According to various reports, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, after winning a race in Nashville, was handed the customary trophy: a custom hand-painted Gibson Les Paul guitar. Which he proceeded to smash—or at least attempt to smash—on the ground before tossing it to his crew. According to Sam Bass, the guy who hand-painted the guitar and "put a lot of heart and soul" into it, Busch acted in "the spirit of rock 'n' roll." Did he?
Sure, part of the spirit of rock 'n' roll, if you want to call it that, is not giving a fuck. Paradoxically, sometimes not giving a fuck just means you're being an asshole, and saying that you're being an asshole in the name of rock 'n' roll doesn't make you less of one. And when Busch says, "I meant no disrespect," that doesn't mean he didn't act disrespectfully. But someone who says, "I meant no disrespect to you...or the sponsors" [emphasis mine] obviously does give a fuck, on some level, which means that he didn't act "in the spirit of rock 'n' roll" (not giving a fuck), but in some other spirit entirely. Like the spirit of, "you gave me something nice but I feel like smashing it, ha ha."
So, Kyle Busch: rock 'n' roller or just an asshole? You make the call.
Watch a video, along with reaction from Bass, at WSMV. (See also: Pantera + Stanley Cup.)
