H.R. Giger: Debbie Harry Metamorphosis: Creating the Visual Concept for Kookoo
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When the visual artist H.R. Giger, best known for his biomechanical creature and set design for seminal 1979 sci-fi-horror film Alien, encountered Debbie Harry, the punk icon and lead singer of globally successful new wave band Blondie, the results were sublime. The artwork for Harry's 1981 debut solo KooKoo album cover was deemed so frightening it was originally banned on the London Underground. The fantastical videos for two of the tracks on the album, 'Backfired' and 'Now I Know you Know, ' featured Giger himself piercing an Egyptian sarcophagus and a newly brunette Harry reimagined as a xenomorphic Giger creature.
With photographs and words by Chris Stein, Harry's long-term collaborator, artefacts and sketches from the Giger archive, and an introduction by Debbie Harry, this is an essential behind-the-scenes insight into the processes of an incredible creative partnership.
Chris Stein
CHRIS STEIN is the co-founder, songwriter and guitarist of the iconic band Blondie. Chris’ photographs have been featured in galleries and press around the world, and published in Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk (Rizzoli). Beyond his era-defining music with Blondie, he has collaborated with a host of artists over the years, including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, William Burroughs, Devo, Glenn O’Brien, and Shepard Fairey. He lives in New York City.
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