The political motive that inspired $9m Cobain guitar purchase
Australian entrepreneur Peter Freedman bought the most expensive guitar in history with one goal in mind — to push the Morrison government to support the arts.
Freedman, founder of Rode Microphones, made history on Sunday when he purchased one of Kurt Cobain's acoustic guitars for almost $9 million in Beverly Hills, breaking the world record for the most expensive guitar sold.
Mr Freedman said the extravagant purchase was meant to bring attention to the lack of support for the arts community during COVID-19. Credit:RØDE Microphones, Frank Micelotta
Explaining why he bought the instrument, which soared above the estimate of about $1.5 million, Mr Freedman said the extravagant purchase was intended to bring attention to the lack of support for the arts community during COVID-19.
He plans to take the guitar to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in mid-August to raise funds to lobby the Australian government to come up with a financial scheme for suffering musos.
"Writing a letter, it’s not going to work. But I can make it work," he said. "If you do this sort of move — I’ve got the attention of the entire world now, probably a few hundred million people."
The 1959 Martin D-18E was played by Cobain during Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance and was purchased by Freedman for $US6 million ($8.8 million) at the Music Icons event run by Julien's Auctions in California.
The performance was recorded in November 1993, just five months before Cobain’s death, and was immortalised in the band’s MTV Unplugged in New York live album, released in 1994.
The purchase breaks the record previously held — by a black Stratocaster belonging to Pink Floyd's David Gilmour which sold for $US3.95 million last year.
"It’s funny, I remember when I had no dough, I'd look at people who had money and I’d think, 'wow, what must that be like', and then you talk about an 8 or 9 million guitar — it’s like Monopoly money," he said.
"People I know are sleeping on the floor, unable to eat. It’s insane. No services, no support, no mental health issue support, nothing."
"I’d be pretty low if I didn’t recognise that and give some back. I’ve got a great life, I don’t need any more. The person who dies really rich dies in disgrace and I sure as s--- don’t want to die with a lot of money."
Rode Microphones is headquartered in Sydney's Silverwater, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Seoul.
Mr Freedman said he will later take the guitar across the US, the UK and Europe in an effort to lobby other governments into providing financial assistance to the arts.
Going into the auction Saturday US time, Mr Freedman said he had an ideal price in mind that was quickly surpassed during the bidding process.
"I’m still shell-shocked," he said. "I thought to myself, 'well, if it goes to 10, bring it on'.
"I did try and do some pretty big smack-out ones [bids] but at the end, I think they just went 'this guy — he is nuts'."