The internet can be a cold, inhospitable and downright gross place, but one Chatroulette user is doing his part to make it a bit more friendly by improvising songs about the random strangers he connects with.
I’ll be honest: I’m both fascinated and appalled by Chatroulette. The concept – connecting with a new random stranger via webcam with the click of your mouse – is at once brilliant and slightly insane. You wouldn’t invite a cavalcade of random strangers into your home; why does doing it via webcam make it more appealing (aside from the obvious bonus that they can’t beat you up or steal your stuff)? And then there’s the fact that your chances of seeing manbits approach 100 percent the more times you hit the “next” button. Hey, it’s called Chatroulette for a reason – it’s not gambling if you can’t lose.
But then there are people like “Merton,” an (apparently) talented pianist and singer who ad libs a song about his chatting partner each time he makes a new connection. Part Ben Folds, part Flight of the Conchords, what Merton’s jaunty tunes lack in polish they more than make up for in immediacy. And just as delightful as his music are his chatting partners’ reactions, which range from shock to outright glee.
I’m tempted to hop onto the site just for the 1 in 100,000 chance that I’ll bump in to this dude. I can practically hear the song already: “Skinny guy in a gray T-shirt / Bouncing around on a ball …”
Source: Metafilter
Published: Mar 16, 2010 05:00 pm