“You are the main mascot for me.” Just think, we've known each other for so long. But remember when you first appeared on the air with Johnny (Carson. - RT )? It's just something breathtaking, right?

- Yes. You say that it all started with Carson's “Evening Show” (Johnny Carson, American journalist, TV presenter and director. - RT ). This started the real show business, but I have been doing ventriloquism before that for many years. After graduating from high school, he set a goal: he gave himself ten years to get to Carson's evening show.

I was a high school student, once I spoke at a stand-up club (without the knowledge of my parents), you know what I mean? A lot has happened during this period of time. Jim McCauley (producer of the Carson show. - RT ) kept watching my performances ... In our conversation, the number "nine" constantly pops up. So, I heard from him "no" eight times.

- Really?

- Yes, refusal after refusal for several years. And why? “It's not funny enough for the Johnny show. To play there, you have to be funny. ” Finally, for the ninth time, he saw me at the Ice House club in Pasadena. And you yourself know that it is impossible to perform unsuccessfully there. And that night all the stars came together. Nine years ago I wrote an autobiography ...

- And again this figure is “nine”!

“Yes, exactly, nine years ago!” I remember how I wrote about this moment when the orchestra played and Johnny introduced me, and the curtain was about to open. This will not happen again on any program, even now. Nothing compares to participating in that show. But, of course, now the feelings are similar.

- On your account already nine recitals (on television. - RT ). Tell me about the one that recently came out on Netflix.

“We recorded it in Dallas.” You know the whole story with left and right? Have you heard about this?

- The confrontation is very fierce. Above the hatred of the Hetfields and Makkoy (two American families known for their many years of confrontation at the end of the XIX century. - RT ) ...

“Yes, sheer madness.” The stand-up comedian now has a hard time: anyway, you walk along the minefield.

My approach is this - I respect those who express their point of view, pursue certain goals and choose some side, but for me now it’s like a business decision: “So, if we do like this, a certain percentage of viewers will leave. "

No one could judge the political views of Carson or Leno (Jay Leno is an American actor and stand-up comedian, host of The Tonight Show. - RT ), and I try to stay on stage the same way because I know that the most people come to my performances different people, and I try, like them, to laugh at both sides enough so that everyone feels normal and no one goes home indignantly. But I also know that if in the end three percent of the audience gets angry, then I probably did quite well.

- I always admire the guys who are well given the business component. Show business is a cruel thing. Yes, there are such “pure” moments when you are on stage and you get in touch with the audience - things that were spinning in your head fly out of your place and people laugh. Yes, that’s great. If you do this alone in your room, then you are like Van Gogh, and in time you will take your ear off ... I like the business approach and those who practice it. But to take one side and say, they say: "The remaining 50, 55, 60, or how many there, percent are not of interest to me here." This is...

“But I respect these guys, because they have the courage to do this - and they know what they are doing (starting from one or another political position that they occupy).” They made a decision - that’s what matters to them, and the business component of show business doesn’t matter. Say, if you have a night talk show, and you have chosen a certain side - the flag is in your hands. But from a business point of view, you should understand that this may not be the wisest decision. However, if your political views already overshadow these considerations, then ...

- This is becoming unreasonable ...

- Yes.

  • Jeff Dunham with his doll Walter, wife Audrey Murdick, daughters Bree and Ashlyn and sons James and Jack
  • Reuters
  • © Mario Anzuoni

- You originally acted as ventriloquist? Or started as a regular comedian?

- Not.

- Tell us about your first steps in this field.

- In the third grade, I got the first doll, so it all started. Growing up and doing this was curious, because at first it all came down to something like that: “Oh, what a sweet little ventriloquist!” The audience laughed eagerly.

By the time I went to college, people had already stopped touching. I performed at the Dallas Comedy Club. Did you have any concerts there?

“Of course ... I love the Dallas audience.” Returning to the political bias, it always seemed to me that you can just have a good time at the Dallas Club. I really like it there...

- Right! I spoke in Dallas, and then here at The Comedy & Magic Club in California, I watched the work of people like you or Jerry Seinfeld (an American actor, stand-up comedian and screenwriter. - RT ), and some the moment I realized that I can’t just be funny, drink some water and broadcast through dolls - I also need to prepare high-quality material.

So it was during my attempts to break into the "Evening Show (Johnny Carson. - RT )" - you can’t do without first-class material and jokes. It was then that I began to pay much more attention to the quality of my humor. I walked away from all sorts of tricks, now my dolls are elaborate characters. My role is a comedy of positions, that's why I like my work.

I can come up with the plot and climax, create tension, conflict - combine all the comedic components in just one character. And most of all, my audience will now be amused by the way Walter, my grouchy old man, utters some kind of thought, and I react in the spirit: “Well, you said it in vain!” All these elements allow you to play a real play on stage.

“So, and who is this “ dream team ” now made of ?” There is Walter ...

- Yes, Walter, plus Oreshek - the purple guy - frostbitten at all, it is not clear where he came from, but he is always in the spotlight ... In general, this is the basic character.

Then I have a hillbill Babba Jay. And, of course, the dead terrorist Ahmed, thanks to whom I probably have everything that I have now. Take, for example, Nut and José Jalapeno on a stick - they, of course, brought me some fame, but a year after the September 11 terrorist attack, I thought: “What can you joke about now?”

  • Jeff Dunham during his performance at the American Country Awards (ACA) - a show dedicated to country music. December 6, 2010, Las Vegas
  • © Kevin Winter / Getty Images / AFP

Take at least the Letterman show (David Letterman is an American comedian, host of the Evening Show with David Letterman program. - RT ) or Leno. In that attack, of course, there is never and will never be anything funny, but after a year they joked about Osama bin Laden, saying: “Where is he? And we don’t know. ” And I thought, "I know where he is." He hid in my trunk with the other characters. But he is half killed, so he must be a skeleton. So I went to the store and bought this ridiculous doll in the spirit of "South Park" and put this thing on her head ...

And then I imagined that those who suffered from the September 11 terrorist attack — widows, parents, children of those who died in that terrorist attack — will sit in the hall. What are they ready to laugh at? What words need to be found to make them laugh and help them live on?

I wrote the material and decided that I would not tighten my tail and go with him to Honolulu or Fairbanks. My performance was ordered at one of the Bananas clubs - ten kilometers from Ground Zero (a site in Lower Manhattan where the towers of the World Trade Center were located. - RT ). I was then quite famous in the club comedy environment ...

The first forty-five minutes of the performance passed - just fantastic, it couldn’t be better, a full house on Friday night. Then I announced: “Friends, we were all waiting for only one news - that Osama bin Laden is dead” (I say this ten kilometers from the site of the attack - the audience is delighted). “Well, tonight we have a special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, Osama bin Laden! ”

And at that moment, it was as if someone from above took a vacuum cleaner and sucked the air out of this room, because everyone had the following view: “What is this California moron going to show us?” And I took out this clumsy idiotic skeleton and started telling the material that I wrote. That night I came up with this threat: "I will kill you!" - and he looked like a complete idiot; terrorist loser ... And everything went perfectly.

After that performance, I began to show it everywhere. Letters of gratitude began to come to me - from the parents of those who were in this war (the conflict in Afghanistan in 2001-2014. - RT ), from the military themselves ... They began to paint Ahmed on helicopters and put the dolls that we sold, to their helicopters, tanks and so on. And then after a few years, I changed his name simply to "Dead Terrorist Ahmed."

- The fact that you manage to circumvent all the subtle moments is worthy of praise ...

“I have a principle: never laugh at someone’s religion.” Ahmed even says: "I am made in China, there’s a sticker on the ass."

- Angry the Chinese!

- Do you know Steve Carell (American actor and comedian. - RT )? He voiced Grew in the cartoon Despicable Me. When he was first asked about this character in an interview, the interviewer asked: “What is his accent?” And he answered: “Uh, well, you know Europe?” "Yes". “Well, sort of.” That's the same with Ahmed's voice. Where is he from? Well, from somewhere in the east.

- Let's play a game. You need a spontaneous reaction, the first thing that comes to mind. Jeff, what is the biggest risk you've ever taken?

- I think we have already talked about this. Most of all I risked with Ahmed. Then I did not know that this was a risk. It just seemed reasonable to me to give out a room with a dead terrorist.

I received threats of violence and the craziest messages, but now, I think everyone knows that he is a safe fool. And then it was - oh! We had a song called Jingle Bombs, which ended up on YouTube. And Ahmed sang: "I rush through the sands with bombs on my backpack and cherish the evil plan for Christmas in Iraq."

We have done it. On YouTube, this video got crazy popularity - and flew around the planet. They shared the military ...

- Did the soldiers like it?

- Oh yeah. Success was on DVD, and on YouTube, and on Comedy Central. It was a perfect combination of circumstances, and in my career there was just a cosmic take-off. So yes - it was Ahmed.

- Favorite movie, my friend?

- In childhood - do you remember this film? - it was the comedy “What's the matter, dock?” ... And now - I don’t know. I’m a big fan of Star Trek. I don’t even like to admit it - it becomes embarrassing - this is the “First Contact” with Patrick Stewart. I like Patrick Stewart.

But I have never been a true connoisseur of Star Trek ...”

- I'll tell you a story. By then, I had already performed twice at Carson's evening show. Mejel Roddenberry (American actress and producer, wife of Star Trek franchise creator Gene Roddenberry. - RT ) called Jim McCauley, who recruited all artists for the evening show, and said: “We're having an evening for Gene, he's 70 years old (it seems) 70 years old . Do you have anyone who can come with a number? ” McCauley replies: “Yes, there is one guy here, you will like him!”.

And here I am in the backyard of Gene Roddenberry's house, all these people from Hollywood are around. And, of course, it doesn't matter to me whoever came there - anyone - but here I see: Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner (and this is Captain Picard and Data)! After the performance, I went up to them ... Do you know how tall Patrick Picard is? That is, Patrick Stewart?

- Yes, I saw him ...

“Somewhere about sixty meters, very low.” But I did not believe my eyes. I went up to them and said: "I just want to tell you ... I do not want to look like a crazy fan, but I really like your game." Patrick Stewart looked at me and says (bass) : "And to me - yours."

- A Twitter user asks: “What would you do if you didn't manage with ventriloquism?” But, since the first doll appeared in your third grade, it seems that you did not build backup plans. Immediately went all-in ...

- I would have a talk show (laughs). I do not know. Well, I have the right to control a helicopter.

- Really?

- Yes. And I make my own dolls myself.

- I know you said that you performed at the (theater. - RT ) The Colosseum in the (entertainment complex. - RT ) Caesars Palace. I really liked ... I am not familiar with Celine Dion, but think only! So many performances in such a short period of time! But it seems to me that she lived in Las Vegas and flew to Caesars Palace by helicopter ...

- Yah.

- And landed ... there must be some kind of platform ...

- Surely.

Somewhere on the roof or something.” And I thought: “Wow! Indeed, for so many years, the vocal cords wear out. ” But look at you - you say that you have several shows in a week. Physically, this is very difficult. I admire professionals who, like you or she, always go on stage. You are always there. You always perform.

- To speak now to an audience of 10, 12, 13 thousand. man is a great responsibility. We have been performing for five nights in a row, my shows last more than two hours. And I work without respite, without wetting my throat. That is, there is a respite, but not water, I have nothing on stage. I work from start to finish.

And I literally give my vocal chords a rest of 20 hours a day. To go on stage and work, I do not answer the phone and do not speak with anyone. This is like maintenance.

See RTD for the full interview with Jeff Dunham.