Some time ago, on the website alternatehistory.com, I helped work on an alternate history timeline called Cobain Continues Redone. As the title suggests, it is a timeline in which Kurt Cobain did not commit suicide (he doesn't even try heroin here), and shows the effects on the world at large, particularly in terms of politics and the entertainment industry, because of his still being around. For just a few basic ideas, here is essentially the major things to take away:
-Nirvana is still an ongoing, recording and performing concern as of today, and while the Foo Fighters never come into existence, Dave Grohl still expands to becoming a co-frontman and guitarist with Kurt and quite a number of Foos' songs become Nirvana songs.
-Kurt and Courtney eventually divorce, and Kurt remarries to actress Charlize Theron. As per family, Frances is followed by a son, Patrick, still with Courtney, twins named Edward and Olivia with Charlize, and they also adopt Charlize's OTL (Our Timeline) adopted daughters Jackson and August.
-In 1999, the couple decide to form their own entertainment company, Springbok Productions, a stand in for Charlize's OTL company Denver and Delilah Productions, which does that company's noted projects, and a lot of other ones in film, television, animation, and so on, both projects that already exist IOTL and ones that exist solely ITTL (In This Timeline). Springbok is a major entertainment conglomerate and one of the biggest forces in Hollywood.
-The music and entertainment industries embrace the digital revolution from the start in the '90s, rather than be dragged into it kicking and screaming. This means that record labels and artists start selling MP3s from the start, and instead of the likes of iTunes, every artist and label has their online stores to buy music. Blockbuster Video adopts Reed Hastings' strategy from the start, and makes him part of their company, meaning that Blockbuster is a viable and going concern as of this date. Instead of streaming wars, there is only Blockbuster Entertainment as the sole streaming service of non-pornographic content, including original content.
-When Gary Glitter is arrested for possessing child porn in 1997, the girl that charged him with sexual assault at that time does not sell her story to a tabloid, which not only makes her claim still considered valid, but has the door open for Glitter’s other victims to come forward at that time. In an attempt to save himself, Glitter gives up Max Clifford, Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savile. This has other effects. Harvey Weinstein is exposed early on, during the Oscar campaign for Shakespeare In Love, which ensures the Best Picture Oscar winning going to Saving Private Ryan and bringing the world to an earlier, and much more nuanced and decisive reckoning with sexual misconduct. This includes early exposure and downfall for the likes of Kevin Spacey, Bryan Singer and Jeffrey Epstein, among others. Trump also ends up dead in a car accident in 1998 and his sordid past is also exposed as well.
-Politics certainly has a different ring, as the Lewinsky scandal slips out a year earlier due to a courier accidentally giving the Linda Tripp tapes to the press before Ken Starr hears them, meaning that Clinton has no room to deny the affair and Starr also has no room to use Lewinsky; Clinton v. Jones goes in Clinton’s favor, ending the Independent Counsel earlier and effectively showing the public that the Clintons are not criminal masterminds and the press also begins to change. Though nothing prevents W from taking the White House in 2000 or 2004, Obama’s win in 2008 leads to a somewhat more expansive, more progressive administration, including Wall Street prosecutions, and a Hillary Clinton win in 2016, as well as 2020, and COVID-19 dealt with and nipped by the end of May 2020. The Republican Party has also come back to reasonable again and the two-party system saved, so that when an inevitable Republican return to the White House ITTL’s 2024 happens, it’s under sane, rational people.
-Michael Eisner's tenure at Disney lasts until 2008, and does not end in infamy, because when making the merger with Capital Cities/ABC, Bob Iger takes on an important leadership role in the company from the start, taking the duties handled by the late Frank Wells, leaving Eisner to govern as he did prior to Wells' death, rather than the infamous micromanagement that did him in during our reality. Disney, as an admittedly double-edged sword, is thus even bigger than OTL, having made early acquisitions of Pixar and Lucasfilm in 1996, keeping the Touchstone Pictures imprint alive, having ABC pay dividends to Disney from the start, The Disney Channel's programming remain robust, and not selling acquisitions like Saban Entertainment or the distribution deal with Studio Ghibli. Disney also makes a purchase of 3000 additional acres for Walt Disney World, giving them the space to build five additional gates there.
Is it appropriate to paste links here? I really want to share it all with you and get viewpoints. Plus, since the work on it is still not finished, me and my collaborators need more team members. If you want, I will post links in the comments below.
Thursday, Mar 4, 2021 · 1:18:16 AM +00:00
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Toxic34
Well, some people want it, some people don’t. Can’t please everyone.
For more of an idea of what to see, here's the timeline in full as it appears on the site: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/cobain-continues-redone-a-kurt-cobain-survives-timeline.424961/
I've also made a repository for press clippings and articles in the world of this timeline at FictionPress: https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3352454/1/Cobain-Continues-Redux-Press-Clippings
An overview of Springbok's many projects through its history can be found at my profile on FictionPress: https://www.fictionpress.com/u/1149966/Toxic29
However, the work is not done. My original main collaborator and I at AlternateHistory, who goes by TheGuyWhoHeartsHistory there, are planning to make an expanded version of the timeline. We're also at work making a Wiki/Fandom database about the timeline: https://springbok.fandom.com/wiki/Springbok_Wiki
As you can tell, we could really use some help. People versed in such things as politics, history, cinema, TV, anime/manga, video games Disney fans, comics aficionados, music and so on, to help us expand the timeline and make articles for the Wiki. So, this is my open invitation to all of you to join us and help us out. Please feel free to give your thoughts and respond, either in the comments below, or sending me notes.
