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Vibrationbaby View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Instrument smashing and abuse
    Posted: January 29 2005 at 18:32

The Who began this practice back in the 60`s. I loved to see Kieth Moon`s drum kit explode or Pete Townshend shove the neck of his valuable Gibson Les into a Marshal stack while the roadies were desparately trying to save as much equipment as possible. I remember Ritche Blackmore attacking a camera man with his strat at one of the Califirnia Jams. Jimi Hendrix putting a Strat out it`s misery either bu just smashing the crap out of it or burning it on stage. The cult destroyed more than 77,000 Australian Dollars worth of equipment at the conclusion of a tour back in the 80`s in Australia. Their manager commented to the press " The band was tired. " Kieth Emerson has wrecked more than a few Hammond Organs using various methods. I saw one in a Hard Rock Cafe beaten and battered. I asked the manager if I could touch it. It sent chills up my spine. One of the most famous rock photos comes from the cover of the Clash album London Calling.

Just wondering what members of the site think of this practice. I once smashed a drum kit and felt rather good about it although I cannot really describe why. It was a feeling of relief. So I want to know what all you psychologists out there think.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 19:57

The smashing burning exploding thing was a big stage show exhibition back then..Who,Jimi Hendrix,Nice/ELP & even later Richie Blackmore to name a few all fashion of the times,Emerson still does his Hammond thing but not to the extent he used too..

Yes he made short work of a few Hammonds in his time & quite rightly the reason Hammond refused to service them anymore enter the company Geoff.



Edited by Karnevil9
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 20:20
Yea, I seem to vaguely understand what's so cool to watch and to just smash your instruments. Personally I like treasure my instruments more than I would like to destroy them.

Though I guess the act of destroying your instruments is the ultimate expression of self-sacrifice and how you feel about your art form. It depends on how you look at things when you're doing the act. Perhaps it's giving out your frustrations with the instrument. Or perhaps it's an expression of superiority over something that we can only sit and admire at.

There's something almost mystical about Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar. And something almost irresistibly maniacal about Keith Emerson stabbing his organ.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 20:23
What a waste, they should just give me the instruments,  I could use them.  I'd even pay for shipping.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 20:40

I always believed it's stupid to waste valuable equipment.

Iván

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 21:24
I once had my strap slip off the button and my strat hit the floor. I almost cried... Got a big chip in the lower bout.  Smashing equip is abuse, the instrument should be taken away and given to a good home....Mine!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 22:25
I think it's silly, and just for show purposes.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 23:10

I agree that abusing th einstruments is wrong. I know Zeppelin took great care of their instruments, except that Bonham broke a few skins, but only because of his power drumming (god he was good).

However it's fun to watch stuff break, and to break it yourself. Just human nature, not much to it I think.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 23:14

I don't know if somebody noticed but in The Kids Are Alright DVD, you can see Pete Townsend quickly switches guitar before the closing track.

Did he broke a cheaper piece of equipment?

Iván

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 23:17
Originally posted by ivan_2068 ivan_2068 wrote:

I don't know if somebody noticed but in The Kids Are Alright DVD, you can see Pete Townsend quickly switches guitar before the closing track.

Did he broke a cheaper piece of equipment?

Iván

Scandal!

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 29 2005 at 23:25
Originally posted by Rob The Plant Rob The Plant wrote:

Originally posted by ivan_2068 ivan_2068 wrote:

I don't know if somebody noticed but in The Kids Are Alright DVD, you can see Pete Townsend quickly switches guitar before the closing track.

Did he broke a cheaper piece of equipment?

Iván

Scandal!

  

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 00:19

Originally posted by Spanky Spanky wrote:

What a waste, they should just give me the instruments,  I could use them.  I'd even pay for shipping.

I agree with this. Instruments like that are expensive.

I read in the website called "The Hypertext Who" that after Townshend "destroyed" his guitar in the Woodstock Festival, he just gave it to the audience. You can see it in the movie. But it wasn`t true. A roadie took the guitar back to Townshend.

I sometimes feel good after watching The Who destroy their instruments. But at the same time, I think "what a waste!". 



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 04:38

I dont really like the practice to be honest. Its a waste especially if the instruments are expensive and hand made.

In one band I was (playing drums) our guitarist decided he going to do a 'Pete Townsend' at the end of one gig. Totally unplanned! He turned around and drove his Strat (copy) into my drums. He f***ed his guitar up, but my drums lived. I was quite annoyed with him  The crowd barely reacted.

At another gig with the same band he hurled his real Strat into the crowd in rage at the end of the gig. We had been stitched up by the club manager, so I guess it was his silly rock 'n' roll protest. No one was hurt by the flying guitar...There was no one there Thats how we were stiched up. On the way out that night he almost put a brick through the promoters car windscreen too, but we talked him out of it. I left the band shortly afterwards, and his marriage fell apart after he trashed a San Fransisco hotel room following a row with his wife. We have not spoken for some years. Lunatic, but thats computer programmers for you..

Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 05:15

Emerson used to beat up the same Hammond then go and get it mended before subjecting the poor thing to yet more abuse!

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 07:05

The practice is just cliched cheap theatre and looks ridiculous these days.

The Who still playing "My Generation" is pretty ridiculous too!LOL




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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 07:20
i once read somewhere that rick wakeman got fed up with one of his organs once so he took it into a field and fired it
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 07:40
I've fired my organ in a few fields Frenchie!Wink



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 09:01
In a recopilation album of Hendrix, it is written that Hendrix was the first guy to do that practice. During "fire", he pour some lighter gas over his guitar, and lights a match, thinking that when  the gas burnten, the fire will extinguish. But the fire actually burn the guitar. The Who were at that concert, and they like the act so much that adopted it, but with a slighty variation.
Please forgive me for my crappy english!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 13:17
Originally posted by ivan_2068 ivan_2068 wrote:

<SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-ansi-: EN-US">I don't know if somebody noticed but in The Kids Are Alright DVD, you can see Pete Townsend quickly switches guitar before the closing track.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN>


<SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-ansi-: EN-US">Did he broke a cheaper piece of equipment?<o:p></o:p></SPAN>


<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-ansi-: ES; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-: ES; mso-bidi-: AR-SA">Iván</SPAN>



Quite possibly - back in about 1981 or 1982, I saw Blackmore's Rainbow, and at the climax he trashed the Strat into a Marshall stack - all very sad, you may say, but here's sadder.....

From my position, I could see a 'special' Marshall brought out on stage, and a quick guitar change....

The whole practice is mere "entertainment", no self respecting guitarist would do so for their 'art', no matter how far up their own jacksie they may be. I firmly believe those who cheer/encourage such dubious shenanigans are none but sheep, being led by the nose by a musician too bored/jaded to impress merely by playing.   

Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2005 at 14:31

As far as I know, it's been documented that Townshend used cheap knock-off Strat clones for the smashing routines.

A grand a night on guitars would have been too much to contemplate when the same money could have been given to a well-connected promoter to source a significant quantity of primo jazz talc for the after-show party

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