# 1984 - Did a French vaudeville star once specialize in trained flatulence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 4, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433 "2003-04-04T12:23:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brynie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@Brynie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynie)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/1 "2003-04-04T12:23:14Z")
Just to let anyone who really is interested in this 'art form (very childish). A national radio show in the UK (Mark Radcliffe Show) has the charming Mr Methane on as a guest every Christmas. He entertains the listeners with novel renditions of christmas carols. He is available for bookings… This is a national radio show and can be picked up via the Radio 1 link on the BBC website (its also good the rest of the year round) at [www.bbc.co.uk](http://www.bbc.co.uk) - webcast at 2pm GMT ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/2 "2003-04-04T12:25:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brynie \* > \*\*Just to let anyone who really is interested in this 'art form (very childish). A national radio show in the UK (Mark Radcliffe Show) has the charming Mr Methane on as a guest every Christmas. He entertains the listeners with novel renditions of christmas carols. > He is available for bookings… > > This is a national radio show and can be picked up via the Radio 1 link on the BBC website (its also good the rest of the year round) at [www.bbc.co.uk](http://www.bbc.co.uk) - webcast at 2pm GMT \*\* So what is the debate? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/3 "2003-04-04T12:38:01Z")
Yes. Read the book _Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women_ by Ricky Jay. Or, read Cecil’s column on Le Petomane [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_394.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_394.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/4 "2003-04-04T13:13:30Z")
Can’t _anyone_ say something nice about the French?!?!??? ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/5 "2003-04-04T13:20:30Z")
The show sounds like a real gas. It would be a real tough act to follow, particularly if you had to re-use his microphone. ---
**Author:** ![Brynie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@Brynie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynie)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/6 "2003-04-04T13:59:02Z")
Thanks for the replies, I thought I may have crashed the wrong thread (Newcrasher seemed to imply). Its just nice to lift people’s days. Jackmannii - I’m not being unfair about the French, just a French trait (Mr Methane is English!!!) ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/7 "2003-04-04T14:43:16Z")
I saw the lovely Mr. Methane live in the flesh. He wears a super hero outfit with an ‘M’ on the front and uses talcum powder to show that the noises are genuinely the result of flatulence. This was at The Church, London’s antipodean ex-pats’ sunday morning tribute to all that is tasteful. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/8 "2003-04-04T15:20:30Z")
He should take his act to Spain under the stage name Muchos Gassyass. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/9 "2003-04-04T15:26:28Z")
A “French trait”, huh? I was gonna offer you a shovel, but you’re digging that hole plenty deep on your own. 😃 You “rosbifs” are all the same. Jingoistic insults, derivative flatulence… ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1984-did-a-french-vaudeville-star-once-specialize-in-trained-flatulence/166433/10 "2003-04-04T15:34:31Z")
Le Petomane was, incidentally, the highest paid performer at the Moulin Rouge at that time. In early drafts of the script to the film _Moulin Rouge!_ Baz Luhrmann had a Le Petomane character who farted along with the opening medly, but apparently changed his mind about that bit later.