Anyone who even occasionally picks up a copy of Rolling Stone knows how horribly the once-fine magazine has aged.

Diluted by years of MTV-induced pop rock and rap, Rolling Stone is now only a shell of what it once was.

A perfectly good example of just how pathetic the magazine has become is the recent cover story, “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” compiled by the editors with the writing help of a few outside sources.

Never mind the fact that they left out such greats as Chris Cornell, Jerry Cantrell, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and James Hetfield.

Let’s not worry about the greats who were passed up for the more blah nobodies like John Fahey and Tom Verlaine of Television.

For now, let’s just talk about the great injustices within the “Top 100” itself.

Let’s start with the No. 1 spot, given to Jimi Hendrix. Perhaps I could have let this one slip, had it not been for the fact that Stevie Ray Vaughan was placed all the way back at No. 7, and Jimmy Page way back at No. 9.

Anyone with even an ounce of musical experience knows trying to decide which of these top three deserves top billing is like trying to pick just one item on the McDonald’s dollar menu: it can’t be done. Take them all, or take none.

Now let’s talk about the biggest travesty of all: Jack White, placed on the high-and-mighty stag at No. 17.

What? Oh yes, of course everyone knows who Jack White is: White’s the guy from – surprise – the WHITE Stripes (get it?) who was practically unheard of before MTV gave him a fat-ass push into the limelight.

There is absolutely no reason why White should be so high. White has pioneered no new sounds, nor has he created a song I couldn’t teach an autistic child to play on the guitar.

To place White higher on the list than greats Les Paul and Randy Rhoads means making a mockery of everything the guitar stands for.

White even beat our Eddie Van Halen, who placed in the embarrassing No. 70 spot.

But maybe Van Halen should be happy he placed even in the 70s, since apparently there are 95 – count ’em, 95 – guitarists greater than Angus Young of AC/DC.

Keep in mind that this is the very same guitarist who has been rocking out for more than 20 years, churning out hit after hit on the same scale. Play the first three riffs of “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and any rock connoissuer will recognize it.

Greats like Young, Van Halen, and Rhoads are responsible for some of the greatest rock songs of all time. AC/DC still sells out stadiums not just across the nation, but across the world, while no-namers like John Fahey and Tom Verlaine are known only by die-hard fans of their respective genres.

Let’s talk about Kirk Hammett, guitarist for arguably one of the greatest bands to grace this earth: Metallica.

Sure, Hammett’s great. He’s come up with some of the most intense solos the rock world has ever heard, reinvented the hammer and keeps a live performance crisp enough to force stadium-sized crowds into a frenzy.

But Hammett is no songwriter. Indeed, the songs and music written by Metallica are written primarily by the two big names, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

So where’s Hetfield on the list? Where’s the guitarist primarily responsible for some of the greatest songs in the history of rock? This is the same man who can pull out a ballad like “Nothing Else Matters” with enough energy to silence anyone from calling him a softy. This is the man who penned five hits from one album, an album that has sold more than 12 million copies – the Black Album, of course.

The list is also missing one of grunge’s biggest names, a man who penned not only the guitar riffs but the lyrics to some of the most memorable songs of the 90s, including “Would?” and “Man in the Box.” That man is Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, and without him, half the pop-rock “great 100” wouldn’t even have ever picked up a guitar.

And finally, what about Kenny Wayne Shepherd? Shepherd, still young and already with a handful of non-pop blues rock hits under his belt, is poised to rise through the ranks of guitarists and will surely land in the coveted top five before he dies.

And I guarantee Shepherd can play circles around Jack White.

But Rolling Stone did get one name right on its list when they placed blues legend Robert Johnson in the top 10, an honor he sorely deserves.

Still, one right move can’t hide the numerous wrongs.