CoronaVinyl Day 91 (Comedy): Himself by Bill Cosby

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is comedy.  Back before he was being accused of multiple sexual assaults by dozens of women, Bill Cosby was one of the funniest men on the planet and one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all-time.  In May 1983, he released the seminal stand-up film Himself.  The December before, he released the soundtrack, which is kind of strange, since the film wasn't out yet.  But the soundtrack gave listeners and viewers a taste of what was to come in the film, not to mention The Cosby Show, which would debut in 1984 and remains one of my favorite TV shows ever.  There are things that Cliff and Claire did to their kids in that show that I have been waiting to do to my kids for over 30 years.  For instance, I can't wait until the first time one of my kids gets caught drinking and I can make them play a hungover drinking game with shots of what they think is whiskey but is actually iced tea.

But back to the album.  The Himself "soundtrack" features seven tracks -- about 45 minutes, which is about an hour less than the film -- that are all now iconic stand-up routines about family, marriage, parenthood, and other normal everyday life type things, and all without any swearing!  I have loved Himself for decades, and every time I listen to it or watch it, it gets funnier and funnier as more and more of it becomes relevant while I am hurtled through fatherhood and marriage.

If you are married and/or have kids and/or plan on getting married and/or plan on having kids and/or know anyone who is married and/or know any kids, then you should listen to this or, better yet, watch the actual stand-up film.  Set aside any cognitive dissonance you might have based on Cosby's actions since then, and enjoy one of the best at his best.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Brain Damage"
This is a hilarious routine about parenting and how children don't listen to a damn thing their parents tell them.  I can't tell you how many times I have said "Come here.  Come here.  Here.  Here.  Here.  Here!" to my kids.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Chocolate Cake for Breakfast"
As a father of three, I can relate to this one, which is about when dad has to make breakfast for the kids when mom gets to sleep in.  When his four-year-old asks for chocolate cake, he decides that it has good breakfast ingredients like eggs, milk, and wheat, so he says okay.  And then the other kids come down, and they get to have it too.  "Dad is great.  Give us the chocolate cake."  Then mom comes downstairs.