‘SNL’: Phoebe Bridgers Smashing Her Guitar Left Twitter Divided

Singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers had a major year in 2020, with her second album Punisher serving as the soundtrack for many people’s quarantine. Bridgers made her Saturday Night Live debut over the weekend, taking to the iconic stage to perform her songs “Kyoto” and “I Know The End.” The second song ends with an emotional (and relatable) scream, and Bridgers also followed in the footsteps of many rock legends and smashed her guitar onstage.

Following the performance, people on Twitter were divided over the display of classic rock excess. Twitter user BrooklynDad_Defiant! was at the center of the debate after tweeting his displeasure over her performance. “Why did this woman, Phoebe Bridgers, destroy her guitar on SNL? I mean, I didn’t care much for the song either, but that seemed extra.”

The tweet felt deeply condescending, but some people agreed with him. “I’ll show my age and say I have no idea who she is… but I am really disappointed, and [sic] quite concerned, that this is the best musical talent SNL could find,” one wrote. “I HATE when they destroy instruments,” wrote someone else. “The musician in me combines with the hates waste in any form part of me and I just can’t take it!!! WHY??? There are sooo many ppl out there, esp kids, who would do anything for that guitar, and it’s just destroyed now?? WHY???”

However, most were quick to point out that this was a common practice, dating all the way back to bands like The Who and The Clash. Many pointed out that Bridgers has come up against a lot in her rise to fame, and that the guitar smash felt particularly cathartic. “When this woman was 20, she was targeted by a GIANT in the music industry who preyed on her,” one person pointed out. “She overcame that, outed him. Made incredible music. And got to play SNL this year. You, on the other hand, best I can tell, hate Trump as job and personality.” Comedian Jen Kirkman weighed in, saying “cuz it’s f—— awesome and she’s full of righteous anger at some bs she went through in the music industry with famous men.”

The debate got pretty heated, with many pointing out whole overblown the whole outrage was by comparison. “if phoebe bridgers lightly denting a cheap guitar on SNL can provoke this level of discourse,” joked one Twitter user. “we absolutely need to make rock music scary again. bring back the blood and snakes. bring back the music videos where a businessman’s head explodes because he hears a guitar solo.”

To her credit, Bridgers handled the backlash with aplomb, retweeting some of the best jokes on Twitter. She also posted an epic picture of the offending moment on Instagram. “Got some really great feedback from my performance! Next time I’ll just burn it and it will be more expensive,” she wrote.