If you’re at a coffee shop with Dan Fontaine ordering a banana-nut muffin, he’ll tell you that was his nickname in high school. And just as you begin to consider whether people actually called the 6-foot tall dark blonde 28-year-old a pastry, he’ll say “just kidding.”

“There’s really stupid things I say all the time,” said Fontaine, a comic based in Champaign. “It comes out at least once a day, (my girlfriend) is going to punch me in the mouth soon.”

Although Fontaine’s jokes offstage might only receive a nervous pity laugh or a shaking of the head, he has a better reputation for his onstage performances. In the fall, Fontaine performed at a Mission 180 event, a nonprofit organization that works with at-risk youth in the Champaign-Urbana area.

“It was a great show,” said Jeff Hunt, director of Mission 180. “Dan got them laughing and people loved him. Lots of good comments about him.”

Hunt said Fontaine was even funnier than the comedian he opened for at the event.

“There are comics all over the place, but I really like how he paints a perspective about things and makes you laugh about things that (you) may not normally think are funny,” Hunt said.

“It’s a lot of observational stuff,” Fontaine said about his routine. “I’ve gotten a little more political lately, but basically it’s just about my perspective about things. There’s no hook or theme.”

Fontaine moved to Champaign from Atlanta last August with his girlfriend, Laura Sullivan, who is a graduate student at the University.

He grew up in a small, comedy club-less town in Alabama. He studied business management at Auburn University in Alabama, where he saw live comedy for the first time.

“(Business management) worked out fine, but I decided I wanted to do comedy instead,” Fontaine said.

While working at a bank back home, Fontaine tried his luck at comedy at a local bar that was hosting a comedy night.

“I think my first joke was about the Ford Super Duty truck,” he said. “I think it was something about ‘why would someone want to buy it, a truck named super duty?’ It was a really bad joke. I don’t really remember what I said, but it was three minutes of glory.”

Tonight Fontaine will have a whole hour of glory when he performs at the Cowboy Monkey in Champaign. Laura Sullivan, Fontaine’s girlfriend, is especially excited for the event.

“I think (his jokes) are great,” Sullivan said. “Obviously I think he’s hilarious but it’s interesting for me because I get to see the whole creative process.”

Sullivan and Fontaine met while both were waiting tables in Atlanta – Sullivan was deciding on a grad school and Fontaine was earning money and trying to start up his comic career. Fontaine was teaching the training class that Sullivan had to take in order to work at the restaurant.

“In the class that I took he was really hilarious,” Sullivan said. “Everyone in the restaurant knew him as the comedian.”

“We met in Atlanta and you know, fell in love,” Fontaine said. “She decided to move here, I just came with her.”

Fontaine had been working hard while on the road and since he got here to set up a show, and his work has finally payed off.

Fontaine hopes everybody shows up.

“I’ll be telling one hour of bad jokes,” Fontaine said. “Come check it out.”

Dan Fontaine will be performing at Cowboy Monkey, 6 E. Taylor St. tonight, April 12. The comedy night starts with Ward Gollings at 9:15 p.m., Mike Coulter at 9:30 and Fontaine coming on at 10 until 11. Tickets are $5.