Jeff Dunham

by Christine Rusbuldt
“Jeff fa fahh Dunham” Our favorite crazed Ventriloquist is at it again with his new tour “Disorderly Conduct”. I had the pleasure of going to see his new show at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena and let me just say he has a way of breathing life into his puppets. Jeff Dunham if you don’t know is a very famous comedian known for his ventriloquist styles and several puppeteer characters. How famous you ask? We find that one of Mr. Dunham’s goals as a rising comedian was to one day sit the stage with Johnny Carson; a dream for any comedian-He did it. Not only did he do it, but alongside as a guest star with Mr. Bob Hope and B.B. King. He first debuted however his “woman alluring skills,” as he jokes in his show, in a solo act on Comedy Central. He has several specials circulating nationwide including, “Jeff Dunham” Arguing with Myself”, “Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity,” “Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos,” and “Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters. Now of course this is just breaking of tip of the ice berg. His new show was a big hit here in Jacksonville downtown. Don’t worry, Jeff had all of our loveable, controversial characters we cannot get enough of alongside his own twists and turns added to the show that made this an unforgettable event.
The show began with no opening act. Why? The opening and grand finale was Jeff He let Jacksonville no, “damnit you paid “$60 bucks to watch me, not someone else and that’s what you’re going to get!” Of course this was followed by a roar of scream and applause. “You’re going to get a lil bit of everything and then some,” I believe were His exact words. That, we received. The show consisted of some old jokes, new jokes, but you could tell it had a hint of impromptu seasoned in. WE love Jeff, because his characters give voice to what we as politically correct people, are not allowed to say. We love him for the fact he can insult him and the city he is in and we can take it, because what’s flying out of Achmed or Walter’s mouth, is 99.9% true We love him for his controversial subtle slurs that we can’t say, but his friends can. He started the show with reminiscing threw his old photos, humiliating photos of himself back in the day and his first puppet. Enough said. Seriously pictures are worth a thousand words. Now I say Jeff, but is it really just Jeff that makes us come back for more? Honestly, if it was just him for two hours on the stage, I’d probably hesitate and pinch on going. Now add, his unforgettable friends. Let’s throw in the real reason we come to sit down.
The fans come not only for him, but the characters including: Achmed the Dead Terrorist who repeatedly tells us, “SILENCE, I KILL YOU!” We have Peanut who is a hyperactive monkey, who inquisitively asks Jeff, “am I pissing you off Fa Fa!” We have the legal mind you, Mexican, Jose Jalapeno on a Shtick. Also come new to us is Little Jeff, a ventriloquist dummy created by our own Peanut, His own obnoxious little jerk. We also had the pleasure of meeting The Coffee Guy. He was dressed like a 80s business man that had an addiction… an extreme coffee addiction. He has a way of making you forget he’s the only one doing this. He brings so many different personalities to the table. He had the crowd, including myself laughing for hours. I mean not in the put his hand in our back and make us puppeteer laugh for him, but in the sense of knowing where Jacksonville people come from and what we like to do.
I was lined up to do an interview with Mr. Dunham. My simple five questions were dismissed due to his busy schedule. Show business I suppose. I’ll let it slide this time due to the fact that his tour is kicking off with a bang or should I say bomb. Speaking of bombs, Achmed the Dead Terrorist came out with a new FEE app. That will bring out the dead terrorist in all of us. It’s called Bomb Sweeper. He has a new show coming out, and to top it all off he has a miniature version of himself, Little Jeff, a ventriloquist set, that comes with a book and DVD so you can grow up to be a creep who takes to himself and makes puppets come to life. Just kidding, but seriously. When he pulled out Little Jeff, he was making his sarcastic play by plays back and forth, while trying to promote his new gift set. At a point, I saw his true talent at his best, when a brawl went down between Jeff and well, Jeff. Oh and on a side note, the gig worked, on my way out I saw a young man age around 14, walking out with one of these box sets. Good luck to you ol chap, you know who you are
To wrap up the show, He also brought our favorite old geyser Walter. Walter is that old guy that’s in all of us that just says whatever comes to his head. So at the end of the show people got to write in questions to Walter and he answered them on the spot. Another aspect of how Mr. Dunham really shines at what he does, it was all impromptu. Walter gave the best answers to questions and had the crowed rolling in laughs to the point it was hard to get them to shut up for the next joke. Walter is one liner kind of man. Walter is the voice of reason in our heads that we don’t want to push out loud. Over all this show and new Tour was a stellar show and if you want to go you should try because it’s a show you will never forget and be laughing so hard you chin might very well just fall off. New Perspective on life not all boys who play with dolls are creeps and living in their mom’s basement at 30 playing world of war craft. They can turn into a huge comedian icon and be a bad ass all in one day. Peace love and Jeff. I’m out.