Man Who Paid $4K to Smash Taylor Swift Guitar Explains Why He Did It

The Texas man who went viral for smashing one of Taylor Swift’s guitars for which he paid $4,000 at auction opened up to NBC News about his reasons for doing so.

Gary Estes, 67, won the coveted item during a charity event benefiting the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner in Waxahachie, TX, which raises money for agricultural education for local youths. But when Estes went to collect Swift’s guitar, he immediately smashed it with a hammer. Footage of the event quickly went viral, with many castigating Estes over what they viewed as a mean-spirited slight against the pop star.

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Man pays $3200.00 dollars for autographed Taylor Swift Guitar then smashes it to pieces with a hammer. #taylorswift

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However, Estes maintains that it was all “a joke,” and he possesses no ill will towards the “Bad Blood” singer. "There was nothing malicious or anything about it," Estes said. "It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for kids, right? And that's all it was. There was nothing mean about it, nothing bad about it," he assured. "We just followed through with a joke."

But according to Greg Meier, the event’s auctioneer, Estes’ prank was a bit more pointed. "Taylor Swift, it became a political thing, and that was kind of the gist of it, just a light-hearted bit of a dig at Taylor for coming out politically and entertainers using their influence to influence politics," Meier explained.

"Yes, you can connect the dots there," Estes added.

Regardless of Estes’ reasons for smashing the expensive guitar, Meier thought the prank played well with their fellow attendees. "It was a funny, light-hearted thing. I know maybe it seemed to be malicious, but everybody was laughing," Meier recalled. "There were people there, at the time, who joked around that he's mad because he doesn't know how to play the guitar." Swift's fans online, however, don't seem to agree.

Meier concluded: "At the end of the day, thank you, Taylor Swift. Whether he hung your guitar on the wall or whether he hit it with a hammer, it really doesn't make any difference…The kids are the ones that are going to benefit from it.”