1981: DEBBIE HARRY and H.R. GIGER Collaborate | Newsnight | Classic BBC Music | BBC Archive

BBC Archive – 10th March 2023

Newsnight reporter Robin Denselow reports from Zurich on the unlikely collaboration between singer Debbie Harry and visual artist H.R. Giger.

Debbie Harry – best known as the frontwoman of New York punk band Blondie – is about to release her debut solo album KooKoo. The cover art for KooKoo has been designed by Giger – whose most famous work to date is his nightmarish visual design on the science fiction film Alien – and sees Brian Aris’ black and white photograph of Harry reimagined to show her face being punctured by needles. The image has attracted much controversy, and has been banned from display in several public places, including the London Underground.

What drew these two seemingly disparate characters together for the project, and what does it mean for the future of Blondie?

Originally broadcast 31 July, 1981.