Hotei

At age 14, Japanese guitarist Hotei was mesmerized by a poster of T. Rex’s Marc Bolan, which inspired him to purchase his first guitar. ∙ Hotei cofounded the popular ’80s Japanese rock band BOØWY and was also one-half of the duo Complex. ∙ Two of his albums have topped the Japanese charts—1991’s Guitarhythm 2 and 1996’s King & Queen—and he’s had multiple Top 10 singles, including 1995’s pop-rock chart-topper “Thrill.” ∙ A massive British music fan, he performed “All the Young Dudes” live with David Bowie in 1996 and “Respectable” with the Rolling Stones in 2014. ∙ He is also a noted film composer, contributing songs to 1998’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and the theme for 2014’s Lupin the Third. ∙ Quentin Tarantino selected Hotei’s dramatic, horn-heavy “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” to be heard before an epic fight scene in 2003’s Kill Bill Vol. 1. ∙ 2015’s Strangers, his first internationally released album, featured guest vocals from his idol Iggy Pop, as well as members of Rammstein and Bullet for My Valentine.