The Very Pink, Very Perfect Life of Taylor Swift

The world's biggest new pop star is a little bit country, a little bit rock & roll, and all control freak. What's behind her drive for success? On a bright sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, Taylor Swift is on good behavior, as usual. In high school, she had a 4.0 average; when she was home-schooled during her junior and senior years, she finished both years of course work in 12 months. She has never changed her hair color, won't engage in any remotely dangerous type of physical activity and bites her nails to the quick. At 19 years old, she says she has never had a cigarette. She says she has never had a drop of alcohol. "I have no...

Bringing It All Back Home

With his third great album this decade, Bruce Springsteen tackles love, loyalty — and the ultimate deadline The Band on Bruce: Their SpringsteenA candid look at the legend from his "greatest friends" — the E Street Band The sound is classic amateur 1966 — chaotic, jangling guitars, impatient drumming and crude raging-hormone vocal...

Sean Penn: The Rolling Stone Interview

Oscar's bad boy goes off the deep end on art, life, politics and what his kids think of him going gay in Milk. One afternoon in January, Sean Penn answers the door of his Bay Area home, shoeless, in jeans and a gray thermal undershirt, his hair sort of crazily mussed, looking as if he's just woken up. It's a couple of minutes past noon. To say that Penn has "aged well" is to employ a nonstandard usage of the term. He does not look younger than his 48 years. His forehead is baroquely creased, his long face haggard, his hair soaring and gray-streaked and parted down the middle. Something Penn is...

Bush Apologizes: The Farewell Interview We Wish He'd Give

W. comes clean - on his dad, Condi's farts and the time Dick waterboarded the house boy Despite a financial crisis for the ages, the catastrophic collapse of a Republican Party crippled by his political legacy, and the highest presidential disapproval rating in the history of American polling, outgoing commander in chief George W. Bush has not completely lost his sense of fun. When Rolling Stone caught up with him at the White House shortly after the holidays for what would turn out to be his final extended sit-down interview as president, the graying but still quite fit Texan had...

The Best of 2008

The 50 Albums of the Year TV on the Radio partied as the world collapsed, Dylan hit the vaults, Lil Wayne topped hip-hop and Metallica thundered back Read...

Brad Pitt: The Rolling Stone Interview

The actor on fame, life with six kids and how playing an old man made him grow up Brad Pitt is having technical difficulties. "I normally need my kids to do this," he mutters, as he attempts to connect my iPod into his stereo. "They're so beyond me in technology, it's hard to keep up. Our seven-year-old was searching the word 'weapons' on Google the other day and ended up on some white-supremacist site. I'm sure now we're on all kinds of watch lists." Eventually, Pitt gives up and summons an assistant, and soon enough we're listening to Townes Van Zandt. Pitt has never...

The Top 12 DVDs of 2008

Pop in these 12 Blu-ray beauties, which also look good on standard DVD (I said good, not ridiculous good), and get yourself rocked 1. The Dark Knight Everything gleams like sin on the Dark Knight BD (that's what they call a Blu-ray disc, get used to it). From the man in the Bat suit (Christian Bale) to the Joker in cracked clown makeup (Heath Ledger), the movie is a potent provocation decked out as a comic book. And oh, boy, is it a looker. If BD is the future of home-theater viewing, then The Dark Knight shows you why. Images...

Britney Returns

A year after her very public meltdown, Britney Spears is back to work and out of trouble. But what has the comeback cost her? • Video: Go Behind Britney Spears' Cover Shoot • Britney Spears: The Rolling Stone Cover Gallery • Britney Spears' Life in Photos: A Timeline of Her Rise, Fall and Comeback • Behind the Britney Story: Q&A With Writer Jenny Eliscu There's an understanding among those who know...

The Hot List

From a futuristic pop star to Ambien tripping, the 70 hottest bands, actors, drugs, movies of '08 and beyond Illustration: Shepard Fairey Yes we did. Barack Obama's on his way to Washington, Britney's got a new album, gossip girls are dying to kiss vampires, and Mickey Rourke — Mickey Rourke! — is an Oscar contender. The 2008 Hot List is full of hopeful surprises — just like the man headed to the White House. • View List: The 2008 Hot List

Janis Joplin by Stevie Nicks

Janis Joplin by Stevie Nicks You could say that being yelled at by Janis Joplin was one of the great honors of my life. Early in my career, Lindsay Buckingham and I were in a band called Fritz. There were two gigs we played in San Francisco that changed everything for me: One was opening up for Jimi Hendrix, who was completely magical. The other was the time that we opened up for Janis at the San Jose Fairgrounds, around 1970. It was a hot summer day, and things didn't start off well...

Video: Ms Dynamite & The Nextmen - The Lion’s Den

New track from The Nextmen alongside Groove Armada's Andy Cato featuring Ms Dynamite on vocals - more bashment styles from her.

Born Inna Babylon and Joyride soundclash on Rinse FM

Two fifteen minute excerpts from our latest Rinse FM show: a preview of YT's new album and a Joyride riddim soundclash.

Natalie Storm - Get In and Hot Fuck

Two brand new tracks from Natalie Storm, one of the most exciting dancehall artists to come through in the last year or so.

From the vaults: mix for Sinden’s show on Kiss FM

A half hour mix for Sinden's show from November 2007 that was uploaded to the website for the first time recently.

Ms Dynamite & Geeneus - Crackish

Very very new tune produced by Rinse/FWD impresario and house/funky figurehead Geeneus, with Ms Dynamite on vocals.