Steven Martin’s ‘King Tut’ Sketch from 1978 Sparks Twitter Debate on Cultural Appropriation
Steve Martin’s “King Tut” sketch from 1978 resurfaced on Twitter this weekend, sparking a debate on cultural appropriation and satirical comedy.
On April 22, 1978, Martin made his fifth appearance on Saturday Night Live, during which he performed a song mocking a traveling exhibit that featured 55 objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
“Born in Arizona, Moved to Babylonia (King Tut),” Martin sings. “(King Tut) Now, if I’d known They’d line up just to see you, I’d trade in all my money And bought me a museum. (King Tut).”
Martin’s song “King Tut” was penned and performed as a satirical take on the exhibit, which was on tour in the United States for more than two years, yet some 2022 Twitter users seemed confused by the sketch and viewed it as cultural appropriation.
I never found it especially funny even as a Steve Martin fan who had all of his comedy albums. Most comedy from the 1970’s isn’t going to be funny today. But Steve Martin is a treasure.
— Ben Rock (@Neptunesalad) April 24, 2022
I think he has a point. Steve Martin is very much comedy for Vietnam-era baby boomers but most comics are products of their time, like music and clothes.
Exceptions are Jack Benny and Jerry Seinfeld. https://t.co/JWQnrjL17g
— Hank Campbell (@HankCampbell) April 25, 2022
The majority of Twitter users, however, lept to Martin’s defense, explaining that the performance was a parody on the exhibit:
The (non-) controversy that Steve Martin’s King Tut doesn’t hold up is amusing. In ’78 there was a traveling King Tut exhibit that was a huge national thing. So Martin did a song about King Tut in the manner of ‘Alley Oop’ as a joke on the hype. You literally had to be there!
— James Urbaniak (@JamesUrbaniak) April 24, 2022
You didn’t see the set-up. It was a time when the King Tut exhibition was touring nationally and there was a great debate over the probity of it. The song came out of nowhere – SNL used to specialize in the best humor: surprising, not telegraphed https://t.co/oH5I3qmIBb
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) April 24, 2022
Evidently there’s a demand for context for Steve Martin’s King Tut bit. I got your context right here—nine years ago I wrote about the story of late-1970s Tut-mania for @VanityFair. Put aside everything you’re doing and read this now:https://t.co/4T5XOLwldJ
— David Kamp (@MrKamp) April 25, 2022
How do you even begin to question the comedic chops of Steve Martin? I get that one out-of-context SNL sketch is confusing millennials, but the guy’s been one of America’s best known comedians for 50+ years. They’ve never seen him do anything else?
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) April 25, 2022
this.
the people going after Steve Martin for King Tut (44 years late) are the same idiots who want to excise the word nigger from Huckleberry Finn.
it’s funny now. it was funny then. it’s not racist or mocking anyone’s culture. you stupid reactionary shits. https://t.co/dSdcC7JkCb
— Thorne Identity (@GeoffThorne) April 25, 2022
Anyone unable to contextualize Steve Martin performing “King Tut” should move along to Tony Clifton who is bellowing “Take me. Come into me.”
— Alan Spencer (@MrAlanSpencer) April 25, 2022
Other users focused on the implication that Martin’s sketch was not funny and staunchly defended his comedy chops:
Y’all think tik tok is hilarious but don’t get king tut, okay
— Alexandra Daddario (@AADaddario) April 23, 2022
Can’t believe this is still going but if you’re one of these dipshits who thinks STEVE MARTIN, of all people, isn’t funny, kindly pound sand pic.twitter.com/8WfROnlLvW
— Jason Bailey (@jasondashbailey) April 25, 2022
Anyone dragging Steve Martin over his 1978 performance of “King Tut” needs to go run home and whine to their mummy.
— Robert A George (@RobGeorge) April 25, 2022
Between his stand-up, his writing, his acting (he won the New York film critics award for “All of Me”) and his musical ability, @SteveMartinToGo may be the greatest all-around entertainer of our lifetimes. And King Tut was funny.
— Joe Gerth (@Joe_Gerth) April 25, 2022
The fact that Steve Martín is trending because a generation has decided to take issue with a 3 minute King Tut sketch from SNL in the 70s tells me 3 things.
The Right AND Left are losing their ability to humor.
We’re all WAY to sensitive.
Steve Martin is still awesome.
— The Dread Pirate Mark Brooks (@MarkBrooksArt) April 25, 2022
I think one way Elon could help make Twitter more light-hearted and enjoyable will be to ban all the people who didn’t think Steve Martin’s King Tut bit was funny.
— Frank J. Fleming (@IMAO_) April 25, 2022
A large chunk of those defending Martin also noted that the majority of the internet seems to be on the comedian’s side, Matt Taibbi writing, “I see Steve Martin trending but don’t see anyone actually saying anything negative about him. Is this a parody canceling of a parody homage?”
That there’s a whole trending Steve Martin discussion that’s just people complaining about the fact that four other people complained about a 40-year-old Steve Martin bit is why I will briefly mourn the loss of Twitter and then immediately forget it existed.
— Phil Hornshaw (@philhornshaw) April 25, 2022
I see Steve Martin trending but don’t see anyone actually saying anything negative about him. Is this a parody canceling of a parody homage?
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) April 25, 2022
1. Sees Steve Martin trending over supposed attempts to “cancel” him over King Tut routine.
2. Clicks on link.
3. Sees 100s of tweets about it’s ridiculous to attempt to cancel Martin over 45-year-old bit, literally not a single one complaining about it.
4. Never change, Twitter.— Michael DeCourcy (@tsnmike) April 25, 2022
We’ve reached peak twitterocity when a handful of bitter people complaining about a 70s Steve Martin sketch launches thousands of people complaining about the handful of people who are complaining about 1 person.
— Jack Wallen (@jlwallen) April 25, 2022
Never heard of anyone ever being offended by it. Twitter’s bots made this nonsense out of nothing.
Although, to be fair, maybe it was “too soon” for Steve Martin to joke about King Tut in 1978.
Tutankhamun had only been dead for 3,300 years at that pt. https://t.co/v0f0kWSTGl— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) April 25, 2022
Steve Martin is trending because thousands of people are complaining about 5 people complaining about Steve Martin and this is peak Twitter
— Shiv Ramdas Traing To Rite Buk (@nameshiv) April 25, 2022
I know y’all not creating fake outrage over Steve Martin😂pic.twitter.com/xB6f2uneQO
— DojaCoke☃️⛷🍧🐈⬛ (@BasicBlaecGirl) April 25, 2022
The whole “debate” for context:
Wise Prognosticators: “HOO BOY, the cancel culture police sure are going to come for Steve Martin now!”
Supposed CC Police: We actually understand the context of this joke and the fact that it is satire.
WPs: BABY NEED A SAFE SPACE? pic.twitter.com/C344qa44ho
— Robyn Pennacchia (@RobynElyse) April 25, 2022
Watch the sketch above, via YouTube.
