It’s definitely not as egregious as the time Pharma Bro Martin Skhreli bought a rare Wu-Tang Clan album, but the guitar used by Kurt Cobain in the ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ music video is now in the hands of an American Football team owner.
Cobain’s 1969 Fender Mustang that he wielded in the iconic video went up for auction at Julien’s Auctions over the weekend, with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay winning with a massive bid for $4.5 million.
To Irsay’s credit, he’s clearly not just some clueless rich sports guy: the businessman is actually the owner of one of the world’s largest guitar collections, including instruments once belonging to the likes of Les Paul, George Harrison, and Lou Reed.
Away from music, Irsay also impressively owns the original manuscript of Jack Kerouac’s legendary novel On the Road, a continuous, 120-foot scroll of tracing paper sheets that the author taped together. Four years ago, he also acquired an original printing of the Alcoholics Anonymous book, containing handwritten notes by Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA.
As per Variety, a portion of the proceeds is going to Kicking The Stigma, Irsays’ initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders and remove the stigma associated with such illnesses. As we said, this is nowhere near as galling as when Skhreli acquired Wu-Tang’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
Before being sold off, Cobain’s guitar had been displayed at Seattle’s MoPOP Museum of Pop Culture. It was a truly historic piece, with Cobain having used it while recording the classic Nirvana albums Nevermind and In Utero.
While Irsay’s specific plans for the guitar are currently unknown, fans should hold out hope that the Colts CEO decides to showcase his stacked guitar collection on the road someday.
Love Classic Rock?
Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
For more on this topic, follow the Classic Rock Observer.
Check out Kurt Cobain in the ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ video:
