And others have a stage schtick of destroying instruments. Guitars, drum sets, pianos. The story about Keith Moon on the Smothers Brothers Show is a must read. It’s a cheap gimmick to me. But I guess it draws fans. A thousand dollar instrument is a small expense compared the other budgetary costs of a huge touring stage show. The one thing I don’t understand is whether they switch out instruments to destroy? Guitarists are very finicky about the setup on their instruments. Especially playing difficult solos. All the bands have a guitar tech that lovingly takes care of the instruments. Keeping the primary instruments and backups ready for shows. Hard to imagine Townshend playing a different guitar every show. It would make playing a lot harder for him. A well made and properly setup instrument is a joy to play. One off the shelf? It can be played but expert guitarists won’t like it. Every guitarist has their own preferences how a guitar should be setup. Any of these guys admitted to swapping their prized instrument with a ringer before the show’s destructive end? > **[Instrument destruction](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_destruction)** > > The destruction of musical instruments is an act performed by a few pop, rock and other musicians during live performances, particularly at the end of the gig. > 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 over his knee. US country musician Ira Louvin was famous for smashing mandolins that he deemed out-of-tune. > Jerry Lee L... ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/2 "2016-09-15T23:37:46Z")
Townsend didn’t swap out guitars beforehand (and he only smashed them from time to time). It was one reason the group was always broke in the early years. . Townshend spoke of going into guitar shops, grabbing a guitar near the door, saying “put it on my tab,” and running out before the owner could react. He did pay them back eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/3 "2016-09-16T00:04:28Z")
I’ve only been to one show where an instrument was destroyed at the end. It was Motley Crue in 1989 or 90 (the Doctor Feelgood tour). During the applause after the last song Nikki Sixx ran to the side of the stage where a roadie was waiting with a beat up, duct taped bass with only two strings on it. He made the swap, ran back to the middle of the stage, and slammed it down a couple of times separating the body from the neck. He then tossed it to the roadie, presumably to be re-repaired for the next show. I wasn’t terribly impressed with their performance. Their opening act played circles around them, which was surprising considering it was Faster Pussycat, not exactly known for their technical prowess. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/4 "2016-09-16T01:22:26Z")
I saw Ritchie Blackmoore do it during his Rainbow phase. Judging from youtube, he does it a lot. A used “Made in Mexico” Fender Stratocaster can be had for under $300 and is plenty good enough to make it through a song that’s going to end with its destruction. In this [video, (destruction starts around 2:20)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2miLo3hbEZE) you can see that the pickups are different in the replacement guitar. I’m sure that it’s customized to his liking and wouldn’t become a victim like his sacrificial ones do. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/5 "2016-09-16T01:40:00Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I saw Ritchie Blackmoore do it during his Rainbow phase. Judging from youtube, he does it a lot. A used “Made in Mexico” Fender Stratocaster can be had for under $300 and is plenty good enough to make it through a song that’s going to end with its destruction. In this [video, (destruction starts around 2:20)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2miLo3hbEZE) you can see that the pickups are different in the replacement guitar. I’m sure that it’s customized to his liking and wouldn’t become a victim like his sacrificial ones do. I was going to mention Blackmore. I saw Deep Purple during the Perfect Stranger tour. It was obvious from my vantage point that he went to the wings and switched out his guitar for another white Strat. He went to the edge of the stage to smash the guitar but at the last second handed it to a fan in the front row. Security then had to rescue that fan. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/6 "2016-09-16T01:50:47Z")
Saw Green Day back in the nineties. They set fire to the drumset - and later the other instruments - while still playing their last song. Sounds cheesy, I know, but I found it very moving at the time. They put on a better show than I’d thought. And, just because we’re here at it’s appropriate: > [@](#): > > Originally posted by Cake in Rock and Roll Lifestyle > > How much will you pay for a chunk of his guitar? > The one he ruthlessly smashed at the end of the show > And how much will he pay for a brand new guitar > One which he’ll ruthlessly smash at the end of another show ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/7 "2016-09-16T02:54:01Z")
Pete Townsend relates that the first time he killed a guitar is started as an accident. The stage put the band so close to the ceiling that he accidentally hit the ceiling with the head of the guitar during one of his vigorous antics, and it snapped the head off the neck. Then some of the audience started to laugh, and he was so peeved that he started to smash the whole guitar up - and the audience reaction was so wild that he took it from there. There is at least one interview where he relates that the band would be broke at the end of a tour because the cost of instruments wrecked wiped out the money they made. Hendrix could play just about anything in any state of setup or tune. There are some ex-Hendrix guitars out there that were simply repaired by whoever caught them. Greta way of getting a cheap good Strat. Friend of mine had a junk guitar that he had carefully glued a Gibson logo cut out of a magazine ad onto. He would throw this about on stage. From even a close viewpoint this looked remarkably convincing. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/8 "2016-09-16T03:29:50Z")
Let’s move this to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/9 "2016-09-16T03:58:34Z")
Sound legend Bob Heil (he has his own permanent exhibit on the 2nd floor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) did the sound for The Who for six years, starting with Who’s Next. [In this interview](https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation/episodes/8), starting at 13 minutes in, he said he would build 24 guitars for each tour, SGs with Les Paul tails, the whammy bar removed and better tuners installed. The guitars were real, but Bob eventually convinced Pete to use a fake guitar amp. My friend Washboard Breezy frequently destroys washboard at Big Damn Band shows, and sells signed broken washboard at the merch tent after a show. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/10 "2016-09-16T05:18:52Z")
Paul Stanley of Kiss has been doing this at the end of shows for much of the past 40 years. Not sure about now, but in the early years they were defective stock or fakes, with the necks sawn partway through at the back so they’d snap easily with minimal risk of flying splinters. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/11 "2016-09-16T05:30:54Z")
I imagine if you get to the level where you have a signature edition deal with a guitar maker, they supply you with breakable guitars. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/12 "2016-09-16T05:38:54Z")
Ira Louvin of the [Louvin Brothers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Louvin_Brothers) smashed his mandolin when drunk and in a bad mood, which was pretty often. That was before rock music even existed. Cite - Charlie Louvin’s excellent autobiography. (It’s also mentioned on the Wiki page.) I wouldn’t call instrument trashing a “stage gimmick” - often it was for show, but it could also be an unplanned tantrum. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/13 "2016-09-16T06:30:02Z")
I’ve always considered the smashing of a good instrument to be a bit detestable. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/14 "2016-09-16T07:37:24Z")
Hendrix on the subject: > [@](#): > > The time I burned my guitar it was like a sacrifice. You sacrifice the things you love. I love my guitar. When it’s done in that spirit, I can kind of accept it as something worth doing. If you don’t love the instrument you’re going to destroy, what are you proving? I really don’t think it’s much of a fan draw these days, unless you’re destroying a novel instrument. Destroy a bassoon, people might watch. Destroy a guitar, especially one that you don’t particularly care about? Meh. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/15 "2016-09-16T07:52:48Z")
[Perfectly Good Guitar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_diKw9F6t3U) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/16 "2016-09-16T11:17:50Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I’ve always considered the smashing of a good instrument to be a bit detestable. Yes – that moment in _Animal House_ is always a downer for me, in a movie otherwise filled with good-natured, humorous fun. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/17 "2016-09-16T15:29:00Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Hendrix on the subject: > > When it’s done in that spirit, I can kind of accept it as something worth doing. If you don’t love the instrument you’re going to destroy, what are you proving? > > I really don’t think it’s much of a fan draw these days, unless you’re destroying a novel instrument. Destroy a bassoon, people might watch. Destroy a guitar, especially one that you don’t particularly care about? Meh. I’m glad Bands have lost interest in destroying instruments. The Wiki link in my OP said Nirvana did it. They may be one of the last big bands that did it regularly. I much rather see an artist give the instrument to a fan. Garth Brooks has done it several times. Here’s one example > **[Garth Brooks gives away guitar to fan with cancer during concert](https://abc7.com/garth-brooks-cancer-gives-guitar-to-fan-with-sign/388303/)** > > A concert with thousands of fans turned into an intimate moment between the country star and one woman with cancer. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/18 "2016-09-16T15:40:29Z")
I saw a local blues performer destroy his harmonica on stage. He was having problems with it and he slapped it on his leg a few times but the problem persisted. He eventually threw it down on the ground and stomped on it repeatedly, grinding his heel and crushing the thing. The crowd gave him a prolonged standing ovation. He said something to the effect, “and that, friends, is what the blues are all about.” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/19 "2016-09-16T15:53:49Z")
[Listi of guitars smashed by Pete Townshend](http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/smashed.html) I only got to him do it once-at Oakland in 1982…and, as the saying goes, the crowd went wild. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040/20 "2016-09-16T17:06:05Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Jimi Any of these guys admitted to swapping their prized instrument with a ringer before the show’s destructive end? While there was no actual instrument destruction going on, I have noticed performers occasionally using “stunt” instruments: Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson would make his stage entry twirling his flute and tossing it around like a baton, but once he got up to the microphone he would deftly slip the first flute into a holder on his mic stand and substitute his “real” flute. At least during Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s '90s reunion period, Keith Emerson had two Hammond organs onstage: the one that he played through most of the show, and the one that he wrestled around the stage, tipped over, and stabbed with daggers at the end of the set. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-destroy-their-instruments-stage-gimmick/766040.md?page=2)