This week, Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in the new film Pirate Radio, the story of a '60s DJ who takes to the seas to broadcast rock music in the face of stodgy government content restrictions. The movie's mostly fictional, but in tribute to the true defiant spirit of headbangers everywhere, we present the fifteen greatest acts of rebellion in rock history. Why give the finger when you could give the horns? — Peter Smith

15. Bruce Springsteen performs "American Skin (41 Shots)" at Madison Square Garden, 2000

In February 1999, immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot forty-one times by undercover detectives in the Bronx. The murder inspired Bruce Springsteen to write a song about American identity, but his the final product was grossly misinterpreted. Springsteen debuted the song in June 2000, just days before a ten-date stand at New York's Madison Square Garden. Countless officials asked that the song be removed from the set list, and The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of New York City President, Patrick Lynch, blasted the Boss, accusing him of trying to "fatten his wallet" and calling for all law enforcement to boycott the show, both as attendees and as security. Springsteen, who contested that the song is not only not anti-police, it's partially from the point of view of the police, went on and played the song for all ten dates. Nobody tells the boss man what to do. — Greg DeLucia

14. Jim Morrison and The Doors get higher on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967

The Ed Sullivan Show, the variety program famous for breaking acts like Elvis Presley and The Beatles, is almost as famous for censoring them. On September 17, 1967, The Doors were fresh off the success of their breakout hit, "Light My Fire," and were about to perform the song on the show. The group was even set to sign a deal that would put them on seven more times. All they had to do was appease the show and its sponsors'  request for lead singer Jim Morrison to not sing the line "girl we couldn't get much higher," a supposed drug reference. Morrison sang the line as originally written, and not only was the group banned from the show, but Sullivan refused to shake the Lizard King's hand at the performance's end. Rumor has it that Ed Sullivan later saw 2 Live Crew perform "Me So Horny" from Heaven and gave Morrison a hug. — G.D.

13. Jarvis Cocker interrupts Michael Jackson, the BRIT Awards, 1996

While performing his new "Earth Song" at the British awards show, Michael Jackson rose above the stage on a construction worker's crane, striking poses that were more King James than King of Pop while a chorus of children (and a rabbi!) danced below. Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of alt-rock band Pulp, rushed the stage, pointed his ass in Jacko's general direction, smirked for the camera, waved at Michael, and ran in circles to avoid security. Cocker was eventually held by police on suspicion of assault, but never charged. The rocker said he did it because Michael's Jesus act was "not right" and "rock stars have big enough egos," though Cocker probably didn't mind the boost in Pulp record sales. He insisted that rock 'n' roll was meant to stick it to "The Man," and in this case "The Man" was Michael Jackson.  — Eric Larnick

12. The Replacements' "Bastards of Young" video, 1986

The Replacements always had a knack for giving the finger in the funniest way possible. Among their capers: stealing their own master tapes and hurling them into the Mississippi; sandwiching the heartrending track "Unsatisfied" between a Kiss cover and something called "Gary's Got a Boner"; capping a drunken SNL performance with a shouted "motherfucker!" But perhaps most legendary was their response to their record company's request for a video. (Remember that at this point many indie bands still considered MTV an enemy worth fighting.) The resulting clip, for the anthemic "Bastards of Young," consists of an unbroken three minutes of a stereo playing the song. Some allege that this gag was simply the result of a band too hungover to shoot a real video; plausible, but what's the difference? — P.S.

11. The Sex Pistols play "God Save the Queen" at the House of Parliament, 1977

From the moment groundbreaking punk rockers The Sex Pistols wrote "God Save The Queen," the song was marred in controversy. On March 10, 1977, the band was signed by A&M Records — then released from their contract just six days later, leaving 25,000 copies of the single to be destroyed. In May, Virgin Records signed the band, but the song's lyrics and album cover — featuring the Queen's face with the title over her eyes and mouth — offended employees at the pressing plant, who then refused to work. The single eventually was released on May 27. In June of that year, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, her majesty was to set sail down the River Thames, past the House of Parliament. Two days before the procession, the Pistols stole the Queen's thunder by chartering a boat for same route, while blasting their "tribute" to her. Eleven people were arrested as a result — but that's a small price to pay for lasting rock 'n' roll infamy. — G.D.

10. Pearl Jam's Fights Ticketmaster, Congress, Everybody

When Pearl Jam's Ten debuted in 1991, the group (and the world) had no idea what they were in for. With constant radio play, the "Jeremy" video  in heavy rotation on MTV, and Eddie appearing in thousands of glossies across the globe, the group used their fame to stood up for a variety of progressive issues, as they have ever since. They backed a woman's right to choose (see Eddie write "pro-choice" on his arm during the "MTV Unplugged" segment above); they testified against Ticketmaster's venue monopolization in front of Congress; and they vehemently protested the Iraq war (Vedder would mockingly wear a George W. Bush mask during concerts in 2003). Sure, the band might have alienated some fans along the way, but nearly twenty years after their debut, Pearl Jam has a worldwide fan base, and they've been copied by everyone from Creed to Nickelback. If only credibility could be mimicked. — G.D.

9. Public Enemy pen "By the Time I Get to Arizona," 1992

Believe it or not, it wasn't until this millennium that all fifty states recognized Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a national holiday. In fact, as late as 1991, Arizona governors Evan Mecham and Fife Symington didn't feel it was important enough to put on the books. Fed up and angry, Chuck D and company put out "By The Time I Get To Arizona" just before the 1992 celebration of the civil-rights hero. With lyrics like "I urinated on the state while I was kickin' this song" and a video that featured Mista Chuck and the rest of PE assassinating the governor and other politicians, the video played only briefly on MTV. It drew much outrage, but the point was made: that same year, Arizona voted in favor of recognizing the holiday. — G.D.

8. Madonna's "Like A Prayer" Video, 1989

Before Britney banked her multi-million-dollar deal with Pepsi, Madonna broke new ground by being the first recording artist to release a song through a TV ad. In the ad, a grown-up Madonna watches a black-and-white home video of herself coming of age while "Like a Prayer" chimes in the background. It's a sweet little scene, which is why Pepsi was stunned when the actual music video came out. The antithesis of commercially viable, it featured Madonna writhing on a church floor, romancing a statue of a black Jesus, bearing the stigmata and dancing on a field of burning crosses. After the American Family Association had a near-meltdown over the video, Pepsi pulled the commercial version from the air, explaining that the video tarnished the wholesome spirit of the ad. Madonna still walked away with five million, empowering religious dissenters and filthy rich iconoclasts everywhere. Of the reaction, she remarked, "When I think of controversy, I never really think people are going to be half as shocked as they are at what I do." And she's humble, too! — Lindsay Cutler

7. Rockers rage against censorship and the PMRC, 1985

Dee Snider, John Denver and Frank Zappa might not be the ideal super group (Vanilla Ice, Pat Boone and Satan makes more sense). But they banded together in 1985 to resist Tipper Gore’s PMRC, a group of D.C. wives dedicated to stomping out the “porn rock” of Motley Crue and Cyndi Lauper (seriously). During a Senate hearing, Zappa attacked the PMRC's motives and even suggested the only reason the Senate agreed to the hearings was their wives' willingness to perform oral sex. Less controversial but equally surprising was "safe" folk rocker Denver's testimony that censors often misinterpret lyrics, as they had with his hit "Rocky Mountain High." And Dee Snider, making history as the only witness to appear in front of the Senate dressed like Dee Snider, explained that Twisted Sister’s "Under The Blade" was actually about undergoing surgery and "the only sadomasochism, bondage, and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms. Gore." The parental-advisory stickers seen on albums today are a result of these hearings, but these three musicians proved you can fight all the way to the top to protect your art, even if that art is "We're Not Gonna Take It." — G.D.