There were more fractures more than tears A Texas man kept Taylor Swift’s autographed guitar after he tore it apart as a “joke” — after paying thousands at auction, the man said Tuesday.
Gary Estes, 67, paYes, that’s itid $4,000 for a tool at the Ellis County Wild Game Luncheon in Waxahachie, an annual charity event benefiting agriculture-based educational efforts for local youth.
When she came to pick up the guitar, Estes took a hammer to it in a moment captured in a now-viral video — but insisted he had no will against Swift.
“There was nothing malicious or anything about it,” Estes told NBC News on Tuesday. “It was just a joke at the auction we had to raise money for the kids, wasn’t it? And that was it. There was nothing wrong with it. It was just a joke. We went on stage and we just kept on joking.”
Auctioneer Craig Meier, a spokesman for the event, said the guitar smash played well in the room.
“It was a funny, light thing. I know it may have seemed mean, but everyone was laughing,” Meier said. “Back then there were people there who joked that he was crazy because he didn’t know how to play the guitar.”
But after talking manMeier said it was a clear political statement.
“Taylor Swift, it became a political thing and that was kind of the point of it, it’s just a light dig at Taylor coming out politically and entertainers using their influence to influence politics,” Meier said.
Swift approved Vice President Kamala Harris on September 11takes bad blood with GOP candidate Donald Trumpp who sees him as anti-hero.
Trump took it Ellis County with 66.19In 2020, the percentage of the vote, the winner Joe Biden and his running mate, Harris, received 32.17 percent of the vote.
Estes, who owns an electrical wiring business, said he is a Trump supporter and is not happy that Swift is endorsing Harris.
“Yeah, you can connect the dots there,” Estes said.
The dinner and auction raised about $250,000, Meier said.
Auctioned weapons were includedbig game hunting experiences, dining and the “hot mom package”—a day at the spa and a day of pampering at the Smith & Wesson .380 sold for more than $4,000.
The crushed guitar has never been owned or played by Swift.
Meier, who bought a guitar last summer, Swift, like many other celebrities, regularly signs items that are distributed for charity.
“At the end of the day, thank you, Taylor Swift,” Meier said. “Whether you hang your guitar on the wall or hit it with a hammer, it doesn’t really make a difference. At the end of the day, it’s the kids who will benefit. I’ve burned it, put it in a shrine at home, paid $4,000.”
Swift and representatives of the political group “Flexible for perfection” — a local organization not officially connected to the artist — could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
Swift is on a short hiatus with it now record breaker Eras Tourwhich is planned to come ends in December.
The final show is still to be determined December 8 at BC Place in Vancouver.