Chatroulette Piano Improv Guy: 'I'm Not Ben Folds!'

(March 23) -- Internet users and media types have recently become obsessed with "Chatroulette," a Web site launched last year that randomly pairs strangers from around the world in face-to-face video chat sessions.

But only in the past nine days has Chatroulette seen the rise of its very own homegrown star -- a hooded, piano-playing improvisational comedian known solely by the names "Merton" and "Chatroulette Piano Improv Guy."

Merton's M.O. is deceptively simple: He logs onto Chatroulette and serenades the people he encounters by playing spontaneous, humorous, topical songs on piano about their appearance or other things going on in the frame around them.


The formula has proven to be digital dynamite. His first (and to-date, only) video, posted on YouTube just over a week ago, rapidly became the highest rated video on the site, earning more than 4.2 million views.

Meanwhile, curiosity over the musician's true identity is intense. Various writers have raised and continue to advance the theory that he is actually popular piano-rocker Ben Folds in disguise. Merton has steadfastly denied this, even updating his YouTube video description for all to read:

"Not Ben Folds. Seriously. Ben is a much better pianist, and listen to the voice on the 'Man in the Dark' part -- totally not his voice at all. Besides, wouldn't Ben cover more of his face to disguise his identity?"

Of course that did little to stop the rumor mill.

But then late last Friday, the authentic Ben Folds added a layer of complexity to the controversy -- paying homage to Merton with a video of his own of a live performance in Charlotte, N.C. Folds dressed the part of Merton and logged onto Chatroulette from the center of the stage, surprising mostly solitary users on the other end of the line with a Web-camera view showing him and his entire audience of some 2,000 fans.

Then, over the weekend, tragedy struck: YouTube pulled the plug on Merton's original video, reportedly due to a violation of privacy terms due to the fact that he had filmed unwitting and thus, non-consenting, Chatroulette users for his production.


Merton was undaunted by the pull, however, and re-uploaded the same video on Monday after blurring out the faces of some of his fellow participants.

Now the enigma has come forward at last, speaking at-length in video interviews with Mashable, Asylum and your very own AOL News. Although he still remained closely guarded about his identity, I learned several interesting things about Merton in the course of our Skype conversation. Here are the top 10 most fascinating:

1. Merton is "absolutely not" Ben Folds.

2. He predicts that his true identity will be uncovered soon "by TMZ, or the Smoking Gun" after they go through his garbage, but he's trying to dissuade them by throwing away "anthrax and poisonous snakes."

3. Merton is named for an imaginary character, "half-Muppet, half-human."

4. Merton has "awesome hair ... even though you can't see any of it" due to his hood.

5. He lives somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

6. He wants somebody to develop a "naked Chatroulette" so the perverts will leave, but he's not "horrified" by them like some people, merely inconvenienced.

7. His idea for "Chatroulette Piano Improv" started out as a plan to play covers of other hit songs by request, but then changed after a friend recommended he start "messing" with people as he does at parties.

8. He's not a big fan of playing songs by Taylor Swift or the Jonas Brothers.

9. He would be open to the idea of making a video with popular comedy music acts The Lonely Island and/or the Flight of the Conchords.

10. More improv videos are coming soon featuring different instruments, including an "Ozzy Osbourne tuba solo in video No. 5."