Joseph Pujol

Joseph Pujol

Le Petomane (1857-1945)

You just can't get enough fart jokes. Paul Rubens' character was the only redeeming part of "Mystery Men". Your favorite paranoid conspiracy has to do with ABC editing the audio on the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles. You considered moving to Japan when you found out that a less literal interpretation of kamikaze ('divine wind') referred to heavenly flatulence.

"Why," you often wonder to yourself in the Central Market cheese aisle, audibly snickering while you watch somebody slice a 3-foot wheel of parmiggiano*, "Why isn't there an artist who can appeal to my fascination with bodily gasses?"

The answer is: There was. His given name was Joseph Pujol. On stage he was Le Petomane! The Fartiste!

Pujol discovered as a boy that he had more control over his eliminatory orifice than most people he knew. Somebody made a movie about all the intervening stuff. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evwLzR57wsc.) Anal ventriloquism, playing an ocarina with a butt-tube, blowing out candles a yard away, and all the other fun things you'd get up to if your butt could sing on cue.

In 1887 he started doing the act on stage. In 1892 he came to the Moulin Rouge as their higest-paid act ever ($80K per show in today's money). Forget everything Baz Luhrman told you about the Can Can and the courtesans....In his short 2-year stay, Le Petomane was the most successful artist in the history of the place. They cut him loose for doing a benefit show and he opened his own theater. He worked until WWI broke out and two of his sons were wounded in battle. For 27 years, Pujol floated on a cloud of lucrative celebrity bought with fart jokes.

The Blazing Saddles reference wasn't accidental. Mel Brooks' character was Gov. William J. LePetomaine. Pujol was not the first or last of his kind, either. 12th Century Japan had a class of performers called Oribe and medieval Ireland had Braegetori...I guess before they could afford bagpipes. If you have the stomach for it, you can google Mr. Methane to find present-day practitioner of performance-pootery.

Lessons I take from Pujol: 1) Don't turn your nose up at a laugh. There is no shame in being a one-trick pony if it's a really good trick. 2) Management does not deal in charity. 3) The French fascination with Jerry Lewis starts to make more sense.

And here, for your listening enjoyment, is a 105-year old recording of a guy doing fart jokes, with real farts. This guy happens to be one of the many Pujol imitators, not the man himself, and it's in French.

*Now that's cuttin' the cheese!

 

Comments

JakeFlores's picture
by JakeFlores - Dec 6 2009 - 2:39pm

this is amazing. what's also amazing is that his name is poo-holes.

DougE's picture
by DougE - Dec 9 2009 - 12:46pm

Was just wondering if perhaps there was a female equivalent during this period.
A Queen LaQueefa, maybe?

Isaac's picture
by Isaac - Dec 9 2009 - 10:28pm

I farted "shave and a haircut" once. It was awesome.

I think I have a new hero!

Thanks, Chad Warren!