HR Giger homepage

February 26, 2011 11:16 PM

HR Giger (pronounced "geeger", not "geiger") -- The Official Home Page

Giger is probably the greatest surrealist of the late 20th and early 21st century, not to mention the author of a million nightmares.

posted by Chocolate Pickle (25 comments total)

Love this guy. Couldn't you have scraped together a couple more links to sort of flesh this out? Giger's all kinds of interesting. I hear he has bought back works of his own art for more than he was originally paid for them, and that he cultivates weeds around his house because he likes the chaos, or something.

Also, do you think he wrote the Web site himself, or just ported it from geocities?
posted by fartknocker at 11:27 PM on February 26, 2011

If you cultivate it, it's not a weed. It's xeriscaping. Or, xenomorphiscaping in Giger's case.

/derail.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:43 PM on February 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Dead Kennedys kind of blew up after releasing an album that included a Giger piece, Penis Landscape (NSFW).

Giger made a kind of neat mic-stand for the lead singer from Korn.

This is probably worth including, too.
posted by fartknocker at 11:47 PM on February 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

(pronounced "geeger", not "geiger")

Wow, I just learned something without even reading the post. Thanks!
posted by Malor at 11:49 PM on February 26, 2011

I remember that Giger Bar in Tokyo, back during the bubble days. The atmosphere was really cool, and looking at at the photos on the website makes me miss it. There was some cool stuff back during the bubble. A lot of crap too, but some cool stuff nonetheless. I also miss the original Heartland bar hall: the Tsuta-kan, which was located where the Roppongi Hills complex is now (nothing like the current Heartland there). Good times.
posted by kram175 at 11:57 PM on February 26, 2011

the frames are surrealistic
posted by growabrain at 11:57 PM on February 26, 2011

If you are anywhere near Switzerland, you must make it to the H.R. Giger Museum. It's basically in a castle in the hills, it's loaded with crazy artifacts from the guy (like the letter he sent the Aliens producers, saying he wanted to make an entire race of Aliens based on musical instruments)...

And then there's this epic bar outside.

Some pics.

Seriously, go.
posted by effugas at 12:08 AM on February 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Is there any more terrifying juxtaposition than Roppongi vs. H.R. Giger?
posted by effugas at 12:13 AM on February 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

It looks almost exactly the same as it did back in 1999.
posted by lekvar at 12:26 AM on February 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

As much as I love to be reminded to love Giger, as stated above...this post ain't even close to Best of The Web.
posted by metasav at 1:04 AM on February 27, 2011

Huh. Looked it up on YouTube and, yeah, apparently everyone that I know and myself have been pronouncing it wrong. G-ea-ger (as in eager) indeed.
posted by porpoise at 3:31 AM on February 27, 2011

There's a rumour that Giger is consulting on Ridley Scott's new Alien (... or not) movie Prometheus
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:32 AM on February 27, 2011

Anyone who has both ELP and the DKs as fans has really broad appeal.
posted by TedW at 4:08 AM on February 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

I remember back when the bar 'Duff's' moved to Marcy or whereever it was sparsely decorated after the move, and the back room only had a few high-end Giger prints and a massive iron Giger table. I think it was so imposing no one would sit their drinks on it. Unfortunately, they kept putting decorations back there. I haven't been but I bet it looks like an episode of A&E Hoaders.
posted by fuq at 7:18 AM on February 27, 2011

Captain Blood, the canonical HR Giger fanboy game
posted by neustile at 8:21 AM on February 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm supposed to shake hands with Giger next week. Any idea what question I can ask him? I am too starstruck.
posted by Omnomnom at 8:36 AM on February 27, 2011

I remember my first trip to the Marcy Ave venue; Jimmy Duff was giving me the tour and was insistent that all the clutter would be kept in that time capsule thing in the far corner but it didn't last.

I still can't believe they tore out the H. R. Giger room at the Limelight; should have been landmarked or something. I don't know for sure but I guess that's where Jimmy got the table from for his bar.
posted by nowonmai at 8:40 AM on February 27, 2011

The HR Giger museum is in the dictionary under: "incongruity, massive".

Gruyeres is a cute, picture postcard town, with twee little shops selling tea cosies, ledehrosen and cheese memorabillia. It is like Mayberry and a quaint english village rolled into one filtered through a swiss lens. Then you round the corner, walk into a dungeon from hell and see hundreds of things like this and this in both painted and model format.

It's fucking awesome. You should go.
posted by lalochezia at 8:40 AM on February 27, 2011

Burhanistan: If you cultivate it, it's not a weed.

That exact thought occurred to me immediately after pressing post. xenomorphiscaping would have been much better. I think I saw this on a tv documentary type thing possibly 15 or 20 years ago. And of course the thing that struck me was: if I let my yard go to seed, I just look like a jerk, but if H. R. Giger does it it's an art form all of a sudden. Sometimes it's a very thick line that separates genius from...
posted by fartknocker at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2011

There are a few Let's Plays of his adventure game floating around. I think it's called Dark Seed
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 1:35 PM on February 27, 2011

For some reason I thought this was going to be an obituary. And continuing that thought, it would have to be an utterly bizarre death- something like at a exhibition in New York we find him impaled on the stinger tail of his alien model. And then we find out he was actually killed somewhere else....

Sorry, I just finished watching the first two seasons of Castle; it's warped my perceptions.
posted by happyroach at 2:18 PM on February 27, 2011

For some reason I thought this was going to be an obituary. And continuing that thought, it would have to be an utterly bizarre death

Plenty of weird shit surrounds the death of his girlfriend
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:35 PM on February 27, 2011

I'm supposed to shake hands with Giger next week. Any idea what question I can ask him? I am too starstruck.

"OMG where do you get your ideas? Predator was my favourite!"
posted by tumid dahlia at 2:48 PM on February 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Anyone who has Debbie Harry and Celtic Frost in their portfolio is a badass dude.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:42 PM on February 27, 2011

Anyone else remember DarkSeed, or the sequel- which I'll admit I'm a little fuzzy on as well.
posted by LD Feral at 6:12 AM on February 28, 2011