The electric guitar Phoebe Bridgers used – and, more notably, smashed up – during her Saturday Night Live performance in February is up for auction.
Listed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards, Bridgers' Danelectro Dano '56 baritone currently sits on a bid of $5,500, with bidding closing on April 11.
The guitar has quite clearly seen better days – a large chunk is missing from the lower bout of its body on the left side. The listing doesn't disclose if the electronics still function, however it still looks somewhat playable... ish.
The indie-rock phenom sparked controversy following her SNL performance of I Know the End – the closing track of her 2020 album, Punisher – with some labelling it “extra”, “disappointing” and an “unjustifiably awkward display of white privilege”.
Others leapt to her defense, noting that many male artists before her have smashed guitars and received considerably less criticism for their actions.
In true Phoebe Bridgers fashion, the singer-songwriter had no time for her critics, posting a photo of herself mid-guitar smash to Instagram with the caption: “Got some really great feedback from my performance! Next time I’ll just burn it and it will be more expensive.”
In an interview with Variety last month, Bridgers spoke again about the controversy surrounding the SNL incident.
“The fact that it made people so mad is kind of what’s punk rock about it,” she said. ”No thought whatsoever went into what it represented or meant: I’d never done it before, so might as well do it [on Saturday Night Live], where it’s gonna be immortalized.”
Bridgers was nominated for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist at the 2021 GLAAD Media Awards alongside Orville Peck, Arca, Rina Sawayama and others. The award ultimately went to rapper Chika for her album, Industry Games.
To place a bid on the battered Danelectro Dano '56, head to Handbid.
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