Gary Estes, the Texas man who spent $4,000 to destroy a Taylor Swift guitar

The 67-year-old has made his voice known following the contentious video, in which he was seen purportedly paying hundreds of dollars to get a guitar signed by the pop star, only to promptly smash it with a hammer after making the purchase.

Estes clarifies that the harmful gesture “was just a joke” and that he didn’t even come up with it. He claims he had no “malicious” intents behind it.

He went on, saying, “It wasn’t cruel or unpleasant in any way. We simply carried out the prank that they were making up on stage.” Meier remarked, “It was a lighthearted, humorous thing. Although it would have appeared malevolent, everyone was giggling.”

While Estes’ political motives have been downplayed amid the outrage, Meier did note the action was clearly “a political thing.”