For Jeff Daniels, a man best known for his acting in roles such as the slapstick "Dumb and Dumber" and the slightly more intelligent "The Squid and the Whale," the thought of a side musical career isn't as far-fetched as some might think.

Daniels' acting career has taken him many places since the late ‘70s, including Broadway. During a year-and-a-half stint on the Great White Way doing musicals like "God of Carnage," the actor realized that his blossoming musical career shared something with acting and comedy.

The answer came in the phrase "ba-bomp-bomp."

"There's a rhythm to comedy and there's rhythm to a punch line," said Daniels -- who plays at Turner Hall on Wednesday -- in a recent phone interview.

"Ba-bomp-bomp. You've probably heard that phrase and there's a rhythm to it."

At first, it wasn't apparent to him how much there was but the repetitive nature of doing eight shows a week for eight months made it obviously clear.

"You know if you do the rhythm of the line like this you'll get the laugh," Daniels says. " If you don't you won't. And it's musical in a way, doing comedy. It was cool to learn the similarity between music and comedy."

The Michigan's native rhythm in playing music has certainly grown over the thirty or so years to the point where a friend suggested he do a show. Daniels plays guitar and handles singing and songwriting duties while making it clear he's not just a singer/songwriter relying on his famous acting career.

OnMilwaukee.com caught up with Daniels to talk about his songwriting and about his passion in playing for crowds in the Midwest.

OnMilwaukee.com: Over the many years of pursuing music you've developed a genuinely revealing and sometimes tongue in cheek look at little things you notice about life. What's your philosophy of being a musician and making a song?

Jeff Daniels: I kind of write stuff that's point of view that's my take on the world or my take on a particular subject. The trick is making it entertaining for an audience so it's not just something that just happened to me or about me but something that's about them or something they can relate to. Then in a way it becomes their song, their take on the world, or at least they're open to it. That's what you're looking for when you're writing or putting new stuff into the set list.

OMC: Which are the songs you're most proud of writing?

JD: The ones you're proudest of surprise you because they work better than you thought they would. Certainly, I'll do stuff and it dies usually a very slow death in front of an audience. You swear it's funny and it's not. Comedians know this. The jokes they think are going to kill don't. There's certain songs were you're like "What the hell's wrong with it?" and you go back and work on it and throw it up and maybe it works and maybe it doesn't.

There are ones that you write that just become tent poles -- they call it in Hollywood a tent pole movie -- where it's a song that you have to have in your set because it's such a highlight. Those are the ones that just surprise you and I'm probably most proud of.

OMC: What's an example?

JD: "Grandfather's Hat." It's a serious song but I'm always gratified when people relate to it so strongly. I had no idea. I liked wearing hats and someone came up to me when I was wearing it going "Is that your grandfather's hat?" And you're going "No, but it's similar to one he wore." It's a song about a keepsake, a necklace or a hat or a ring or something of someone that is no longer here that you miss that you have on your person.

People would come up and hear that song and they'll say "It just made me cry because I wear my aunt's ring or mother's necklace" or whatever. It's interesting for me to hear songs like that and the reaction to them, how strong and how much emotion it can evoke in somebody.

OMC: You've said that it's a challenge for an actor to be taken seriously a traveling musician. Now that you've done it for a bit has that notion changed?

JD: I don't have to worry about it too much. Those who aren't interested don't come at all. But those who are curious or know me from the movies and know, "oh, I know he plays, let's go spend the night and see how he is." If they're willing to take even a little chance, then I've got them because I've been doing it for 10 years. I don't have to apologize for the fact that I'm known for something else.

Usually about 15 minutes in, they realize that they're in good hands and it's going to be fine; that it wasn't a rip off and I don't suck and that they're going to actually have a good time. That's how it goes and (that notion) gets less and less with people who've seen me before or are aware of the music, not a big percentage but a percentage of them.

So that's what's weird, they're hoping you're going to play this song or that song. Suddenly you feel like James Taylor or someone and you're going "Really? You actually know that?" It's about getting people to relax and understand this is part of what I do.

OMC: Music's certainly acted as an escape from your busy acting life and you've mentioned it's a chance to make something entirely yours. Could you talk a little bit about that?

JD: The music is all me. I write it, I perform it, I direct it, I cut it, and I edit it. I change it on the fly. All the blame, all the glory. Film that isn't the case. In film you do a scene five different ways and you hand it to them and a year later you find out what they did with it. Broadway you're doing somebody else's words and you're working with other actors and relying on them and they are relying on you. So there's a wonderful freedom that comes with being creative on your own and I like that a lot.

OMC: You're a founder and executive director of The Purple Rose Theater and you've helped donate with the help of your CDs (note: proceeds from his three CDs -- "Live & Unplugged at The Purple Rose," "Grandfather's Hat" and "Together Again" -- go directly to The Purple Rose). Why is that important to be for you to be a part of?

JD: Because I knew even when I was starting to get into movies, or even theater in New York, that there was more going on, more that I was interested in. It was all under that creative umbrella but the same umbrella but I wanted to write. I was writing before I knew I was a writer. I had a notebook full of songs, most of which were terrible.

But I was writing and if somebody would go, "Are you a songwriter?" and I'd go, "No, not at all." They'd go, "Oh what's that notebook?" and I'd go, "Oh that's where I put songs that I happen to write." "So you are a songwriter?" "Oh no, not at all. Nobody's going to hear them."

It was more to keep me sane and a creative outlet years later when I had the Purple Rose and had to raise money. I went back into the notebook just to see which ones if any would work. Since then I've written stuff designed to go straight towards an audience. It's been a crazy trip.

OMC: The live shows seem to capture the best of all worlds of comedy and music and really connect with the audience.

JD: If they aren't entertained I've failed miserably. I really want to get around on guitar so the guitar players are satisfied. I want to make them laugh harder than they have in a long time but I want to use some of that laughter to set up some of the more serious stuff.

So they've got a complete A to Z evening, a wide range of what it can be. And also you also get them up dancing and get them doing this drunken dance they do in the upper peninsula of Michigan called the "Big Bay Shuffle" and next thing you know they're doing something they've never done before. It makes the whole evening special and that's the goal. The goal is to make them leave talking about it.

OMC: Speaking of lasting impact any special moments while touring?

JD: Yeah, they have been a few. I was playing in Portland, Oregon with Keb' Mo', a great Grammy-winning artist and guitarist. He's given me a lesson or two over the years. He came out on stage with me and played a couple songs. I played Birdland in New York, that's a cool place to play. I also sat in once with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt and Guy Clark when their songwriting tour came through Michigan. I hooked up with them before the show and they said, "Why don't you sit in?" That was a huge, huge turning point in the night.

OMC: Anything special planned for the Milwaukee show?

JD: No, other than it's a good town. I've played The Pabst Theater a few years ago and I like staying out the New Yorks and Chicagos and L.A.s and going to the Milwaukees and Detroits and places like that. The people are pretty receptive and if they're willing to have a good time, if they're willing to go "I'm with you from start," then it'll be a great night.

OMC: What's next for you musically?

JD: I have a couple things I'm working on. But I can't talk about it because we're still negotiating the deal and it could all blow up tomorrow. There are a couple things that might incorporate the music a little bit in 2011. But I have a hell of a lot of gigs to play between now and Christmas so I'm going to have a good time.