# Bill Cosby Himself: This may be the funniest comedy show I've ever seen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404 "2014-03-11T02:26:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/21 "2014-03-11T16:34:38Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I have to see if I can find this streaming somewhere, it’s been a while since I looked. Don’t look now but there’s a link in the OP. I saw this routine live in about 1980 and it changed my life. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/22 "2014-03-11T16:39:13Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > I saw this routine live in about 1980 and it changed my life. How so? (It certainly changed Cosby’s life: you can see the seeds of _The Cosby Show_ in it.) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/23 "2014-03-11T16:59:34Z")
Agreed! His recent special was very funny as well (but not as great as this was). ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/24 "2014-03-11T17:31:25Z")
I used to listen to this repeatedly on cassette. I had the whole thing memorized. Much later, I saw the movie and realized that there were whole bits which hadn’t been on the cassette. Mind.Blown. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/25 "2014-03-11T17:45:39Z")
> [@Indyellen](#): > > I used to listen to this repeatedly on cassette. I had the whole thing memorized. Much later, I saw the movie and realized that there were whole bits which hadn’t been on the cassette. Mind.Blown. That’s how I felt when I first watched every Monty Python film, having memorized the bits as they appear on _Instant Record Collection_ before having ever seen any of the movies. I knew they weren’t complete, but the edits within skits threw off my timing horribly. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/26 "2014-03-11T18:01:47Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Don’t look now but there’s a link in the OP. Why would I check the obvious place? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/27 "2014-03-11T18:50:29Z")
I think this routine stands the test of time because there are very few dated references, even though the movie is from 1983. The Johnny Bench reference might be one of the few lines that dates the routine. I imagine his name might not be familiar with an 18 year old today unless they’re pretty knowledgeable about baseball. Bench would have been known even to non baseball fans in 1983, he was famous for commercials as well as his ball playing. The 1980s were the epicenter of the yuppie cocaine culture, but cocaine and coke users are still quite common. There aren’t any political or current events that date the routine. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/28 "2014-03-11T20:09:55Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > There aren’t any political or current events that date the routine. Really, the greatest comedians are the ones with the timeless material. Almost all of Louis CK’s material will still be funny in 2044 for the same reason Cosby is still funny today. Cosby was a towering genius of comedy. “Himself” is one of the greatest masterpieces of the art of the spoken word. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/29 "2014-03-11T20:30:20Z")
“Son, what happened to your hair?” “I don’t know.” “What do you mean you don’t know? Was your head with you all day?” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/30 "2014-03-11T22:42:57Z")
The Same Thing Happens Every Night is certainly one of the funniest routines every recorded. I imagine just about every comedian stands in awe of that routine. The timing, the voices, the story. Priceless. Anyone who has ever had any family or grown up in one would appreciate its accuracy and hilarity. I adore it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/31 "2014-03-11T23:30:18Z")
Really, this is supposed to be the funniest one? I stumbled upon this a while back, and I actual thought that maybe this was before Cosby got good or something. The part about drugs seemed like a guy not getting it, and the dentist stuff seemed to mostly be him making funny noises with the same dentist routine that everyone uses. I can’t even remember what he talked about after that. Maybe I’ve just heard stuff that’s come from it or something, so it all just seems old, but I didn’t find it all that funny. The clips I’ve seen are usually more funny than this, and I don’t think the clips are much more than amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/32 "2014-03-11T23:33:12Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > “Dad, I’m Jesus Christ!” I prefer the way he told it on a previous album. I’m paraphrasing here. We moved to a new neighborhood and I’m outside playing. A kid comes up to me, says “What’s your name?” I say “Jesus Christ.” “You’re name ain’t no Jesus Christ.” “It is so, come home with me and I’ll prove it.” So we walk into my house with my Dad sleeping on the chair. He wakes up and sees 30 kids. “Jesus Christ!” ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/33 "2014-03-11T23:39:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Really, this is supposed to be the funniest one? Yes. Yes it is. It’s the closest to stand-up perfection you’re ever likely to see. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/34 "2014-03-12T19:09:56Z")
I have a theory that only white people like Bill Cosby Himself. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/35 "2014-03-12T19:16:16Z")
My brother in law is black, a comedian and actor, and Cosby is his God. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/36 "2014-03-12T19:35:37Z")
Interestingly, “Himself” was shot in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, not 15 minutes from where I am sitting now. Well, it’s interesting to me. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/37 "2014-03-12T23:51:01Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I have a theory that only white people like Bill Cosby Himself. Nope, that’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/38 "2014-03-13T01:29:28Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > My brother in law is black, a comedian and actor, and Cosby is his God. If you listen to most comics of a certain age about their influences they always mention the holy trinity of Cosby, Carlin and Pryor. Each did more to influence the craft than probably anyone else. Himself was fantastic but I was lucky enough to see a lot of the material live not long before the movie came out. I had to be about 12 when my parents took me to see him. I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed harder since. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/39 "2014-03-13T01:55:08Z")
Add another mark in the + column. LOVED this movie when it came out (was 12, maybe?) and still do. At worst, I’m grinning throughout almost the entire movie - at best, howling. I loved the standup movies of the early 80’s, but I don’t remember any being released in… decades? Do standup comedians even make movies anymore, or is it all cable specials? ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404/40 "2014-03-13T08:00:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If you listen to most comics of a certain age about their influences they always mention the holy trinity of Cosby, Carlin and Pryor. Each did more to influence the craft than probably anyone else. > > Himself was fantastic but I was lucky enough to see a lot of the material live not long before the movie came out. I had to be about 12 when my parents took me to see him. I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed harder since. And these comedians all mention Lenny Bruce as an influence. Even Cosby whom I recently saw on the Daily Show. He mentioned something about how he may not have agreed with Lenny’s use of curse words, he still admired him for pushing the boundaries. At least that’s how I perceived it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-himself-this-may-be-the-funniest-comedy-show-ive-ever-seen/683404.md?page=3)