As we humans become more aware of the forest habitats we deplete and the energy we burn, the smashing up of musical instruments has become rarer. The thought of destroying such hand crafted things of visual and sonic beauty is abhorrent. Even if instrument smashing is done on the cheap with plentiful plywood knock offs whose rapid disposal creates jobs and leads to the planting of more forests, it still looks hackneyed and wasteful … and a bit cheap.
It wasn’t always the case. Some of the greatest bands ever like The Who, The Yardbirds, Hendrix and Nirvana indulged in instrument smashing. For many of them it was an artistic statement inspired (in the case of Townsend and Hendrix) by Gustav Metzger who used the destruction of things to shock, effect emotions, provoke thought and make statements about the human condition. When great musicians went through their smashing routines it was usually as the spectacular finales to performances of great emotion, profundity, power and energy. It was just right … rock and roll ... though of its time.
