By his own admission, ventriloquist Jeff Dunham owes his livelihood to a handful of cloth dummies that serve as the stars of his comedic act. Whether voicing Walter (the elderly curmudgeon), Peanut (the little smartass), Achmed (a terrorist suicide bomber who somehow comes off as likable) or one of his other characters, Dunham has made a living letting the characters do the talking. And it seems to be working, considering Dunham's Comedy Central standup special, “Jeff Dunham: Arguing With Myself,” was one of the network's top-rated hour-long standup specials of all time, and the DVD has sold more than 500,000 copies over the past year. With another Comedy Special (“Jeff Dunham — Spark of Insanity”) set for Sunday, Sept. 16, and a date at Majestic Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 13, Dunham — who grew up in Dallas and attended Baylor University — recently chatted with 210SA.

 

I don't think you missed much in skipping those Baylor football games.
That's what I've heard. I've heard it's gotten pretty bad.

Regarding the Achmed character, are you worried about potential backlash, considering some might see you as making light of terrorism?
I think most comics realize if you're not offending a couple of people, then your comedy really isn't cutting-edge enough. You've got to be offending a couple of people here and there, that edge that makes people laugh. Your sensibility has to be in tune to what most people will laugh at and enjoy. Yeah, every once in a while I have to pull back, but the material I'm doing right now is still in step with what the country is laughing at. You see the dead terrorist and most peoples' reaction is one big question mark ..... Then, they come to the show and see that I've somehow managed to make this guy a sympathetic figure. He's just an idiot and horrible at his job.

So it seems like your comedy is not to be taken too seriously.
I'm not making any political statements, but one of the easier things people laugh at is their fears. It's just like a mean dog. You don't have to fear it, you just have to have respect for it.

Is it strange to think that inanimate dummies have contributed quite a bit to your success?
I think it was on the first DVD; we had this Peanut joke where I was mistreating him. He looks at me and says, “I paid for your house,” which is true when you think about it. My kids go to school, I have new cars, a nice house, and it's all because of a piece of cloth on my hand. I've said it many times, but one of the things I'm most proud of is that my comedy has no socially redeeming value whatsoever. Leave your brain at the door. I'm not going to teach you anything, and you're not going to learn anything.

Did you discover that you had a gift for ventriloquism, or did you set out to become a quality ventriloquist?
Anybody can be a ventriloquist, just like anyone can play tennis or piano. Maybe something about a person is better at it than the next guy. By the fourth grade, this is what I knew I wanted to do for a living. I never considered anything else.

What is it about dummies that creeps people out?
I guess it's because breathing life into something that shouldn't be is not quite right ..... I don't know. It's just not natural.

Which character goes over best with the audience?
Walter launched me because I have focused on him when it comes to media, talk shows and even radio. He's the one, for me, that's easiest to talk about everything because an old curmudgeon has an opinion on everything ..... But at the shows, it's amazing because when Peanut comes out, the place goes ballistic ..... He's just a little wiseass, but he gets away with it and he's cute at the same time.

CLINT HALE | 210SA