When I first saw the Ben Folds video, I thought it confirmed my belief that Merton is Ben Folds, but after thinking about the title "An Ode to Merton", I'm confused. Are Merton and Ben Folds different people, or the same?
They are different people.
Can anyone point to proof that they are in fact different people? I know Merton claims to not be Ben Folds, but the voice, style, and facial structure are extremely similar.
It's hard for me to provide proof but I've been a Ben Folds (Five) fan for 14 years and been to almost as many gigs, and I didn't believe Merton was Ben Folds for a second. His playing style isn't similar (as far as pop rock pianists go) and his voice is quite different (Folds' North Carolina accent usually comes out when doing impromptu stuff - less so with studio recordings). Merton also looks somewhat younger (Folds hasn't aged too well in the last cpl years IMHO).