Ken Buck has a gay name according to Saturday Night Live: Is he a closet Midnight Cowboy?

Michael Roberts October 25, 2010 6:51AM

[
          {
            "name": "Related Stories / Support Us Combo",
            "component": "12017627",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "6"
          },
          {
            "name": "Air - Billboard - Inline Content",
            "component": "12017623",
            "insertPoint": "2/3",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7"
          },
          
          {
            "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size 2",
            "component": "12017624",
            "insertPoint": "12",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "12"
          },{
            "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size 2",
            "component": "12017624",
            "insertPoint": "4th",
            "startingPoint": "16",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "12"
          }
          
            ,{
              "name": "RevContent - In Article",
              "component": "13027957",
              "insertPoint": "3/5",
              "requiredCountToDisplay": "5"
            }
          
        ]

Congrats, Ken Buck. One poll shows your lead over Michael Bennet in the Senate race has shrunk to a dead heat, likely due to your comparison of homosexuality to alcoholism and suggestion that global warming is a hoax, not to mention that "buyer's remorse" comment about an alleged date-rape victim. But at least you got national play on Saturday Night Live this weekend.

Too bad viewers needed to be film-studies majors to get the joke.

The gag turned up in the "Weekend Update" segment hosted by Seth Meyers. After noting that Buck had recently argued that homosexuality is a choice during a Meet the Press appearance, Meyers said, "Interesting position, Ken Buck. Did your name choose to be gay?"

This jab is presumably a reference to the 1969 Oscar-winning flick Midnight Cowboy, in which Jon Voight portrayed Joe Buck, a nascent male hustler put in the position of servicing members of both genders. If so, that means SNL, which prides itself on topical references, reached back a mere 41 years for this particular line. Timely!

Check it out below (following the usual commercial):

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.

Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1.

Michael Roberts has written for Westword since October 1990, serving stints as music editor and media columnist. He currently covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports and stories that defy categorization.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: Michael Roberts

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo