Comedy on a steeeeck

Jeff Dunham is a ventriloquist but he's no dummy. Dunham never cared that the art of ventriloquism is about as hip as a polka or as antiquated as the television variety show.

"None of that ever bothered me," Dunham says. "It's just something I wanted to do. I never envisioned that it would work out this way."

It has worked out very well for Dunham, a ventriloquist who headlines arenas while his peers are fortunate to get club work.

Dunham, who performs Monday at the Minnesota State Fair grandstand, has struck a chord with the masses by constantly touring, connecting with fans via the Internet and, of course, with his array of colorful and often irreverent puppets.

It's difficult to imagine where Dunham, 46, a ventriloquist since the mid-1980s, would be without cranky Walter, the wisecracking Peanut the Woozle or Jose Jalapeño, a talking pepper on a stick who punctuates every line with "on a steeeeck!"

Then there is Achmed the Dead Terrorist, a skeleton puppet with a bad attitude. He's been a crowd favorite since he was introduced post 9/11. "I thought this character might be pushing the envelope but I knew he would be big," Dunham said by phone from his Los Angeles home.

Achmed claims he's not Muslim: "Look at my butt. It says, 'Made in China.'"

The rapid-fire interplay between Dunham and Achmed often scores the biggest response from audiences.

"Achmed, where did you come from?," Dunham asks.

"From your freakin' suitcase," Achmed responds.

"So if you've been in my suitcase all this time, how have you been getting past security?"

"Oh, that's easy. They just open the case and I go, 'Helloooo, I'm Lindsay Lohan.'"

America's top comic?

Dunham isn't just huge in the world of ventriloquism; he is big-time compared with any comic. According to the concert-industry journal Pollstar, Dunham was the highest-grossing stand-up comic in North America last year, with $19.2 million in ticket sales. His "Very Special Christmas Special," which aired on TV's Comedy Central in November, was the most watched broadcast in the network's history. "The Jeff Dunham Show" will debut on the humor network in October.

Essentially, Dunham is this year's Dane Cook -- except without leading roles in savagely reviewed films.

Much like the Dane Train, Dunham is wise enough to connect with fans. Both used the Net to build a strong core of fans into a huge mainstream following.

However, what separates the two is that Cook's audience is primarily composed of collegiate and twentysomethings. When you glance around at a Dunham audience, you'll see a cross-section of folks: Comedy Central-viewing teenagers, khaki-sporting parents and even some grandparents, who appear as out of place as, well, a ventriloquist.

"You can't worry about impressing peers," Dunham said. "You have to teach yourself how to entertain the masses."

He learned that while performing for the Kiwanis Club in his native Dallas during the '80s: "I learned to be funny by not being funny. I experienced the pain of being booed at clubs."

But Dunham morphed into a savvy performer with a finger on the pulse of the average comedy fan. In an age when throwing your voice is out, Dunham has fans tossing money at him, even during a recession.

"All I can say is that I worked hard to get where I am," he said.

Dunham frequently returns to the same cities but is constantly updating his material. The jokes may be different but the puppets remain the same. "The fans love those guys," he said. "And so do I."