No one was shedding any teardrops over a Taylor Swift-signed guitar that was destroyed as a protest (?) against something (??) — because she probably didn’t sign it. On Monday, footage circulated of a white-haired guy at the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner in Waxahachie, Texas, paying $4,000 for a guitar autographed by the “All Too Well” singer, and hitting it with a hammer. He also pretended to pull a Phoebe Bridgers and smash it on the ground.
But a Swiftie who goes by @kubaswift on X noticed something about the auction listing. “I found the listing for this $4,000 ‘Autographed Guitar’ only to find out the signed element is a signed photo from a Midnights vinyl someone has cut out and glued onto a custom guitar,” they wrote. “0 brain cells.”
In the replies, @kubaswift added, “I clocked that fake guitar design straight off the bat and looked into it further cause I knew she hadn’t signed any Eras Tour ones at least only to find out it was a signed insert from a Midnights vinyl you can even see the cut off where they snipped the signature I mean.”
Assuming this is accurate (and it seems likely considering the number of “signed” instruments on eBay), the guy in the video paid $4,000 to destroy a guitar with a photo of a real autograph.
Ellis County Wild Game spokesperson Craig Meier talked to WFAA about the uproar over the guitar smash. “It has been surprising to me how big of a deal people are making it out to be. It wasn’t meant to be mean or malicious,” he said. “He was just making a lighthearted statement showing disapproval of people in the entertainment industry trying to influence politics.”
You can watch the video here.