Noël Godin
Noël Godin is a Belgian writer, critic, actor and notorious pie thrower or entarteur. Godin gained global attention in 1998 when his group ambushed Microsoft CEO Bill Gates in Brussels, pelting the software magnate with pies. After bombarding Gates, Godin allegedly said, "My work here is done." He has been described as "the French-speaking world's best-known prankster."
Philosophy
Godin insists he is non-violent and is careful to use only soft pies made of cream and sponge cake that will not physically hurt his victims, which he purchases from local bakeries. He says his humor can be traced back to Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, the Marx Brothers, Norman Wisdom, and the radical "yippies" of the Youth International Party.A supporter of anarchist causes, Godin targets figures representing elites whom the public has turned against. One of his favorite targets is the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, who has been pied by Godin or one of his accomplices on at least seven occasions.
Pieing targets
Since 1969, Godin has thrown pies at more than 25 people in the fields of culture, politics, and beyond. The list of public figures Godin and his accomplices have targeted with pies includes:- Marguerite Duras
- Maurice Béjart
- Marco Ferreri
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Bernard-Henri Lévy
- Patrick Bruel
- Jean-Pierre Elkabbach
- Hélène
- Philippe Douste-Blazy
- Daniel Toscan du Plantier
- Patrick Poivre d'Arvor
- Priests at Nantes Cathedral
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- Bill Gates
- Bernard Landry
- Jean-Pierre Chevènement
- Jean Charest
- Doc Gynéco