# Is my memory faulty? A Bill Cosby question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057 "2009-10-25T16:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/1 "2009-10-25T16:03:41Z")
I have a memory floating around in my head of listening to a radio comedy show sometime in the mid-eighties, and they played a clip of Bill Cosby talking about Jock Itch. He was saying that Jock Itch was better than a woman, because the relief you got from scratching it was greater than anything you could get from a woman. (that’s a big paraphrase, it was a long time ago). When I think of it now, I’m kinda shocked that Bill Cosby did that routine. It sounds almost risqué, and he’s usually very clean. So, am I imagining things? Was it someone other than Cosby? I’ve checked through the wiki listing of his albums, and there’s no routine called “Jock Itch” or anything similar. A google search reveals one reference to the routine on an Urban Dictionary page, but no cite or reference to what album the routine came from. Thanks, thwartme ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/2 "2009-10-25T16:33:16Z")
That was Cosby, I remember that from one of his early comedy LPs. I’m sure someone will be along soon to specify which one. I also recall him describing how, when his college football game was televised, he was instructed that players must not grab their crotches. Which became a severe test for him when he was hit in the crotch. He ended up grabbing his head, instead. They ended up bandaging his head as a result. Cosby worked blue early in his career. I don’t know how much of that stuff got recorded, however. Later he found his niche by getting away from racial and sexual comedy and being more family-oriented, but he never completely left those aspects behind. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/3 "2009-10-25T17:28:04Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > That was Cosby, I remember that from one of his early comedy LPs. I’m thinking it was part of the 12:15 show on _8:15 12:15_. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/4 "2009-10-25T18:31:24Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I also recall him describing how, when his college football game was televised, he was instructed that players must not grab their crotches. Which became a severe test for him when he was hit in the crotch. He ended up grabbing his head, instead. They ended up bandaging his head as a result. That one is from _Why Is There Air?_ Not sure about the OP, though. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/5 "2009-10-25T19:34:32Z")
Yeah, I remember this. My dad had a bunch of old Cosby records that I listened to, and this was on one. I remember him talking about how when he was in the military he stopped himself from scratching while in the trenches cuz of how good it felt when he did it. ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/6 "2009-10-30T13:08:15Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > I’m thinking it was part of the 12:15 show on _8:15 12:15_. Thanks, Lute. Now to hunt down a copy… Thanks, thwartme ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/7 "2009-10-30T13:14:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Cosby worked blue early in his career. I listened to all of Cosby’s stuff when he first came out. None of the things that gor recorded got any “bluer” than the OP – which i wouldn’t call blue, myself. Do you know of anything more risque that you heard yourself, or do you have any cite for this? Because, unlike, say, Redd Foxx or Nipsey Russell (both of whom recorded plenty of blue stuff), I can’t picture Cosby doing this. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/8 "2009-10-30T13:24:15Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > They ended up bandaging his head as a result. How old is that story, fourty years or so, and it just got another laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/9 "2009-10-30T14:08:03Z")
What was the name of the guy who wore the hat over his face on the cartoon show? My wife and I \*need \*to know! Is it Mushmouth? Does the guy with the hat talk funny, or is that a seperate character? ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/10 "2009-10-30T14:14:05Z")
The guy with the cap was Dumb Donald ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/11 "2009-10-30T14:17:42Z")
Gee, **Gato** , its 7 in the morning and you can’t sleep. Why not try Google, since you have nothing better to do than try to find a copy of _Woody Plant Seed Guide._ Dumb Donald is the one with the hat over his face. See how easy that was? I also found out that Bob Wilkins had died earlier this year and was living in Reno, of all places! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/12 "2009-10-30T14:26:47Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Is it Mushmouth? He’s the one with the pom-pom cap. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/13 "2009-10-30T14:45:21Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I listened to all of Cosby’s stuff when he first came out. None of the things that gor recorded got any “bluer” than the OP – which i wouldn’t call blue, myself. Do you know of anything more risque that you heard yourself, or do you have any cite for this? Because, unlike, say, Redd Foxx or Nipsey Russell (both of whom recorded plenty of blue stuff), I can’t picture Cosby doing this. The _12:15_ show seems to be about as “blue” as Cosby got, and that’s pretty mild: no profanity, just stuff like a brief boast about his sexual prowess in getting his wife pregnant “right through the ol’ midnight trampoline” and a story about encountering transvestites in the men’s room at a San Francisco nightclub. ---
**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:** [October 30, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/14 "2009-10-30T14:47:27Z")
I can’t disagree that Cosby worked blue early in his career (possibly not recorded), but I do remember being shocked when he used the word “asshole” in the _Himself_ film. It was the bluest I’d ever heard him go, and it was truly unexpected. Say what you will about him, he really is a master of comedic writing. If you’re looking for some Cosby you probably haven’t heard, dig up his _200 M.P.H._ album, recently released on CD. It’s obscure gold. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/15 "2009-10-30T15:33:52Z")
I think the jock itch story and the one about being instructed not to touch yourself on the field when his college game was being televised are from the same routine. It is entitled “Hofstra”. It has been years since I listened to this so I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/16 "2009-10-30T15:48:58Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I can’t disagree that Cosby worked blue early in his career (possibly not recorded), but I do remember being shocked when he used the word “asshole” in the _Himself_ film. It was the bluest I’d ever heard him go, and it was truly unexpected. _Himself_ was the first VHS tape I ever bought. At one time, I owned most of his records but I think I laughed the hardest at _Himself._ It was and is pure comedy gold. You’ll have to excuse me now but I’m off to listen to _To Russell, my brother, whom I slept with._ If you ever had to share a bed with a sibling, you have to hear it. “You’re on my side of the bed.” ---
**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:** [October 30, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/17 "2009-10-30T16:26:54Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > _Himself_ was the first VHS tape I ever bought. At one time, I owned most of his records but I think I laughed the hardest at _Himself._ It was and is pure comedy gold. > > You’ll have to excuse me now but I’m off to listen to _To Russell, my brother, whom I slept with._ If you ever had to share a bed with a sibling, you have to hear it. > > “You’re on my side of the bed.” Well, who told you that you was… the big… Jello Sheriff of the house? ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/18 "2009-10-30T16:30:09Z")
“THE POLICE…are your mother and father.” Wow, did I listen to that album over and over as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/19 "2009-10-30T17:01:38Z")
_200 M.P.H._ has always been my favorite. “Dumbguy. Dumbguy. Dumbguy.” ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057/20 "2009-10-30T17:13:19Z")
_Wonderfulness_ is my all-time favorite. **Ice cream!** We’re gonna eat ice cream! And we will eat it every day! In the middle of the night, man, we’re singing… Okay…you can bite it…just a little bit. But don’t put none o’ your juice in it! _Twelve degrees._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-memory-faulty-a-bill-cosby-question/515057.md?page=2)