Kurt Cobain’s guitar from the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video has been auctioned in New York. More than four and a half million dollars were paid. Photo: Video Capture
One of the most iconic grunge guitars was auctioned in New York for a millionaire: four and a half million dollars. This is the Fender Mustang where the late singer and leader of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, recorded a video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. The classic in the early ’90s catapulted with the album“ Nevermind ”and the band at the top of rock.
The legendary guitar is owned by Jim Irsay (owner of the Indianapolis Colts football team), and part of the proceeds will be used to fund a mental health awareness campaign “Kicking The Stigma” (Kicking the Stigma).
Both Irsay and her daughter, Kalen Jackson, said Cobain’s family supported the decision and made Cobain’s other memorabilia available on the auction block.
The blue 1969 Fender Mustang guitar was used by Kurt Cobain in the Nirvana music video in 1991. Photo: AFP
After the auction, the Irsays announced that they would be contributing $ 16 million on the mental health initiative and they have already begun talks with filmmaker Peter Berg to oversee the filming of a new advertisement aimed at “creating awareness on mental health treatments”.
The auction took place this weekend at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square in New York, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Irsay’s initiative.
Julien’s Auction House provided some details of the auction of its historic 1969 Fender Mustang, especially for lefties, which after the auction became the second best paid in history.
The ranking of iconic guitars auctioned was led by another Kurt Cobain: the acoustic he used on Nirvana on “Mtv Unplugged”, which reached 6.1 million dollars.
Cobain’s two guitars are more ahead of David Gilmour (Pink Floyd’s guitar) Stratocaster and Jimy Hendrix. Also John Lennon’s Gibson J-160E topping the best guitar auctions in history.
Kurt Cobain’s guitar details
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the song that made Nirvana popular around the world. In the video, Cobain uses that blue Fender (originally from 1969), which, according to Martin Nolan, CEO of Julien’s Auctions, is possibly one of the most popular in rock.
“It’s one of the most iconic guitars to hit the auction block. It’s the blue Fender Mustang guitar, one of Kurt Cobain’s favorites,” Nolan said.
Martin Nolan shows Cobain’s Fender Mustang at auction in New York. Photo: AFP
“Guitar it was auctioned along with the original boxas well as the strap that Cobain used to record the video, ”he said.
The song is part of Nirvana’s best -selling album: it does not matter. An album that has become popular because of its music as well as its cover art: the naked baby diving and trying to catch a dollar bill. It went on sale on September 24, 1991.
Source: Clarin
