Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 6:30 am

As if I needed another reason to hate the Chili Peppers...

Or, why are music artists such assholes?

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime and the creator and producers of the new hit show "Californication" for stealing the name that "identifies" their band.

At least they don't want much... just EVERY CENT that the show has made and an injunction on the name.1

What a crock of shit.

Oh, and just an FYI, Californication is NOT an original term coined by the group. In the 1940s, it was used in a derogatory way against unchecked population growth.

Similar groups [to the fictitious James G. Blaine Society]–such as The Miller Society–jokingly promoted measures like building a 16-foot high fence all along Interstate 5 to prevent exiting between California and Washington, expelling non-native Oregon born residents, and instituting a $5000 immigration fee.2

In 1972 (it was a good year...), the term appeared in Time magazine to describe the crazy development taking place in California. It appears the states of Oregon and Colorado did not want to go through the same urban growth issues. At that time anyway...

What's next? Microsoft suing over the use of Windows? That these lawsuits can even get filed just blows my mind! What is this world coming to? How do these people expect complete and exclusive rights to a play on words?

Hmmm... I wonder if there is anything they mentioned in any of their songs that can be used against them?

Sad thing is, the show title was chosen in homage to the album. Way to show support for your fans!