In the words of Alanis Morissette, ”Isn’t it ironic?” ….
The guitar played by anti-establishment, grunge provocateur Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit music video has been sold at auction for a staggering $4,500,000 USD – that’s somewhere around $6,325,240 AUD!
Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, was the lucky buyer who managed to secure the iconic left-handed Fender Mustang – but not without forking out a hefty sum, with the highly sought after item going for millions more than expected, originally estimated valued between $600,000-$800,000 USD.
“I am thrilled to preserve and protect another piece of American culture that changed the way we looked at [the] world,” Irsay said in a statement. “The fact that a portion of the proceeds will go toward our effort to kick the stigma surrounding mental health makes this acquisition even more special to me.”
Nirvana | ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
“To have this legendary guitar, one of the most culturally significant and historically important guitars of Kurt Cobain and in all of rock music history return to my home state of Indiana to be part of Jim Irsay’s renowned memorabilia collection is a great honour and personal highlight of my life,” said fellow Indiana native Darren Julien, President of Julien’s Auctions.
“This once-in-a-lifetime auction has been one of the greatest privileges in my professional career and I’m duly pleased that the proceeds will also bring much-needed attention to mental health awareness.”
Nirvana | ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ [MTV Unplugged]
In 2020, an Aussie music collector purchased Kurt Cobain’s famed acoustic guitar, played during Nirvana’s legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, at Julien’s Auctions for, what was then, a record-breaking US $6.01 million – almost $9 million AUD! Read more, below.
READ MORE: AUSSIE BUYS KURT COBAIN’S MTV UNPLUGGED GUITAR FOR RECORD-BREAKING $6 MILLION
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