Comic Gutierrez relies on his life experiences.
He’s been a Bexar County jury bailiff. He’s driven VIA buses. He’s an Army veteran. But Rick Gutierrez’s dream job for the past 33 years has been making crowds laugh around the world. The San Antonio comedian grew up on the South Side, and his life experiences are threaded throughout his stand-up routine.
At first, testing which jokes would kill with laughter or die in silence terrified Gutierrez. The stage became his proving ground for delivering self-written material, with every giggle and guffaw building his confidence. Now, with mic in hand, Gutierrez walks across spotlighted spaces, zeroing in on random guests as he riffs on dodge ball, childproofing houses and being a good dad.
For Gutierrez, the link to laughter is life.
“You become a comic who has comedy eyes, and everything you see is funny,” he said. “Comedy is having a conversation between you and the audience.”
This coming weekend, Gutierrez will be a host of the second annual HA Comedy Festival: The Art of Comedy in San Antonio. The lineup includes more than 20 Latinx performers at five venues around the city from Sept. 17-19. Gutierrez will host the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows featuring local comics at Jokesters 22 Pub ’N Grub, 713 S. Alamo St. Tickets are available at hacomedyfest.com.
Gutierrez’s résumé includes starring in FUSETV’S Fluffy’s Food Adventures,” “I’m Not Mad, I’m Just A Parent,” a Netflix one-hour special, and the Comedy Central series, “Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-up Revolution.” His work is also featured on Instagram at @funnyrick, Comedian Rick Gutierrez on Facebook and Twitter at @comicrick.
Jeff Valdez, creator and executive producer of the HA Comedy Festival, said the event “serves as a wonderful incubator for young Latino talent to be considered based on their skills as opposed
to their ethnicity.” He said five comedians from last year’s festival were hired as actors on the new HBO Max series, “The Garcias.”
He recalled seeing Gutierrez’s show in 1996 at the Rivercenter Comedy Club.
“Ever since then, we have always kept in contact,” said Valdez, principal of New Cadence Productions. “He has not only participated in the festival but also helps other comics craft their sets so they will be ready for their closeup. Rick is a tremendous asset to our festival.”
Gutierrez, the fifth of six children, was a cut-up in school. He loved the creative classes and his best time was as a band geek, playing several instruments. He was 11 when he first heard the albums of comedy icons Richard Pryor and George Carlin at a neighbor’s house, sharing one Schlitz beer with his older brother and six of his friends. After one listen, Gutierrez knew he wanted to follow the legends’ example.
After a tumultuous childhood, Gutierrez left home in the 10th grade. He was 16 when he dropped out of Harlandale High School and enlisted in the Army. After completing his GED, Gutierrez was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia, learning difficulties that affected his reading and math problem-solving skills in school.
“The Army changed my life,” Gutierrez said. “It gave me discipline and was eye-opening. There was a lot of personal building there.”
Eight years later, he separated from the military. Gutierrez returned to San Antonio, where he had an amazing wife of 26 years and two beautiful children.
He tried to make 8 to 5 jobs work, but by his late 20s, he knew comedy was his future. Gutierrez developed thick skin at open-mic nights at clubs like the Wild Turkey Saloon, Fiasco’s and countless other one-nighters that no longer exist.
“Every night, I was able to see
what I had for dinner because my nerves were so thick,” Gutierrez said. “I wasn’t stupid enough to quit.”
He soon received a sign he was on the right track. After his grandmother Esperanza Espino died, the late comedian and actor Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez visited Gutierrez to pay his respects and share how she had helped his career in the 1950s.
Gonzalez revealed that when he was striving to succeed as a comic, Espino, a singer who performed at the Alameda Theater and Mi Tierra Cafe, spoke on his behalf when a club manager wouldn’t let him on stage.
“If he doesn’t get up, I don’t get up,” she said. The manager relented and let Gonzalez perform.
“I’m so grateful she did that for me,” Gonzalez told Gutierrez.
Gutierrez said it was amazing to meet the actor who worked with movie stars like John Wayne and Jerry Lewis and appeared on the Groucho Marx Show.
About the author
A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-news subscribers every Monday morning.
Gutierrez worked at the Rivercenter comedy club as the house MC for four years. Then, feeling confident enough to take his act on the road, he booked gigs across the country. The comedian said there were only four Latino comics on the road in the Midwest at the time.
At a club in South Bend, Ind., the owner questioned if the comic could connect with the local crowd.
He told Gutierrez: “If you only have Latino jokes, you better leave and go write funny material and come back tonight.”
“If I can’t make them laugh,” Gutierrez replied, “you don’t have to pay me, and I’ll take off.”
Gutierrez said the crowd roared at his musings about life.
“I talked about relationships and raising kids,” Gutierrez said. “They didn’t look at my skin. It wasn’t about viewing my color. I’m a comedian who happens to be Latino.”
The comic is branching out to other facets of his profession. He’s delved into writing material for himself and collaborating with his friend Iglesias. Gutierrez has produced appearances by other artists and is writing scripts for future projects. But no matter which role he inhabits, he’ll always return to stand up.
“It’s like I’m home,” Gutierrez said. “It’s what I was meant to do. It’s like Christmas and New Year’s Eve rolled up into an hour of comedy. And it’s cheaper than a therapist.”