In the vibrant world of Parisian cabaret, where extravagant performances captivated audiences every night, few acts were as peculiar or as unforgettable as that of Le Pétomane. Joseph Pujol, the man behind the stage name, astounded crowds not with song or dance, but with a surprising and highly skilled talent—controlled flatulence. His act, blending humour with an unexpected form of artistry, made him a sensation at the legendary Moulin Rouge, leaving audiences both amused and bewildered by the man who could play melodies with his rear.
Joseph Pujol was born in Marseille, on the Cote d'Azur in 1857. The son of a stonemason and sculptor, Pujol discovered his unique talent when he was only ten years old. While swimming in the sea one day, Pujol took a deep breath as he prepared to go underwater, and as he did so, he inadvertently contracted his abdominal muscles. Suddenly, an icy sensation pierced his rear. Alarmed, he rushed back to shore to investigate and was amused to see a flood of seawater pouring out from his bottom.
Over time, Pujol realized he had a remarkable ability—he could draw water into his rectum and expel it with impressive force. His newfound skill made him the talk of his school, where he delighted his friends by creating fountains from his backside. It was said of the young Pujol that "he could wash your walls with just a bucket and a squat."
It wasn’t long before Pujol discovered that water wasn’t the only thing his rectum could take in. On dry land, the same mechanism allowed him to ‘inhale’ air—up to two quarts, as measured by Dr. Marcel Baudouin in 1892. Pujol soon found that by adjusting the force with which he expelled this air, he could create musical notes of varying pitch and timbre.
He began training his rear instrument much like a singer would train their vocal cords. By the time he reached adulthood, Pujol had mastered an astonishing range of sounds and melodies, from enunciating letters of the alphabet to mimicking everyday noises like fabric tearing or the low rumble of thunder.
Joseph Pujol
It was while serving in the army that Joseph Pujol was given the name “Le Pétomane”, which roughly translates as the “fart maniac”. After his discharge, he returned to Marseille and attempted to make a living running a bakery. Pujol would sometimes entertain his customers by imitating musical instruments and claiming to be playing them behind the counter. In the evenings, he performed at local music halls, where he played the trombone, but those who knew him often begged him to showcase his more unusual talent.
Eventually, Pujol closed his bakery and began performing at small theatres and private events throughout southern France. In 1890, he took his act to Paris and persuaded Charles Zidler, founder of the newly opened Moulin Rouge, to let him perform. Pujol’s act was an immediate sensation, and for the next three years, he played to packed houses at the iconic cabaret, delighting audiences that ranged from royalty to the bourgeoisie. According to one fellow performer, Pujol was the highest-paid artist at the Moulin Rouge during his time there.
Pujol’s performances were said to be so uproariously funny that a nurse was often stationed in the audience to assist ladies who, constricted by their corsets, found themselves gasping for air from laughter. Despite the nature of his talent, Pujol’s act was far from vulgar. He appeared on stage in formal attire, fully dressed, with a rubber tube extending from his backside. This tube allowed him to 'breathe' through his rectum and perform a variety of remarkable feats, including playing musical melodies, smoking cigarettes, mimicking wind instruments, and even extinguishing candles from several meters away.
The Moulin Rouge in 1895.
To the relief of his audiences, Pujol’s act was entirely odourless—he ensured this by giving himself an enema before each performance, maintaining perfect hygiene for his unusual art.
In 1894, Joseph Pujol organized an independent exhibition to raise funds for a friend in financial distress. The charitable act, however, did not go down well with the managers of the Moulin Rouge, who were furious at Pujol for violating his contract and fined him 3,000 francs. Outraged by their attempt to control his artistic freedom, Pujol left the Moulin Rouge and joined the Pompadour Theatre’s traveling troupe. He travelled all over France and Europe, leaving waves of laughter in his wake. Pujol’s fame only grew at the turn of the 20th century, attracting illustrious audiences. Among those who came to witness his unique performances were the Prince of Wales, King Leopold II of Belgium, and even Sigmund Freud.
The Moulin Rouge, having lost their star performer, immediately introduced a replacement—La Femme-Pétomane, whose act was a blatant rip-off of the pioneering Pujol. It didn't take long for the audience to realize that the act was a fraud—La Femme-Pétomane used a hidden bellows beneath her petticoats to fake the sounds. Embarrassed by the deception and facing public backlash, the management of the Moulin Rouge was forced to withdraw the act and issue an apology, admitting the act had been an 'ill-conceived joke.'"
Pujol continued to perform until 1914, when the First World War forced him to retire. He returned to his bakery in Marseilles, and later opened a biscuit factory in Toulon. He died in 1945, aged 88, and was buried in the cemetery of La Valette-du-Var, where his grave can still be seen today.
After his death, a Parisian medical school offered Pujol's family the sum of $25,000 francs for the privilege of exploring the late, great entertainer's rectum, which his family refused. His eldest son Louis exclaimed, "there are some things in this life which simply must be treated with reverence."
Suggested reading:
# Le Petomane, by Jean Nohain and F. Caradec
References:
# Alison Moore, “The spectacular anus of Joseph Pujol: Recovering the Pétomane’s unique historic context”, French Cultural Studies
# Joseph Pujol, L’incroyable Petomane du Moulin Rouge, 1887-1914, Tourisme-marseille.com
# Le Pétomane: The Strange Life of a "Fartiste", Garrick H.S. Brown
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