Cryptohedonology

Buckethead is one of the most obscure yet talented guitarists of my generation. I first encountered his work on one of Bill Laswell’s projects called Praxis Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis) in 1992. For over twenty years, as part of his act, he has worn a KFC bucket on his head and a mysterious porcelain-like white mask. As far as I can tell, unlike many other “masked musicians,” he has kept his secret identity intact and very little is known about him in the public domain, including what he looks like (I personally think he may be the alter ego of Paul Lesinski).

But don’t let his quirky schticks distract you. He is a technically brilliant and emotionally pure player, always pushing the bounds of the musical parameter space in multiple (frequently unclassifiable) genres. He can play a mean traditional rock solo too. Check out this youtube clip (about 2 minutes):

Now take a look at this youtube clip (about 5 minutes), which is a straightforward mellow piece: