# Mr. Methane

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-methane/50381>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 16, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-methane/50381 "2001-01-16T20:51:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![2planka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/a8b319/32.png) [@2planka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2planka)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-methane/50381/1 "2001-01-16T20:51:07Z")

</div>

Channel surfing the other night I was (a) shocked, (b) appalled, © amused, and (d) disgusted to see a fellow calling himself Mr. Methane (pronounced meethane) on Howard Stern’s show. His act is akin to “name that tune” but instead of notes he uses “natural” gas. This flatulant fellow farts out entire scores on command. How’s he do this?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-methane/50381/2 "2001-01-16T21:03:07Z")

</div>

I dunno how Mr. Methane does it, but in the early 1900’s there was a French Vaudville comedian who did a similar act. He was reported to have complete conscious control of the muscles in his lower abdomen, and would ‘flush’ his system by drawing large quantities of water up into his colon, and expelling it, repeatedly. He then would draw air up into his colon, and do a ventrilloquist act, and ‘impersonate’ well-known people and stereotypes with his flatus.

I understand he ws a big hit for a number of years.

Go figure.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-methane/50381/3 "2001-01-16T22:21:43Z")

</div>

Here’s Cecil on the French “fartiste”, [Le Petomane](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_394.html).

Arjuna34

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-methane/50381/4 "2001-01-17T04:06:34Z")

</div>

Maybe you can figure it out by listening to his album. Yes, I said _album_. It, and info on Mr. Methane can be found at his [website](http://www.mrmethane.com/). You can also find information on his new home video.