Ben Folds Message Board - thesuburbs.org.uk
General => General Board => Topic started by: toin9898 on March 15, 2010, 07:11:03 PM
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My friends and I have been trying to figure out if the mysterious hooded chatroulette pianist is in fact, Ben. Then I thought, where better to go than TheSuburbs.
I figure you guys ought to be experts on identifying him.
He sounds like him, looks like him, plays like him and has the same sense of humour, but is it really Ben?
Clicky (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32vpgNiAH60)
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That guy is awesome! He looks a little bit like Ben Folds, but his voice doesn't sound anything like him. Very good piano improv skills. Ben would be proud. Someone should show him this video.
If all the people on Chat Roulette were like that, it would be an awesome site. But it's 97% creepers.
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This guy made my day so much better.
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Ha, I just saw this guy on another forum I post at. No doubt he's a Ben fan. I haven't tried this Chat Roulette and probably don't want to, but this guy has redeemed my faith in people on the internet.
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That guy is terrific. How come when I'm on chat roulette, all I get is dudes with their wieners out? Where's Merton when I'm on?!
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That guy is terrific. How come when I'm on chat roulette, all I get is dudes with their wieners out? Where's Merton when I'm on?!
your post made me laugh! I think Ben would be not only amused by the video but from reading thru these comments about chat roulette as well.
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That guy is awesome! He looks a little bit like Ben Folds, but his voice doesn't sound anything like him. Very good piano improv skills. Ben would be proud. Someone should show him this video.
If all the people on Chat Roulette were like that, it would be an awesome site. But it's 97% creepers.
97% creepers? But half of them have their dicks out!
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I like how on the video info he added he's not Ben folds...
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I love the people in the comments who are convinced it's either Ben or Jermaine Clement. Because it's not like any other people can be insanely talented.
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Someone on the other forum I post at wondered (and I wonder this too) how many penises he must have encountered doing this, and if he sang to them too.
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Long time, no post...
In my opinion, there is no doubt in my mind that it is Ben Folds.
1) He looks like him.
2) He goes at length to disguise his appearance.
3) His voice sounds like he would unmic'd
4) His playing style is the same.
5) His lyrical/improv style is very similar.
His laugh at the end really gives it away too...
But outside of this forum, the secret's safe with me. I think it's more entertaining when people don't know it's him.
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His name backwards is "Not Rem." Whatever that means.
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A friend sent me a link to Merton last night. f*cking hilarious. I hope he braves all the scary dicks on that site and makes more videos.
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Long time, no post...
In my opinion, there is no doubt in my mind that it is Ben Folds.
1) He looks like him.
2) He goes at length to disguise his appearance.
3) His voice sounds like he would unmic'd
4) His playing style is the same.
5) His lyrical/improv style is very similar.
His laugh at the end really gives it away too...
But outside of this forum, the secret's safe with me. I think it's more entertaining when people don't know it's him.
Why would Ben feel the need to disguise himself and deny that it's him? If he was really doing it, why wouldn't he post it on his twitter, telling his fans to check out the funny thing he did on chat roulette.
But more importantly, I think it's very possible, in the 6 billion people that there are in the world, for there to be another person that looks a little bit like Ben Folds, and is also talented at piano improv. It's not that rare. However, I don't agree that his voice is at all similar to Ben Folds. Especially when he's just talking, like when he says "oh, come on!" His accent is totally different.
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Tis no way Ben Folds.
nor is it Jermaine from FoTC.
But i still admire him just him the same.
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Tis no way Ben Folds.
nor is it Jermaine from FoTC.
But i still admire him just him the same.
This.
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He's definitely not Ben, and even more definitely not Jemaine. But I'm sure he's a Ben fan.
So, Merton, if you're out there, say hello.
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Long time, no post...
In my opinion, there is no doubt in my mind that it is Ben Folds.
1) He looks like him.
2) He goes at length to disguise his appearance.
3) His voice sounds like he would unmic'd
4) His playing style is the same.
5) His lyrical/improv style is very similar.
His laugh at the end really gives it away too...
But outside of this forum, the secret's safe with me. I think it's more entertaining when people don't know it's him.
Why would Ben feel the need to disguise himself and deny that it's him? If he was really doing it, why wouldn't he post it on his twitter, telling his fans to check out the funny thing he did on chat roulette.
But more importantly, I think it's very possible, in the 6 billion people that there are in the world, for there to be another person that looks a little bit like Ben Folds, and is also talented at piano improv. It's not that rare. However, I don't agree that his voice is at all similar to Ben Folds. Especially when he's just talking, like when he says "oh, come on!" His accent is totally different.
Maybe because Ben has a pretty clear history of enjoying the Andy Kaufman effect. He seems to get a kick out of screwing with his fans.
Ben also has a distinct way of singing his S's that comes across in the video.
I don't know, I could be wrong...but I am personally 99.9% convinced that it is Ben.
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his voice sounds nothing like ben's. he looks too young. he says in his video description that he is not and cites a list of reasons... the humor reminds me more of flight of the conchords than folds' anyway.
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I'm starting to think it's him.
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Here's the thing that convinces me that's not Ben.
The piano is out of tune in the video and Ben only plays out of tune ones if they're rentals or what not.
So I'm fairly sure that Merton isn't Ben, plus Ben is a better piano player than that.
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Check out the Setlists thread in the Tour forum... Ben did Chatroulette on stage last night with a laptop on the piano. He sang Bitches Ain't Shit to some guys on a couch and did some improv stuff. He even wore a hoodie like Merton... I'm sure he's just taking the idea and running with it, but it does have me going back and analyzing everything about the Merton video to see if maybe it really is Ben...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1rfx45SR3o
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Still say 0% chance that Merton is Ben. The voice is way too different and although the face is somewhat similar, there's a clear and obvious difference. Awesome that Ben is running with this idea, though. I gotta say this tour so far has been up there as one of his best ever.
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I was glad to see him. I'm near Orlando and the only time I caught a tour is when he opened for Tori Amos seven years ago. That's actually when I became a fan. It was good to have him back with just the piano. Unfortunately, we were a few nights before the ChatRoulette thing started, but it was still an amazing couple hours of music.
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The plot thckens....
While I still don't think Ben is Merton, he most definitely knows who Merton is. Be prepared - this is awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfamTmY5REw
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bakedfish/4449974162/
anyoneknow where Merton is from? Any chance of a face-to-face stage showdown?
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The plot thckens....
While I still don't think Ben is Merton, he most definitely knows who Merton is. Be prepared - this is awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfamTmY5REw
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bakedfish/4449974162/
anyoneknow where Merton is from? Any chance of a face-to-face stage showdown?
Yeah a danceoff...or a piano-off?
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latest 15 min interview with Merton. He notes he has seen Ben's ode to Merton and digs it.
http://mashable.com/2010/03/23/exclusive-merton-the-chatroulette-piano-guy/
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latest 15 min interview with Merton. He notes he has seen Ben's ode to Merton and digs it.
http://mashable.com/2010/03/23/exclusive-merton-the-chatroulette-piano-guy/
Cool guy. That should hopefully put to rest any remaining rumors that Merton = Ben. His style is pretty different now that I really listen to it.
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Ben Folds and Merton make Yahoo! News Headlines!
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/videogaga/38147/ben-folds-spoofs-online-piano-playing-lookalike/
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latest 15 min interview with Merton. He notes he has seen Ben's ode to Merton and digs it.
http://mashable.com/2010/03/23/exclusive-merton-the-chatroulette-piano-guy/
Thanks for posting that. He seems like a really nice guy. So glad he liked Ben's ode. Of course, who wouldn't?
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I admit defeat. I feel shame.
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There is no way it's Ben Folds. The voice is completely different.
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Jemaine
Bonus point for correct spelling.
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Jemaine
Bonus point for correct spelling.
Jemaine is the easy one.
"Brit?"
"Bret."
"Brit?"
"Bret."
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He posted Chat Roulette Funny Piano Improv #2 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHrvpgA9XtI