A guitar once smashed on stage by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain will be auctioned in the US this month. The instrument has been reassembled but can no longer be played, Kody Frederick of Julien's Auctions told AFP. Frederick expects that the black Fender Stratocaster could fetch up to 80,000 dollars (around 72,000 euros) at the auction.
The guitar was signed by all three members of the legendary grunge band Nirvana, which became famous for hits like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Come As You Are" in the early nineties. The cracks caused by the smashing of the guitar remain visible.
"This broken element of this broken musician" was indicative of the "rough" musical era at the time, Frederick said. "Kurt Cobain was a machine when he was on stage, when he played. The man was angry, and you could feel that on stage," Frederick said. This anger was also reflected in the "way he treated his instruments".
Cobain struggled with drug addiction and depression and had a tumultuous relationship with his wife, Courtney Love. He took his own life in April 1994.
The auction will take place from May 19 to 21 in New York and, in addition to the guitar, will include a list of Cobain handwritten with a pink marker for a performance in Seattle, Washington in April 1991. It is estimated that the list could fetch up to $6000.
In addition, memorabilia from the careers of musicians Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Eddie Van Halen and Bill Wyman will be auctioned at the auction.