Star-Studded lineup of over 1,500 artifacts and memorabilia headlines three-day event
Julien’s Auctions has announced the headliners of Icons & Idols: Rock ‘N’ Roll, the world-record breaking auction house to the stars’ annual music blockbuster on Friday, November 11th and Saturday, November 12th and Sunday, November 13th live in Hard Rock Cafe New York and online at juliensauctions.com.
Over 1,500 spectacular instruments, artifacts and memorabilia owned and used by some of the world’s greatest music artists and legends including Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Prince, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steve Jobs, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Eddie Van Halen, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Madonna, The Cure, LL Cool J, Guns N’ Roses, Lady Gaga, David Gilmour, Gene Simmons, Meat Loaf, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Nikki Sixx, Daft Punk and more will be offered.
Burning up the auction stage will be a 1973 Fender Mustang owned, stage-played, smashed and signed by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain during two U.S. performances in 1989–the first at Club Dreamerz in Chicago, Illinois on July 8th, and the second at the Sonic Temple in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on July 9th – where Cobain smashed the guitar to pieces across the stage during the finale performance of “Blew.” Following the release of Nirvana’s 1989 debut album Bleach, the band embarked on their first US tour where they played small venues across the south and midwest. According to the 2004 book Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects by Kurt St. Thomas: “Nirvana was having so much fun on the tour that Kurt began to express his joy by smashing a new guitar at every show;” the ritual would solidify Cobain’s infamous smashed guitars as a part of the rock rebel’s lore.
Due to having smashed his sunburst Univox electric guitar two nights earlier (which Julien’s Auctions later sold in 2016) Cobain did not have a guitar that evening and was only able to perform the vocals. Following that performance, the band stayed at Sluggo Cawley of the band Hullabaloo’s apartment, where Cobain noticed a smashed Gibson SG hanging on Cawley’s wall. Cobain offered to trade it for the Fender Mustang he had smashed on July 9th because he thought he could repair the Gibson SG well enough to smash it again later on. Sluggo agreed to the trade and had Cobain inscribe the Mustang, signing as Nirvana and additionally drawing two flowers along the upper right portion of the pickguard before the band moved on to their next show. Along the lower portion of the body, the inscription reads, “Yo Sluggo / Thank for the trade/ If its illegal to Rock and Roll, then throw my ass in jail/ Nirvana.” This rare and sensational artifact emblematic of the grunge icon’s early years–his go to and favorite guitar the Fender Mustang played on Nirvana’s first road tour that was smashed and signed by the future rock and roll icon–makes this one of the quintessential and important Kurt Cobain guitars in rock history. It was previously exhibited at Experience Music Project, Seattle, Washington (now named MoPOP Museum of Pop Culture) between 2007 and 2008 is estimated at $200,000 – $400,000.
An accessory synonymous with another legendary artist’s style and persona, is a pair of photo-matched round wire-rimmed goldtone glasses owned and worn by John Lennon (estimate $60,000 – $80,000). The glasses (photo right), often referred to as his “Granny” glasses, due to their iconic circular shape, were closely associated with Lennon as his trademark and frequently included in his ubiquitous self-portrait doodles. The Beatle inherited extreme shortsightedness from his mother, and was directed to wear glasses from childhood. He did not begin to publicly wear the glasses he’d become known for until he took a supporting role in Richard Lester’s 1967 counterculture film How I Won the War in which he plays Private Gripweed, a member of a British “musketeer” squad, a role that inspired him to drastically change his personal style and cast off his Beatle look.
An outstanding discovery heading to auction for the first time is a framed large-format black and white photo print with rap legend Tupac Shakur’s hand print (estimate: $100,000 – $200,000). The photo of the celebrity sidewalk panels displayed outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, has over the top Shakur’s personally applied own handprints with black paint, and signature of his name next to a heart symbol. Items from 2Pac, one of the best-selling artists in music history, having have sold more than 75 million records worldwide during his short and fabled career that included paving the way for the West Coast Hip Hop music phenomenon and recording some of the most iconic Hip Hop albums of all time, are rare particularly those that come from his personal life.
Another remarkable relic heading to the auction stage is a Wm. Knabe & Co. brand Louis XV grand piano personally owned and used by Bob Dylan at his Byrdcliffe home in Woodstock, New York (estimate: $50,000 – $70,000). A series of photographs taken by Elliott Landy in 1968 show Dylan at the piano, most likely composing tracks for his upcoming 1969 release and seminal album Nashville Skyline which would include the hit song “Lay Lady Lay.” Others, taken in 1968, show Dylan playing this piano in his house, surrounded by his young children Jesse and Maria Dylan. These candid images demonstrate how healing time with his family informed Nashville Skyline, on which he diverged further from his “angry young man” persona and early political folk music. He gifted the piano to Naomi Saltzman, a close friend and longtime key member of his advisory team.
A limited edition 2015 Moog EMMS synthesizer commemorating the original early 1970s version used by Keith Emerson of the legendary progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer ($100,000 – $200,000) will also be up for grabs. This is only two of the three existing Moog units signed by Emerson, next to the band’s ELP logo and skull art which was designed by H.R. Giger (noted designer of Xenomorph creature from the film Alien) and featured on the cover of the 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery. Includes keyboard, ribbon controller, cables as well as a Moog brand bomber jacket and a T-shirt signed by Keith Emerson.
Neil Young personally owned 1949 Cadillac Series 62 convertible ($100,000 – $150,000) will be available as well. This stunning classic car is equipped with a 331 CID overhead valve V8 engine, mated to a Hydra-Matic automatic transmission producing 160 horsepower. The exterior of the Series 62 is Corinth blue with a tan convertible top with tan binding, while the interior is blue leather. It’s additionally equipped with power windows, accessory gauges, factory-style radio, Cadillac Series 62 chrome wheel covers, reverse lights and body colored wheel skirts. Only 8,000 examples of this model were ever produced, making it one of the more sought-after post-war Cadillacs.
Prince’s 1992 Kurt Nelson Cloud Model electric guitar from his personal collection ($80,000 – $100,000) with NFT will be available at auction. The serial number has been verified on the official Paisley Park cloud guitar manifest. The neck thru solid body scroll guitar finished in blue sparkle all over including the fingerboard features 19 silver Prince Love symbols as neck and side position markers. The guitar gold features gold hardware including pickup surround, wraparound tune-o-matic bridge, 3-way toggle selector and schaller tuners. The body has an ID plate that reads “Property of PRN music Corp” with old Paisley Park phone and inventory numbers. The sale of the physical guitar is accompanied by an exclusive NFT (Non-Fungible Token) a 1 of 1 Edition of a 360° digital representation of Prince’s electric guitar. The winner of this item will share in the exclusivity of Prince history as the sole owner of the NFT.
Other exceptional highlights include (with estimates): Amy Winehouse’s beehive hair topper worn during her legendary performance of “You Know I’m No Good” and “Rehab” at the 2008 Grammy Awards ceremony, her only performance at the Grammy Awards where she ultimately won five awards: Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance ($10,000 – $20,000) (photo right); items from Elvis Presley including a Las Vegas Cowboy Joe Western Wear brand Starlite Wranglers shirt worn while performing at the Bon Air Club in Memphis with the Wranglers in 1954 ($30,000 – $50,000), a 1960 telegram from The King to Colonel Tom Parker regarding Presley’s return from serving in the U.S. Army ($2,000 – $3,000), a blue and white Hawaiian floral shirt with long sleeves, purchased and worn by Presley during the filming of his 1966 movie Paradise, Hawaiian Style ($3,000 – $5,000), a pair of black leather calf length riding boots worn by Presley in an unknown Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film production, inscribed on the inside “MGM – 11” ($6,000 – $8,000) and more; Dave Grohl’s stage played Zildjian 18-inch K brand Dark Crash cymbal signed by all three Nirvana members, Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, played during the first listening party for the Nevermind album at Beehive Records in Seattle, Washington on September 16, 1991 ($40,000 – $50,000); a Schecter Custom Shop guitar built by Schecter Guitar Research, signed and stage played by The Cure’s Porl (Pearl) Thompson in 2008 ($10,000 – $20,000); and more.
