Catch! When this metal guitarist confused a photographer for his guitar tech and threw his guitar at him, it didn’t end well

Guitar thrown at photographer
(Image credit: Sullivan King/TikTok)

Rock ‘n’ roll can be a hazardous occupation, as many have found to their cost, but you’d think that being a photographer who captures what happens, rather than actually indulging in any on-stage antics, wouldn’t be such a risky business. Not so, it turns out, particularly if someone throws a guitar at you and expects you to catch it.

We’re referring to the recent moment when metal guitarist and DJ Sullivan King decided to lob his signature Schecter Banshee (via Guitar World) at who he thought was his guitar tech, but turned out to be a soon-to-be shocked, camera-toting photographer who took evasive action and let it hit the floor.

@sullivanking

0 days with out incident on the job site

♬ original sound - Sullivan King

Confused, King initially gave the surprised snapper the internationally recognised ‘WTF just happened there?’ stance, only to realise his mistake, turn to the crowd and offer a sheepish grin. 

The look on the photographer’s face as the guitar flew towards him, meanwhile, is something to behold.

Guitar thrown at photographer

(Image credit: Sullivan King/TikTok)

This wasn’t quite the end of the matter, either, as a further video from King shows that he later offered the photographer a shot at “redemption” - which seems a bit unfair as he didn’t do anything wrong in the first place - if he could catch a guitar that was thrown at him when he was actually ready for it. 

Happily, the picture man was up to the task… but then provided further entertainment by smashing up the guitar he’d just caught.

It was all pre-planned, of course - the guitar that got destroyed wasn’t the pricey Schecter that was originally thrown - but a nice, violent end to a cautionary tale.

@sullivanking

♬ original sound - Sullivan King
Ben Rogerson
Deputy Editor

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.