Mr. Methane
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| Mr Methane | |
|---|---|
| Pseudonym | Mr Methane |
| Birth name | Paul Oldfield |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1991-present |
| Genres | Speciality act |
| Website | www.mrmethane.com |
Paul Oldfield, born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, North West England, is better known by his stage name Mr. Methane. He is a British flatulist or "professional farter" who started performing in 1991[1]; he briefly retired in 2006 but re-started in mid-2007; he claims to be the only performing professional flatulist in the world.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Background
According to When Will I Be Famous? (2003)[3], a BBC book on British variety acts, Oldfield discovered his ability at the age of fifteen when practising yoga. The next day he performed twenty rapid fire rasping farts in under a minute for a group of his friends. It became so popular he made it into a regular event. At this time he did not become a professional, but instead started working for British Rail eventually getting promoted to Train Driver. It is alleged that his BR career came to an end when his train ran away through Sheffield station and this frightened him into retiring from the footplate for good. The word of his odorous ability spread. In the late 1980s he was transferred to the Buxton motive power depot in Derbyshire. There he met a driver called Paul Genders who played in a Macclesfield based soul/blues cover band called The Screaming Beavers. Paul invited Mr. Methane to perform as a guest artist. The audience loved his performance, and he decided to try it as a career.
[edit] Professional career
On stage, he wears a bright green-and-purple skin-tight costume with cape and mask,[4][5][6] looking like a superhero. In some early performances, he appeared as support act to UK cult music group the Macc Lads who, in 1990, wrote a song about him entitled Mr Methane[7]. He become a full time flatulist in 1991 and performed in Europe,[4] North America,[8][9] Asia[2] & Australia,[5][10][11] including appearances at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal,[9], the Edinburgh Fringe and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[10][11] He also made numerous television & radio appearances, including several editions of Eurotrash, TFI Friday and The Slammer in the UK and several editions of the Howard Stern TV show 2000-2002[8] in the US; he became particularly popular in Sweden (through his appearances on various Robert Aschberg shows) and in Japan.[2]
In 1998, BBC News reported that insurance companies had refused to insure his bottom.[12]
In 2000, he released the self-titled album mr methane.com including his renditions of The Blue Danube, the 1812 Overture and Swan Lake. It was produced by former Jethro Tull drummer Barriemore Barlow who was, for a time, his manager.
On 10th October 2007 he appeared live in the studio on BBC Radio 1's Breakfast Show with Scott Mills. Here they played a game of name that tune using the medium of farting, causing most members of the team to leave the studio.
On 31 December 2007 he appeared on the The Podge and Rodge Show 2008 New Year's Eve Special With Frank Bruno in Ireland on RTE2 where he counted down to 2008 with his bottom.
[edit] Discography
- Methane, Mr (1999), Trouser Trumpet ASIN B00000JB5F
- Methane, Mr (2000), Mr Methane.com: Anal Madness from the Man With the Rumbling Ring ASIN: B00004WN21
- Methane, Mr (2001), Merry Methane: A Feast of Festive Flatulence
- Methane, Mr (2002), Anal adventures at sausage fest featuring guest star appearances from "Ant the Pant" Mcnally
[edit] DVDs
- Methane, Mr (2000), Mr Methane Lets Rip! ASIN B00004D03A
[edit] See also
[edit] Books
- Chapter on Mr Methane in Kelner, Martin (12 June, 2003). When Will I Be Famous. BBC Books. ISBN-10: 0563487771 / ISBN-13: 978-0563487777
- Featured in Foster, Tim (1 November, 2007). Superman's Pockets. FiveFootSix. ISBN-10: 0955704006 / ISBN-13: 978-0955704000
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Pile, Stephen, "Ride The Wild Wind". Sunday Telegraph' (London), Review Section p. 7 (June 27, 1993)}
- ^ a b c {Independent, 31 January 2004].
- ^ amazon.co.uk page for "When Will I Be Famous".
- ^ a b Kelner, Martin: When Will I Be Famous (2003). BBC Books. ISBN-10: 0563487771 / ISBN-13: 978-0563487777
- ^ a b Review in The Age (Australia), 20th March, 2005].
- ^ Foster, Tim: Superman's Pockets (2007) FiveFootSix. ISBN-10: 0955704006 / ISBN-13: 978-0955704000
- ^ Lyrics to Macc Ladds' song Mr Methane.
- ^ a b Howard Stern appearances listed on IMDB.
- ^ a b Video of Mr Methane at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
- ^ a b Review in The Age (Australia), 8th April, 2005].
- ^ a b Review on Chortle, UK comedy industry website, April, 2005].
- ^ How The Stars Cover Their Assets (BBC News), 31st July 1998.
[edit] References
- The Independent ( London ), 1st January 1994 - front page article.
- Daily Telegraph (London), 17th March, 2001
- Interview/feature in The Age (Australia), 20th March, 2005
