Fart is the bodily function of passing intestinal gas also known as flatus through the anus.
Female interviewer: Have you heard of Mr. Methane?
- No.
- Gentleman that does the... I guess you could give a little... Male interviewer: He's a professional farter.
Female interviewer: Do you know of any professional farters?
Uh, no, as a matter of fact... No, but do you know who might pay him?
He could become one.
Oh, really?
Well, they've been around, I think, professional farters, for a-- for a number of years.
( record player needle scratches ) ( man speaking French ) Jim Dawson: Because, you know in France for example, in the late 19th century one of the top, uh... one of the top stars in Paris was a guy named Le Ptomane whose act at the Moulin Rouge was farting.
Paul Oldfield: Le Ptomane, um... Well, Le Ptomane, whose real name was Joseph Pujol, performed at the Pink Windmill at the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
And he was-- where the famous can-can dancers perform, and he was the highest paid act.
He grossed more than the pop stars of the day, which were the opera singers, and he performed a fart show.
Even back in the days, you know, in Roman days, there was Le Ptomane character then.
Beyond that it's very difficult to get the actual facts.
And he could suck wind into his anus and then he could expel it at will.
And he had such control over his sphincter that he could-- that he could imitate musical instruments, animals, birds, and he would often add, "My mother-in-law." ( laughs )
Oldfield:
See, you get this thing you don't know how much he's become... Hollywood-ized, if you like... How much of it it's been pumped up for the movie.
And-- it's-- it's-- I suppose it's difficult to know how... It's difficult to get to the bottom of it, really.
I would say that's the-- that's the problem.
And for a couple of years, they would actually have medical people in attendance because women, especially with their corsets, you know, with-- They would go into these hysterics over this guy.
He was so funny that they would-- they couldn't catch their breath and they would be passing out and-- and-- and so these people would rush up and, I guess, loosen their corsets.
But-- but he was extremely funny and-- and-- and, you know, even today, there are people who, you know, are still doing that like Mr. Methane over in England.
