SMASHING A PERFECTLY GOOD GUITAR: As the 40th anniversary approaches of one of the most significant moments in American pop cultural history- the first appearance of the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show"- a much more unsavory Beatles story is in the news, that of a doctor who allegedly mistreated George Harrison in the weeks before his death.
The lawsuit by Harrison's estate, in which Dr. Gilbert Lederman was accused of forcing Harrison to autograph a guitar for his teenage son, has been settled- but one part of the settlement jumped out at me: Lederman has agreed to privately destroy the guitar given to him by Harrison. Why destroy it? Seeing as how George died of cancer, why not auction the guitar off and donate the proceeds to a cancer charity? Wouldn't a guitar autographed by a Beatle go for six figures, at least?
Guitar gently weeps, indeed.