Video footage of John Rich refusing to sign a guitar has gone viral. Musicians, sports stars and actors are consistently bombarded with requests for autographs these days. Unfortunately, for some of those in attendance, the autograph is merely to add value to whatever the celebrity in question signs.
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For that reason, Rich turned down the request.
"No, I don't sign guitars you're going to sell on eBay," John said. "It's going on eBay... I know what eBay.com is and I see it on there all the time."
As the video continues, John notices that the guitar is not one you would expect to see from an experienced musician. The low-cost instrument must have stood out to him, as he commented on it as he continued to decline the "fans" request.
"I only sign Gibsons... Bring me a Gibson or a Martin and I'll sign it. I ain't signing s—t guitars," John said.
The "fan" in the video may have been miffed, as John had signed other fans' instruments, which likely added to the negative experience. Nevertheless, John remained cordial throughout the interaction, noting that someone else may sign the guitar, and it could still be generate a sale on EBay.
"You'll get some other stars on it, you'll be able to make some money on it," he said.
John Rich Recently Overcame a Gambling Addiction
When you watch the video footage of John's interaction with the fan, he remains calm and respectful at all times. Part of the reason for that may be because he understands that you never know what someone else is going through or the reasons that drive their actions.
Just last year, John broke his silence on how he overcame his own issues, as he fought to beat a gambling addiction.
"I was so good at it, at blackjack," Rich said on 'The Shawn Ryan Show' podcast. "So I would go in and take over a whole blackjack table. I'd play all nine seats, just me and a dealer. And I'd play all nine hands, and I'd make sure they didn't use more than two decks. 'Cause I could count them if it was two decks. I couldn't count them — those six deck shoes — can't count those. I couldn't. But I could count two."
John's success at overcoming his own issues are likely part of why he can remain calm when dealing with frustrating situations such as the one in the video. And who knows, maybe that "fan" will get an autograph from somewhere else. Stranger things have happened.
