A guitar can be good company. In fact, actor Jeff Daniels said he bought a guitar in 1976 to keep him from going insane while he waited for the phone to ring in a cramped New York apartment far away from his Michigan home.

Now obviously more famous, Daniels has told Hollywood that he’s unavailable for acting projects this fall. Instead, he has hit the road with his guitar, touring the country in an RV and bringing a repertoire of stories and songs to audiences who appreciate simple, honest and truly funny entertainment.

And he’s coming to Maine.

Daniels will perform his one-man “First String Actor” show on Friday, Oct. 22, at The Landing in Scarborough, off Route 1.

Think Arlo Guthrie, Steve Goodman and John Prine. Daniels said he has always written songs, but these artists inspired him to tell his own stories and to have fun with them.

“My songs are written with a comedic point of view that tells the truth,” said Daniels while on the road. “Hearing those guys gave me permission to be funny.”

When listening to a recording of “Live at The Purple Rose,” you can’t help but laugh at Daniels’ images of stardom in a bathroom stall and cramped prom shoes on the red carpet. He humbly pokes fun at himself, and really at all celebrities, in a light-hearted, six-stringed way. By the way, he’s no slouch on the ukulele and banjo either.

Listening to Daniels makes you think you’ve known him forever — not from movies like “Terms of Endearment,” “Dumb and Dumber” or “Gettysburg,” but in the way you know your best friend from grade school or your neighbor from the ice storm.

Listening to his songs and stories, you forget how famous he is.

That’s because Daniels never forgets who he is.

“I think it was Gene Hackman who said I went to acting school, not star school,” said Daniels. “Growing up in the Midwest, we have a pretty strong bull …. detector. They probably have that in Maine, too. You learn pretty quickly that the limo you’re in is rented.”

Daniels is a regular guy — a guy from Michigan who takes his acting profession seriously and wants to give others back home a shot at success. This road tour sprang from a fundraiser for The Purple Rose Theater about a decade ago.

As executive director for the theater, Daniels said he and others were brainstorming how to raise money cheaply and quickly. “They said why don’t you go out and sing your songs,” said Daniels. “It sounded like the most terrifying thing in the world. They pushed me on a bar stool one night, and it was terrifying. There’s a nakedness about being out there alone. There’s no character as a safety net.”

But over the years, Daniels found his comfort zone.

“There actually is a character when I go out there as a musician,” said Daniels. “It’s me in a good mood. Once I found that side of me, then it becomes about building the evening. There’s a lot of back and forth with the audience. It’s alive, not just live.”

And just when he’s got you rolling in the aisles, Daniels can draw a tear with a song like “My Old Dog, Fred.” You’ll relate if you’ve ever had a dog, watched him grow old and had to put him down.

When you hear Daniels sing “The Michigan In Me,” you realize that home never leaves you.

Daniels, who said he’s a “big fan of clarity,” brings the same quality to his music stage that makes him so engaging on the film screen. He draws on personal experiences and observations with honest emotion and appreciation for what’s real. Sometimes, it makes you cry. Most of the time, he’ll make you cry. He said to tell you that he’ll try to “entertain the hell out of you.”

Daniels’ 90-minute show will start at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 to a light-fare dinner menu. For tickets, $20, $25 and $30, visit www.thelandingatpinepoint.com or call 774-4527 between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are still available.