a mighty wind

August 20, 2006 9:00 AM

The Fart Heard Round the World. An extraordinary performer, who farted for his living for 20 years, Le Pétomane (YouTube) was the highest paid stage artist of his time in 1897 France. He farted songs, impressions of people, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and farm animals, among other things. The management of Moulin Rouge had to hire nurses to help members of the audience who passed out laughing so hard. He was pusued for many years by an obsessed doctor. Two movies were made about his life in English, the 1979 short film (33 minutes) of Le Pétomane (Google video) and in 2005 Parti Avec Le Vent, which translates as Gone With the Wind. [more]
posted by nickyskye (39 comments total)

Le Pétomane, Wikipedia.

Trailer for the 2005 movie, Le Pétomane.

Full movie of the 1979 version of Le Pétomane (33 minutes) available also in 5 parts.

A contemporary fartiste, Mr. Methane, explains his technique, farts on TV and accompanies The Blue Danube.
posted by nickyskye at 9:01 AM on August 20, 2006

I have nothing constructive to add but the word 'fartiste' has just made my day.
posted by pieoverdone at 9:07 AM on August 20, 2006

the Ugo Tognazzi movie is still pretty fucking awesome
posted by matteo at 9:14 AM on August 20, 2006

This must be a double? I've heard about this froggy windbag every few months or so since I started reading Metafilter.
posted by Meatbomb at 9:18 AM on August 20, 2006

Here comes the DoublePosse once again to ruin a perfectly aromaic thread by questioning its legitimacy based on perceived repetition. So what if it's a rerun? There's a REASON why TV plays reruns. Not everyone catches a rerun the first time. Cut it out. It's schmaltzy, juvenile, and unbecoming.

MetaFilter: Policing duality since 1997.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:28 AM on August 20, 2006

« i .. am an anal .. impressionnist .. »
posted by zenzizi at 9:29 AM on August 20, 2006

I'll bet he was no Fartin' Rudy.
posted by UKnowForKids at 9:31 AM on August 20, 2006

« .. absolutely unnecessary, my performance is odorless .. one thing the critics cannot say of a petomane's performance, is that it stinks .. »

hahaha that movie rocks. thx!
posted by zenzizi at 9:36 AM on August 20, 2006

Previously on MeFi. (Different links, so not a double, but useful background.)

ZachsMind, don't be a jerk. Double posts are against the rules here at MeFi. If you don't like the rules here, start your own site and make all the double posts you want. If you don't feel like doing that, fine, stick around and enjoy the double posts until they get deleted, but for fuck's sake don't bitch at the people who are trying to make sure the rules are followed. It's schmaltzy, juvenile, and unbecoming.
posted by languagehat at 9:37 AM on August 20, 2006

Meatbomb, Oops, I meant to include the previous MetaFilter post and thread on the subject in 2004. The cool 1979 and 2005 movies were recently uploaded to Google and Youtube, which is why I thought it might make a decent new post.
posted by nickyskye at 9:43 AM on August 20, 2006

Drat, should have pressed preview, thanks for including the older thread languagehat.
posted by nickyskye at 9:45 AM on August 20, 2006

Personally I don't really care if doubles get posted, I'm just sayin' is all. Based on what I read at MF, it would seem this farting dude is one of the top 10 or so French contributions to world culture.

I wonder if Frenchmen travelling abroad always get asked about this guy, like people asking english speakers about the excellent rock band "Smokie"... like how we joke that Hasselhof is popular in Europe, Frenchmen joke about how the whole world loves Le Pétomane, and they just don't understand why.
posted by Meatbomb at 9:45 AM on August 20, 2006

On many an occasion someone's brought to the blue's attention something that was mentioned previously on a day I didn't happen to visit. Then it got deleted cuz it was mentioned a month ago and the FPP wasn't even repliable anymore. There's rules and then there's common sense.

You're calling me a jerk? Don't preach to me the rules, sonny, and don't tell me if I disagree with you I gotta go make my own MetaFilter. It's schmaltzy, juvenile, and unbecoming.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:03 AM on August 20, 2006

Someone's going to do the tagline thing with schmaltzy, juvenile and unbecoming, aren't they.
posted by Hildegarde at 10:10 AM on August 20, 2006

sonny?
posted by found missing at 10:10 AM on August 20, 2006

Metafilter: Someone's going to do the tagline thing [...] aren't they
posted by zerokey at 10:18 AM on August 20, 2006

don't tell me if I disagree with you I gotta go make my own MetaFilter

Sorry, I may have come across more harshly than I intended. Look, I've discovered good stuff in double posts too, and I was glad I happened to catch them before they were deleted. I've even double-posted myself. But you know what? I was totally cool with all those double posts being deleted, including my own, because the anti-double-post rule is one of the things that makes this community work. Everything has its upsides and downsides, but this one is a pretty clear call. It's fine to regret the demise of doubles you happen to like; it's not fine to insult people who are trying to follow the rules. Are you with me so far? Good, now if you can refrain from insulting people who have higher user numbers than you you'll be darn near a saint.
posted by languagehat at 11:00 AM on August 20, 2006

Someone's going to do the tagline thing with schmaltzy, juvenile and unbecoming, aren't they.

What's wrong with that? I love current humor... Anyone got any good Clinton jokes or overlord references? Shit, maybe it even vibrates - no one asked about that!
posted by Dark Messiah at 11:03 AM on August 20, 2006

Tightasses arguing with loose-asses. Hmmm.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:09 AM on August 20, 2006

Unless I missed it in the links above, there's no mention of the currently running Fringe Festival play, the fartiste, on the same subject...
posted by mdn at 11:12 AM on August 20, 2006

double schmubble, the 1979 film is directed by Ian MacNaughton? Amazing...
posted by headless at 11:17 AM on August 20, 2006

I'll have to add this guy to Roy Orbison and Willie Nelson on my list of singers that can't be imitated.
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:39 AM on August 20, 2006

Previously.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:43 AM on August 20, 2006

languagehat stole my previously
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:44 AM on August 20, 2006

I imagine if he is inhaling through his anus or however you might say it they won't light, that was always the best part for me untill I lost some hair.
posted by Iron Rat at 12:10 PM on August 20, 2006

The Crimson Petal and the White has a scene where he or someone just like him performs, too. (but it's set earlier -- 1870s)
posted by amberglow at 12:23 PM on August 20, 2006

Dr. languagehat, I find your probings unnecessary and unkind. I hope you have satisfied your unwholesome curiosities. For as long as I shall dwaw bweath, you shall never again dally in my nezzer-regions.
posted by horsewithnoname at 1:39 PM on August 20, 2006

Breaking Wind: Legendary Farts
posted by pracowity at 2:00 PM on August 20, 2006

In any of those earlier posts that this one doubles, did anyone mention Mel Brook's role as Governor William J. LePetomaine in Blazing Saddles? Given the classic fart scene in that movie, it seems that the French fartiste's renown was already as wide spread as goatse's similarly talented instrument.
posted by beelzbubba at 2:24 PM on August 20, 2006

Well, beel, I was *about* to...
posted by baylink at 3:38 PM on August 20, 2006

I love this post/thread - and while I remember the old one, and in fact have several books with a chapters on Le Pétomane - I have never seen any video or audio - it just never occurred to me to look for any! Not to mention that things come and go on YouTube - so that anything you looked for a week ago may or may not still be there. I don't count this as a double post. Not to mention that I kept thinking during the Google flick that any moment the Monty Python theme would start to play.

So thank you, nickyskye!
[insert laudatory trumpet blast noise a le Petomane ici!]
posted by batgrlHG at 3:42 PM on August 20, 2006

(Oh duh, Ian MacNaughton - thanks headless, that explains a lot!)

(Also - did anyone find any sound files online? The guy apparently recorded an album...)
posted by batgrlHG at 3:45 PM on August 20, 2006

languagehat: "Good, now if you can refrain from insulting people who have higher user numbers than you you'll be darn near a saint."

So this here preachin' MeFi etiquette to a three digit user number, it vibrates?
posted by ZachsMind at 3:54 PM on August 20, 2006

fart fitness
posted by madamjujujive at 4:23 PM on August 20, 2006

omg mjjj, sitting here with tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks - no not those ones. Loved that clip! Txs. :)
posted by nickyskye at 5:02 PM on August 20, 2006

Metafilter: That was always the best part for me until I lost some hair.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 5:51 PM on August 20, 2006

I'm passing on these links. In fact, I think someone ought to gas the whole thread...
posted by stenseng at 10:42 PM on August 20, 2006

Gas, eh? Charming...

I'm going straight to these links ASAP.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:14 AM on August 21, 2006

*sniffs air, lights match*
posted by jonmc at 6:32 AM on August 21, 2006