Demon Master - the little HR Giger Page

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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
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