I remember an old interview with Chet Atkins, where they played him clips of Townsend and a few other guitarists destroying their instruments on stage. The interviewer played them for Chet and tried to provoke some outrage against the new generation of musicians and their behavior, but Chet remained cool (as always). He just smiled and said something like "Aw shucks, I don't know, I reckon a whole lot of those guitars needed bustin' up anyway".
Rick