Ozzy Osbourne accepts Black Sabbath's Rock Hall induction on Monday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

"It's all over now. ... Rock n' roll is sh--. It's dismal," Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon railed in the June 1980 issue of the late, great rock mag Trouser Press. And although he said those words more than 25 years ago, Lydon's tune has scarcely changed.

So when it was announced back in November that Lydon and his fellow Pistols would finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (see "Black Sabbath Finally Make Rock Hall Of Fame — Whether Ozzy Likes It Or Not"), it was just a matter of time before he came out swinging against it all. And when Lydon finally did — via a hand-scrawled note posted on the Pistols' Web site (see "Sex Pistols Respond To Rock Hall Invite With Filth And Fury") stating that the group would not attend the ceremony — the music industry responded with little more than a chuckle and a collective roll of the eyes.

And of course, when the Rock Hall held its 21st annual induction ceremony at New York's glitzy Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Monday — an event that also saw the induction of Blondie and Miles Davis, as well as Black Sabbath and Lynyrd Skynyrd (both of whom, like the Pistols, had been passed over several times; see "So How Do You Get Into The Rock Hall Of Fame?") — Lydon and the Pistols were nowhere to be seen.

It was supposed to be a silent middle finger to the rock and roll establishment, though it actually seemed to disappoint rather than enrage the assembled musicians, suits and journos. (Rumors, which sadly turned out to be false, had been swirling all day that Green Day were going to induct the Pistols). Still, one cannot help but wonder what Lydon would've thought of the whole ceremony if he'd bothered to attend it.

He probably would have enjoyed the nasty onstage spat that occurred between members of Blondie, which was certainly the most "punk" moment of the night. After frontwoman Deborah Harry, guitarist Chris Stein, keyboardist Jimmy Destri and drummer Clem Burke accepted their awards, former members Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison — who unsuccessfully sued to rejoin the band on its 1998 reunion tour (see "Blondie Reunion Blocked By Former Members") — raided the podium and begged to perform with Blondie.

"Debbie, aren't we allowed?" Infante whined. "I thought the group was being inducted tonight."

"Can't you see my real band is up there?" Harry shot back, before launching into spirited set of Blondie's hits, "Heart of Glass," "Rapture" and "Call Me."

The ugly onstage incident spilled over into the press area, as Stein told the assembled media that he was keeping an eye on his Rock Hall trophy "In case I see one of those f---ers back here."

That sorry scene was, for better or worse, probably the evening's highlight. Sting inducted A&M Records cofounders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. The late Miles Davis was inducted by a polite Herbie Hancock. And Black Sabbath, who had made their displeasure with the Rock Hall known on many occasions, were strangely subdued when giving their acceptance speech. Even the rambunctious Ozzy Osbourne seemed touched by the honor, thanking the Hall of Fame "for getting it right" and dedicated the honor to the memory of former Metallica bassist Cliff Burton and former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

"I was getting a bit tired of getting my hopes up year after year, but I'm happy we're finally in," Ozzy said before the ceremony. "It's a great honor and hopefully it will lead the way to more heavy-metal acts being inducted. I'd like to see Judas Priest in soon."

And though Sabbath did not play after accepting their award (because, as Ozzy delicately put it, "my b---s hurt"), the spirit of their brutal proto-metal was brought to thudding life by Metallica, who chugged through "Hole in the Sky" and "Iron Man" with wanton disregard for the eardrums of the largely graying assembled dignitaries. (It should be noted that even though frontman James Hetfield adopted a sorta-Ozzy falsetto for the tunes, as a Sabbath cover band, Metallica are a pretty decent Metallica.)

And as the night ended with inductees Lynyrd Skynyrd jamming away on — what else? — "Free Bird," Lydon's criticisms felt only partially valid. Sure, there are still many artists who deserve to be inducted (Grandmaster Flash, the Stooges) and the ceremony still has the feel of a corporate gospel brunch at the House of Blues. But the Hall seems to be working to fix its problems. Inducting the Pistols, Sabbath and Skynyrd was one step; festooning the Waldorf's stately stage with all manner of punky graffiti was another.

Maybe next year, they'll get it all right. And it'd be a shame if Lydon weren't there to see it.

See it all for yourself, including performances by Metallica and Kid Rock with Lynyrd Skynyrd, during VH1's broadcast of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony March 21 at 9 p.m.

• Black Sabbath, Metallica And Blondie At The 2006 Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony

• Metallica
• Blondie
• The Sex Pistols
• Black Sabbath
• Lynyrd Skynyrd

Black Sabbath at the U.K. Music Hall of Fame induction on November 16
Photo: Jo Hale/Getty Images

Our long national nightmare is over. After eight tries, legendary heavy metal act Black Sabbath will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year, whether Ozzy Osbourne likes it or not.

They will be joined by punk pioneers the Sex Pistols, new wave icons Blondie, jazz godhead Miles Davis and southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd (see "Blondie, Miles Davis, Cat Stevens Top Rock Hall Nominees"). The 21st annual ceremony will take place on March 13 in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

In a 1999 letter to the Hall of Fame, Ozzy famously told the institution to "Just take our name off the list. Save the ink. Forget about us. The nomination is meaningless, because it's not voted on by the fans. It's voted on by the supposed elite for the industry and the media, who've never bought an album or concert ticket in their lives, so their vote is irrelevant to me." He added, "Let's face it, Black Sabbath has never been media darlings. We're a people's band and that suits us just fine."

The group — bassist Geezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, Osbourne and drummer Bill Ward — recently inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame, has long been considered one of the cornerstones of heavy metal. Black Sabbath's absence from the Hall of Fame has been the source of much of the criticism surrounding the way the Hall selects its honorees (see"So How Do You Get Into The Rock Hall Of Fame?").

Though they only managed to release one album, England's Sex Pistols helped set the standard for punk through a series of outrageous stunts, chaotic live shows and the blistering nihilism of their single studio LP, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. New York's Blondie put a pop face on the late 1970s downtown punk scene via a mix of new wave quirkiness and irresistible hooks, spinning off such classic hits as "Heart of Glass" and "Rapture," with the latter helping to bridge the gap between punk and the emerging hip-hop scene.

Like Sabbath, Southern rock stalwarts Lynyrd Skynyrd are finally making it into the Hall, in their case on the seventh try. The group that made a three-guitar attack legendary are best known for such classic rock radio staples as "Sweet Home Alabama" and "What's Your Name," as well as the epic standard "Freebird," which has become shorthand among rock fans for a show-stopping jam.

Late trumpeter Davis was one of the most celebrated, enigmatic and experimental musicians of the modern jazz era, flirting with everything from standards to fusion and rock (1970's Bitches Brew) during his 50-year career.

A&M Records founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss will be inducted in the Lifetime Achievement in the Non-Performer category for their work building the label they co-founded in 1962 into one of the most successful independent labels in the world thanks to hit albums by artists including Peter Frampton, the Police, Joe Jackson, the Neville Brothers, Cat Stevens and Alpert's group, Tijuana Brass.

Artists become eligible for the Rock Hall 25 years after the release of their first record.

• Black Sabbath
• Miles Davis
• Blondie
• The Sex Pistols
• Lynyrd Skynyrd

Debbie Harry
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/ Getty Images

Though there are a handful of comparatively fresh faces, many of this year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame may be hoping that the second — or fifth or eighth — time is the charm.

New names on the ballot this year include late jazz giant Miles Davis, new wavers Blondie ("Heart of Glass"), Texas rockers the Sir Douglas Quintet ("She's About a Mover"), singer/songwriter-turned-Muslim-activist Cat Stevens ("Wild World"), '60s white-blues act the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and British Invasion-era combo the Dave Clark Five ("Glad All Over").

The ballot also includes previous nominees John Mellencamp, the J. Geils Band, disco-era group Chic (whose "Good Times" was the musical foundation of Sugarhill Gang's pioneering "Rapper's Delight"), Texas soul singer Joe Tex ("I Gotcha") and punk godmother Patti Smith. Pioneering hip-hop act Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five will make a second attempt at being the first rap group inducted into the Hall.

The rest of the nominees have had multiple shots at induction. Legendary metal act Black Sabbath — who famously say they have no interest in being inducted — will go for a record eighth bid, Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd will clock in with their seventh, and punk group the Sex Pistols — whose frontman, John Lydon, called the Hall "The place where old rockers go to die" — and punk prototypes the Stooges will give it a fifth go.

The failure of these oft-nominated artists to be inducted has inspired much debate (see "So How Do You Get Into The Rock Hall Of Fame?").

Miles Davis was one of the most celebrated and enigmatic musicians of the modern jazz era, and crossed into rock territory with his innovative and influential work in the late '60s and early '70s, most famously on 1969's Bitches Brew LP.

Blondie, fronted by new-wave vixen Debbie Harry, started out on the New York punk scene in the mid-1970s and hit the charts with a patented style that fused punk-rock and girl-group sounds with elements of disco ("Heart of Glass") and hip-hop ("Rapture").

Singer/songwriter Cat Stevens released a series of introspective, folky hit albums in the 1970s with hits such as "Peace Train" and "Wild World" before retiring from music in 1977 and converting to Islam.

In 1964, London's Dave Clark Five were serious contenders for chart domination, but the group lost momentum after scoring hits like "Glad All Over," "Bits and Pieces" and "Because" and faded from view.

Paul Butterfield was one of the first white blues harmonica players to earn widespread praise for his playing as the leader of his eponymous band. He is credited with turning white audiences onto the classic sound of electric Chicago blues in the 1960s and earning a place in rock history when his band backed Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 — the gig where Dylan was famously booed for playing an electric guitar.

Earlier this year, Buddy Guy, the O'Jays, the Pretenders, Percy Sledge and U2 were inducted into the Hall (see "Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen To Induct This Year's Rock Hall Of Famers").

Artists become eligible for the Hall 25 years after the release of their first record. A group of 75 musicians, journalists and members of the music industry pick the nominees, who are then voted on by a larger group of approximately 700. The top nominees will be announced in December and inducted during the Hall's annual ceremony in New York next year.

• Top Rock Hall Nominees 2005

• Blondie
• Cat Stevens (Yusuf)
• Miles Davis
• Black Sabbath
• Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

It may seem like sacrilege to remix the work of a jazz giant like Miles Davis, but that's what producer Bill Laswell has done on the new album "Panthalassa."

Laswell, who's worked with everyone from Herbie Hancock, Mick Jagger and Motorhead to William Burroughs and Bootsy Collins in the past, has reconstructed original tapes from such classic late '60s and early '70s Miles albums as the nearly-ambient "In A Silent Way," and the ultra-funky "On The Corner."

Among the tracks that have gotten Laswell's post-rap, post-techno edge are "Rated X," which many critics have called a forerunner of modern day jungle.

This summer more Miles Davis remixes are due from the likes of DJ Krush and King Britt.

• Miles Davis
• Bill Laswell