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Chatroulette

Who’s that mysterious piano player?

For a week or so now, there has been speculation that none other than Ben himself has been on the random one-on-one chat service Chatroulette, making up songs at the piano in response to suggestions by random participants. The guy looks a bit like Ben, plays the piano sort of like him, and actually sounds somewhat like him too. But, as Ben confirms, he’s not the one calling himself ‘Merton’ serenading random strangers. Drummer Sam Smith points out that in a post on Drowned in Sound as well as on The Huffington Post, Ben is featured in a video clip from the Charlotte show paying tribute to ‘Merton’ in an improv tune of his own. Watch the original Chatroulette clip on YouTube. Salon.com has an interview with the real Merton about the whole affair and what’s been happening. And Ben’s about to move along past the Chatroulette fad, posting the Chatroulette Endmost Piano Ode, recorded at the Charlottesville and Richmond shows.