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 The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter