Trickery's his game

Jun. 29—Whether it's juggling, kicking a Hacky Sack or doing both at the same time, Matt Baker is well-known for his surreal tricks on both a national and worldwide level.

Baker, a professional variety entertainer, has returned to the Palouse to share his one-of-a-kind show again. He'll be performing comedy and stunts in both Latah and Whitman counties, debuting tricks that have taken him decades to learn and a few he's invented on his own.

Growing up, Baker joked he was destined to be a professional baseball player because he was born with "stellar" coordination. But after picking up Hacky Sack and competing professionally, his love for sports quickly grew into a passion for out-of-the-ordinary tricks.

"Coordination came very easily in sports and learning stuff that requires physical activity came very easy to me, too," Baker said. "This is certainly my passion, I love learning new skills, tinkering with things, but also I really love performing and connecting with an audience."

At 17, Baker began his career in alternative sports where he competed in world Hacky Sack championships, which landed him on the Hacky Sack Hall of Fame.

Snickers, the candy bar company, saw his achievement and reached out to him with an opportunity to tour Europe. He accepted, and put on shows around the country demonstrating his Hacky Sack skills.

"Snickers was teaming up with alternative sports as a kind of promotional campaign," Baker said. "It was a really cool thing, and when I was done, I was like, I don't want to ever work if I'm not doing this. When I got back I figured out a way to sort of put together various skills I had, and it sort of led me to this career, essentially."

When Baker returned to the U.S., he quickly learned there wasn't a lot of money to be made in the Hacky Sack world, and found a job touring the nation doing school assembly programs.

Baker would juggle, Hacky Sack and do tricks for kids, which he said was a hit in elementary schools, but high schoolers would "eat him alive." He began to work comedy into his routine, and said it was a success with older kids.

Catch Baker in Moscow today at the Moscow Public Library from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and at East City Park from 6-8 p.m. He'll be touring Whitman County on Friday, and can be seen at the Garfield Library at 12:30 p.m. and the Uniontown Community Building Gym at 3 p.m.

To learn more about Matt Baker and his comedy and stunt shows, visit his website at comedystuntshow.com.

After two years of touring schools around the U.S., Baker moved to Seattle when he was 20 to reconnect with an old friend. He had an idea to create a show using his skills and comedy, and with the help from his friend they wrote a comedy and stunt show. They began to street-perform in the Seattle area, and after 20 years the show Baker was performing for change has grown into a worldwide sensation.

Baker said he goes wherever he can get gigs, which has taken him all around the U.S. and international waters on cruise ships. He's been featured on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," "Tosh.0" and "America's Got Talent."

As well as his comedy and stunt show, Baker has been flown out to many countries to be on the "Guinness World Record Primetime" TV show. He holds three Guinness world records, including having the most bowling balls kicked off his foot and caught on his forehead in 30 seconds, most leapfrogs in a minute while juggling three objects and the fastest time juggling three objects while taking off five articles of clothing and passing them to another person to put on.

While Baker has been able to tour the world, he said the Palouse is one of his favorite places to perform. He said although he returns to perform in Latah and Whitman counties because of his job, he also keeps coming back because of the people.

"Not all audiences are created equal," Baker said. "Every show I've done out here has been well-attended, and people always laugh and have big smiles on their faces. People seem genuinely happy out here, and it's contagious. The people here just know how to be a good audience."

Catch Baker in Moscow on Thursday at the Moscow Public Library from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and at East City Park from 6-8 p.m. He'll be touring Whitman County on Friday, and can be seen at the Garfield Library at 12:30 p.m. and the Uniontown Community Building Gym at 3 p.m.

To learn more about Matt Baker and his comedy and stunt shows, visit his website at comedystuntshow.com.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com