There ought to be a law with no bail
Smash a guitar and you go to jail
With no chance for early parole
You donÕt get out till you get some soul
— ÒPerfectly Good Guitar,Ó
Shame on you, Kyle Busch.
You thought youÕd inject a little rock ÕnÕ roll spirit into the festivities after your win at the Nashville Superspeedway.
But that was a Gibson Les Paul that you tried to smash on Victory Lane.
How would you like it if somebody took a tire iron to your engine?
The artist who hand-painted the guitar said he was Òstunned.Ó Then Sam Bass tried to be diplomatic. ÒIn the spirit of rock ÕnÕ roll and, as someone who appreciates rock ÕnÕ roll, he put on a show.Ó
RubbinÕ is racinÕ, thatÕs a show. A slingshot pass on the final turn, thatÕs a show. Leading from the pole to the checkered flag, even thatÕs a show.
But a race driver dressed like an advertising billboard cracking a beautiful guitar isnÕt much of a show, at least not for me.
As a musician, I never understood the guitar smashing bit.
Look, I love Pete Townshend, saw him destroy his SG once. It didnÕt make the music better.
I stood on the stage in Monterey where Townshend had smashed another guitar, and you could still see the burn spot where Jimi Hendrix flamed his Stratocaster in 1967. ItÕs a bit of history.
But what I cherish most are the memories of The Who and Hendrix playing music.
IÕd have to side with John Hiatt when he sings ÒOh it breaks my heart to see those stars, smashing a perfectly good guitar.Ó
HiattÕs a motor head. He may record in Nashville (home of the Grand Ole Opry), but he grew up in Indianapolis (home of the Motor Speedway). He even raced Legends cars on ovals when he wasnÕt writing hit songs. (You might not recognize HiattÕs name, but IÕll bet you know the songs he writes, like ÒThing Called Love,Ó ÒRiding With the King,Ó and ÒAngel Eyes.Ó)
Although Hiatt once said NASCAR had become Òtoo polite,Ó IÕll bet he appreciates the way Kyle Busch puts the pedal to the metal.
The 24-year-old bad boy from Las Vegas has won nine races this year and more than 50 times in his short NASCAR career. And IÕd love to see the hometown hero keep going Õround in circles for years and years to come — ignoring the siren call of ÒMy Generation.Ó
DonÕt burn out like all those rock stars, Kyle.
Keep burning doughnuts like Jimmie Johnson.
Mark Whittington can be reached at 259-4063 or at mark.whittington@lasvegassun.com.
Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Sun
