The jokes are on this rising star, but please don’t break into his car

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His send off from Kelowna may not have happened in the best of circumstances but the pros outweigh the cons for his move back to town.

Comedian Matt Baker has only returned for about a week, and he’s already set to perform at Dakoda’s Sports Bar and Grill.

It’s a significant venue for him as it’s not only the last place he performed before moving east but it’s where his car and belongings were stolen.

“I’m like, one of those people now who locks their car 600 times,” Baker told Kelowna10.

At first, he wondered if it was a going-away prank by his colleagues. But upon seeing broken glass, Baker realized he had to call police.

Three days later his car was found abandoned in a parking lot but with none of his belongings inside.

He lost about $5,000 worth of possessions including $1,500 cash, passport, snowboard gear, clothes, and sentimental items of no monetary value.

He’s grown from that experience and plans to use it as material for his show. Even without comedy to fall back on he tries to look at the situation with a positive perspective.

“Someone who’s [stealing], if they’re in that situation of desperateness that they need to do that, then I feel bad for them. And I hope better things come to them,” Baker said.

Modest beginnings to Yuk Yuks

His interest in comedy started at a young age with cartoons and Jim Carrey’s The Mask. A young Baker applied for Humber College’s Comedy Writing and Performance program in Toronto.

What discouraged him from continuing the application was stage fright. Performing in front of faculty for a five-minute set is mandatory for entry.

About five years later he moved to Kelowna. Here he got his start in comedy by shaking off the nerves at open-mic nights.

“The west coast brought me a lot of great things and comedy was one of the main ones,” Baker said.

He left for Nova Scotia in 2019 for an opportunity to work with Yuk Yuks, one of Canada’s biggest comedy organizations.

Moving back to Kelowna, he’s looking forward to enjoying all the outdoor recreation and fresh fruit the Okanagan has to offer.

But a bigger motivation to return was driven by, what he calls, an exceptional comedy environment.

“I’ve travelled across Canada and have seen so many different comedy scenes. Pro headliners have seen the Kelowna comics and they’re blown away by the caliber of people here,” Baker said.

“People [of Kelowna] don’t realize how good the comedy is here.”

He explained comedians here compete against each other but also build each other up.

He’s eager to show audiences his improved skills since his last stint and he hopes for a big turnout for Saturday night at Dakoda’s.