Personally I thought the movie was interesting much like All Quiet On The Western Front, but also like All Quiet On The Western Front it is not something I would have watched on my own. One question I have is whether the music played and the character of Ickarus really existed and were connected. It may have just been my imagination but the music Ickarus was producing when he was still doing drugs made me feel anxious. This may just be me relating the drugs to the music because of the movie, but it isn't uncommon to have music influence you. Later in the movie when he was recovering I found the music much more flowing and less stressed. Again this may have just been because I was connecting the dots in my head.

I was not overly surprised by much in the movie other than the treatment of Ickarus. Because my my past friends I have seen the effects of drugs on people first hand. I have not seen anyone too greatly affected like the man who couldn’t talk in the movie. But I do know of a homeless guy who wanders around my friends neighborhood and randomly has acid trips because of his past usage. He is generally taken away by the police and I assume they keep him until he recovers but I doubt that his condition will ever improve.

The sex and drugs thing never early caught me off guard either. Personally I think that if you surprised by the drugs and sex in the movie you are probably lying to yourself or have not looked very hard at what is going on around you. The drugs and music may be a subculture but I would bet that everyone who is attending SCSU knows at least one person who has been either been addicted or at least tried out many of the drugs in this movie. The sex on the other hand just tends to go along with drugs and alcohol because of the lessened inhibitions.

I would not say I am anymore wise or knowledgeable than other people but I am surprised that people were so shocked by what they saw in the movie. I don’t understand why the movie would be that hard to believe or why you are so embarrassed when you see someone doing what was done in the movie. I would have thought by now most people knew what was going on and could look at it in a mature manner.

1. What do drugs mean to Ickarus?
I think drugs are an escape for Ickarus along with the lifestyle. But in addition to helping him escape reality, I believe he uses them as a recreation. However later in his career as a MC he may have become dependent on them because he begins to believe he must take them to be creative or to get into the same mental state as his audience. Either way I believe it started as a recreation and a way to enhance an experience and then took control of him.  

2. Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?
It seems to he they focus on hallucinogens and many endorphin releasing drugs. I believe I saw cocaine, they talked about LSD, and I wouldn't doubt that some fans are on acid. Ecstasy is another drug that is popular in raves. Most of these are inhaled or snorted but others are placed directly into your bloodstream.
  
3. While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?
Drugs help you experience the music and atmosphere in new ways. Some drugs can make you sense the music using other sensors that normally wouldn’t have to do with sound and others release pleasure endorphins making you feel good. Others can be taken to enhance your senses and then some are taken to hallucinate. No matter what you pick though I would guess that drugs go hand in hand with raves because alot of times this particular kind of music has great affect upon your "trip". So one way would be you go to a rave to make your trip special, another would be you take drugs to make the rave special. Either way you end up taking drugs and going to a rave.

4. Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?
The first thing I noticed is that the German healthcare system took care of Ickarus. From my knowledge I would assume that Ickarus most likely would not have recovered unless he himself decided to enroll in a help course. Another thing I noticed is the lack of law enforcement upon dealing with drugs. Though I would not say drugs are hard to find in the US, from what I saw in the movie there wasn't much fear of getting busted with the drugs. I know that drugs are still pretty common in raves here in Minnesota but from what I have seen most drugs are taken privately then you go out onto the floor. Depending upon the club you may even be kicked out if they believe you are under the influence of something.  

5. Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then re-signs him?
I do not believe that this generation will be much different than the previous. Though there might be larger gathering of that culture, trends tend to come and go. When it comes down to finding a job even someone who is completely addicted to that lifestyle can become a professional if they want to. If there is no money to be made in something people are bound to move onto something else.  

6. Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?
I do not recall seeing any US "cult movies". However I don't know that I would have even considered this movie a "cult" movie. All people have a certain lifestyle and all movies portray some sort of lifestyle, the rave scene is just another. I would say that this movie just focus more upon the lifestyle than other movies.

Response to German Health. I thought that it was interesting that Germany still prayed for health when so much earlier good health and fitness was celebrated in the Olympics and in Coliseums. The fact that Nazi Germany portrayed a large strong man in most of their advertisements was also interesting. I wish I knew more about our own propaganda and what it was like in comparison. The fact that Germans invented or at least started gymnastics is also a surprise to me. Not that I don’t think Germans are capable of it but having something for entertainment and exercise doesn’t quite seem to fit in to how I imagine early Germany. I somewhat wish more was covered in the profession of healthcare in Germany. I know we covered some of it in class but I would have assumed that the groups that covered healthcare in Germany would have brought up Nuns and such. I don’t know much about them myself so maybe I have misunderstood that Nuns had helped as nurses and were taught how to take care of people. If I hadn’t already read about the humors is suppose those also would have been surprising. The fact that they thought you could have too much blood is somewhat surprising knowing that the people fainted after they drew enough. But then again maybe the people drawing the blood just assumed that they fell asleep because they were healing or were relieved in pain and are getting some well needed rest.