“I didn’t need the money in my bag, that was unnecessary,”Kelowna comic Matt Baker said, tongue-in-cheek about his recent financial loss.
Normally, Baker fancies himself a pretty funny guy but he wasn’t laughing this weekend.
“Smashed glass on the ground and no car to be found,” Baker said of what he discovered when we left his gig on Friday night.
While the aspiring comedian was busy delivering punch lines at the Dakota’s Comedy Club on Harvey Ave. on Friday evening in Kelowna, somebody else was busy delivering Baker a gut punch: they stole his blue, 2008 Nissan Sentra from the parking lot.
“Everything would be a good word to use,” Baker said when asked what was in his car at the time.
Baker had just returned to Kelowna after three weeks on the road and was living out of his car while trying to make it as a comedian.
“It had money, it had my passport,” Baker said describing a few of the things stolen with the car.
He lost clothing, several snowboards and a journal of jokes in the theft as well, he said.
And to add insult to injury, Baker only had temporary operators permit from ICBC on his car.
He was planning on selling it along with all of the rest of possessions in order to move to Halifax to help kick start his comedy career, he told Global News.
“They say it’s not covered, you just had the basic insurance, you are not getting anything,” Baker said about ICBC’s response to the stolen car and belongings.
But even still, Baker isn’t looking for a handout.
He refuses his friend’s idea of a crowdfunding page to help him recover.
“We just want to do whatever we can to help with this financial loss,” said friend Kate Belton.
Baker does have two shows coming up in Kelowna. One on Nov. 13th at Fernando’s and one on Nov.15th at Dakota’s.
“We’ll do may be a donation, whatever people are able to give, just to help getting back on his feet,” Belton said.
Kelowna RCMP confirm the vehicle has been reported stolen and has not been recovered.