10 Decade-Defining Moments of 2000s

In previous decades, news of a rock star's suicide, a plastic surgery disaster, onstage electrocution or ill-advised relationship with a stripper would arrive with fans slowly. In 1994 you wouldn't have been surprised if the day after it had happened a friend had said "did you hear about Kurt Cobain?." Today, we've heard about it, seen the sextape and offered our opinion within hours. Despite the acceleration of news some music stories of the 00s still had the ability to shock. We expect our stars to behave in a set way and once they step outside of the box and do irrational things they still have the ability to stun. We live in such a marketing led world that a celebrity going off message -- such as Ringo Starr's YouTube pronouncement that he no longer wanted any more fan mail or Kanye West's MTV Awards outburst -- is far more sensational than crack-fuelled misdemeanours or late-night round of fisticuffs. Here we list 10 genuinely jaw-dropping moments.


10. R Kelly's 'Trapped In The Closet' video series
Having gone to trial accused of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl, releasing a single entitled 'Trapped In the Close't wouldn't top most people's list of appropriate song titles. This was to be by far the least shocking thing about the track. Announcing his intention to base a "hip hopera" around his tale of a one night stand gone wrong, Kelly released 22 consecutive videos of his quite literally tuneless "storytelling" each dramatising his words, ending in a fevered crescendo and a more ridiculous cliffhanger than the previous chapter -- running the gamut from "Now he's at the closet, now he's opening the closet....." to "The midget's the baby's daddy".

9. Phil Spector guilty of murder
Phil Spector had been long regarded as a music legend - creating the wall of sound and producing and writing some of the greatest songs of the 60s. He also had a reputation for being a little bit out there -- keeping a glass coffin in your basement isn't normal, is it? In the body of a 40-year-old hostess was discovered in his Los Angeles mansion. He claimed the death had been a suicide and rather bizarrely that she had "kissed the gun". Even more bizarre was the gigantic Art Garfunkel wig he wore to his trial in 2007. Currently he's serving 18 years in the same prison as Charles Manson.

8. Jay-Z's Glastonbury show
Oasis' Noel Gallagher quickly lived to regret his words to a BBC news reporter in April 2008 about Michael Eavis' decision to book Jay Z for a headline set at Glastonbury Festival. "I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong," he told them. "I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance." Two months later the New Yorker walked onstage to the giant screens playing Noel's quotes on a loop and then, to rub further salt into the wounds, the rapper strummed and yelled his way through a mock version of 'Wonderwall.' We wonder if Noel was watching that on telelvision.



7. Guns N' Roses actually release an album
More unlikely than Radiohead releasing a free album (well, some people paid for 'In Rainbows') or Rage Against the Machine getting to number one with a song they first released in 1992 was the fact that Axl Rose finally completed his long awaited sixth album 'Chinese Democracy.' This event was imagined so fanciful that soft drink maker Dr Pepper offered a free can to everyone in America if it was released in 2008 -- a promise that led to law suit threats from the star. But after $13m, the contributions of dozens of engineers and musicians, numerous binned sessions and a 15-year wait the album finally came out on Nov. 24. The fact what it was rubbish and Axl Rose disappeared for three months was less of a shock. Most Americans seemed more excited about the free drink.

6. The Beatles
In 2008 Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills were divorced following a marriage that had lasted less than six years. We didn't get to see the events that took place in court -- said to include Mills pouring a jug of water over the head of McCartney's solicitor, while shouting, "You're a bitch! You're a traitor to your sex!" -- but her press conference outside it was priceless. Heather's rant about her daughter flying "B class" while Sir Paul flies "A class" was mad enough but another Beatle would outdo her in the zany statement stakes. Ringo's "do not send any more fan mail" YouTube video was the crabbiest message ever issued and showed him up as something of an arrogant old grump.



5. Pete Doherty robs his bandmate's flat
The lowest of many lows in Pete Doherty's inextricable and tedious slide into drug dependency came in the summer of 2003. Dumped from touring with the Libertines because of his spiralling addictions he celebrated, while they were on tour, by robbing the flat of his bandmate Carl Barat to raise money to buy crack. Among the items he stole was a video recorder and a mouth organ. From scuffling with film-makers to dating Kate Moss to cancelling shows to living in a cat poo-infested house, nothing Doherty has done since has been quite as appalling.

4. The rap group that predicted 9/11
In the internet era when we're bombarded with provocative images every day album covers have long lost the ability to shock. Well, almost all of them. In June 2001 hip hop group the Coup put the finishing touches to the sleeve of their forthcoming fourth album Party Music due for release in late September. The cover featured rappers Boots Riley and Pam The Funkstress holding a detonator with the World Trade Towers exploding behind them - an image almost identical to those that would become a familiar image of the terrorist attacks of September 11. Worse, the albums tracks included one entitled '5 Million Ways To Kill A CEO. '

3. Pete Townshend arrested for accessing child porn site
In December 2003 classic rock fans were stunned when the Who guitarist Pete Townshend, one of the most erudite and respected figures in British music, was arrested as part of the Operation Ore investigation into child pornography. Gary Glitter was one thing but surely not the man behind 'My Generation?' Twelve computers were confiscated from Townshend's home after he admitted that he had paid to visit illegal websites which he claimed was research for a book he was writing. Townshend was released without charge but placed on the violent and sex offender register for five years after accepting a caution.

2. Jack White attacks Jason Von Bondie
In the 00s we've became blase to images of celebrities raging against the paparazzi -- especially if they were Amy Winehouse -- but the sight of bloodied nose or blackened eye still has the ability to shock. Six years before we recoiled at Rihanna's injuries, in December 2003 Jason Stollsteimer, singer and guitarist with Detroit rock band the Von Bondies was snapped battered and bruised. The shocking thing was that the person who inflicted the wounds was The White Stripes' Jack White who had something of an ongoing beef with his Motor City rival. And he seemed such a nice man.

1. Michael Jackson's death
Such were the rumours, innuendo and general craziness surrounding Jackson's life that when news of his death first broke on Jun. 25 2009 many people's first thought was that it was a hoax and a way to get out of his O2 concerts. Some still aren't convinced. Much more insanity was to come when details of Jackson's so-called "doctor" surfaced and his list of prescribed drugs. Then there was the bizarre spectacle of his Memorial Concert in which Usher et al serenaded the King of Pop's coffin. Later, a few words from his daughter Paris about her "daddy" finally reminded everyone that as well as a flawed genius, we'd also lost a human being and a father.