Joseph Pujol: the fart composer

Joseph Pujol was no ordinary man. He could fart the high and low notes. That’s right, fart. To him, farting wasn’t merely a way to release bodily gases. It was a creative way to express himself, as strange as that may sound. He was capable of imitating sounds such as animal calls, musical instruments and thunder. Not only could he produce those sounds, he could produce sounds using actual musical instruments.

And how did he come about his strange yet amazing talent? One day at the beach Pujol submerged under the water and while he held his breath, he felt a cold sensation rushing up his butt. Panicking, he went ashore and shockingly, water was pouring out from his rear end. His doctor told him that it was normal. (Normal… really?) It was then that Pujol realized he had control over his sphincter. Not only that but he could also suck in air… through his rear end.

When he was in the military, he would amuse his fellow soldiers by sucking up water and spraying out the water a few yards away like an elephant can. And while working at the bakery, he would amuse his customers by pretending to play an instrument, when really imitating the sounds by farting.

Believing that no talent should be left in the dark, he decided to perform on stage. He made his debut in Marseille. Pujol’s act was successful; he moved to Paris and proceeded the act to Moulin Rouge. His stage name was “Le Petomane,” or “The Fart Maniac.” But only two years later, he decided to leave to pursue his own travelling show called the Theatre Pompadour. And so for the next decade, he performed “softer” or “gentler” acts by imitating animals. His greatest performance however, was the imitation of the San Francisco earthquake.

When WWI had broken out, the dismayed composer returned to Marseille to continue working at the bakery. Pujol, the controller of his own rectum, had passed away in 1945.