Sonoma County, California
Sam
Guttman
Comedian Artist Guitarist
Sonoma County, California
Comedian Artist Guitarist
About
Sam Guttman was born in Paris, raised in Los Angeles, and eventually landed in Sonoma County — which he'll tell you is the sweet spot. Along the way he lived and worked in Berlin, Paris, and the Middle East, held something in the neighborhood of 55 different jobs, and built his own homes and furniture.
For over two decades he worked as a stand-up comedian and musician across the United States, headlining at Bally's and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and sharing stages with George Carlin and Will Durst. His comedy draws from real life — family, place, the absurdity of getting through the day — told in a voice that's warm, sharp, and entirely his own.
He is also an accomplished fingerstyle guitarist and composer, and a visual artist whose mixed media work — clay, bones, steel — reflects both his humor and his darker, more quirky side. His art has been shown at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, among other venues.
These days Sam volunteers at the Sonoma County Air Museum and teaches anyone to swim, free of charge.
Comedy
The guy that stole the show was Santa Rosa's Sam Guttman, an average guy with better-than-average looks and a fantastic wit.
The Napa Valley Register
Guttman exudes a natural sense of comedy and talent whether on-stage or off. His stories are the ones other comedians can't steal — because they're entirely his own.
Benicia Herald
His act is accompanied by guitar playing and a variety of anecdotes that hit home.
Benicia Herald, 1989
Guttman has performed in Las Vegas and across the United States — and he is, as he puts it, "a real Sonoma County guy. I can fix your sink."
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Art
"Agnostic Art: believe in the work, but don't take yourself too seriously." Sam's mixed media sculpture — in clay, bones, and steel — is not meant to just sit there and look pretty. It should be touched, often it moves, and should make you smile or groan. It's all good.
Music
Fingerstyle guitar — bass, melody, and rhythm all on a single instrument. Somewhere between John Fahey and Leo Kottke, and entirely his own.
Fingerstyle Picking
Balcony TV — Hosted by E.G. Daily of Rugrats Fame
Press
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
On Saturday, Jan. 11, Sam Guttman, a Sonoma County-based comedian and musician, will perform at the Northwest Santa Rosa Library. Guttman, an instrumental fingerstyle guitarist, said his style is kind of Celtic and gypsy, "a cross between Leo Kottke and John Fahey (a steel string acoustic guitarist)."
Guttman, who has performed in Las Vegas and across the United States, said he will likely play his guitar, "bass, melody, and rhythm all on the same instrument," as well as tell a few jokes and stories. Guttman said although he has performed with comedy greats George Carlin and Will Durst, he is "a real Sonoma County guy – I can fix your sink." "I've had over 55 different jobs. You could drop me in Syria with a butter knife and I'd get out."
Guttman said his comedy focuses on everything from family to the Sonoma County lifestyle. "I talk about my mom; she's at that squirrely age where she's had 8 car accidents in the past 2 years. Six of them were in her own driveway." Guttman said his stories are the ones that other comedians can't steal because they are based on his real life experiences. "Sometimes (you think family members differ but) people just bypass generations. I hear my children talking and I realize, 'Oh my God, my parents are still here. They're in my children!'"
Guttman said the key to his success has been to keep creating. "Your music is like your comedy. People want to hear the same stuff over and over. You have to move forward with the next thing." Guttman said paying attention to the world around him, particularly to the environmental movement and politics, helps him keep his material fresh. "(Recently) I did a bit about how my next guitar will be made out of a thrashed Toyota Prius. The best thing about this guitar is it'll be really quiet."
Benicia Herald
A veteran of the local comedy circuit, Guttman has an extensive background as a musician and actor. He says he spent many years avoiding comedy. "I was afraid it would take away what I enjoy, and that's humor. If it became a business then it wouldn't be spontaneous."
But Guttman needn't worry about losing the humor. The man is hilarious and exudes a natural sense of comedy through stories with a wide range of appeal. Guttman refers to himself as looking like a "good ol' terrorist or Abdul the Rug Merchant" and says he often makes airport personnel nervous. His act is accompanied by some guitar playing and a variety of anecdotes that hit home.
The Napa Valley Register
Any good comedy has its basis in tragedy. It is a hair's breadth removed — not the tragedy of death, but the abiding one of life. "Let's face it — most comedy is cruel, which is why we like it so much. Yet, as Woody Allen points out, 'comedy teases a problem — it pokes fun at it — yet it never really confronts it.'"
The Napa Valley Comedy Café greeted its first audience last evening. Headliner Ellen DeGeneres, a 27-year-old looker from L.A., spent 45 minutes talking about family, friends, pets, fears, foibles, and relationships. In fact she picked on her grandmother a lot. "My 97-year-old grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60" DeGeneres told us. "Now we don't know where the hell she is!"
For my taste, however, I felt that DeGeneres forced a number of her laughs and seemed to go on much too long with too little to say. She is a funny lady, but should confine her stint on stage to about 20 or 25 minutes. The rest is just filler.
The guy that stole the show was Santa Rosa's Sam Guttman, an average guy with better-than-average looks and a fantastic wit. Case in point: "I managed to save a couple of hundred dollars. Then my car found out about it."
Contact
For inquiries about performances, art, or anything else — get in touch.