When M.I.A. held up her middle finger during Madonna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show last weekend, she dominated blog chatter for a few days and incited a few minor cable-TV debates. She could have to pay a fine, and she’s definitely changed the narrative around her next album. But she hasn’t gotten anywhere near the pantheon of music’s most controversial live-TV performances; she didn’t even hold that finger proudly up to the camera. If she really wanted to start riots, she should’ve taken note of the moments on our list below. Add your own picks to the comments section.

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Last week the Animal Collective bros released an official mixtape for their new … sneakers. That is a thing now. Gotta keep fans on their toes (ouch, sorry). The shoes which you can see here benefit the Socorro island Conservation Fund, and they are cruelty free, except to your eyes.

I did some research, and it turns out that dozens of indie and punk bands have licensed sneakers. Most are quite ugly, and many — Biz Markie Keds, Bad Brains flip-flops — are hilarious.

A few fun facts to keep in mind while you browse our Complete Guide to rock footwear:

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There could not have been a more apt ID3 than that of Freelance Hellraiser’s “Stroke Of Genius,” the MP3 that launched this decade’s most fitting musical legacy. Parts of two or three or thirty tracks mixed into one supersong? What better than mashups to soundtrack a generation of smartphone-wielding Adderall chompers coming of age in a world where all music is free. In the years since Freelance Hellraiser (and 2 Many DJs, Go Home Productions, DJ Earworm, Party Ben, et al) raised the bar for bastard pop, we’ve seen bootlegging go mainstream in the hands of Girl Talk and Danger Mouse, not to mention 2004′s chart-topping Collision Course and the dozen questionable Jigga x [rock band] torrents in its wake. This year, bands like Passion Pit and Phoenix distributed stems of their hits as blogbaiting publicity stunts. (It worked!) Still, when it comes to remixes, few are more thrilling than hearing the vocals of one song over the instrumental of another and have it absolutely work. Which is why we’ve again collaborated with our favorite mashup artist, Australian producer Neil Mason aka team9, to mix our favorite tracks of 2009 with familiar oldies, creating something more than the sum of their parts. The process — Stereogum acquiring exclusive audio and making playlists, Neil working his ACID Pro magic (i.e., the hard part) — started months ago, with an eye on this holiday deadline. It’s our fourth annual Christmas present to you, and we think it’s the best MySplice yet. Enjoy…

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There are very few constants in life. Friends move. Loved ones die. Americans lack the job security they once considered a reliable fact of quotidian life. But through it all there is Weird Al.

If you have money and/or connections, Washington DC is the place to be today. There are so many people gathered for the presidential inauguration, CNN is shooting from a satellite in space! But sadly some celebrities are stuck in Park City, Utah, forced to navigate gifting suites instead of cheering our new 44th president. We might have forgotten about the Sundance Film Festival altogether if it wasn’t for a few of our favorite musicians making the scene. Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard makes his acting debut in Brief Interviews With Hideous Men directed by The Office‘s John Krasinski, based on the David Foster Wallace story. His fiancée Zooey Deschanel (the She half of She & Him) co-stars in 500 Days Of Summer. Guitar documentary It Might Get Loud features guitar connoisseur Jack White. And Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek were on hand to promote Doors doc When You’re Strange. They all posed for photos. Mariah Carey was there too, but you’re on you’re own with that.

Rock shoes are fun for everyone, yeah? No. OK yeah, fun for blogging. The unexpectedly fertile field of rock/shoe tie-ins adds another photo set for the world of internet comments today, with new images of the Dead’s very own line of Converse. This makes 100 years of the shoe brand, a centennial celebration that’s already under way via the Cobain edition. Which pairs well with the Ramones’ edition, see because these are artists that had publicly proclaimed their affinity for the footwear. But for the Dancing Bears? From my limited Dead show experience (I turned 17 at the first show with an “Unbroken Chain,” which my hippie friends deemed highly auspicious) a Birkenstock or Teeva or barefoot-and-stoned line of footwear would be more fitting. But the press release we received this morning has its own ideas. Click that pic up there to see a bigger version of the shoe, and here’s another Dead design:

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You don’t often see music critics on late night television. Maybe with good reason. Last night Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, longtime Chicago writers and hosts of Sound Opinions, did a pretty good job on Conan. DeRogatis dissed the Dead and managed a Kraftwerk reference (in reference to Alicia and Frank, nonetheless). And Kot’s vexing Bono anecdote is great. Both of ‘em took easy digs at Dave Matthews (those 15-minute violin solos) … and the Doors (who Conan also dislikes). The main reason they were there (besides the strike) was to recap the all-past, no-future Grammys.

Somehow will.i.am wasn’t mentioned. Damny. We like how DeRogatis sagely termed Kanye, “Jack Nicholson of the Grammys,” i.e. everyone feels the need to reference him (right, Vince Gill?). They seemed sorta nervous (aka they seemed like music writers). Did you catch when Kot said Grateful Dead when he meant DMB? OK, easy mistake. Insulting Max? Unforgivable. Though according to Kot’s recap of the night, looks like Weingberg’s more concerned with getting to a Spice Girls show on time than kicking DeRogatis’s ass. Good thing, since Jim already has Ryan Adams to contend with.