Plagiarism in Pop Culture: South Park

Jonathan BaileyNovember 14, 2024

4 minutes read

South Park is no stranger to controversy. There’s no topic or social mores it hasn’t lampooned over its 26-season run.

So, it’s no surprise that the show also took shots at plagiarism, particularly plagiarism in the music industry. In episode 14 of Season 2, entitled Chef Aid, the boys and their school cafeteria chef, Chef, deal with an act of musical plagiarism that dates back decades.

While looking for realism in a show like South Park is a fool’s errand, it’s still interesting to see how the show addressed the issue of plagiarism and how it compares to the real world.

It’s especially interesting since the episode aired in October 1998, over 26 years ago. This episode not only predates music streaming but predates Napster and the widespread usage of MP3.

So how did a late 90’s South Park deal with music plagiarism? It’s a complicated question to answer.

Content Warning: Spoilers for South Park Season 2, Episode 14

The Plot

The episode begins with the four boys walking into the lunchroom. While waiting in line, Cartman is singing Stinky Britches, an imaginary song by Alanis Morrisette. However, when Chef hears the song, he instantly remembers it as one he had written 20 years prior.

The boys tell him that it’s not right and that he should be paid. Chef says he doesn’t want money; he wants to be in the credits.

So, the five of them head to Capitalist Records to meet with their CEO. However, the CEO denies that the songs are similar, despite being the same song, and then threatens to sue Chef for harassment.

Chef and the boys meet the record executive.

He does so and retains Johnnie Cochrane as his lawyer. Because of Cochrane’s “Chewbacca Defense,” Chef loses the case and now owes the CEO $2 million or faces four years in jail.

After snapping at the CEO, Chef decides to raise the money not to pay the damages but to pay for Cochrane himself.

Chef and the boys raise money in different ways. Chef attempts to use prostitution, while the boys visit Chef’s famous friends to ask for help. This includes visits to Elton John, Meatloaf and Rick James. However, neither succeeded in reaching the goal.

As a result, Chef is arrested and taken to jail. However, as he’s being taken away, the boys devise the idea for Chef Aid, a benefit concert for Chef. At first, that too was a miserable failure until Elton John and other famous musicians showed up to perform at the gig.

The episode’s b-plot breaks Chef out of jail, and the festival is a hit. However, a sabotage by the record executive ends the show early. But the day is saved when Cochrane, moved by the concert, agrees to represent Chef for free.

Johnnie Cochrane’s heart grew three sizes that day…

As a result, the jury reversed their verdict, Chef was freed and made plans to return to the cafeteria.

Understanding the Plagiarism

A comedy show as irreverent as South Park, there’s not going to be much grounded in reality. The show is an extreme satire. Its creators aren’t trying to be right; they’re trying to be funny.

That said, it’s interesting that the episode’s plagiarism problem is basically the opposite of what often happens.

There are countless stories of lesser-known musicians suing artists over their hits. However, those cases rarely go anywhere. Proof of access, elements common to multiple songs, and non-copyrightable components are significant hurdles such cases must overcome.

Sure, some cases do succeed. But they usually involve either larger artists, such as the Blurred Lines case, cases of direct sampling or cases where people who worked on the song felt they were denied credit and royalties.

This episode turns the familiar story on its head. Chef is being reasonable, has solid proof of the infringement and isn’t seeking money, just credit. A record executive (or, rather, a music publisher) would be an idiot not to work with him. There’s no way this case would see the inside of the courtroom.

It’s also worth noting that there’s no way a case would make it to trial that quickly or that Chef would go to jail for failing to pay a civil judgment, especially after just 24 hours. However, those inaccuracies fit within the South Park universe and drive the show’s plot.

So, while nitpicking South Park for being unrealistic is outright insane, it’s still interesting that the episode’s story is almost exactly the opposite of the most common type of plagiarism allegation in the music business.

Bottom Line

Perhaps the episode is best at being a time capsule. According to the RIAA, when adjusted for inflation, 1999 was the best year for the music industry. This episode aired in late 1998, at the peak of the music industry’s power and financial success.

This episode predates Napster by a year. Though the internet existed at the time, this was very much a pre-internet music industry.

South Park is nothing if not a reflection of attitudes and feelings at a particular time. Here, the show portrays the music industry as a bully that rips off smaller artists, often without reason. While there was a lot of love for particular artists, no such love was extended to the music industry.

That’s why many felt justified when Napster and music piracy became mainstream. In fact, the music industry was mocked for trying to prevent or reduce piracy. This archetype of the record executive is a big part of why that’s the case.

To be clear, I don’t think South Park created the cliche. It was well-established before this episode. Musicians had been voicing their frustrations with the music industry for decades prior.

South Park simply codified a long-running sentiment about an industry mere months before it would face an existential crisis. One that it’s still trying to recover from today.

So, while many of those attitudes remain, it’s interesting to see how they’ve become more nuanced, at least in broad public discourse.

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Jonathan BaileyNovember 14, 2024

4 minutes read