Requiem for a Dream Trailer

This trailer gives the audience a small dosage of the extremities that occur throughout this movie. Draws attention? Definitely.

Drugs and Fashion

Thesis

Drugs are apart of pop culture and always have been. Various drugs come and go throughout the decades and distance themselves through each generation of popular culture. What is this phenomenon that allows middle class America to constantly be drug in and out of this habit filled hole of the glamorization and popular phenomenon of drug use? This section gives some examples as to why and how drug use is advertised to and profited by each generation. Celebrities have a lot to do with this glorification of drug use, in their professional and personal lives. They create and set trends that many follow, along with allowing the drugs into their images.

The use of drugs and the style that surrounds the popularity of the use is not solely based on one factor. Many factors occur during these transitions in order for a particular genre to become successful. These "genres" consist of music, celebrities, fashion within the realms and the drug culture in general.

Companies and merchandisers profit off of these sub genres that occur throughout popculture, not only just in drugs but clothing. When a certain style of clothing or persona is relative to a specific use of drug, the followers of said style tend to become immersed into all aspects of the lifestyle, the positives and the negatives. Drug trends follow fashion trends. Throughout the section of this blog, examples are given as to what drugs, what time period and why?

Sex and Cigarettes: Just for fun

Although Richard Nixon banned cigarette advertising on television in 1971, these companies have found many other ways around the bend to appeal to young, influenceable audiences. One of these advertising alternatives is the use of celebrities in their adds. The photo above contains Kate Moss, a well known Kalvin Clein Model from the 1990's, who is infamous for drug abuse, smoking a cigarette in a very interesting way. So interesting, it may get young followers of Moss to buy them?

During the 1990's, there were many states that allowed the sale of tobacco to youth under the age of 18. These children were being influenced by celebrities, idols and fashionistas that drug abuse was acceptable, it was almost inevitable for someone to at least try a cigarette if they were into pop culture. By 1998, the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 18 was prohibited.

Next to coffee, tobacco is the highest selling "drug" in the world. America's youth is influenced by their idols, that smoking is okay. They even come with fancy accessories such as holders and boxes to match your purse.. why? It's a marketing tool. If a young 18 year old girl sees her favorite fashion model, Kate Moss, smoking cigarettes, ten later goes to the mall and finds a brown and khaki cigarette holder to match her Dolce and Gabana purse, she's sold!

These young adults may be getting the wrong message. They put the two together, Celebrities and Cigarettes. Celebrities are sexy and celebrities smoke cigarettes, that must make cigarettes sexy too. Hence, The Cool

Celebrities: Just as examples

The presence of drugs within the entertainment industry is apparent. When society sees and hears celebrities casually using drugs for personal pleasure, they find it acceptable and cool and want to use them as well. Why, then, must society glamorize the use of drugs, mainly cigarettes, in the fashion industry? Many celebrities have destroyed their reputation, gone to jail and died over drug use and abuse. Patterns of planned obsolescence, ever-changing styles and on going introductions of new celebrities promote an endless turnover in products that are marketed and consumed by a distinct niche of individuals, the drug culture.

Movie stars and celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Robert downey Jr. , Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe have and had all been known for being effected by drug abuse. In present day, there are a few main examples of the existing celebrities that effect the choices the youth generations make today.

Lindsay Lohan

Glamourous

Not so Glamourous

Lindsay Lohan is known world wide as a famous child star. She took on roles in Parent Trap and modeled for Calvin Klein Kids. Her career hit rock bottom in 2008, after she had been charged with multiple DWI's and had been photographed at numerous night clubs doing drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. The picture above is her mugshot after she got in a car crash in 2007. Police found "usable" amounts of cocaine in her car, which would have been her third probation violation, causing her to wear an ankle bracelet for several months after paying a hefty fine. Why would someone with so much power and fame allow themselves to create such a horrific image? many young girls look up to Lohan, and when she is portrayed glamourously smoking, many may consider this a bad influence in and upon itself. She then becomes the epitome of a child star.

Kate Moss

Glamourous

Not so Glamourous

Kate Moss is known as a Calvin Klein Model of the 1990's. She has appeared in over 300 fashion magazines and is one of the shortest high fashion models in the world. Not only is she known for her modeling career, she is also known for her abusive drug use with substances such as cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. She was one of the models that made Heroin chic what it was. Above is a photo of Moss lighting a cigarette in real life, underneath a glamorized photo of her smoking one for her career. Many shorter than normal models look up to Moss, due to the fact that she is so short and has been so successful in her career. These models watch as she abuses drugs such as cocaine, in order to maintain her waifish figure, and try to use these drugs as well. Even adds of Moss' glamorized face smoking a cigarette attracts younger fans into doing the same deed. this leads to higher profit for cigarette companies by young women.

These are just two examples of fashionistas whose careers have been determined by their representation in the media. Much of this representation is based off of drug use and advertisement, allowing their fans to follow in their abusive habits all the same.

Eras and Styles: Just to name a few

Hippies

The term hippie comes from the word hipster, which was used to describe beatniks who moved to Greenwich Village and San Francisco during the 1960's. The values of the hippies allowed for the sexual revolution to occur. They were adamant on creating community and a comfortable society. They did so by having similar interests such as psychedelic rock music, embracing individuality and drugs, mainly marijuana.

Hippies were well known for wearing tie-dye. These shirts profited drastically. They featured swirls of multiple colors blending into one another. Hippies were known for taking psychedelic drugs such as LSD and marijuana and it were colors and images like those portrayed on these shirts that enhanced the effects these drugs would have on them, allowing for a more positive euphoria.

The sale of these shirts drastically decreased in the 1980's when the hippy revolutions halted and the teens of the time had to put on work suits and make a living for their families. The times of the Vietnam War and high political scandal, such as watergate, cause fear in American citizens. It were groups such as the hippies that felt like they needed to ban together in order to create a safe, peaceful environment, away from lies and war.

As the drug culture began to encompass hippies and their persona, negative affiliation were brought upon them. Their beliefs are relative to those of Eastern philosophy but also take up many religions that follow forms of peaceful, energy relevant cultures, creating a diverse belief system.

Tie-dye T shirts and hippie clothing such as bell bottom jeans, headbands, large sunglasses and vests generated much money into the market. Unfortunately,nowadays when someone decides to wear these items compiled, it is likely that they will be stereotyped as a hippy. Hippy fashions and values had a major effect on culture, influencing popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts. Since the widespread movement in the 1960s, many aspects of hippy culture have been assimilated by mainstream society.

Bob Marley was a famous idol for the Hippies. He encouraged love, peace, freedom and marijuana. His name was used extensively as a marketing tool for items relative to those that hippies would find useful. His name alone generates a lot of money. For example, Marley Fest is a reggae festival held in Austin, Texas near the weekend of April 20th. This festival alone gives away millions of dollars to charity with its profits as well as generates money for the community with food booths and pipe stands. Shirts that have his face printed on them are sold daily for the purpose of what he stood for and what he smoked.

Punk

Beginning in the 1970's in Europe, when "Anarchy in the UK" was the cool thing to say and red mohawks and stud jean jackets created fear in your enemies, the Punk subculture was being born. Punk refers to a type of upbeat, drum and bass based type of music. Vocals and lyrics are often harsh and hard to bare for those who are unfamiliar with it due to its screaming and unprofessional lyricism, usually lacking in many forms of music one would need in order to be considered "music". It only took under a decade for it to reach the United States and during Reagan's Presidency it peaked. It was first described as "bricolage" , the youth culture, since the end of WW2, but didn't reach popculture until several decades later. Various philosophical, political and artistic movements influenced the subculture. It was considered radical and liberal against government standards. New York city and Los Angeles were home to two of the three major punk scenes in the world, trailing after London. There were dozens of sub-punk cultures that gathered around punk such as "Oi punk", "Nazi punk" and "skin heads". Along with this radical outburst of political views and creative style, drugs also grew about counter culture, like a disease. Let us refer to it as a "disease." These stud belt wearing, patched up shirt sporting, colorful textured hair bearing, unreasonable tattoo and body modified "crazies", were "no good!"

This style became cool in an instant, and soon, youth of America was this punk persona.

Punk subculture was often related to a drug culture. Punks at times would be scattered around the streets of the three main punk cities, scrounging for money in order to watch one of their favorite punks bands play, high on heroin an cocaine. This culture was captured by James Merendino in the 1999 picture "SLC PUNK". This film depicts a subculture of punks in Salt Lake City during Reagan's presidency, living off of their parents and failing at life. Drugs begin to control thier lifestyles and their die because of these drugs.

Heroin Chic

During the 1990's, a persona/style known as Heroin Chic surfaced about the American high fashion scene. Heroin Chic was characterized by dark heavy circles underneath the eyes, pale skin and a fragile figure. When one placed this drug abusing look with high priced clothing lines, the fashion industry became known as maximizing the pleasure of viewing by glamorizing the
aesthetics of cultural slumming. Considering fashion is an ubiquitous and powerful influence on pop culture consumers and their behaviors.

During the 1990's the price of heroin had decreased, therefore making it more popular and attainable. The quality and purity of the substance had increased, along with this drop in price. The more available it became, the larger the demand grew, creating a nation wide scare about the use of the substance.

Heroin began to appear in all forms of pop culture such as film and music. Movies such as Pulp Fiction (1994) which contained celebrities such as Uma Thurman and John Travolta and Trainspotting (1996). These films examined, but didn't necessarily glorify drug use as fashion did. Musicians also began to incorporate drug use, specifically heroin, into their art. Two musicians most known for this phenomenon were Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.

This drug addicted, emaciated style began with Calvin Klein, the fashion designer, and his star model, the infamous, Kate Moss. She was well known for her abusive drug use during the 1990's.
The scope for truly independent decisions about fashion, food and drugs is always culturally limited due to the power of influence.

Grunge

So, one may ask, How did grunge go from this

to this?

It began with the bands Nirvana and Pearl Jam during the first half of the 1990's. Plaid was in and Punk was out. After the underground rock scene in Seattle exploded, America and MTV began to grab hold of this new phenomenon that represented all angst and no care. Independent record labels during the 1980's began to record and sell albums for up and coming bands with this new mixture of rock, punk, pop and metal. Their fashion consisted of plaid shirts, jean jackets, ripped jeans and dirty hair. This later became known as "hobo chic" almost a decade later. The word grunge, alone, means filthy and dirty. Items grunge musicians would wear, one could practically find in a thrift store.

Merchandisers found this as a great opportunity to take a cheap form of clothing and create profit. Due to the fact that these clothes were so easy to find and make, merchandisers were ecstatic. Family clothing stores such as JCPenny and Walmart began to sell plaid and grunge-like clothing. The style didn't evolve as an attempt to make profit, it was merely what the bands that played this music wore in leisure. the popularity of the music caused for popularity of the clothing and therefore, the catwalk must take a hold of it and turn it into a market.

Kurt Cobain, the fashionista of the trend and lead singer of Nirvana was apparently "just too lazy to shower" as his fellow band members stated. Kurt Cobain was known highly for heroin and alcohol abuse. He would play shows intoxicated and delusional, resulting in passing out mid show. This glorification of this heroin users style also glorified his use of drugs, making it seem acceptable as well.It was a rebellious style against the glitz and glamour of the 1980's. Its decline of popularity began during the last few years of the 1990's when popular boy bands and preppy virgin blondes were the new thing. These artists and the years that followed the death of grunge did take what little they could from its style. Plaid skirts and jean jackets were the new thing during the first decade of the 21st century.

Conclusion

Overall, these eras allowed for mass consumption of the products that were popular during their time periods in pop culture to excel.

The celebrities and fashionistas that represented these styles and cultural transitions did not have healthy habits, therefore promoting these habits to their wider audiences, creating an accepted drug culture within America.

During the 1960's when hippies, peace and love resulted in sexual revolution and nudist parties, tie-dye shirts sold in mass amounts. When one recognizes the amount of companies and stores that continue to sell products that stemmed from the hippy generation, they would understand that their purpose for existing was sightly successful. Bulky jewelry and organic clothing products and food are sold in multiple locations throughout the world. One location very relative to our time and location is Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods is known for rejecting traditional corporate management models as well as traditional product sources. Whole Foods is also known for selling organic product based clothing. This image of a safe, management free environment creates a sense of freedom and room for adjustment for its consumers. These qualities are important when it comes to wanting to be individual and not corporate run. One of Whole Foods Competitors is Wal Mart, which is known as a conglomerate, corporate run, money making machine. It is seen as quite the opposite of Whole Foods in that it doesn't allow for consumer and employee input, they are not in it for the little man and only care about maximizing profits, where Whole Foods cares about everyone; the environment, the consumers and society. Whole Foods profits off of this hippy culture.

During the 1980's when punk was alive and "OI" was the new hello, companies that created the patches these punks wore for their favorite bands and the studs they put on their jackets, made money as well. Smaller organizations that created these products in order to sell them to the youth of the time. Now companies exist that still continue to sell these products, one company for Example is HOT TOPIC. They continue to sell stud belts, hair dye, skinny jeans and body jewelry, which were products that all arose out of popularity and style during the 1980's. Smaller companies buy parts of Hot Topic's franchise in order to sell their products within the store. Then kids, who want to be cool like punks and goths enter there for their products. Hot Topic profits off of the punk culture.

Even styles in which the fashionista "doesn't care" and is "too cool" to try, goes to these conglomerate stores in order to buy the products they need to PUT FORTH THE IMAGE THEY WANT TO PORTRAY!

During the heroin chic era, when Calvin Klein even acknowledged the drug abuse surrounding the times, sex couldn't have been sexier. He turned a disgusting, expensive, overrated habit into fashion. Young teenage girls throughout America all wanted to look like hobos? Yes, hobos. Baggy clothes and heavy makeup became popular. This allowed for makeup companies and high fashion clothing lines to target a new generation. THIS IDEA THAT DRUG ABUSE WAS SEXY AND WORTHY OF THE CAT WALK, CREATED A NATION WIDE LACK OF CONFIDENCE. No one felt skinny enough, pale enough or dirty enough for this era. Anorexia spiked up 32% during the 1990's and many blame this on the heroin chic mentality. The use of drugs for white, young middle aged and young women also rose drastically during this decade.

During the 1990's when grunge music was big and mods were dead, plaid and dirty hair took over glitzy 80's vests and hairspray. The fact that a large icon such as Kurt Cobain, a heroin addict who coincidentally dies of heroin, was such an influence on the youth of the age, many found that it may be acceptable to try these drugs. Heroin use increased during these time, not only because it was more pure and cheap than before, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS COOL. Plaid shirts and ripped jeans were costing hundreds of dollars, when one could have found then for a couple at a thrift store merely a decade later. Today, plaid and similar grunge wear are still in style and companies still profit off of these items, with this grunge persona attached to it. This "I don't care what you think of me, I'M COOL", lifestyle.

You may be rebellious and you may be cool, but when these styles promote habits such as drug use to the youth of American culture, you are merely promoting an illegal, deadly lifestyle.

Torgoff, Martin. Can't Find My Way Home; America in The Great Stoned Age 1945-2000. New York,NY: Simon & Schuster , 2004. Print.

Rachael , Cooke. In the News; Drug Culture. The facts behind the headlines. . North Mankato, MN: sea to sea publications, 2005. Print.

Crothers, Lane. Globalization and American Popculture . Plymouth : Roman and Littlefield Publishers Inc. , 2005. Print.

Mitchel, Chester Nelson. The Drug Solution: Regulating drugs according to principles of efficiency, justice and democracy, . Don Mills, Ontario: Carleton University Press Inc, 1990. Print.

Arnold, Rebecca. Fashion, Desire and Anxiety: image and morality of the 20th century. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press Inc, 2001. Print.

Drugs and Music

Thesis: The correlation between drugs and music became prominent in the mid 20th century and has increased exponentially ever since. Today, it is not uncommon to find drug references in the lyrics of a variety of musical genres. This blog is intended to explore the connection between drug use and music and how this connection affects how the public reacts and responds to this drug marketing.

The three main categories we explore are:

1. The 1960s. The Psychedelic Era.

2. Bob Marley. Reggae and Marijuana.

3. Hip Hop.

The use of drugs by musicians to create music and by listeners to enhance the experience has created a strong bond between the two that shows no sign of clearing anytime soon. As popular culture becomes increasingly lenient in its view of sex, drugs, and violence, it is possible (and probable) that drugs will become permanently engrained in musical culture.

The 1960s.

The "Psychedelic Era", as it came to be known, began when bands decided to use drugs to enhance their ability to make music that would outshine the music of the 1950s. The music associated with this era rang bright with drug references in lyrics, drug use at concerts, and drug use by the musicians themselves when writing and recording albums. This new musical revolution was a host to the drug culture and as it grew, the presence of mind-altering substance increased with it.

Musicians were often seen as living on the edge and having glamorous lifestyles, an assumption that led to the idolization of many prominent music makers. In the 1960s many of these musicians were having their personal lives publicized and it became apparent that drugs were a major part of the lifestyle. When society idolizes someone, they often tend to try and mimic the life of that particular person in an effort to help them fulfill their own fantasies, and this is especially true with young people. As youth began experimenting with drugs and drugs were being "promoted" by psychedelic bands to help their listeners enhance the experience, the counterculture movement felt they had the ability to change the world.

The start of the counterculture movement of the 60s, the hippie movement, took hold in Greenwich Village and San Francisco and soon spread across America. With music becoming more and more available and communication between different parts of the country expanding, the hippie movement spread like wildfire to all areas of the nation and quickly became popular culture. Hippie culture, previously regarded as a lowly lifestyle, became the social norm and with it came another social "norm": drugs.

The end of the 1960s was characterized by one final boom that set the precedent for the remaining decades until present: Woodstock, 1969. The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix are among the most notable Woodstock performers. The culmination of the most popular music, hippies, and drugs on one August weekend in 1969 completely shattered all previous notions of popular culture.

Bob Marley.

Widely considered the most influential Reggae musician, Bob Marley has become synonymous with marijuana use and peace activism. Born in 1945, Marley pioneered the spread of Reggae and Rastafarianism to the entire world. His public openness about smoking marijuana and the use of marijuana in his musical career has led to the adoption of reggae as sort of the (un)official music of marijuana culture. Advertisers selling a range of merchandise from clothing to music to drug paraphernalia commonly use the Marley name, Reggae terms, Rastafarian terms, and Jamaican references to help sell their products. It is almost as if Bob Marley has become a sort of hybrid idol/mascot for youth drug culture. Click here to listen to Marley's thoughts on marijuana.

Reggae music, and specifically Marley's music, is characterized by off-beats, or skanks, and has a very unique sound. Listen here. The lyrics of reggae songs usually deal with social criticism, drugs, or feel-good thoughts. A major theme of his music is peace, a sentiment shared by the hippies of the 1960s and 70s. This common theme has allowed for Marley to be assimilated with counterculture as it passed through the decades from the 1960s to the 1970s and the early 1980s.

Bob Marley's musical career ended tragically in 1981 when he died of cancer. He was 36 years old. His death allowed for the spirit of Marley to pass into the realm of previous musicians that had a significant impact on culture but also died at a young age. After his death, he became a posthumous idol for the drug culture and his words still echo on today as we face the same geopolitical challenges that he sang against in the 70s and 80s.

Because of his popularity in music and his peaceful message popular culture has accepted him as one of the most influential people of the 20th century. With this title comes the idolization that we discussed about the musicians of the 60s. Counterculture, however, embraced him for more than just his music and his message. His use of and references to marijuana appealed to the youth of the 70s and 80s and the connection between his drug use and peace spurred new thought about "the herb".

Unlike the hard drugs used by some musicians in previous and later generation, Marley is best known for his sole use of ganja. His followers seemed to mimic this and generally the "Marley culture" is solely centered around marijuana use, peaceful practices, and down to earth attitude. His effect on American culture has been just as influential 30 years after his death as it was when he was alive and making new music. The death of Bob Marley sealed his status as a musical legend and the permanence of his memory was essential in shaping the popular culture of the 1970s.

"Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction" Bob Marley

Hip Hop.

Hip hop music made it introduction into the music scene as early as the late 70s, but did not gain momentum until the 80s and has become increasingly popular in every decade since. Today, hip hop and rap music has taken over the mainstream and is major genre played on Top 40 radio shows. Artists such as Snoop Dogg, Devin The Dude, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Lil Wayne, and DMX all reference drugs in their music.

The most typical drug references in rap allude to marijuana rolled in "joints "or "blunts" and 40oz. malt liquor beverages. However, cocaine has surfaced as a common drug of choice for many hip hop artists. Today's youth are arguably the biggest audience of hip hop, as it has become one of the most prominent contributors to popular culture of this decade. The youth culture that listens to hip hop is constantly influenced by the drug references and, much like the culture of the 60s or the fans of Bob Marley, begin to mimic this behavior.

Hip Hop drug references find their way into songs less as an agent of social change, but more as a product of social boredom and social defiance. Increasingly, rap songs contain explicit lyrics relating drugs, violence, and sex reminiscent of rock music of the 1960s. Hip hop music, however, differs from music of the 60s in that society today generally seems to be becoming less modest and therefore, explicit lyrics are becoming more common every year.

Some would argue that as hip hop progresses and influences more and more people it will permanently alter our views of these taboo subjects and we will become even more lenient than we are now to drugs. This seems to ring true for the music that is played on the mainstream, but the roots of hip hop were formed out of oppression and the possibility of rap as an agent of social change has been proven by such artists as Atmosphere, Abstract Rude, Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, and Busdriver. All of the aforementioned artists reference drugs, but less as brash, explicit lyrics and more as a possible cure for the world's troubles.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, music and drug use have been intertwined since the mid-20th century. From the 60s where experimental drug use introduced the nation to the world of psychedelic experiences to the 70s where Bob Marley began campaigning for world peace through the use of marijuana to the present where hip hop has used drugs as both an explicit form of shock value and as an agent of social change, drugs have engrained themselves in popular culture. Everyone in the world has a musical preference and as drug use makes its way into many different genres, it will only become more commonplace for people to constantly be exposed to drug culture. This exposure can essentially have two possible outcomes. Either drugs will become cemented into our culture, or there will be a backlash and moral panic against the use and promotion of drugs.

Sources:

White, Timothy. Catch a fire. Owl Books, 1998. Print

"The Music of the 1960s." Thinkquest. Team 21342, 1998. Web. 6 May 2010. .

Stasio, Frank. "Drugs In Hip Hop." The State of Things. North Carolina Public Radio, 22 Jul 2009. Web. 6 May 2010. .

Drugs and Film

Drug Films and their relation to Pop Culture

THESIS:

Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, and “…a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…” have emerged as popularized drugs and the prime focus of the subject at hand, that is, how film distribution companies have been able to normalize, and to an extent, promote the consumption of said drugs to the youth and young adult population through movies such as Dazed and Confused, Blow, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pineapple Express, and The Wackness. However, other “drug movies,” including Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream, harness and manipulate the drug of choice in the above-mentioned films not as glorifications of drug-use by any means, but in fact as rather grotesque portrayals of addiction and the subsequent downfalls of the films’ protagonists. How then, do these so called “drug movies” induce the fan-base that each has garnered following their distribution? The fact is that they are not films that explicitly lobby for recreational drug use, but rather they incorporate drug-related themes as a catalyst for the story that is to be told; stories of adolescence, of lost innocence, of the search for freedom, stories of failure and the quest for redemption, and as such one comes to realize that despite the drug-incorporated themes present throughout these aforementioned films, it is evident that the characters in each film resemble people of everyday life, and their ambitions are not very much unlike those of any man or woman in contemporary society. Thus, it is not necessarily the inclusion of drugs that the audience falls in love with, but it is the universality of the morals present in each film that has created an entire subculture among the youth that simply relates to the characters portrayed in these movies.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) by Hunter S Thompson.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, otherwise simply known as Fear and Loathing to its devoted fan base, chronicles the drug-induced journey of two men throughout Las Vegas in pursuit of the “American Dream.” Despite a pitiful initial release, with a domestic gross that totaled $8 million less than the movie’s budget, Fear and Loathing has emerged as a cult classic, due in large part to the amazingly barbaric, yet honest display of human experience that most people are entirely unaware of. Adapted from freelance journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson’s novel written in 1971, Fear and Loathing is the semi-autobiographical tale of Thompson and his lawyer, the infamous Dr. Gonzo, and their documented drug frenzy. However, because it is more than likely that very few people can relate to the level of consciousness that Thompson (referred to as the character, Raoul Duke) achieves, there is an entire side-story in Fear and Loathing that alludes to Thompson’s nostalgia for his 1960’s heyday, accounting for a more profound aspect to this film. Referring to the ‘60’s as “an era of extreme reality,” Thompson frequently reflects on this decade as one of cultural importance not only for America, but also for Thompson as an individual. There was sex, drugs, rock and roll, vast political outcries, and an overbearing sense of hope, all corresponding indications of the very counterculture that a story like Fear and Loathing reinforces in today’s society. Precisely, it is this humane glimpse of a man that seems so defeated, so simple in his desire that only eludes him, that allows for fans of this movie to connect with Thompson, and thus the subsequent production of a subculture highly portrayed by drug use and a yearning for youth.

Raoul Duke's Wave Speech:

As a survivor of what Thompson considered to be “a defeated and fractured time,” the glorified “Wave Speech” delivered in the film fully captures an age that he can only remember, but so desperately wishes to relive.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Wave Speech

JOHNNY DEPP plays THOMPSON

Considered one of the “sexiest” as well as most versatile actors of his time, heartthrob and bad boy Johnny Depp as the portrayal of Thompson no doubt leads to a more accepted notion of drug use following this movie. Considered by some as a role model in the celebrity realm, Depp’s representation of the eccentric, drug-abusing Thompson allows for a downplay of the drug-use displayed; thus, it may be inferred that Depp single handedly allows for the promotion of the drug use displayed on film.

GONZO ART

The style of art, known as “Gonzo Art” that goes hand in hand with Fear and Loathing, is created by cartoonist Ralph Steadman, and arouses a certain creative expression indicated by the psychedelic caricatures of Fear and Loathing’s protagonists.

BLOW (2001) by Ted Demme

Just as Depp plays the drug-crazed Hunter Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his representation of the cocaine-smuggling George Jung in the biopic, Blow, also allows for a smoother, less harsh view of the drugs involved. For the drug culture in general, this movie is applauded for its sentimental appeal towards some of life’s harshest realities; plagued by a detrimental monetary system as a child, George (Depp) shares with the viewers his desire to never be poor, and thus it is implied that drug-dealing is a means to escape economic troubles and live lucratively.

...Not to mention the utilization of sex appeal, with two sexual icons such as Depp and Penelope Cruz coming together to depict Blow's jaded love affair and marriage. Sex sells, and we the audience buy it, drugs included!

The Wackness (2008) by Jonathan Levine

Gandhi Promotes Marijuana…SAY WHAT??

In the 2008 coming of age film, The Wackness, actor Ben Kingsley, best known for his monumental performance as Mohandas Gandhi in the 1982 film, Gandhi, explains to his psychiatric patient Luke Shapiro (played by Nickelodeon child-star Josh Peck) that people who do not smoke marijuana should not be trusted.

Shapiro is the quintessential representation of an adolescent coping with family issues, the directionless summer ahead, and the fact that he is still a virgin. Throughout the film, Shapiro sells marijuana as a means to provide his family with extra money to avoid eviction, once again claiming drug dealing as “just another job.” Moreover, the frequent inhalation of weed in this movie acts as a form of escapism for Shapiro and his psychiatrist, Dr. Squires (Kingsley), shedding a positive light on the drug at hand. Perhaps speaking directly to a youthful drug culture, the film captures a transition from boyhood to enlightenment, and is finely tuned by a soundtrack dominated by hip hop tracks, such as those by Method Man, the Notorious B.I.G. and R. Kelly, further appealing to today’s drug culture.

Dazed and Confused (1993) Richard Linklater

Specifically with the Austin culture, this film hits home. Linklater filmed most of this movie through the eyes of a sexually aroused, ready to party teenager. Although this films drug abusing culture is "soft", it treats marijuana use as acceptable.

Although the majority of the actors in Dazed and Confused were and still are considered no-namers, one attraction of this film that particularly caters to a mainstream audience is the performance by Matthew Mcconaughey, that of a dim-witted, weed-smoking, laid back "dude."

Pineapple Express (2008) by David Gordon Green

Marijuana is the drug-in-focus in Pineapple Express. The main characters go through a series of unfortunate events while under the influence of marijuana. The amusing situations that take place throughout the film attracts a wide range of audiences. Pineapple Express is the name of the particular, exclusive marijuana that initiates the plot. Amusingly enough, drug culture has been directly influenced by this movie, as an actual marijuana strand has been cultivated and named "Pineapple Express."

EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE...ALMOST:

Requiem For A Dream (2000) By Darren Aronofsky

In his film Requiem for a Dream, Aronofsky depicts different forms of addiction, leading to the characters’ imprisonment in a dream world of delusion and reckless desperation that is subsequently overtaken and devastated by reality. This film was considered a hit in the independent and mainstream film culture. It was creative and innovative in its use of content and distribution a decade ago, therefore allowing for wider audiences to see it, as exemplified by a total revenue that nearly doubled the movie's budget. Where this movie differs from those described above, is in the fact that the drugs in Requiem are not manifest in a positive light, and clearly are attributed as the reason for the chaos that ensues.

Nonetheless, while Requiem's addicts are intended to portray beat-down characters losing themselves in a harrowing New York City scene, the actors playing said addicts (actors Jared Leto and Marlon Wayans, as well as actress Jennifer Connelly) are far from horrifying, thus fusing destruction with glamor.

Trainspotting (1996) by Danny Boyle

This film is about heroin abuser Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene who tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends. This film was one of the most grossed foreign films in American history. It was filmed and based in Scotland in the lower class suburbs. Due to the fact that this film was so innovative and representative of a rebellious hoodlums, it allows for the audience to feel empowered by the film and its anti-government stances.

Conclusion:

The drug subculture, with its onset occurring in the 1960’s and having expanded ever since, has been greatly influenced by the universal tales depicted in film, and while many of the movies described above appeal to a smaller, more unique fan base, including the cult classics Fear and Loathing as well as Dazed and Confused, along with The Wackness, and Blow, others have garnered particular attention of a mainstream audience partly due to its inclusion of glamorous celebrities – Johnny Depp, Matthew Mcconaughey – and each facet contributes to the culmination of an overall promotion, or at least desensitization, of drug use.

SOURCES:

Burroughs, William. "Ralph Steadman: Gonzo: The Art."Spike Magazine n. pag. Web. 6 May 2010.

Davis, Eric. "Tribeca Review: The Wackness." Cinematical. Tribeca Film Festival, 29 04 2008. Web. 6 May 2010. .

"Top Ten Hunter S. Thompson Quotes." Alternative Reel n. pag. Web. 6 May 2010. .