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RHCP say "that's our bad pun"
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are unhappy with Showtime, and in particular the network's use of Californication as a programme title.
Yes, we're seeing a struggle for parentage rights to a really lame pun:
"For some TV show to come along and steal our identity is not right," said the band's singer, Anthony Kiedis.
He described Californication as "the signature CD, video and song of the band's career".
He described Californication as "the signature CD, video and song of the band's career".
They want Showtime to stop using the title - which, okay, could be fair enough; they also want all the profits the programme has made, which seems a little much. After all, it's not like people are tuning in expecting to see a RHCP video, is it?
It doesn't help that David Duchovny is playing a character called Dani California, of course. [EDIT: He's not; someone else in the show is]
Even so, the band might not have any sort of claim to the word, as show creator Tom Kapinos says he pinched it from a 1970s bumper sticker:
"Apparently in the 70s there were bumper stickers that said 'Don't Californicate Oregon', because Californians were coming up there, and I just thought it was a great, great title for this show."
Both sides will now be sued, of course, by bumper sticker manufacturers.
3 comments:
Sorry to be such a pedant, but David Duchovny's character in Californication is Hank Moody. So that'll be lawsuits from Hank Marvin and Ron Moody landing on his doormat...
Fair point, Ade; duly corrected.
I've not seen the programme myself, but there was a bloody long advert for it when I went to see Atonement. That was enough.
Funny, I thought RHCP's signature song/video was "Give It Away". Maybe "Higher Ground" though it's a cover. They might _prefer_ otherwise, but too bad.
Nice to see Anthony Kiedis has moved beyond whining about Mike Patton "copying" him to other imagined rip-offs.
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