History Music / Buckethead

Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), better known by his [[StageNames stage name]] (or rather [[KayfabeMusic stage persona]]) Music/{{Buckethead}}, is a prolific American experimental/avant-garde/progressive/thrash/jazz/electronica/insanity songwriter and multi-instrumentalist noted for his [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric persona]], as well as for [[BunnyEarsLawyer being really good with his instruments]]. Also, he only ever performs while wearing an [[WhiteMaskOfDoom expressionless plain white mask]] and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a KFC bucket on his head]]. To date, he has released over 260 solo albums and performed on over 50 more. Played lead guitar for Music/GunsNRoses from 2000-2004, and for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxis_(band) Praxis]] from 1992-1999 and from 2004-present. His discography may be found [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckethead_discography here]].

--'''Les Claypool,''' "The Ballad of Buckethead"

He's also a painter, though as you might expect, his artworks are [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible somewhat]]... ''[[NightmareFuelColoringBook peculiar]]''.

* TooSpicyForYogSothoth: Music/OzzyOsbourne thought he was too weird to work with. Yes, the guy who's done so many drugs that he literally had scientists testing to see how he's still alive, could not handle Buckethead.

* MinisculeRocking: Many songs, but probably the most prominent examples are "''Pickwick's Lost Chapter''","''Electric Bell Blanket''" and "''Big Sur Moon''".

* RefrainFromAssuming: Played to an unreal extreme, sometimes it's best to assume the song don't even ''have'' a title. For example, a song by the name of "Blue Marble Moon" technically is not its official name because it doesn't have one.

* GenreRoulette: The man does ''everything''. He tends to like separate genres by album, but sometimes he'll switch it up during the course of one, or [[UpToEleven even MID-SONG]].

Sadly, [[PopCulturalOsmosis you probably only know him]] for [[VideoGame/GuitarHero "Jordan"]], the song from the scene where [[Film/MortalKombat Goro beats the crap out of Art Lean]], or the seriously badass rendition of the theme from Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie.

!! Music/{{Buckethead}} provides examples of:

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: In case you missed it, "experimental/avant-garde/progressive/thrash/jazz/electronica/insanity".

* RaisedCatholic: Attended a private Catholic high school.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: While trying to pin down where he lies may be impossible, let's try anyways.
** 1. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oUPtNhcnE "The Homing Beacon (Michael Jackon Tribute)"]]
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGIs3fOTc7s "Electric Tears"]]
** 2. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKWgnNeRrFM "Track 5 (Blue Marbles Moon)"]] [[labelnote:*]]Technically, the song has no name.[[/labelnote]]
** 3. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mVjxCitVL0 "Machete"]]
** 4. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXA9miu1DA "Binge and Grab"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQIHmC26yAU "Goblin Shark"]]
** 5. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyKpoh1YHew "Notthingham Lace"]]
** 6. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTcg9JybEp8 "Jordan"]]
** 7. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRL-s9h1k_U "The Rising Sun"]]
** 8. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dNOv1nJK6U "Beaten with Sledges"]]
** 9. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbEmHssozac "Escape from Inbred Mountain"]]
** 10. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3bO8rXc-nM "Spokes for the Wheel of Torment"]]
** 11. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQhkjuU3nA "Slaughter Zone Exit"]]

* CommonalityConnection: Over the years he's worked closely with and developed friendships with [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} similarly eccentric people]] in the entertainment industry (most of which are mentioned below). For a more funny take on this, he apparently mentioned in a magazine interview that he liked Shavo Odadjian of Music/SystemOfADown because the latter "has a look on his face, where you can tell he dug up something he shouldn't have" and Bucket proceeded to tell Shavo that [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments he liked digging holes too and they could dig together sometime]].

* MistakenIdentity: For a time people would find pictures on the Internet of a tall guitarist with long hair, standing next to Music/ShawnLane. Immediately someone rushed to the conclusion that it's Buckethead unmasked, because he knew Shawn Lane personally. Turns out it was the French guitarist Stephane "Fanalo" Alaux, who just happens to be tall like Buckethead and had also met Shawn Lane and even [[Music/MrBig Paul Gilbert]] at one point. Apparently Fanalo got so many e-mails of people [[FanDumb asking him if he's Buckethead]] (despite the fact that Buckethead's American, a few years older, etc.) that he now explicitly states on his myspace and facebook that he isn't. Amusingly enough, Fanalo wrote on his official site that he admits to being guitarist Bumblefoot (which he isn't either). He also posted a picture of himself [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments wearing a popcorn bucket on his head and covering his face]], as a jest to the many who called him Buckethead.

* NightmareFetishist: He adores horror, has a video filmed in a cemetery, owns rubber body parts and scary masks, one of his hobbies is taxidermy, etc. In both recorded non-serious interviews (20 years apart) he ''still'' talks about visiting slaughterhouses and [[{{Squick}} covering himself in blood]].

->''"Who's this guitar-playing son-of-a-bitch?"\\

* MistakenIdentity: For a time people would find pictures on the Internet of a tall guitarist with long hair, standing next to Music/ShawnLane. Immediately someone rushed to the conclusion that it's Buckethead unmasked, because he knew Shawn Lane personally. Turns out it was the French guitarist Stephane "Fanalo" Alaux, who just happens to be tall like Buckethead and had also met Shawn Lane and even [[Music/MrBig Paul Gilbert]] at one point. Apparently Fanalo got so many e-mails of people [[FanDumb asking him if he's Buckethead]] (despite the fact that Buckethead's American, a few years older, etc.) that he now explicitly states on his myspace and facebook that he isn't. Amusingly enough, Fanalo wrote on his official site that he admits to being guitarist Bumblefoot (which he isn't either). He also posted a picture of himself [[CrowningMomentOfFunny wearing a popcorn bucket on his head and covering his face]], as a jest to the many who called him Buckethead.

[[caption-width-right:253:[[MeaningfulName '''''HE'S GOT A BUCKET ON HIS HEAD!''''']]]]

[[caption-width-right:253:[[MeaningfulName ***HE'S GOT A BUCKET ON HIS HEAD!***]]]]

[[caption-width-right:253:[[MeaningfulName HE'S GOT A BUCKET ON HIS HEAD!]]]]

Folks just call him Buckethead!\\

->''"Who's this guitar-playing son-of-a-bitch" is a question common asked\\
On his head, a bucket of chicken bones, on his face a plastic mask\\
He's the bastard son of a preacher man, on the town he left a stain\\
They made him live in a chicken house to try and hide the shame\\

Children fear him, critics rage
He's half-alive, he's half-dead

--'''Music/LesClaypool,''' "The Ballad of Buckethead"

[[caption-width-right:253:[[MeaningfulName He has a bucket on his head]].]]

->''In the interest of spontaneity, there is no schedule for performances; but if you see Buckethead setting up corpses like an audience, there's a good chance of live music.'' \\
--'''Bucketheadland Vol. II''', "Today's Schedule/The Corpse Plower"

->''But then you see some guy like Buckethead? Buckethead is probably twice as good a guitar player as me and Slash combined, and can stand having fried chicken rubbed up against his face all night for a couple of hours.''\\
--'''[[Music/{{Megadeth}} Dave Mustaine]]'''

Brian Patrick Carroll, better known by his [[StageNames stage name]] (or rather [[KayfabeMusic stage persona]]) Music/{{Buckethead}}, is a prolific American experimental/avant-garde/progressive/thrash/jazz/electronica/insanity songwriter and multi-instrumentalist noted for his [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric persona]], as well as for [[BunnyEarsLawyer being really good with his instruments]]. Also, he only ever performs while wearing an [[WhiteMaskOfDoom expressionless plain white mask]] and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a KFC bucket on his head]]. To date, he has released over 260 solo albums and performed on over 50 more. Played lead guitar for Music/GunsNRoses from 2000-2004, and for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxis_(band) Praxis]] from 1992-1999 and from 2004-present. His discography may be found [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckethead_discography here]].

* AmbiguousDisorder: Some have noticed that some of his mannerisms are reminiscent of autism or Asperger's Syndrome, though nobody knows for sure because nobody knows how much of it is in character. Or if he's just [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} extremely weird.]]
%%* AmusementParkOfDoom: ''Bucketheadland'' I and II.