As
the comedian Louis CK
once
expounded,
you don’t have to be smart to laugh at farts. But you would have to be
stupid not to. And he gives some fairly convincing reasons why the fart
is the perfect joke: it comes out of your ass, it smells like poop
because it’s been hanging out next to it all day long, and it announces
itself with a toot noise when it comes out.
Of
course, Louis CK wasn’t the first to realize the inherent comedic
effect of farts. And since today is
National
Pass Gas Day,
I thought it would be appropriate to recall one of the most epic acts
of flatulent artistry. Over 150 years ago a group of anonymous Japanese
artists created a 34-ft long scroll titled
He-Gassen (屁合戦), literally: “Fart
Battle.”
The
scroll, which was created during the Edo Period (probably around 1846)
in Japan, consists of roughly 15 different scenes depicting people
directing their farts at other people or objects. There are people
farting at each other. There are people farting through objects. There
are people combating farts with fans. There are bags of farts being
released. Trees and cats get blown away by farts. And the scroll
culminates with a divine gust of flatulence knocking over a ceremony
and causing complete and utter chaos.
I guess the Japanese scroll predates Le Pétomane (1904), but you have to give credit to the Frenchman for his "art" and for giving us the term "flautist".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tixKopGjn5s
Important to note that he who farts in church sits in his own pew.
ReplyDeleteTom, you joke really stinks.
ReplyDeleteYou = your
ReplyDelete*sigh*
'I guess the Japanese scroll predates Le Pétomane (1904), but you have to give credit to the Frenchman for his "art" and for giving us the term "flautist".'
ReplyDeleteI obviously didn't catch that auto spell-chek (or some similar program) "corrected" the word that should have appeared as flatulist.
"I fart in your general direction!" French soldier in Monty Python and The Holy Grail
ReplyDelete