RIP Arlene

thanks to graham, for the photo

At yesterday's of Montreal show at the Field Day Festival, after a set-ending performance of "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal", Kevin smashed his longtime guitar Arlene to bits. Thanks to new user Jasmus for the heads up in this thread. Perhaps it's an exclamation mark on his statement in the YANP interview about never playing the pre-Satanic material again, a definitive break from the past. In that YANP interview, Matt from YANP asked Kevin about Arlene:

So I wanted to ask you about Arlene… [Kevin’s guitar has “Arlene” scratched into it]

I was living in Minneapolis. When I got out of high school, I moved around a lot trying to find people to play with and I’d heard Minneapolis had a scene. I just happened upon this used guitar shop and I got Arlene there really cheap. And it’s a great guitar.

I don’t know the story behind the etching. It was there when I got it and the guy at the store didn’t know either. I mean, imagine just some weird dude, maybe some metalhead dude just like “this is for you, babe…” No one has ever come up to me and been like “man, that was my old guitar!” but maybe one day. [Laughs]

It's even funnier now - that metalhead's old guitar an even bigger part of of Montreal (and modern music) lore. But still sad in a way, as this wasn't any old guitar, but that's what makes the smashing a more powerful statement and less a Towshend throwback tribute. RIP Arlene, you made some damn fine music.