Needles, Giger and a solo that refused to stay pretty
BBC Newsnight in 1981 follows Debbie Harry into the biomechanical world of H.R. Giger and the solo album KooKoo, produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards while Blondie was still the hottest name on the chart. The cover, her face pierced by acupuncture needles, becomes the argument: pop can still look dangerous. Harry moves through the piece with cool control, bridging the band’s radio heat and a stranger chapter that would not stay pretty. She does not apologize for the image. She lets it sit there, exact, and a little cold.
