So, a very special set of circumstances led us to issue 026's cover being fronted by HR Giger (and Tom G. Warrior of course). As a former student of fine art and a long time admirer of HR Giger's awe-inspiring artwork, having an individual I consider to be a true inspiration participate in such a way in Zero Tolerance is incredibly exciting and a great honour.

This is a rare glimpse into the life of one of the most revered artists of our time, and as such, I am curious to know a bit about your thoughts on HR Giger's work, how you came across it / him | was it through film? | whether you were aware certain album covers featured his artwork, how inspirational his work has been to you etc. etc. etc.

So come on then, thoughts please

I thought it was a great interview too... I think I first saw Giger's work in some design magazine my dad (an artist) had when I was a kid, but a bit later Alien and the Celtic Frost sleeves also had a big impact. I studied art history at university and it's amazing how even 30-odd years later many people in the fine arts world are suspicious of/repulsed by his work and prefer to classify him as a 'pulp' or genre artist than to have to take him seriously & really look at his work.

I really enjoyed the interview. Is there a part 2 next issue?

The Giger interview is in this issue in its entirety

As I mentioned in the editorial, To Mega Therion was when I first really 'encountered' Giger's art - it's one of those albums where it takes the vinyl edition to really do justice to the artwork.

As someone who loves Tom Warrior and the art of Giger (despite not really having any opinion of art in general save for total rage against chaps like Damien Hirst/Hurst/Sod) I was thrilled about this interview before, throughout and after reading it.

"Rage For Damien Hirst" could be an awesome band / project name...

HIRST FOR BLOOD!

that's a good 'un

I feel I have to come in and defend Damien Hirst at this point (WARNING BEST MAN : MODERATELY SERIOUS ART POST)

I love Hirst because he's taken a huge spectrum of contemporary art practice and taken it to its most logical combined extreme. I can say this through minimalist (self and outer mockingly cliched) element in his sculpture, paired with the idea of found and appropiated non-art materials (including the touchy subject of organic materials in art) in unison taking on both the ironic and deathly serious elements of our culture in his stride. I think his artwork is amongst the most extreme examples of human expression i've ever come across. Admittedly he does this in the high flying manner of sensationalist rock n' roll businessman of the nineties-cum-noughties but frankly thats why I find him so appealing.
He can outrage both the lefts and rights of the world, either modest or far-winged. His boxed-in sculptures of dissected bovines and rotting flyblown carcasses appeal to my desire to see the mainstream and conservative forces of world (those words barely explaining the horror of that collective psychogenic mass) get throughly egg and floured. Thats why Damien Hirst is one of my favorite artists.

I love Giger because his work is beautiful. The toothy, eyeless, ecstatic shapes that take orgiastic and monstrous shapes within a grimly colored world of his own making that i'm told ought to repulse me I find (and always have found) startingly wonderful to behold. Not purely out of maturing teenage sense of sticking ones middle-finger up to the self-righteous but because the humanity of his work is so starkly and uniquely obvious to those who let themselves see it. If Hirst's work is about the cold and clinical acceptance of death (though I've personally seen more to it than that) then Giger's work is a brutally honest and extraterran celebration of life. Life includes all of the secretions and gore and decay that Giger seemlessly blends with the procreative, sensual and perceptive aspects of being alive so fearfully censored by the world at large. Giger, for me at least, is a temporary escape from our own physical monophobia. Thats why HR Giger is also one of my favorite artists.

I love both artists equally, though I have to admit ZT only recently realized how much I needed to reacquaint (sp?) myself with Gigers art. Both artists could be planets apart in terms of practice and cultural surroundings, but both cover that spectrum of life and death that all truly brilliant art stands for.

You do realize that this topic is like a dream come true for me

needs more tentacle porn.

i've been a passionate follower and student of giger's work since i was.... 14? maybe 15. inspired my work and my taste in music profoundly.

it's just a shame most people don't look further than Alien for his works. he has produced decades of incredible work before and since Alien. the interview outlined this - good job! fantastic article.

i have an ENORMOUS collection of jpegs of his works if anyone wants them about 500 images, many of them organised by title/number etc.

Really great interview. He comes across really well in it. Also generally well constructed.

For myself I've never been much in to his art. The thing that struck me was him talking about being so enthralled by Dali's work, which made sense as to why I'm not in to Giger's stuff. He's clearly very talented but his focus doesn't speak to me. Same as with Dali. I find much more connection and passion in things like Millais' work or Picasso or Bacon.

Top notch article though.