F POE had been a painter ... KIND there is that memorable line, "Einstein F DRACULA a sculptor ... was probably one of them"—referring to the F FRANKENSTEIN a model-maker ... benevolent beings from beyond the stars. And if all 3 of these legendary dwellers in the There is a sci-fi fans' button that reads, H.G. macabre had pooled their nightmares and made Wells was a Martian. a pilgrimage to Switzerland and offered their Few would doubt it if it were revealed that. . . dark dreams to a certain distinguished painter & H.R. Giger is an . designer there, the result could only have been Who is this Man of Mystery? the incredible, bizarre, twisted, terrifying, This latterday Hieronymus Bosch? (George fabulous, fascinating images that emerge from Pal himself, with a collaborator, has attempted the monster mind of H.R. (for Horror Rex) Giger. to unravel the mystery of Bosch in a novel soon Pronounced Geeger with a hard G. to be published.) Who is this pale, saturnine figure who dresses in black and (tho vampire's blood must surely flow thru his veins) dares to appear upon occa- In CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD sion by day?

24 pdf created by www.littlegiger.com GIGER'S GARGANTUAN GROTESQUERIE: Once Seen, Forever Etched in the Memory. 25 --Especially if the home is HRGiger's! Giger poses here with one of the posies that adorn his dyingroom wall.

Switzerland, Germany, France & Holland and his work has also been displayed in general ex- Giger would have been at home in Rotwang's hibitions in those countries as well as Austria, gothic bungalow in Metropolis. He lives & works Poland, Israel, England and ... New York! in the modern European metropolis of Zurich, (Lucky filmonster fans living in the Big Apple Switzerland. His work is an extension of his may have seen his "captured nightmares' on childhood when, in his youth, "I had many display in the Bronx Museum.) His posters have strange dreams—and nightmares," he says. sold thruout Europe and his drawings have been "When I awoke I would paint the things I had featured in magazines in such distant exotic seen in my dreams, which made me feel much countries as Japan and ... China! better and the nightmares would go away. "Until nextime ..." Eleven years ago Giger began to work as a freelance painter, sculptor & designer and his Giger's paintings are virtually indescribable. reputation grew by leaps & bounds thruout Perhaps, had Clark Ashton Smith (the man Europe, culminating in his rocketing, riveting who memorized a thesaurus) lived into the time "performance" in ALIEN, where his weird work of Giger, he might have found the words to en- dominates the screen with sights unseen upon capsulate him. this planet since the Eldritch Age of the Old Were Ray Bradbury not so busy writing a Ones, of which HPLovecraft has reported in his celebration in words for the 10th Anniversary of purported fictional "stories". the Lunar Landing and aiding the Disneyland Giger has held one-man exhibitions in operators to envision a Futureland, he might

26 The Derelict Ship on the Uncharted Planetoid, a Mystery of the Void envisioned in the Baroque Brain of HRGiger. adequately describe the Gargantuan gro- In 1976 he found himself designing sandy sets tesqueries of Giger. for the ill-fated start-&-stop on the filming of the Where are you Dali, now that we need you? classic , a project which, happily, has Where are you Druillet? (Drew-ee-lay.) been brought back to life. They must be serious Where are you Dorian Gray? about making it—author has About the best we can convey is that Giger is been paid $1 million for the movie rights! an ancient alchemist reincarnated, a Merlin of the macabre, an artist alienesque who mixes in his mortar wing of harpy, tongue of gryphon, eye of cyclops, snake-hair of Medusa, hair of Like Lon Sr. before him, Giger is reluctant to werewolf, blood of vampire, and brings the mor- talk about his work. dant mixture to a boil in a warlock's cauldron The late director Fritz Lang was like that, say- suspended over a dragon's breath of flame. ing he felt his works (METROPOLIS, Giger is a Poesque poet, a Merrittesque MABUSE, SIEGFRIED, FRAU IM MOND, magus, upon whose pittoresque palette are ad- M) spoke for themselves. mixtured bones, babies, birds, berries, bristles & But Giger has broken his silence to say, thistles; machinery & misery; skeletons & "Some people say my paintings show a future screams; darkling woods & desperate despair. world ... and maybe they do. But I paint from "His work is a thing of beauty of a terrible but reality, I put several things & ideas together and elegant kind, hovering on the edge of a perhaps, when I have finished, it could show the 3-dimensional hell."—Robert Dingilian. future—who knows? If people want to interpret my work as warnings about too much overpopu- lation, disease & mechanization in the future, then that is up to them! I like to combine human Early Morning. This was the name of an beings, creatures & bio-mechanics. And I love to unusual play produced on the stage in Zurich in work with bones—they are elegant & functional 1969 and for which Giger created a remarkable and, after all, are part of human beings. I have pair of Siamese twins who were important to the many bones in my home in Zurich and I study plot. them and use them as models. Skeletons too."

27 Parker (Yaphet Kotto) & Kane (John Hurt) will soon wish they'd never waked up from hypersleep when they confront the nightmare Giger has dreamed up for them!

"Some people say my work is often depressing & pessimistic, with the emphasis on death, blood, overcrowding, strange beings & so on but I don't really think it is. There is hope & a kind of beauty in there somewhere, if you look for it. The creatures I design & paint are very much like their own environment, one comes from the other. "The colors I use are usually gray, white & brown—these are the colors of my beloved Sia- mese cat. I use black ink too and like to make use of an airbrush quite a lot. I like white on black also—it gives my work a kind of translu- cent look and sometimes almost a 3-dimensional appearance. The faces of women in my work are often based on women I have known in my life." The woman in Giger's life at present is beautiful, dark-haired Mia Bonzanigo who works as his devoted assistant. When "ALIEN" is released in 1979 many peo- ple throughout the world will have their first glimpse of H.R. Giger's unique work. * * * It is with pride & pleasure that we now pre- sent An Exclusive Interview with the Artist of the Hour conducted in the offices of FAMOUS MONSTERS by Ric Meyers. The same Richard S. Meyers who is the author of the Doomstar Parker, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) & Ash (Ian Holm) pocketbook space operas from Carlyle paper- wonder what Giger has cooked up for them next. They backs. The author of World of Fantasy Films. hope to come thru with frying colors but . . . 28 Dallas (Tom Skerritt) & Lambert (Veronica Cartwright) make their cautious way over Giger's Planetoid of Peril.

one gets the impression that an with Christopher Lee. There are involved story is behind each & some good ones but then they get FM: Is this your first trip to the every one. You yourself may not to be all the same and boring. And United States? create that story but the viewer harmless. Because they're all GIGER: No, this is my second. almost always does. done with the same people. But if The firstime was just to visit New GIGER: Yes, that seems to be you have a choice of talent from York. This time it is for the film. I true. I had certain problems, like many places, it may be more dif- would like to see how the reaction everybody. When I was depressed ficult to get started but maybe is. I was very surprised about it was very good for me to put it the final product looks different & how successful the film is. I was down in a painting. Then I felt fresh. very excited to go to Hollywood much better. So I think I'm really FM: ALIEN certainly is dif- for the opening. quite normal. ferent, probably because they us- FM: On the basis of your pain- FM: There seem to be pieces of ed so many fine artists to design tings alone, one might get the im- your previous work used in the the different aspects of the film. pression that you are a gloomy, designs for ALIEN. GIGER: Oh, yes. Ron Cobb, most- pessimistic artist. It's refreshing GIGER: I don't know. I'm not ly, did the "mothership", the to find that you totally enjoy the sure. I mean, Dan O'Bannon had Nostromo, and I was responsible fact that your work & designs my book after he finished the for the other things, like the were the basis of a straight horror story and just before Ridley Scott planet's surface, the derelict & the movie. got involved in the project. I gave aliens. GIGER: Yes. All the time Dan him my first copy. It was a FM: It has been said that your O'Bannon was working on the French edition, hand-bound, and work comes from your own story he was thinking that I it really was the thing that dreams, nightmares & feelings. should do the monster. Finally secured my involvement with the But how did you work on someone when he finished the script he project. As soon as Ridley saw it, else's ideas? called me from LA, all the way to he said, "That's it! I need this GIGER: Well, at first it was Zurich, and asked me if I would man. "So 20th Century-Fox decid- decided that I would only work on like to work on ALIEN. I asked ed to work another way than they the Alien. Because in the early what the story was about, he told usually did. Normally they take days of the project Ron Cobb, who me and then I said yes, I would an experienced crew from the also lives in LA and worked with like to do some designs. I did the studio. That's the reason so many Dan O'Bannon on the aborted first designs about August or films look alike. So many horror DUNE project, did some designs September of 1977. films look the same. You know, of the planet & the Alien "egg FM: Looking at your paintings, things like the Hammer films silo" & the derelict & things like

29 that. So once I entered the job, I the director's & writer's? book. Quite similar in fact. It don't remember whether they ask- GIGER: The first concept was wound up being similar to a ed me to do it or not but I painted done by Dan O'Bannon. He made human being only much bigger. this derelict ship in the morning some sketches and he also sent Ridley contributed a foto of a Nu- and when I showed it to Ridley me some sketches by Ron Cobb. bian, those black, tall people. He Scott he said, "Oh, that's it. Well At that moment Ridley wasn't in- said it might be good to use their use it. Please now do the entrance volved. Later on when Ridley physical look covered with sort of and please now do the interior." became the director we worked "transparent clothes" so you So I wound up doing more than we very closely together. He had a could see the skin. But then we had expected. very strong idea of how it should had trouble with transferring that FM: How did you work up or look. But whenever I thought he concept into reality. It turned out adapt your ideas for ALIEN? was wrong he was quick to com- to be a. . . how you say... a night GIGER: When Ridley was first at promise. Consequently the design dream . . . uh, a nightmare. Some- my studio in Zurich with David changed a lot for several reasons. times I couldn't even sleep Giler & Gordon Carroll the pro- First the story changed constant- because I was afraid I wouldn't ducers, they told me a little more ly. Second Ridley was very experi- be ready with the design by the about the film's story and then I enced in film and I am not. He deadline. I mean, the Alien had to suggested it might be good to knows what it would look like on be the star of the film, and if the have different people design the screen. He knows that a lot can be star is no good the film is lost. different elements so that the done with smoke & with oil & Thankfully Ridley was always Nostromo would have a complete- with slime or with lenses or what- behind the camera himself. Even ly different look than the derelict. ever. He knew that if you moved if I thought it didn't look good I think it turned out much better just little things just a bit, sud- and wasn't ready for filming, he that way. Ron Cobb's designs for denly the screen becomes alive. could film it in a good way. the "mothership" look designed Very much so. It was a terrific ex- FM: So while you were rushed by humans while the derelict perience working with him. and it was a terrifically challeng- looks totally alien. I wanted it to FM: What was your personal in- ing job, were you happy with the look like something planted, itial concept of the Alien? final product? perhaps in the process of matur- GIGER: When we started, Ridley said, "I haven't seen any good GIGER: For the most part. It was ing—a mixture of organic & good enough for a film but maybe mechanical stuff. The center piece monsters lately in films." I mean, to do a horror or monster movie not good enough for a sculpture of that design was the "space piece. jockey". His existence was dic- nowadays we didn't have many good examples. The biggest prob- FM: What would you have chang- tated by the script. But it allowed ed if you'd had the time? me to integrate my biomechanic lem was that there were a lot of bad examples around. To design GIGER: The tall one I wouldn't creatures concept into it. change a lot. I had these things in FM: Let's go back a bit. Starting something effective without film experience was very difficult for my head, I have drawn them be- with the genesis of the Alien, did fore, and then I built it up. One you design the egg? me. Then, of course, there was another man involved with the part at a time with adaptions GIGER: Yes, I made the first made by other technical people. If design and I also modeled it mechanics: Carlo Rimbaldi, the maker of KING KONG. He had a there'd been time enough I would myself. I also did some models of have done everything! (laughter) I the planet landscape, I built the lot of experience, but I was re- sponsible for the shape & look of may have another chance since space jockey & painted it myself the reaction has been so good. But and I did a complete model of the everything. He handled the inside and I handled the outside. And I the reaction has been so good be- mature Alien. Then it was cast by cause it was filmed so well. other people. I wound up making ... uh ... forgot the question. FM (laughter): How aid the Alien FM: Do you feel that the final it myself, you see, because there Alien effects the audience on was no one else around. All the progress from initial design to finished monster? It just seems more than one level? Do you think good people who could do it were its physical appearance somehow involved with other films. Others that there's a lot of little Aliens throughout all your work, but the effects the audience psychologi- gave us some bad examples of cally as well as visually? how it could be built but both final monster seems completely original. GIGER: Hmmm. During the last Ridley & myself disagreed. When shot you can see the Alien's he first came to my home he said, "tongue" slowly coming out. And "We have people that can build GIGER: Not so much original, really. In my book there are some his teeth came because I prefer the Alien precisely from your always to have these big long drawings." I thought that was things that look like the Alien now. And we looked hard at my heads for the monster, because I wonderful but then I found that worked as an industrial designer. there was no one around so I had work to see what we could do realistically. Normally it's boring Every object needs to have a func- to do it myself. But I enjoyed do- tion. So if it has a long head ing that because it was my crea- to feel that you 're watching a man in a suit with a mask, so we ex- there's space for a long "tongue". tion. If I had to sculpt someone And I also gave his tongue teeth. else's work, that would have been perimented. We started with a tall man and we fixed 2 children I thought it was very good as a a lot harder. If one is responsible filmic device. for the design it's good to work up onto each of his sides. So the to the completed creature. monster had a lot of arms at first FM: According to the original FM: And how much of that com- but I always felt that looked more script & the various books that pleted creature was your original ridiculous than frightening. After have been published there were creation and how much of it was that we decided to choose some- several things that were changed. thing from my Necronomicon Could you comment on the incon-

30 Looking a lot in profile like Jon Voight, the Wizard of Zurich airbrushes his painting of the Alien Egg Chamber in the crashlanded starcraft.

sistencies between the final film used the tail as a spring, a spring ing down his forehead. I thought & the novelization? would be good. And I liked things like that were great! I GIGER: In the original story the the crab fingers very much. Kind thought everything was terrifi- eggs were in a pyramid silo, like of a spider with a tail The second cally realistic. The interior of the an Egyptian one, with hierogly- Alien was born thru the crab. It is Nostromo was so believable. I phics on the walls. I worked up the baby of the big one. It seems hate these new-looking space- the hieroglyphics which tell the to be a giant head but it develops craft. You feel like they're just story of the Alien. But it was too a tail. At first it had these 2 little built for the movie you're seeing. close, we found, to our own Egyp- arms but they were kind of like They don't look real tian culture and we thought it freak arms. All these beasts are FM: One of the big questions should be almost completely un- blind I think it is very frighten- concerned the final Alien step. earthly, so we designed another ing to have beasts with no eyes. That is, how you got from the silo. But then the budget wasn't At first they wanted it to have mature Alien back to the egg big enough to include this struc- eyes with lamps behind them. again? Do you know whether that ture so we decided it would be a Other people always wanted that question was answered in the good idea to have these eggs in- but I decided no, no eyes. They original script? side the derelict like termites in- said please try it but it didn't GIGER: Not only is that in the side the walls of a house. work. I think the final version story but it was filmed! I asked FM: Still, there seems to be some looks quite believable. Did you for it to be filmed. Originally the question between the 2 versions like it? movie was 3 hours long and there as to how the Alien grew. FM: Very much. I thought Ridley was much more of the alien land- GIGER: Yes, in the film there are Scott handled it with imagination scape & other things. But it was 3 different monsters. There is the & flair. too long & too much. And the "co- first one, which is kind of like a GIGER: And he did very strong coon" scene, Ridley told me, slow- crab sitting in the egg. Dan visuals! I liked, for instance, ed the momentum of the climax. O'Bannon had an insect-like de- when the scientist attacked the It was much more effective, they sign for that at first. But I always girl You could see a little blood thought, to take it out Maybe if look for a function. These crea- running out of her nose at the there's an ALIEN II, the final co- tures should be able to jump out. I same time the milk began drool- coon-to-egg scene will be in. The

31 black man & Ripley find Dallas & who concentrate on the supernat- is successful. We worked very Brett. The one with the Hawaiian ural or fantastic. Do you feel con- hard on the thing and so we are all shirt is more a cocoon while the trolled by the subject matter of glad it worked. Captain is freshly wrapped. They your work? FM: Do you want to do more find them in the leg of the Nos- GIGER: When I work on a film I films? tromo, near the top. must deal with other people. I GIGER: May be. Maybe. I'll tell FM: Everyone also thought that have to think of it as a team effort you, it was very hard at times and another Alien would be on the so I can't work like I normally do. I was nervous and I couldn't sleep shuttle or in the cat at the end. Normally I work in the manner of and it cost me a lot of energy. I Did you consider that option? a surrealist painter. Without was happy to work with Ridley GIGER: Oh, yes. There was an thinking, just going on, finding Scott; it was really a great thing. egg on board. Once we showed a what is inside your body. So I mean, it could've been a lot preview audience a final scene things come out on the canvas worse. where there was a cocoon in a cor- and almost magically appear at FM: As you may know, fame is ner of the shuttle. That was very the time you make the painting. very crazy in America. I mean, nice but now it is no more. There They come into the painting. I SUPERMAN & STAR WARS were a lot of different ideas in the like to find what is in my mind. have made some people ridicu- original version that they thought FM: How long have you been a lously famous. Are you afraid of it was best to take out. I don't painter? what might happen to your art if know whether it was a good idea GIGER: I've been working as a you were suddenly catapulted in- to take it all out. I just saw some to "stardom"? rushes and they looked good. But GIGER: You know what I'm if Ridley decided to take it out, afraid of? As an artist, if you do then it should have been taken too much work for film they say, out, because I think he is a genius. "Aw, he's a film architect" or We always agreed about things so something like that. Suddenly I think if I saw both versions I they don't take you seriously. If would like his final version better. you work for the opera, that's FM: A lot of people in the film something else. But film, that's business seem to think that the always, "eh," you know (makes world starts & ends with them but hand gesture of "comme ci, you seem very versatile & adap- comme ca")? So I have to be care- table. ful, otherwise . . . Maybe it's a GIGER: Oh, if I have something good thing to work in films but it that I think is right, well, (laugh) can turn against you. then it is right. It's very difficult FM: Do you think that your ex- to change my mind. For instance perience on ALIEN will change they often wanted other people to your painting style? change some of the things I had GIGER:/ don't think so. My done in the beginning, like the medium is the airbursh; my col- derelict. But I always said, "I ors, they wouldn't change. This can't do another one.' So after all has been very good for me be- that it came out the way I intend- cause it made me do paintings of ed, so (chuckle) I am happy. But things like spaceships, things I some things did change. My first hadn't done too much of before. design of the "chest-burster" had And sometimes it's good to work more than one mouth. The mouth A Modern Medusa? She's certainly under pressure. Or to do some- was the most important thing a marrow-freezing sight. A sample thing you would never do under because it had to eat out of his of the Outre Art that has made other circumstances. So maybe body. But we made it smaller and Giger a Big Leaguer. you get new, fresh ideas. That's Roger Dicken built the small always very good. alien. FM: So your work seems to pic- freelance painter since 1968. Be- ture your nightmares & demons. FM: Even after all your work on fore I still did paintings but my the final Alien, the audience does And by painting them, it has been work as an industrial designer written that you purge yourself. not really see it clearly. came first because you must have GIGER: Yes, that's very good. I Do you find that sometimes these a profession in Switzerland. It's paintings only serve to give your like that. Otherwise it would get no good to be an "artist. " You are boring. It maintains the mystery. nightmares a reality? To make shamed if you make a living at it. them real? Only at the end can you see his It's not a job in their eyes. But tail & his arms & things. then if you make money with it, GIGER: I must say, about this FM: It's obvious that you really everything is good. And if you get dream idea that was written like filmaking. famous ... ? Then it's all about in my book, it occurred a GIGER: Yes, yes, yes. I think it's "Bravo!" But before, "Poof!" long time ago, when I was about a combination of all arts together; Heh-heh. 20 years old. It was early in my sound, movement, all the medi- FM: What do you want to do career. At the moment, I feel very ums. It's OK to do paintings but now? good. These bad dreams don't oc- in a film you can do more. GIGER: I'd like to do my own cur much anymore. I only have FM: In some cases artists are con- paintings. I've had ALIEN up to bad dreams when I'm under trolled by their medium rather here. For almost 2 years it's been pressure. Or something. Maybe than the other way around. This ALIEN, ALIEN, ALIEN. Never it's the ALIEN. seems especially true of artists stopped. I'm very happy the film END

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