Paris at the turn of the century was a hotbed of artistic natural action . Pablo Picasso , Henri Matisse , Gertrude Stein , Marcel Proust , and many other acclaimed writer , panther , instrumentalist , and performers made Paris their stomping primer coat in the recent 19th and early 20th centuries . One such performance artist , Joseph Pujol , rose to celebrity around this time as a flatulist . Yes , a professional farter .
During a puerility visit to the beach , a young Pujol had discover that he could “ inhale ” water into his butt . And lo , every untested boy ’s aspiration became his reality . First he contented himself with frivol away powerful jets of water out of his rearward terminal , but finally he realized he could intake air as well , allowing him to make as many raucous fart sounds as he wanted . It was n’t as gross a rocking horse as you might conceive of : Since he was n’t actually farting out gas from his digestive cart track , his anal anthem did n’t olfactory property .
Pujol ’s accelerator number , under his stage name “ Le Petomane ” ( the word “ favorite ” means flatus in French ) became a star at the Moulin Rouge , and the flatulist would tour the human beings for more than two decennium . He perform impersonation of songs and specific audio , like the noise fabric makes when it rips . He was eventually discovered by Thomas Edison , who was working on an invention that would bring auditory sensation and reek to a movie .
Edison register Le Petomane ’s bit at the World ’s Fair in 1900 in Paris . The sound ( and whatever smell might have play along it ) have since been lost , but the picture show itself is still around :
Pujol left the theatrical man after World War I , motivate to Marseilles to execute a series of bakehouse . Thanks to being immortalized in one of Edison ’s other film , Le Petomane ’s talents have not been draw a blank . In 2011 , Pujol became the bailiwick of an off - Broadway musical calledThe Fartiste .
And lest you reckon fart performances are consigned to history , recognize that there are still flatulists fanning the dying artistry . A UK - establish performing artist nicknamedMr . Methaneconsiders himself an heir to Pujol ’s anal retentive voicing technique . Becausefart jokeswillnevergo out of style .
Additional informant : “ Cheeky Behavior : The Meaning and Function of ‘ Fartlore ’ in Childhood and Adolescence "
