Buckethead is a former Paul GILBERT's student, and he is known because he sent a tape of himself playing to 'guitar mag' He had the same looks as he does now, a KFC bucket on his head, and a white mask.
His music sounds like a blend of heavy metal, Kid's tunes, and techno. He is amazingly fast, (he must be close to Shawn lane, except the latter doesn't tap). He uses a lot of chromatics, diminished, and dodecaphonism, so that at high speed, people have compared his sound to 'a supercomputer calculating' and that's quite close :D

What's cool about the guy is that he has created such a character around his persona that he gets media coverage. Otherwise, he would be just another shredder. But he says that he was raised by chicken, that he wants to be buried half in Disneyworld, half in disneyland, he doesn't talk, and he does write good music. He has worked with Primus, Bill LASSWELL, Guns and Roses, and I've heard unofficial jams with likes of Petrucci and such...