Ben Folds Jokes About Online Impersonator in ChatRoulette Set

When a pianist named "Merton" began improvising piano ditties for the people he encountered on ChatRoulette and posted the clips on YouTube, many — including New York's Vulture blog — speculated that the hooded performer was actually Ben Folds performing in disguise (the resemblance is pretty uncanny). As Merton's videos became increasingly viral — he's collected over four million views in 11 days — Folds' publicist finally denied the singer is the ChatRoulette star, according to EW. Merton's video description was later updated, reiterating that he is not Folds. However, at a concert this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, Folds impersonated his impersonator by performing an "Ode to Merton" live onstage and on ChatRoulette in front of 2,000 fans, penning impromptu odes to the random strangers Folds and the crowd encountered on the video-chat site.

Folds' video, like Merton's, opens with a disclaimer that the clip will feature dirty words. (Folds also says the video was edited to omit all penises, which anyone who uses ChatRoulette knows is a creepy epidemic on the site.) Some of the strangers Folds meets include a man on the toilet and "Bobby," a dude holding a sideways sign that reads, "If you turn your head, I win." Odd, odd characters, and Folds, donning a hoodie, does his best to ensure his own viral ode to a viral video replicates the success of its predecessor. We're hoping both Folds and Merton keep this up, as watching songs about ChatRoulette users is almost as fun as using the site itself. Check out the original Merton clip below:

Related Stories:
• Matt Taibbi's 2000s Playlist: From Ben Folds to A Tribe Called Quest
• Ben Folds Five Revive "Reinhold Messner" at Inaugural MySpace "Front to Back" Show
• Ben Folds Five Reunion: "The Chemistry Is Back"

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter