H.R Giger is most famous for his design of the alien creatures in the Alien movie series. I saw these movies and creatures as a child and they scared me! But then later in life I became a fan of the Alien movies as well as Giger’s artwork. As a teenager I was particularly attracted to dark and gothic art. Giger’s sculptures and artwork were influenced by styles such as bio-mechanical, futuristic, dark and gothic themes which was also reflected the type of music I became of fan of. One band I listened to in the late 90s was Korn. The singer of Korn, Jonathan Davis was also a Giger fan and had Giger commission a special microphone stand for him. I remember clearly seeing this mic stand on stage while the band performed.
Before the Korn mic stand was designed in 2000 Giger designed several album covers throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, often for more alternative artists ranging from pop through to death metal. Below a quote from Rolling Stone magazine who feature some of Giger’s best album covers here.
“Surrealist Swiss painter H.R. Giger, who died on May 12th at age 74 (2014), is perhaps best known for inspiring the design of the creature in the Alien movie franchise, also had a long and deep connection with music. Whether via commissioned pieces or licensing deals, his disturbing, erotic “bio-mechanical” images were frequently used for album cover art, among other musically-related projects. We’ve highlighted some of the best of those eerie uses. “
Some of the musical artists that Giger designed for include Debbie Harry, Danzig, Dead Kennedys, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Celtic Frost and Carcass.
Giger described his artwork as “biomechanical,”, and earned renown for his monochromatic dystopian landscapes and perverse monsters. Many paintings featured genitalia in the art, while others found machines fused to organic beings.
“My paintings seem to make the strongest impression on people who are, well, who are crazy,” Giger said in a 1979 interview, according to the Associated Press. “If they like my work they are creative … or they are crazy.”
www.hrgiger.com/music/korn.htm
www.clashmusic.com/features/five-of-the-most-memorable-hr-giger-album-covers
www.hrgiger.com/music/covers.htm
www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/h-r-gigers-greatest-album-cover-art-20140513
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/h-r-giger-surrealist-artist-and-alien-designer-dead-at-74-20140513