Is Gary Mule Deer "Esteban"?

Late at night, in the throes of insomnia, I sometimes see a mysterious man selling guitars on television. He wears a broad-brimmed black leather hat, dark glasses, and a black puffy shirt. He wears his hair in a pony tail and when they show a close up of his strumming hand you can see extremely long fingernails flicking the strings in the classical fashion. He says that he is a world renowned guitarist who was struck by a drunk driver several years ago and is now blind in one eye. He calls himself Esteban.

I thought there was something quirky about him and one day I heard a man call in to C-Span, of all places, and claim that Esteban was the comedian Gary Mule Deer. [www.celebrityappearance.com/bios/Gary_Mule_Deer]

I cannot find any material on the internet linking the two except that they have both made appearances on the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. Does anyone know the whole story? If he is playing an imaginary character, is what he’s doing legal? Is this a gag that got out of hand? Was Gary Mule Deer really in an accident which caused amnesia and are sinister forces parading him as this alter ego in order to sell cheap guitars?

Please help. A man’s life could be at stake.

I’ve never heard of Gary Mule Deer, but 5-10 years ago my wife heard Esteban at a lounge in Arizona. She brought me his CD, which has some fine guitar work on it.

So unless Gary Mule Deer is an accomplished guitarist, I don’t think we have match.

www.celebrityappearance.com/bios/Gary_Mule_Deer

“During this time Gary and his roommate, Steve Martin, began to write what would be the basis of their comedy acts for years to come, making them two of the most avant-garde comics around, with their off-the-wall prop humor, combined with Gary’s guitar and Steves banjo music.”

Gary Mule Deer was once a popular comedian and is an accomplished guitarist. I know someone out there remembers him and knows the straight dope about this “Esteban” business.

Where is that know-it-all Cecil Adams when you really need him?

Oddly enough, when I look at Esteban’s picture under his bio on this page, he looks a little bit like Steve Martin. Perhaps we have another Tony Clifton?