Back in April 06 at the Montreal show at the CEPSUM, Ben killed a black Tele. Has he smashed any other instruments at other shows? It doesn't seem quite right.

it's not right.
he was probably in a bad mood i guess...

The venue was terrible. It was 5000 people most of which came to see Franz Ferdinand. Only those on the floor cared about DCfC and there weren't that many of us.

He smashed one after their performance on Last Laugh '05 on Comedy Central, but he hasn't at any shows I've been to. It makes me sad when musicians smash their guitars. Plus it's just awkward for the crowd.

sometimes it fits i think. at sasquatch chris at the end of prove my hypothesis chris threw his guitar off the gorge. i think thats pretty cool. but it bugs me when people do it all the time at the end of a song just for the hell of it. when chris did it i think it improved the performance. but what it sounds like ben did it sounds unnerving and awkard.

Ben smashed his guitar on the floor once, and threw it at the back drop after we looked like giants on there last tour in reno.

I think he did it at the Irvine show, actually... but meh.

It was awkward. The floor crowd was pumped when he threw his drumsticks in the crowd (my six-foot tall friend caught one - the lucky girl) after We Laugh Indoors, but the smashing...

Chris throwing his guitar off a gorge sounds perfect for the moment.

Feh, it's strange.

smashed in anger or in 'rockstar' mode?

I think when he smashed the guitar at the show I was at Rock star mode I think...

A lot of work goes into making a guitar. They don't grow on trees. I guess they do for Ben.

I believe Pete Townshend (The Who) started the guitar smashing act, on accident too...
and who knows why some musicians might do it, but I heard a legit reason once. I don't remember who it was but a guitarist smashed his guitar after a particular song because he said "I'll never be able to play that song as well as I did that night."

Whatever the reason Ben has for doing it, who knows.

That was a good story. I could understand that.

I have seen ben beat up and throw a couple guitars in the many videos and one show i went to but as much as I am against the whole rock star destroying thing, sometimes it looks like ben is genuinely a little angry. It is true that is sad to waste a guitar, but for death cab being one of my favorite bands with very emotional subject matter it makes more sense for him to then so many other bands who do. The only reason I say this is because I think that many things he sings about are very true and might be kind of painful for him. And most times I have seen him smash it or at least throw it, are during the songs that aren't crooked teeth etc. but more trans and prove my hypothesis, and I know that it was part of the show at some of their old shows with prove, but trans probaby hits pretty close to home for him.

Though I am sure sometimes it is for show and sometimes it's not, but I guess they have the money now

you can see chris throwing a guitar into the crowd in one of the scenes off that 'making of plans' video from the UK crooked teeth single

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0xZ5RIvZv4