MEANWHILE, IN THE REAL WORLD...

EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED IN 1996

HEADLINES

A sheep nicknamed Dolly becomes the first mammal to be cloned… A 17-yearold fan is crushed to death at a Smashing Pumpkins gig in Dublin…

The cultural phenomenon that is Pokémon is launched on an unsuspecting universe via a pair of videogames… Alice In Chains play their final gig with singer Layne Staley, who subsequently retreats from public life.

MOVIE

Robert Rodriguez’s brilliantly trashy vampire epic, From

Dusk Till Dawn, complete with legendary strip bar Titty Twister, is released… Wes Craven’s ace postmodern horror Scream becomes the movie that launched a thousand masks.

TV

It’s official: there are no good new TV shows on in 1996. The world has to make do with bleedin’ Friends.

CHARTS

All-conquering girl band The Spice Girls shoot to fame with their first single, Wannabe, while footie anthem Three Lions is released in time for the Euro 96 championship. Not that it helped the England team much. Ozzy Osbourne, who launches the first Ozzfest as a twoday festival held in Phoenix, Arizona and Devore, California. The bill features Slayer, Danzig, Biohazard, Sepultura, Fear Factory and… er, Narcotic Gypsy (don’t worry, we don’t remember them either).

RIP

Sublime singer Bradley Nowell (heroin overdose)… Smashing Pumpkins keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin (heroin overdose)… Body Count drummer Beatmaster V (leukaemia).

VILLAIN

Axl Rose – at least according to Slash, who quits Guns N’ Roses, leaving Duff McKagan the only other original member.

WTF?

HERO

Phil Anselmo overdoses on heroin following a Pantera gig in Texas. The singer claims he had become addicted to the drug following a back injury.