Demon Master - the little HR Giger Page

Volume XVIII, Number 50FREE60,000 CirculationJuly 14. 1988Even the pictures illustrate onlyone or two phases of its endlessvariety, preternaturalmassiveness, and utterly alienexoticism.... There wassomething vaguely but deeplyunhuman in all the contours,dimensions, proportions,decorations and constructionalnuances of the blasphemouslyarchaic stonework.-H.P. LovecraftGiger's work disturbs us,spooks us, because of itsenormous evolutionary timespan.It shows us, all too clearly,where we come from and wherewe are going.-Timothy LearyHans Rudi Giger was nothinglike I expected. The meek,cherub-faced artist who greetedme at the door seemed so atodds with the horrors he paintedfor a living.He began the interview byoffering a grand tour of his homein Zurich, Switzerland, reacting tomy growing excitement as if Iwere the first to witness hisstrange, yet beautiful one-of-akindfurnishings.Upstairs was a dinette setsurrounded by biomechanical"Alien "-styled chairs. A uniqueglass coffee table was held up bysix crucified Christ figures, threeright-side up and three upsidedown,representing the holyand infernal trinities.Photo by Les Paul Robleypdf created by www.littlegiger.com

GigerA deformed Swiss camera housinghad been mutated into a nightmarishmetallic cyclops. All aroundhung panoramic gray-black triptychesof famous works from hisNecronomicon. This book of earlydrawings served as inspiration forthe creature in "Alien" and hasinfluenced many subsequent filmsof the genre.Sleek, beautiful women with upturnedeyes and a deathlike palor,steely serpents that grew into phalluses,twisting labyrinthine plumbingfixtures that metamorphosedinto diseased ribs and vertebrae.Amid all the harmonious depravity,Giger's two Siamese cats, Muggiand Noneli, posed like Egyptianstatues as my Minolta snappedaway. (He often uses them asmodels for his paintings, I discoveredlater.) Then, rounding a corner,I ran smack into the full-sizeadult creature from "Alien." Itsdouble jaws gaped wide and itsarms were extended in the horrific"Mammy" pose from the film.Giger was eager that I see andphotograph two preliminary designsfrom his latest film project,"The Mirror." Serving as conceptualartist, the movie is based ona number of his most gruesomeillustrations from Necronomicon I.The story by co-writer/directorWilliam Malone involves an an-Giger at work with his aribrush on another of the Bosch-influenced demoniceroticpaintings which have become his trademark.Photo by Les Paul Robley.cient mirror that acts as a portalto another dimension. This paralleluniverse is the world of H.R.Giger. Sitting in Giger's study,engulfed by his sickening organiccreations, rotting babies, goatheadeddemons, congested surreallandscapes and coiled metallicguts, I felt like I was being castin the nightmare world of "TheMirror," as I asked my firstquestion....LPR: For "The Mirror," whichpaintings are they using specifically?GIGER: They are using some ofmy best paintings for the film. Yousee them through the mirror inthree-dimensional form. The peoplefrom The Mirror saw it in mybook Necronomicon I and wantedto use it in their film. It was also

the "right stuff" for Ridley Scott tobring to "Alien" (particularly, themutants from the painting NecronomIV). One of them, "TheSpell," I began in 1972 and finishedin '76. I've done about three orfour of these environments. Theyare always about this size: 420mmlong and 240mm high. I makethem in three pieces so I can getthem out of the house. (He alsouses a dumbwaiter system to movethe artwork while he paints, amethod borrowed from SalvadorDali.)LPR: Will you actually work onthe set for "The Mirror?"GIGER: Now I have not much todo on the film. For me it's the bestwhen someone takes my imagesand brings it to life in the film, andI don't have to invent anotherthing. That's very nice.... I hopethey use independent people forthe effects and not a company, soI can become involved and controleverything. Because it never endsup looking like my stuff. It alwayslooks a little influenced by the manwho is doing it. If he has spenthis whole life modeling apes, theshapes look ape-like. The biggestproblem is to find someone whocan make my stuff look exactlylike it is.LPR: Who is doing it for thefilm?GIGER: I don't know. I heardthere are some people who workedon "Alien 2" or "Aliens." ButI would prefer to bring along myman who modeled my home environmentand furniture: the table,chairs. Des Fries is the best for mebecause he knows my work.LPR: Will you work on "TheMirror" yourself and sculpt as youdid on "Alien?"GIGER: No, I don't think so. Justoversee. But I like to be very muchinvolved in the film because Inever was satisfied with what theydid with my work in the past. Iwas horrified about "PoltergeistII." I couldn't find anything there... . But that was probably mymistake not to be there. So, thistime, if they want to transform myimage they can't change a lot. Butit's difficult to see how my paintingslook from the side. So, probably,I have to give some adviceand make some sketches of howthey look dimensionally.LPR: What did you think of thechanges made to the designs ofyour creatures in "Aliens?"GIGER: I thought the wholemechanization was very well done.Though, I was a little depressedbecause nobody asked me to workon this film. I was in Los Angelesat the time working on "PoltergeistII" and I asked around about"Alien 2." People told me theydidn't know, that it was in England.For me it would be the mostlogical thing to work on that film.I also heard they didn't ask RidleyScott about this movie.LPR: You received compensation,though. . .GIGER: No! Nothing. They putmy name in the credits as designerof the old "Alien" concept, but Inever got any money.LPR: And they're your monsters!GIGER: In the contract, Fox canmake as many films as they want.It's always the company's rightsand they do what they want.LPR: Can we talk a little aboutthe story of "The Mirror?" Do youknow much about it?GIGER: No. (laughter) I onlysaw a short 5-minute promo of thefilm in Italy. It shows some of myworks and what I did on "Alien."It has a different mirror than mythree-angled one. I was too late to

Sketches on a board show the origins of what become Giger paintings. Photo by Les Paul Robley.Gigershow them so the crew made theirown. It's an old mirror with a faceon top and some hands and cloudsaround it. But, it's not my mirror.I don't like this mirror.LPR: What does your mirrorlook like?GIGER: The mirror is like a box.It's closed by a door made up oftwo hands. It's composed of threeangles, and when they pull thecover off, the evil comes out andyou see the other world.LPR: Are they using yourconcept?GIGER: I don't know. I toldthem to do it. (laughs) We haven'tseen each other, the man whomakes this film.LPR: How do you feel about theway in which your paintings havebeen recognized on the internationalart scene, and the wayyou've been recognized? It's nowfashionable for people with a lot ofmoney to buy copies of your work.GIGER: I like to be recognizedthrough magazines, such as Cinefantastique.I don't do a lot oforiginals each year. Only 25 smallpaintings.LPR: Which artists have influencedyou?GIGER: First, it's always HieronymusBosch. And Dali, Gaudiand Alfred Kubin (an illustrator ofthe early 20th century). He wrote"The Other Side" and a movie wasmade from it called"Drarmstadt."I prefer art noveau and those fromthe Vienna school.LPR: What about contemporaryfantasy artists?GIGER: I like comics and thatman in Italy, Liberatore.LPR: What are your favoritefilms and directors?GIGER: You know the film"Blue Velvet?" David Lynch is stillone of my favorite directors. AndRidley Scott. I'm not so crazyabout fantastic films. I preferreality.LPR: Were you disappointedyou weren't asked to work onDavid Lynch's "Dune," since youhad previously done drawings forAlexandro Jodorowsky's version?GIGER: David Lynch himselfmade drawings. Friends of mineasked him if I could work on"Dune" but he refused. He wasnot pleased because he thought wehad stolen his "Eraserhead" babycreature for "Alien." But it can'tbe true because Ridley Scott hadnever seen "Eraserhead." I saw it,but I don't know. Maybe he wasjealous. But, I think, it's unnecessaryfor him to make such statementsbecause he's so good. I like

Giger sits beneath the triangular mirror which was the inspiration for the next movie to feature his works. Photo byLes Paul Robley.all of his films so much. I am agreat admirer of David Lynch andI would very much like to work forhim.LPR: Do you read any Americanscience fiction, fantasy or horror?GIGER: No, just books that aretranslated into German.LPR: Which particular authorshave inspired you?GIGER: Lovecraft, for one. Mybooks I gave the titles NecronomiconI and II, and in almost all ofLovecraft's stories the Necronomicon(a legendary book of magic)is mentioned. Also, I like GustavMeyrink who wrote Der Golem.LPR: How often do you go outsideyour dreams and ideas anduse outside subject matter for yourpaintings?GIGER: It depends what you do.If you've drunk too much wineand take some sleeping pills, itcould create a melange that bringsyou outside this room or makesyou go in through the walls. I don'tknow really how it works, but itoften happens to me, things likethat. I'm very curious how itworks, but I never found out.LPR: What about your use ofMordor from "Lord of the Rings?"GIGER: I like this book verymuch, and I was looking for a titlefor my works. It was a nice namefor my paintings so I adapted thesewords for them.LPR: How do you describe yourselfas an artist?GIGER: I'm an artist not very"in." Just on the fringe. Fantasticart is never in. It's always a littleon the side. There are just a fewpeople who like fantastic art. InZurich I think I'm alone. Switzerlandis not a very fantastic land. Ifsomeone talks about Switzerland,it's always just about banks andmoney and mountains. Not aboutartLPR: Harry Lime said it well in"The Third Man." Their onlyclaim to fame is chocolate and thecuckoo clock.GIGER: (laughs) Now if you goto the Pyramids of Giza in Egyptand they hear you're from Switzerland,they call you "Kucku-herschling."It's a box used in the kitchenmeaning Suisse-Deutsche.LPR: That's funny, since cuckooclocks originate from the BlackForest in Germany, not Switzerland,like everyone thinks. Doesyour mother know what you paintfor a living? What does she thinkabout the phalluses and deadbabies?GIGER: She likes my work verymuch because she's my motherand, therefore, must like what I do.(laughs) Sometimes she's a little bitashamed of what I do. If there areother people around, she sometimeshas to defend my work, but

Pelvic table and chair set designed and executed by Giger and now sitting in his Zurich studio. Photo by Les Paul Robley.Gigernormally she likes very muchwhat I do.LPR: Does she have any picturesin her home?GIGER: Yes, but not these greatsizes.LPR: You describe your work as"biomechanical" creations...GIGER: Uh-huh. Sometimes itlooks a little bit like techniquesfrom the last century. Similar toDavid Lynch. There are tubes,pipes and not very well-workingmachinery.LPR: Do you have many admirershere in Europe or are theymostly from the States?GIGER: I have a lot here. Themost I have in Japan. I have a fanclub there.LPR: Why Japan of all places?GIGER: Probably because theJapanese people like very muchthe heavy stuff and cruelty in mypaintings. Maybe because of Godzilla... I don't know. I've foundthat young people—ten to twentyyears—are very well informedabout me. So, I'm very happy. Allof my books have been translatedinto Japanese, too.LPR: Your paintings are incrediblydetailed, almost masochisticallyso. You put so much intensityinto them. This must be a tremendousamount of labor for you.Have you tried to ease this intensityover the years? Or have theybecome more detailed?GIGER: At the moment I don'tdo these three-piece wall paintings.I do small ones. They are notmagical like "The Spell." It depends.I work best under pressure.LPR: Your book NY. City has somuch detail. It's very congested,filled with rhythmic patterns. Asidefrom Victory and a few otherworks, you paint in very mutedtones. Do you ever plan to usevivid colors?GIGER: Sometimes I try to usecolors, but it doesn't work really.I find that black and white ormonochromatic works best for me.Color is against the force. A paintinglike "The Spell" would beterrible in colors.LPR: Yes, you'd lose a lot. Justlike certain films such as "Psycho"would never look good in color.GIGER: Yeah, horrible.LPR: How do you paint? Do youmake sketches first?GIGER: No. It's all airbrushsprayed on paper which has beenglued to wood. I use mainly inkand white acrylic paint. Then I putlacquer over it to make sure nothingwet can destroy it. If someoneasks me to work for a film, I dosome sketches in bed and then I goto work it out. But when I do the

giant murals, I work just freshwithout any sketches. I start onone side of the painting and workto the other. I look to make sure it'sall linear and the angles are right,but I have no idea what's comingout.LPR: That's amazing. They lookso symmetrical.GIGER: I use paper that measures420 to 240mm. There's nobigger paper than that. But I can'tgo out with the paintings. They'rereally made for this room.LPR: What about the smallerones? Do you use the samemethod?GIGER: Yes. I just start from oneside and go to the other. I paintwhatever comes to my mind. Ihave no pre-planning. For instance,the ones with the penis and thebaby heads, I thought I'd just liketo do that.LPR: You've said many of theseimages come from your dreams.Do you have very bad nightmares?GIGER: Often, yeah. Like everybody,I think terrible things.LPR: My dreams are never thisbad.GIGER: No? This one (referringto "The Spell") is not bad. Do youfeel bad here?LPR: No, I don't feel bad here. Ilike this type of artwork. It's veryinteresting. To me, though, it is ascary place. I mean it's not somewhereI'd like to spend my holidays.GIGER: Yeah, that's true.LPR: How painful is it for you topart with one of your paintingswhen you have to sell one?GIGER: I don't sell the largepaintings. I sold a whole environmentto a collector and that wasquite hard. These in this room Iwill never give away. I want tokeep the whole thing together.When "The Spell" went to Japanon exhibit, I had another behind itthat took its place.LPR: Do you paint to music?GIGER: No. The only one I likereally is Miles Davis. I like piano,organ and violin.LPR: You've also painted albumcovers for pop artists. During the'70s, you designed covers for BrainSalad Surgery by Emerson, Lakeand Palmer, and KooKoo by DeborahHarry.GIGER: I did a lot of lips andpeople with no eyes for Emerson,Lake and Powell, but it never cameout. I did about eleven lips.LPR: Guns are present in muchof your work. What has been yourfascination with them?GIGER: Guns are like an airpistol or an air brush. You can dosomething from far away and notbe directly in contact with yoursubject.LPR: Do you shoot?GIGER: Sometimes. We have notmuch occasion here in the city.LPR: What about your fascinationwith dead cigar-chompingbabies and phallic symbols?A collection of masks done by Giger form a strange tableau set against mirrors.Photo by Les Paul Robley.

GigerGIGER: People have always saidthat I look like these babies a littlebit.LPR: A self-portrait?GIGER: Probably. I don't knowwhy I did these. At the same timethere was a problem with oil andgas in 1973. Do you remember?LPR: Yes, the energy crisis.GIGER: So, you can see manyburners in my paintings. That's theonly thing I know and the otherthings must have some reasonbehind them. Also, the contraceptivesnow are very "in."LPR: Especially with all the"STOP AIDS!" posters I've seen inSwitzerland. You should do theseposters.... People might take morenotice what with your style ofpainting.GIGER: (laughs) Yes. Do youknow this poster I did they madeso much noise about in America?(Giger shows the Dead Kennedysposter that was banned in theStates. It is a veritable meat factoryof penises and vaginas. More disgustingthan erotic, the sexualimagery is very different from hisother works.)LPR: Have you done any researchin the supernatural as abasis for your work?GIGER: Not really, but sometimesunexplained things havehappened to me....LPR: Do you believe in it?GIGER: In a way, yes.LPR: Have you ever had a supernaturalexperience?GIGER: Yes. As I told you sometimesI could go out of my bodyand fly about 50 or 40 centimetersover the ground from my bed toanother place and my perspectivewas about that. I could see my feetin the foreground.LPR: This happened many times?GIGER: No, not many times.About eight times.LPR: Why do you consider yourwork "upbeat," especially withthis lurid obsession with death andthe dark side?GIGER: What is this word,"upbeat?"LPR: Uh, happy or positive. Doyou feel your work is that way?GIGER: No, I don't think so.Happy colors are mostly green,blue and red. My colors are moreakin to an old basement, like rottingpotatoes, or worms from thepotatoes. My paintings are insidepaintings, what I think inside.LPR: Do you feel your work ismore pessimistic, then?GIGER: Probably, yes. It dependson which level you are on. If youare on the ground, it could benegative. I think my work is positivebecause it's not a destroyedlandscape. The ladies are shownlike in a peep show; they are notso ugly, but shown in a nice way.LPR: How would you describesomething that is not positive?

GIGER: Boring things. Visions ofhell and Hieronymus Bosch are allpositive because something is happening.The terrible thing for meis if nothing happens; no movement.LPR: You mean like still-lifes?Have you ever tried to paintflowers or normal pictures likebowls of fruit?GIGER: Yes, I try.LPR: What do they look like?GIGER: Nice. I did some in colorsfor my mother.LPR: Since you've been painting,have you noticed any improvementsin the way your art isreceived?GIGER: I think so, yes. I can seethat because there are so manyAmericans who copy my work inthe film business.LPR: How do you feel aboutthat, especially when you don't getcompensated for it?GIGER: One way I'm happy thatpeople recognize what I do, and inanother way I'm not very happybecause nobody says that's myidea or my creation. If someoneadapts my stuff directly, if they sayI am influenced by Giger, it's okay.But, if they say nothing, then I amnot very happy.LPR: And the fact you get nomoney for it, does that make youangry?GIGER: There are a lot of Americanfilmmakers who copy mywork, and they send me a letterand say it is nice to have you inmy film (laughs). So, I can't sayanything. It's nice to be there. Youknow, sometimes people have thesame idea at the same time. Also,my stuff is not completely fresh. Ihave seen Gaudi. I have seenKubin, Dali....LPR: What are you working onnow besides "The Mirror?" Anypaintings or books?GIGER: I did goblins for a Japanesefilm. I made some drawings,two airbrush. I'm the only foreignperson working on the film. Myname H.R. they can't translate intoJapanese.LPR: At what age did you beginpainting?GIGER: About 18. I made somesurrealistic sketches or atomic cartoonsof how we'd look after nuclearwar. People with no arms andthey made jokes about this.LPR: Did they look anything likeyour paintings now?GIGER: I have a model for anew book that shows what I did in1962 and '63.LPR: How has your work changedover the years since you beganpainting?GIGER: It became, I don't know,more clear, perhaps. If you sawN.Y. City (produced in 1977), you'llsee how the style has changed.LPR: When will your new bookcome out?GIGER: I don't know. Probablyin about four or five months. InMay of '88, the same time as myshow in Berlin, I hope.