Comedian Jeff Dunham with Achmed the Dead Terrorist.Jeff Dunham travels with a strange collection of friends, and all of them will be at Memorial Auditorium Thursday night.
Walter the grumpy retiree, Bubba J the beer-drinking NASCAR fan, the maniacal Peanut and Achmed the Dead Terrorist are all accompanying the ventriloquist on his Identity Crisis Tour. Jose Jalapeno will also likely make an appearance.
Dunham has been working with puppets for most of his life. Much of his career was spent performing in comedy clubs around the country, but the release of “Arguing With Myself,” a one-hour special that aired on Comedy Central in 2006, changed all of that.
Since then, Dunham has been one of the hottest comics working in the world. Fans everywhere can be heard repeating such catchphrases as “Silence! I keel you!” from Achmed’s or Jose’s “On a steek.”
Pollstar named him the top-grossing live comedy act in the world in 2009 and 2010. He has sold out stadiums in the United Kingdom, Finland, Australia and Canada.
Dunham has sold more than 6 million DVDs, and his videos have been viewed more than a half billion times.
His autobiography, “All by My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed and Me,” made the New York Times best-seller list.
Dunham said he is involved in every aspect of his career and that while the puppets are a big part of his success and that he is thrilled people love the characters, he believes the jokes are the key.
IF YOU GOWhat: Jeff Dunham: Identity Crisis Tour.When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday.Where: Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave.Admission: $48.Phone: 642-TIXS.
“I realized early on that the ventriloquism needed to be just a vehicle for the comedy,” he said in an email interview. “It couldn’t be the focus of the act. In other words, I needed to focus on the material and the jokes and keep people laughing.”
He does it with some of the most politically incorrect humor out there.
“The characters of the puppets have to come first,” he said in a previous interview, “and it has to be funny. I don’t do ventriloquist tricks, or if I do it’s for a purpose.”
“Speaking through the characters lets him say things others might not be able to get away with.
“You have to be able to laugh,” Dunham said. “I don’t think there are many things you can’t laugh at. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, with few exceptions.”
“If I’m not offending a few, I’m not doing a good job.”