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January 2010
An Un-Bill-ievable Start
Welcome to installment One of
my Laugh-More-Tour for 2010. Already, the year is off to a great
start, or should I say, a great laugh.
However, the laughs I got at
this show really should come as no surprise. If I can do the math
correctly, I’ve been laughing with this guy for something like 35
years. And, since the original record that I listened to belonged
to my parents, it’s quite possible that I laughed along with this
performer even earlier, but I just didn’t know who it was yet.
In fact, this particular
record, I remember, became so important to me, that I recall
actually taking the record to my grade school. Remember back in
grade school, when you got the new toy, or latest gadget, it
became such an important thing, that you actually brought it to
school to show your friends? That’s the way this record was for
me.
Now, if we start actually
thinking about this, the record that I was bringing in for Show
and Tell was already 10 years old; hardly the latest fad or
gadget, for sure.
But it didn’t matter to me. I
was hooked. I could listen to it again and again without getting
worn out. When I listened to this stuff it was like I had it
memorized, but at the same time, was hearing it for the first
time.
Like most material things of
childhood, things have a way of scattering. So it was with great
glee that in one of my many garage sale experiences another copy
of the record popped up for sale.
It was the best 25 cents ever
spent.
And last Saturday afternoon,
when I went to see him, I would close my eyes for a minute or two,
and just listen. It was just like being back home.
And the only thing missing was
the sound of the records’ scratches and pops.
Bill Cosby
Jan.
16, 2010
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Portland,
OR
Note: If Mr. Cosby ever puts out
another album with this material, I can only hope he’ll use these
suggestions for the skit titles:
Intro/Portland Rain/Earthquake Shoes/I Sit Down
when I Perform
(At 72 years old, I think he’s entitled, right?)
Thank You For My Nuts:
(Bill helps a fan
celebrate a special 70th wedding anniversary)
Don’t Say You Want to Grow Old with
Your Future Wife
(or You Have No Idea What You’re Talking
About)
My Shadow Doesn’t Look Like Me
(A Tribute to Exercise)
How to Propose
(or Your Wife is
not Your Friend, She’s Your Wife)
In Sickness and In Death - Modern
Wedding Vows
(Bill asked the crowd for folks who had written
their own wedding vows. One woman told him she accidentally said
“In Sickness and in Death.” You should have seen his facial
expression.)
What Happened to my Loafers?
(or
Married Life leads to Conversations with Self)
How Did You Get that Side of the
Bed?
(Bill claims that you get the side she doesn’t want)
How to Lock up the House
Women, Wives, and Husbands: That’s
Right
I Said That Because You Were There
(Not because I wanted you for anything)
Who turned the Thermostat Up?
Who’s Supposed to be Taking Care of
the Dog? (It certainly isn’t the Kids, is it?)
The Pain of Childbirth
(or Pain
Men Go Through That We Don’t Talk About)
Father’s Day
(or The Worst Gifts
Ever)
What Do You Mean There’s a
GPS
in the Car?
A Trip to the Dentist
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