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There has been much debate about the state of Rock and Roll since last September when the list of 2008 Hall of Fame inductees was announced. The list included several artists which music critics harshly deemed unworthy of the once prestigious lifetime achievement award. The nominees included Beastie Boys, Madonna, Afrika Bambaataa, John Mellencamp, Donna Summer, Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, Chic, and The Ventures, some of which are obvious choices (Cohen) while others are questionable where rock music is concerned. Much like the criticism and controversy surrounding Miles Davis' induction, purists feel that too many pop stars or punk musicians are honored while blues musicians and die-hard rockers are neglected. Regardless of whether these artists truly belonged in the Hall of Fame, the induction ceremony that took place at NYC 's elegant Waldorf-Astoria was a gathering of close-knit friends and family who had either worked together, played together, or simply revered each other. Touching speeches dripped with sentiment and respect for rock's legends and pioneers, often coming from the younger generation when speaking of their heroes. And what a multi-generational family rock n roll has developed over the decades! Viewers witnessed young, dapper Justin Timberlake was like a school boy when speaking about Madonna while Lou Reed seemed on the verge of tears when introducing Leonard Cohen! Cohen came full circle by telling Reed that he had inducted the VU frontman into his "own ghostly hall of fame many many years ago" where the singer flourishes to this day:

Lou Reed introduces Leonard Cohen followed by Cohen's speech:

HARP Mag listed other highlights from last night's ceremony:

Ben Harper blazing through “My Babe” with harpist James Cotton, following Harper’s induction of Little Walter.
Lou Reed’s induction, by way of quoting from the honoree’s song lyrics, of Leonard Cohen, who in turn quipped when he got to the microphone, “Thank you so much for reminding me that I wrote a couple of good lines.” (With a just-announced Cohen tour, 2008 may turn out to be the Year of the Cohen.)
Tom Hanks’ stream-of-conscious, hyperactive praise for the Dave Clark Five during his extended induction speech.

Their less memorable moments included the Stooges performance of Madonna's songs “Burnin’ Up” and “Ray Of Light” and Iggy's now-routine shirtless strutting.

For a detailed report on the rock and roll situation and some play-by-play reports of the ceremony action, jump over to the HARP article. You should also scope the long list of videos on youTube today (just search for the most recent Hall of Fame vids) and watch/listen/learn from the icons themselves. There's one thing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame knows how to do best: honor the stars, the innovators, the artists and then let them do there thing until they are finished. Every speech, every performance went uninterrupted, unhindered by any time constraints. It takes a lifetime of hard work to get nominated and one is inducted to the Hall only once in life. So, it's best to savor the moment while it lasts...