A Texas man who was criticized for making a political statement after spending $4,000 to smash a Taylor Swift guitar at auction said he meant it as a joke.
Gary Estes, 67, was captured on camera walking to the instrument during the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner in Waxahachie on Saturday.
After being handed the guitar, Estes went to work, gleefully smashing it with a hammer as the audience erupted in laughter.
But his reasoning, he insists, was not malicious.
The dinner is an annual charity event that benefits agricultural education efforts for local youth – which Estes thought was the right time to set his prank in motion.
Gary Estes, 67, gave a surprising reason why he spent $4,000 at auction to smash a Taylor Swift guitar on Saturday
After being handed the guitar, Estes went to work, gleefully smashing it with a hammer as the audience erupted in laughter.
But his reasoning. he emphasizes that it was not with malicious intent. The dinner is an annual charity event that benefits agricultural education efforts for local youth – which Estes (left) thought was the right time to initiate his prank.
He told it NBC News: ‘It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for children, right? And that was it.
“There was nothing mean about it, nothing evil about it. It was just a joke they made up on stage, and we just made a joke about it.”
Auctioneer Craig Meier said it kind of “played well in the room.”
But Meier did reveal that Taylor Swift’s political support of Vice President Kamala Harris on September 11 was an obvious political statement.
He expanded on his response to NBC News, saying it was a commentary on entertainers using their influence to influence politics.
‘Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a good time to research the issues at hand and the positions these candidates are taking on the issues that matter most to you. As a voter, I make sure I watch and read everything they can about their proposed policies and plans for this country,” Swift wrote.
There is an alleged listing of the broken Taylor Swift guitar on Ebay. The guitar’s authenticity has been heavily disputed after a source close to her merchandise company confirmed it to Variety
Auctioneer Craig Meier said it kind of “played well in the room.” But Meier did reveal that it was an obvious political statement that Taylor Swift took to politically supporting Vice President Kamala Harris on September 11th.
The listing is currently at $2,550 with 23 bids
“I was recently made aware that AI of ‘I’, who falsely endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential election, had been posted on his site. It really raised my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.
‘It brought me to the conclusion that as a voter I must be very transparent about my concrete plans for this election. The easiest way to fight disinformation is to use the truth,” she added.
There is an alleged mention of the broken Taylor Swift guitar eBay. The guitar’s authenticity has been heavily disputed after a source close to her merchandise company confirmed it Variety.
The listing is currently at $2,550 with 23 bids.
A photo description in the listing states that Estes is believed to have returned the guitar to the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner and that sales proceeds will be used toward the nonprofit’s original goal of giving back to agricultural education.