Masafumi Gotoh

Masafumi Gotoh or Gotch is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University. The three formed Asian Kung-Fu Generation in 1996, with drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi joining the band shortly after. As the main songwriter of the band, Gotoh is credited with writing a majority of their lyrics, but has a strong tendency to share songwriting duties equally among his bandmates. His vocal style most often alternates between soft, melodic singing, and harder, harsher, yelling. Masafumi has a degree in economics and his favourite artists include Weezer, Number Girl, Oasis, Teenage Fanclub, and Beck. He produces records for other artists such as Chatmonchy, Dr. Downer and The Chef Cooks Me. He was also one of the founding members of the band Skeletons (スケルトンズ).

2 December 1976

Born on the same birth day (2 December): Chloé Dufour-Lapointe • Dan Butler • Daniela Ruah • Francesco Toldo • Graham Kavanagh • Harriet Cohen • Harry Burleigh • Heinrich von Sybel • Henry Yesler • Jaime Durán • Manohar Joshi • Peter Harding (RAF officer, born 1933) • Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau • Robert Turbin • William Shirley • Yahya Kemal Beyatlı

Born in the same month (December 1976): Armin van Buuren • Georges Laraque • Ivan Franceschini • Katherine Moennig • Katleen De Caluwé • Kristina Groves • Laura Ling • Linda Ferga • Mark Boucher • Mikael Samuelsson