How seriously are we supposed to take the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions?

Kelly Clarkson and I have never met, but I bet if we did, we'd totally hit it off.

We'd go out for drinks -- but end up ordering pear-tinis and chocolate mousse -- and we'd talk about old high school crushes, the first time we got drunk, and how it's so weird that we still like Brad Pitt but hate Angelina.

On January 20, when Barack Obama is sworn in, millions of Americans will appreciate the event as proof of racial progress, and deservedly so.

Taylor Swift was the elephant in my cultural room this year. Perhaps that’s not the most apt metaphor for a tiny, flaxen-haired teenager, but there's no doubting that Swift's success was big and that I basically ignored her. So with the year coming to a close, I thought I’d try and rectify the situation.

Rock'n'roll fashion in 2008 was clouded by a fog of plaid flannel, neon leggings, and boat shoes. Even so, we at SPIN.com can find reasons to celebrate -- seven of them, in fact. Below, see our ranking of the intrepid artists who rose above the conventional horde.

His last album, 2007's Planet Earth, was bundled for free with Sunday papers in London (the first single, "Guitar," was a Verizon exclusive). It's something of a shame that this is the only thing the album is remembered for because it was as good -- as distinctly Prince-like -- as he's sounded in years, stacked with languid funk jams and, like the song says, guitar.