Smash a guitar, live a little dangerously

Cultural differences are a ready excuse for many things. The latest entry in the 'Your dos are our don'ts' list is smashing a guitar after a performance. Rock legends from Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain have engaged in this adrenaline-doused ritual emblematic of taking an anti-establishment stand. In the destruction of instruments at the end of a concert, collective steam is let off, and a hormonal bond is created between performers and crowd. Which was what Indo-Canadian rapper A P Dhillon was doing at the end of his set at the Coachella Music Festival earlier this month when he, in good old bad boy tradition, smashed his Kirk Hammett guitar. Perfect end to a hi-octane gig.

But, in India, goodie-goodie Indians saw the rousing act differently. Criticism flew fast and thick on social media about how Dhillon had done something cringeworthy and had shown immense disrespect to the 'sacred' bond between musician and his instrument. Usual spiel about 'remember your culture' and the need to learn 'values' followed from the righteous guru-not-cool mob. Cultural differences, yes - but differences that have their explanation in one culture valuing a culture of rebelliousness, while the other finding 'disrespect' to be unimaginable and obedience the only way to 'behave' even as artists. Incidentally, destroying instruments also adroitly avoids encores.