Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby is a monolithic influence on the 20th and 21st century with his comedy, which is some of the most accessible on the planet. As far back as the sixties, stand-up albums such as “To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With” and “I Started Out as a Child” would take us out of the doldrums or the despair of childhood and family life by giving us someone to identify with on all levels.
With Bill Cosby’s audio—piped into our homes through our then cutting edge hi-fis--we could crack up at the typical kids making noise and parents roaring about shutting up and punishment (which Bill Cosby made as funny as the sweeter tales). We could bust up over the ridiculous sounds our clothing made, and over how inanely proud we were of the simplest of clothing items—such as the new corduroys that did a musical “voom-voom-flap” or the sneakers that could, Cosby reminded, “stop on a dime…give you nine cents change.” And we would never fail to fall into hysterics over his Adam and Eve renditions, his Neanderthal and Lone Ranger imitations, or his in-depth coverage of his version of baseball.
Cosby is an influence on other comedians: besides being widely lampooned with impressions by such equally great and developing entertainers as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murphy, Adam Sandler, Kenan Thompson, and Shedrack Anderson, he has groomed (directly or indirectly) many comics who are stars of funny today. Jerry Seinfeld, for instance, in a Seinfeld cast reunion on Oprah, had this to say about the man he has considered an influence:
Oprah: Who do you admire today? Who do you think is funny?
Jerry: Bill Cosby. I had lunch with him….
Oprah: Are you all funny together…?
Jerry: He is. He’s funny. I’m not that funny. He’s funny. As soon as he opens his mouth, he’s funny. He is amazing.
Jerry: Have you ever walked down the street with him?
Oprah: No.
Jerry: The most amazing celebrity I have ever seen on the sidewalk. He’s as happy to meet them as they are to meet him! People come up to him…he signs autographs…he’ll take kids on rides on his shoulders…. He is amazing with people on the street. Amazing!
Cosby has penned numerous books, has appeared on (and created and produced) [hundreds of] shows and in numerous films, and has been honored with such esteemed accolades as the Kennedy Center Honors (1998) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2002).
And in spite of the inevitable controversies—that are bound to appear when one is as high profile and well-regarded as Cosby, someone needing to challenge the esteem and integrity—Bill Cosby continues to support, endorse, promote, and invest in humankind. Committed to education, Bill Cosby (and his wife, Camille Hanks) donates generously to African American colleges and organizations, including NAACP, the National Sickle-Cell Foundation, and the National Council of Negro Women.
So when he speaks to deliver the “Ghettosburg Address,” when he admonishes his fellows at a Read-2-Lead convention, when he contributes advice at a Brown v. Board of Education commemoration, remember Bill Cosby is bringing to the podium more than that which can be reduced to simplified terms; he is bringing his years of wisdom, his love and proactive support for others, and his one-of-a-kind humor—all of which the superstar with the super heart makes accessible to us, his followers and fans.
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