Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 , born February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture… Read Full Bio ↴Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 , born February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture) is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. Hotei rose to prominence in the 1980s as the guitarist for BOØWY, one of Japan's most popular rock bands, before starting a solo career. In 2003, he was ranked number 70 on HMV Japan's list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts. He ranked second in a 2011 poll on who the Japanese people thought was the best guitarist to represent Japan after Tak Matsumoto.

Hotei is best known internationally for his song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" , which has been used in numerous films, commercials, and video games, most notably Quentin Tarantino's feature film Kill Bill.

Born to a Korean father and a Japanese/Russian mother, Hotei first began playing the guitar in junior high school. In high school, his band Blue Film finished runners up in a school contest to Death Penalty, a band led by Kyosuke Himuro. Hotei was expelled shortly before graduation. The reason was that, when warned about his long hair he replied “Jesus had long hair!” Shortly after, he went to Tokyo where one day he received a phone call from Himuro. The two had never really known each other but hit it off and went on to hold auditions for a new band, which in 1981 became the six-member BOØWY. The band became major stars in Japan, in 1985 played the Marquee in London, and in 1986 had their first million seller, Beat Emotion.

When the band broke up in 1988, Hotei established himself as a solo star, as did Himuro. Hotei also made two albums with Koji Kikkawa as Complex, both of which went to number one in the national charts. Hotei frequently records overseas and has collaborated with many foreign musicians, including playing on The Stranglers Hugh Cornwell’s 1993 solo album, on stage with David Bowie at Nippon Budokan in 1996, and at the closing ceremony of the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Olympic Games with Michael Kamen.

He later recorded “Guitar Concerto” with Kamen. He has also worked with Andy Mackay of Roxy Music, guitarist Chris Spedding and Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones. Hotei also sometimes plays in Europe, including a number of major festivals. His regular drummer in recent years, Zachary Alford, has previously played with Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. Hotei's 1998 album Supersonic Generation, recorded in part with Apollo 440 and Ofra Haza, was released in 14 European countries.

In addition to many bestselling solo albums, Hotei composed and performed the score for Hiroyuki Nakano’s Samurai Fiction, as well as starring in the film. He composed the score to Terry Gilliam’s feature film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas together with Ray Cooper. Hotei's song “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” was used in the Quentin Tarantino’s feature film Kill Bill, the PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA,and Michael Bay’s feature film Transformers. Hotei recorded a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” for Merry Axemas, an instrumental guitar Christmas album featuring tracks from guitarists including Jeff Beck, Joe Perry, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and Steve Morse.

The Nintendo DS game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan features his song "Thrill". The game's sequel, Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii, features another Hotei song, "Bambina". (Both songs are cover versions.) Hotei is featured in “Grace” on the Apocalyptica album Worlds Collide. The song is featured in the game NHL 09.

Quadrophenia
布袋寅泰 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

もういいんじゃない虚勢や反省
二度目は無いさ興味がない
もういいじゃない調整？五月蝿えわ
疾うに幕は切って落ちていた

Lights Out 意味は要らない
Out Loud 吐き出していたい

もういいんじゃない虚勢や反省
二度目は無い嗚呼二度目かい
どうでもいいのばっか五月蝿えわ
鳴る鼓動が聴こえない

理性共感協調性丁度良い最適解一般論
規制常識関係ない
くだらん強制は引っ込んでいて

Lights Out 意味は要らない
Out Loud 吐き出していたい
With The Lights Out

Lights Out 意味は要らない

Out Loud 吐き出していたい
With The Lights Out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 布袋寅泰's song "Quadrophenia" speak about the idea of moving on from the past and letting go of the need to prove oneself or feel regret over past mistakes. The opening line, "Isn't it enough? No need for bluffing or reflection", suggests a desire to stop pretending and simply be oneself without any façade or regret. The chorus emphasizes this sentiment with the repetition of "Lights out, no need for meaning, out loud, I want to spit it out", indicating a desire to expel any unnecessary thoughts and focus solely on the present moment.

The verses also touch upon the idea of conformity and societal expectations. The line "Regulation, common sense, irrelevant" implies a rejection of societal norms and expectations, as well as a desire to break free from traditional ways of thinking. The song acknowledges the noise and distractions that may surround one in everyday life ("buzzing flies"), but urges the listener to focus on the sound of their own heartbeat and follow their own intuition.

Line by Line Meaning

もういいんじゃない虚勢や反省
Isn't it already enough? There's no need for pretence or regrets

二度目は無いさ興味がない
There won't be a second time, I'm not interested

もういいじゃない調整？五月蝿えわ
Isn't it enough already? Adjustments? What a nuisance

疾うに幕は切って落ちていた
The curtain has already fallen long ago

Lights Out 意味は要らない
Lights out, meaning is unnecessary

Out Loud 吐き出していたい
Out loud, I want to let it all out

もういいんじゃない虚勢や反省
Isn't it already enough? No need for pretence or regrets

二度目は無い嗚呼二度目かい
There won't be a second time. Ah, it's the second time already

どうでもいいのばっか五月蝿えわ
All these trivial things just keep buzzing around

鳴る鼓動が聴こえない
I can't hear my own heartbeat

理性共感協調性丁度良い最適解一般論
Reason, empathy, cooperation, just right, optimal solution, general opinion