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March 21, 2010 3:17 AM Subscribe
SLYT: Ben Folds responds to Merton's Chat Roulette Improv (slightly NSFW: language)
Ben Folds found out about Merton's piano improv and performed his own Ode to Merton at a concert in Charlotte, NC last night.
Previously.
Ben Folds found out about Merton's piano improv and performed his own Ode to Merton at a concert in Charlotte, NC last night.
Previously.
Brilliant. Cheers.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:42 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:42 AM on March 21, 2010
Soon Chat Roulette will just be people serenading each other.
posted by Elmore at 3:45 AM on March 21, 2010 [11 favorites]
posted by Elmore at 3:45 AM on March 21, 2010 [11 favorites]
Did chatroulette get a new agent or something? I swear I've seen it mentioned at least once a day for the past two weeks, when previously it was only heard of in 4chan style nethoods.
posted by dabitch at 3:48 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dabitch at 3:48 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Hey man sitting on the toilet!"
T
H
I
S
I
S
partner
A
W
E
S
O
M
E
you
posted by zerobyproxy at 4:07 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
T
H
I
S
I
S
partner
A
W
E
S
O
M
E
you
posted by zerobyproxy at 4:07 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Song For The Guy Taking A Dump
posted by hal9k at 4:17 AM on March 21, 2010 [12 favorites]
posted by hal9k at 4:17 AM on March 21, 2010 [12 favorites]
This is the best celebrity-seizes-onto-popular-meme moment yet. Certainly a thousand times better than "John Mayer recreates 'Two Girls One Cup'".
posted by CRM114 at 4:18 AM on March 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by CRM114 at 4:18 AM on March 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
Song For The Guy Taking A Dump
Still Fighting It; Brick; Gone
posted by djgh at 4:19 AM on March 21, 2010 [29 favorites]
Still Fighting It; Brick; Gone
posted by djgh at 4:19 AM on March 21, 2010 [29 favorites]
I never thought Merton sounded like Ben Folds, but I noticed the original video now has a giant I AM NOT BEN FOLDS AND HERE IS HOW I CAN PROVE IT message on it. I suppose a rumor started and spread, but kudos to Ben for playing along. That was hilarious.
posted by mathowie at 4:26 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by mathowie at 4:26 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Why did they edit out the penises? It probably took them two hours to get that five minute video.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:32 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:32 AM on March 21, 2010
This is one of the many, many reasons I love the Internet and living in the future.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:40 AM on March 21, 2010 [14 favorites]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:40 AM on March 21, 2010 [14 favorites]
"Soon Chat Roulette will just be people serenading each other."
You know, I'm OK with that.
posted by Mcable at 5:42 AM on March 21, 2010 [6 favorites]
You know, I'm OK with that.
posted by Mcable at 5:42 AM on March 21, 2010 [6 favorites]
Ben Folds = awesome.
posted by headnsouth at 5:42 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by headnsouth at 5:42 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
This is hilarious!
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:02 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:02 AM on March 21, 2010
I've always adored Folds and his music, and now, I think he's an absolute media genius. This has made my day, OP, thanks!
posted by dbiedny at 6:05 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dbiedny at 6:05 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
"if you turn your head I win" was the best.
posted by dabitch at 6:10 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by dabitch at 6:10 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Would have been funny if he had changed the channel and actually gotten Merton. Dueling Mertons.
posted by fungible at 6:37 AM on March 21, 2010 [9 favorites]
posted by fungible at 6:37 AM on March 21, 2010 [9 favorites]
This. This is what makes this whole series of tubes totally freakin' sweet. I've always been a Folds fan. This just cements his place in the History of Awesome.
posted by PROD_TPSL at 6:55 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by PROD_TPSL at 6:55 AM on March 21, 2010
Soon Chat Roulette will just be people serenading each other.
Someone on MeFi a whiles back now gave away their brilliant billion-dollar idea of having webcam internet karaoke, and I've been telling interested parties that I'm gonna do it now, any day now, I swear, put this thing together and watch it fly. But then, yeah, Chatroulette.
posted by carsonb at 6:57 AM on March 21, 2010
Someone on MeFi a whiles back now gave away their brilliant billion-dollar idea of having webcam internet karaoke, and I've been telling interested parties that I'm gonna do it now, any day now, I swear, put this thing together and watch it fly. But then, yeah, Chatroulette.
posted by carsonb at 6:57 AM on March 21, 2010
By the end of the week, Guy on Toilet will be world-famous. We are truly living in a time of marvels.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:02 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:02 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
"if you turn your head I win" was the best.
It's a rather poor knockoff of the original.
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism at 7:18 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
It's a rather poor knockoff of the original.
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism at 7:18 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Can't chat. Batin.'
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:19 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:19 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Maaan, what if Merton had looked nothing like Ben Folds? Good job, Merton's parents.
Just like they planned.
posted by RokkitNite at 7:21 AM on March 21, 2010 [7 favorites]
Just like they planned.
posted by RokkitNite at 7:21 AM on March 21, 2010 [7 favorites]
Ben Folds ad libs a song based on unintelligible yell from crowd.
posted by starman at 7:24 AM on March 21, 2010 [36 favorites]
posted by starman at 7:24 AM on March 21, 2010 [36 favorites]
Well done. I'm going to to see Ben tonight in Richmond. I wonder if this will be part of the show again, or if he just did it for his hometown crowd.
posted by emelenjr at 7:36 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by emelenjr at 7:36 AM on March 21, 2010
starman: "Ben Folds ad libs a song based on unintelligible yell from crowd ."
Now that's, pardon my English, fucking brilliant! Favourited!
posted by bwg at 7:37 AM on March 21, 2010
Now that's, pardon my English, fucking brilliant! Favourited!
posted by bwg at 7:37 AM on March 21, 2010
Someone on MeFi a whiles back now gave away their brilliant billion-dollar idea of having webcam internet karaoke, and I've been telling interested parties that I'm gonna do it now, any day now, I swear, put this thing together and watch it fly. But then, yeah, Chatroulette.
Too late
posted by burnmp3s at 7:40 AM on March 21, 2010
Too late
posted by burnmp3s at 7:40 AM on March 21, 2010
Starman: that song became the song "Hiroshima". Lala link.
posted by emelenjr at 7:42 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 7:42 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
I wonder if this will be part of the show again, or if he just did it for his hometown crowd.
It's an honor for a big celebrity to do an homage to your act once, but if Folds starts making it a normal part of his gig, then it's just ripping off Merton's idea. I doubt he will.
posted by grouse at 7:50 AM on March 21, 2010
It's an honor for a big celebrity to do an homage to your act once, but if Folds starts making it a normal part of his gig, then it's just ripping off Merton's idea. I doubt he will.
posted by grouse at 7:50 AM on March 21, 2010
Man, I love Ben Folds, and I love the internet. This living in the future stuff has turned out to be totally entertaining.
posted by sugarfish at 7:58 AM on March 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by sugarfish at 7:58 AM on March 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
Id love to see Dave Grohl do this.
posted by photoslob at 8:08 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by photoslob at 8:08 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Merton really is a BF look-and-sound-a-like, he even has this slight Southern twang in a few of his words. I am in love with both of them :)
posted by sararah at 8:29 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by sararah at 8:29 AM on March 21, 2010
From the crowd. (Also, if you read a bit down, Merton comments himself)
posted by ColdChef at 8:32 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by ColdChef at 8:32 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
There was someone else who Merton reminded me of and it's been sticking in my mind all morning. It finally kicked in, he looks (and talks a bit) like Sam Rockwell with glasses.
posted by jeremias at 9:46 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by jeremias at 9:46 AM on March 21, 2010
This is just completely wonderful. Just watched the Merton and Folds one both for the first time. The dawning smiles on some people's faces are just great, great, great.
posted by haveanicesummer at 10:02 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by haveanicesummer at 10:02 AM on March 21, 2010
The first few commenters in the YT video that starman linked state that they had never heard of Ben Folds until they saw the ChatRoulette video. Which means that a lot of people first heard of the random nobody internet-celebrity who merely looks like the well-known musician, before they actually heard of the musician himself.
I'm not sure if this is a subtle indication of a momentous change in the nature of celebrity in the internet age, or just...sad.
posted by googly at 10:48 AM on March 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
I'm not sure if this is a subtle indication of a momentous change in the nature of celebrity in the internet age, or just...sad.
posted by googly at 10:48 AM on March 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
Chatroullette ought to just shut down now. This is its peak.
posted by the bricabrac man at 12:28 PM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by the bricabrac man at 12:28 PM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
To be honest, I preferred Merton. Maybe it had something to do with the absence of 2000 people looking to be entertained.
Googly, perhaps part of the draw was that Merton was doing something interesting in a service that had become infamous about its free anatomy lessons and tedium. I, for once, had never before listened to Ben Folds, so there was no "looks like a famous guy!" allure. Just something interesting.
posted by ersatz at 12:37 PM on March 21, 2010
Googly, perhaps part of the draw was that Merton was doing something interesting in a service that had become infamous about its free anatomy lessons and tedium. I, for once, had never before listened to Ben Folds, so there was no "looks like a famous guy!" allure. Just something interesting.
posted by ersatz at 12:37 PM on March 21, 2010
This is what we should see when we look up "awesome".
I love Ben Folds. I would happily become his fifth wife. Or Sam Rockwell's first (assuming he's straight?).
posted by ohyouknow at 12:48 PM on March 21, 2010
I love Ben Folds. I would happily become his fifth wife. Or Sam Rockwell's first (assuming he's straight?).
posted by ohyouknow at 12:48 PM on March 21, 2010
I preferred Merton despite my love for Ben Folds, although I did love the audience's reaction.
I thought Merton was much quicker with the ad libbing, though I thought the part where Ben is trying to play minor chords while looking sideways was hilarious.
posted by Wuggie Norple at 12:52 PM on March 21, 2010
I thought Merton was much quicker with the ad libbing, though I thought the part where Ben is trying to play minor chords while looking sideways was hilarious.
posted by Wuggie Norple at 12:52 PM on March 21, 2010
The funny leap for Chatroulette, what has made it more than what it is, has been YouTube. Chatroulette on it's own is odd and one-trick-pony and novel, but once you can show, via YouTube, what you've done with Chatroulette, then Chatroulette (for me at least) turns into something interesting. It's a perfect marriage of two otherwise completely unrelated things, a really interesting symbiosis for being pretty unintentional.
I liked Merton better as well, but strangely the whole time I was watching him I was thinking about how much I like Ben Folds.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:55 PM on March 21, 2010 [7 favorites]
I liked Merton better as well, but strangely the whole time I was watching him I was thinking about how much I like Ben Folds.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:55 PM on March 21, 2010 [7 favorites]
This is one of the many, many reasons I love the Internet and living in the future.
Aw, that warms a tech-nerd's heart.
Also, this is about the best thing ever. If this happened to me, I would bust out my old Poly-800 and harmonize badly but enthusiastically.
Can someone who knows about flash video and stuff please make a version of ChatRoulette just for Mefites?
posted by Xezlec at 1:23 PM on March 21, 2010
Aw, that warms a tech-nerd's heart.
Also, this is about the best thing ever. If this happened to me, I would bust out my old Poly-800 and harmonize badly but enthusiastically.
Can someone who knows about flash video and stuff please make a version of ChatRoulette just for Mefites?
posted by Xezlec at 1:23 PM on March 21, 2010
Never heard of either of them. But wonderful. Chatroulette is increasingly poorly named. Conversation doesn't work like that. I like what is evolving here. Good point From Bklyn.
posted by fcummins at 3:12 PM on March 21, 2010
posted by fcummins at 3:12 PM on March 21, 2010
This actually prompted me to go onto chatroulette for the first time just now.
I got two stoned dudes in Poland who were pretty cool. It turns out I was their first CR experience, too, and they, too, were motivated to try CR because of the Ben Folds video. So neat.
And then it was a parade of cocks.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 3:39 PM on March 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
I got two stoned dudes in Poland who were pretty cool. It turns out I was their first CR experience, too, and they, too, were motivated to try CR because of the Ben Folds video. So neat.
And then it was a parade of cocks.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 3:39 PM on March 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
Xezlec -- Interesting you mention that, as I think Reddit did something similar some weeks ago.
posted by jpziller at 6:23 PM on March 21, 2010
posted by jpziller at 6:23 PM on March 21, 2010
This is one of the many, many reasons I love the Internet and living in the future.
This is one of the many, many reasons I love Ben Folds. He always puts on a great show, even before Chatroulette came along.
posted by geeky at 7:24 PM on March 21, 2010
This is one of the many, many reasons I love Ben Folds. He always puts on a great show, even before Chatroulette came along.
posted by geeky at 7:24 PM on March 21, 2010
Just got back from the Ben Folds show at The National in Richmond, VA. Sure enough, he spent about 15 minutes on Chat Roulette. There were dicks.
Also, there was a brief interlude where Chat Roulette stopped working because the Flash plugin crashed Safari, so Ben fired up iPhoto and showed off photos from his collection. He's quite the photographer.
posted by emelenjr at 8:21 PM on March 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
Also, there was a brief interlude where Chat Roulette stopped working because the Flash plugin crashed Safari, so Ben fired up iPhoto and showed off photos from his collection. He's quite the photographer.
posted by emelenjr at 8:21 PM on March 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
So who has bets on when the first Chatroulette murder occurs?
posted by haveanicesummer at 9:57 AM on March 22, 2010
posted by haveanicesummer at 9:57 AM on March 22, 2010
For those interested, Ben often shares his photography via his Twitter account @BenFolds.
posted by geeky at 11:05 AM on March 22, 2010
posted by geeky at 11:05 AM on March 22, 2010
Merton's original Piano Improv video has been taken down for "Terms of Use Violation." Anyone know what's up with that? All I can think of is that one of the people in the video decided they didn't like the attention.
posted by wanderingstan at 5:35 PM on March 22, 2010
posted by wanderingstan at 5:35 PM on March 22, 2010
I loved this! Thanks so much for posting this video!
posted by onlyconnect at 6:15 PM on March 22, 2010
posted by onlyconnect at 6:15 PM on March 22, 2010
Wow, Merton explaining the joke kinda . . . doesn't help the joke.
posted by Mid at 4:36 PM on March 27, 2010
posted by Mid at 4:36 PM on March 27, 2010
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The original idea was fun and good execution, now even better that Ben Folds himself picked up on it.
I wonder if anyone will do a guitar version?
posted by bwg at 3:30 AM on March 21, 2010