One thing I’ve thought about this timeline: because of the earlier end to Vietnam, the music of the late 60’s and early 70’s will look a lot different, thanks to many of the Vietnam protest songs from OTL presumably being butterflied away. As far as some bands, like CCR, go - do they even get off the ground in this timeline?
That’s a good question. IOTL, the 4 members of CCR were already together by the time this TL starts to really impact things (c. 1960) and the 4 originally went by the name Blue Velvet until 1964, when “the band signed with Fantasy Records, which, without the band's knowledge or approval, changed the band's name from the Blue Velvets to The Golliwogs...[they] hated the name…from day one” (wiki). Given that John and Doug were drafted in 1966 (and both joined the reserves to avoid the frontlines) IOTL, it’s possible at least one member of Blue Velvet is forced to join the military during the LBJ years; such an impact on him and the band could butterfly away them signing onto that record label. Instead, they join a different label, maybe even go with a different name given the complex origin of “CCR” IOTL, and are part of the post-Cuba scene and, after the fall of Hanoi, part of the post-Vietnam War music scene as well. So while they’d have different songs due to different circumstances, they’d have a similar sound to that unique beat that made them so successful IOTL, though I don't think they’d be as iconic of TTL's late 1960s without that OTL backdrop of the anti-war movement. Instead, they might be more associated with the 1970s, especially if they don't disband until a bit later than IOTL (1972).
The Sanders TL is largely similar to OTL in some ways, but far different in others, and the detail is amazing, IMO...
Aw, thanks!
And that’s what I love so much about it! I’m on my 6th or 7th read-through - so many times I’ve lost count!
That's quite the compliment, thank you!
Facebook must know I read this timeline a bunch - one of the things that appeared on my feed recently was a link to a purchase page for a “Bob Ross Quotes Bundle”!
Hahaha!
So I was listening to an episode of the podcast, Terrible Book Club, where they discussed Tender Wings Of Desire. A romance novel put out by KFC on Mother's Day back in 2020, where the Colonel is depicted as the object of desire of a young woman and inexplicably made a sailor despite the fact that Colonel Sanders never was one. As hilarious as the whole thing is, one thought kept creeping into my head: this definitely doesn't exist in the world of this timeline.
View attachment 871226
Here's the cover just so no one thinks I went insane and made that all up.
If something like this does exist ITTL, it may be a story set in the 1960s or 1970s and is about a woman infatuated with the incumbent President, sort of like the 1999 satirical film Dick, or perhaps it's more insane, like that episode of Family Guy where Lois sleeps with Bill Clinton, or it's maybe a romantic/melodramatic interpretation of how Colonel Sanders fell for future First Lady Claudia while he was still married to his first wife.
Sometimes I wonder if KFC's marketing actually remembers that Harland Sanders was a real person and not an actor playing a character.
Indeed! You'd think they'd factor that into their branding - "KFC: real food, real deals, real mascot!" - or something like that!
I agree!
As funny as that is, I bet my better half will now get her hands on one just so she can display it in my privat Library, now that she has seen it too .... you know what I might actually get a laugh out of it any time I walk by this thing, even if it just would be the cover
![LMAO XD XD](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
^^
23-year-old me in early 2018 (when I began writing this) tells you: "Go for it!"
29-year-old me now (older, wiser, and poorer) tells you: "If you can afford it, go for it!"
Reading Tender Wings Of Desire
readingonlinenovel.com
If any of you are interested, tou can read the whole thing at the link above. It took me all of one hour to finish. What thoroughly shocked me was that by the time I was done, I could unequivocally conclude that I had read much, much worse.
As a work of literature, it certainly isn't terribly constructed. Some people, however, might be disappointed by the fact that it is most assuredly not a work of satire. It is played completely straight, with no tongues planted in cheek whatsoever. But its principal failing, really, is that the Colonel being the KFC founder is very peripheral to the plot, and only really comes up in the closing stages of the story. You could replace him with some completely fictional character and the story would work just as well.
Wonderful! Thank you very much for posting the link!
And thank you for reviewing it! That's very thoughtful and helpful.
It's a shame the author doesn't utilize the Colonel better!
Henry Kissinger died yesterday. I only wish I could have lived in a world wear his legacy was as unimpactful as it was here.
Indeed!
I concur!
I also saw a couple of days ago that Harley Brown died in the beginning of november
WTF?! 😱😲
RIP to a true Idaho original.
I remember when Stephen Colbert did a hilarious bit on this absolute train wreck of a debate. That was my first introduction to Harley.
Oh my god!
At just 69? From what, being too badass? Motorcycle accident? Ham sandwich? Gypsy curse? What was the cause of death?!
I first learned about him when the Vermont general election debate from that year went viral, I watched it on YouTube, and the Idaho debate popped up next under recommended or whatever so I watched that next. His unique colorfulness never left the back of my mind. He was the focus of a trio of posts I made in late 2016 but I wanted to explore his personality better so when I was working on KFP I decided to add him in so the TL could still have a larger-than-life character in it after the Colonel passed away, though I wasn't initially planning on making him VP or even President, but then the polls showed support for it and I'm glad they did because I enjoyed writing his segments!
I really wish I had had the chase to meet him in person one day. To have been able at some point to somehow take a quick trip to Nampa, find him, and tell him “hey, someone wrote a story in which you become President,” just to see what he’d think about something like that. I'd like to think he'd think it was weird but would have been happy to see he still had fans online. I would have told him that he was “Trump before Trump,” and I would have assured him that he had left a mark on this country by telling him he influenced the 2016 election. I would have told him, “Harley Brown, you made headlines in 2014. Trump made headlines in a similar way a year later with his White House bid. I wouldn’t be surprised if he saw how you got all that media attention, and even talks of your own TV show, and he figured, ‘if a biker can get that much attention just from running for Governor, I could get even more running for President.’ Meaning your candidacy influenced Trump's decision to run [Brown backed Trump in 2016 IOTL]." I feel like he would have liked and agreed with that far-fetched assessment.
Idaho's colorful candidates for governor square off on topics such as Chernobyl and evil spirits.
www.cc.com
There were a lot more segments like these ITTL. As VP for nearly 8 years he would have supplied so much material for late night comedy shows.
Oh that's sad. I like to think he's still alive and kicking in the world of Kentucky Fried Politics.
Very sad!
Me too! It's so frustrating that none of the articles online seem to note the cause of death, though, because that's like a part of his life story now, you know? And it's a detail that can bring a sense of closure because it gives clarity to things that get "how" and "why" questions, you know what I mean? However, as a former President, Brown may very well still be alive in the KFP world. His OTL cause of death could have been something avoidable like pneumonia, or a broken hip from a fall, or head trauma (The Distinctive Mr. Brown did say he preferred motorcycle riding without a helmet). And even if it was something more serious, like cancer or a hereditary heart condition, him being a former President can mean an earlier diagnosis, better treatment and care, et cetera, you know?
I don’t know he died at the age of 69. That seems like the age Harley would have wanted to die at.
Indeed, but It's
scary to me - in the KFP TL, I wrote a bit where some people observe that he technically served as POTUS for 71 days, but because the first and last began and ended at noon, he technically only served for
69 "full" days! WTF?!
(Edit: and, incidently/coincidentally, this is my 8
69th post!)
Yeah, but when we last saw old Harley ITTL, he was gearing up for a rematch with Charlotte Pritt.
I makes me wonder if he'd still be running or if he'd be recovering from a health scare right about now...
Oh damn. Rest in peace to him, I’m surprised that his death was reported on television.
His 2014 breakout moment was covered by Time Magazine, the Colbert Report, and other outlets. He was a local celebrity of sorts, and in a state with a relatively small population, too, and so by local and even statewide TV standards, HDB was worthy of a TV segment bidding him adieu, at least IMO.
He did?? Damn and 69 too. Still fairly young 😢🥺 RIP VP Brown. You'll always be my Vice President hahahah
My heart goes out to his family, to his wife and many children and grandchildren. Brown was younger than my dad and some of Brown's many, many kids were much younger than me and you, KF. Hellraiser Harley will always be the best right-wing populist Republican US President we never had...
Farewell, Harley. And thanks.
imgur.com/zhUBHqp.png
"Well, Harley, let me show you where we keep the harleys up here..."