Coffeehouse Culture; Plain Text; Page Eight; Article Two

THE APPEARANCE OF the first issue of Coffeehouse Culture on the streets of Amsterdam marks the start of a new era in publishing. Although Coffeehouse Culture extends a respected ‘60s tradition of alternative journals, it is a groundbreaking venture that aims to take publishing into new dimensions. Based on an original, visionary and innovative concept, not only will Coffeehouse Culture serve a large readership long neglected by existing publications but it will fulfil a function that goes way beyond conventional publishing.
Devoted to a concept and an ideal that has wide-ranging social implications,
Coffeehouse Culture will be the first publication dealing with the subject of increased consciousness and the culture that surrounds and underwrites it. In exploring its subject it will be reflecting the attitudes and interests of those who are into the experience of increased consciousness. Its identification of Amsterdam as a city that contains a clearly defined and well-established society based on increased consciousness, will provide a foundation for its editorial and an inspirational focus (if it is not already one) for readers who live elsewhere.
As well as the first publication devoted to increased consciousness, Coffeehouse Culture makes claim to a number of other ‘firsts.’ It is, it says, the first publication to place cannabis use into a broader and more realistic context; the first New Age publication; the first publication devoted to evolution, the first truly European publication and the first high-circulation publication to be produced in a language different from that of the country from which it is published.
Claiming that it ‘will reach the parts other publications don’t even know exist,’ Coffeehouse Culture believes that its content can overcome any Dutch or European resistance to an English language publication. Speaking at the launch of Coffeehouse Culture in early October, the publisher and editor acknowledged that “going out to readers in a language other than their mother-tongue is inevitably risky.”
Describing the Coffeehouse Culture team as “foolishly confident,” he said: “The nature of Coffeehouse Culture’s subject matter will ensure that its editorial content will always be exciting and relevant to anyone who is into increased consciousness. What is more, Coffeehouse Culture will offer a bill of fare that is totally different from any other publication currently around. Nowhere else will readers be able to get the mix of unusual subjects and the unique perspectives that Coffeehouse Culture can give them. We are intending to make Coffeehouse Culture so enticing that everyone who believes in the things Amsterdam is all about will want to read it.”
With Amsterdam as its inspiration and model, Coffeehouse Culture will set about promoting all aspects of the culture around which it is based. “Coffeehouse Culture believes that Amsterdam is a special place in which something very important is happening. We would like to see the wonderful things that are to be found in Amsterdam more broadly available. Amsterdam culture, we believe, is showing the world how to make life better and we can really get behind that. We believe in freedom — the freedom to expand your own consciousness, to live, grow and enjoy. And those are all things that Amsterdam is famous for.”
Professing to be “one of the last surviving members of the lost race of hippies,” Coffeehouse Culture’s editor said: “We suffer from an illness. It is called ‘naive idealism.’ We believe that the New Age is starting to dawn in Amsterdam. And in this dark and desperate age you have got to be ill or something to believe things may get better.”

	COFFEEHOUSE CULTURE -- Issue 1
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	PAGE EIGHT; ARTICLE TWO; NEWS In the great tradition of Citizen Kane as the first issue was about to go to press we scrapped most of the front page. Instead of the intended second lead story on page one we ran a story about a news grabbing scandal involving a painting by Dutch artist, Piet Mondriaan, and a very large sum of money. But for Piet's sake, what could we do? The original front page story, another piece of onanistic self-promotion explaining exactly why Coffeehouse Culture had come into being, got relegated to the inside back page. The fact that our misguided foray into cultural confrontation knocked this story off the front page was of something of a shame because the piece was a crucial part of the Coffeehouse Culture 'create your own myth' package. NAIVE IDEALISM IN A DARK & DESPERATE AGE
	THE APPEARANCE OF the first issue of Coffeehouse Culture on the streets of Amsterdam marks the start of a new era in publishing. Although Coffeehouse Culture extends a respected ‘60s tradition of alternative journals, it is a groundbreaking venture that aims to take publishing into new dimensions. Based on an original, visionary and innovative concept, not only will Coffeehouse Culture serve a large readership long neglected by existing publications but it will fulfil a function that goes way beyond conventional publishing. Devoted to a concept and an ideal that has wide-ranging social implications, Coffeehouse Culture will be the first publication dealing with the subject of increased consciousness and the culture that surrounds and underwrites it. In exploring its subject it will be reflecting the attitudes and interests of those who are into the experience of increased consciousness. Its identification of Amsterdam as a city that contains a clearly defined and well-established society based on increased consciousness, will provide a foundation for its editorial and an inspirational focus (if it is not already one) for readers who live elsewhere. As well as the first publication devoted to increased consciousness, Coffeehouse Culture makes claim to a number of other ‘firsts.’ It is, it says, the first publication to place cannabis use into a broader and more realistic context; the first New Age publication; the first publication devoted to evolution, the first truly European publication and the first high-circulation publication to be produced in a language different from that of the country from which it is published. Claiming that it ‘will reach the parts other publications don’t even know exist,’ Coffeehouse Culture believes that its content can overcome any Dutch or European resistance to an English language publication. Speaking at the launch of Coffeehouse Culture in early October, the publisher and editor acknowledged that “going out to readers in a language other than their mother-tongue is inevitably risky.” Describing the Coffeehouse Culture team as “foolishly confident,” he said: “The nature of Coffeehouse Culture’s subject matter will ensure that its editorial content will always be exciting and relevant to anyone who is into increased consciousness. What is more, Coffeehouse Culture will offer a bill of fare that is totally different from any other publication currently around. Nowhere else will readers be able to get the mix of unusual subjects and the unique perspectives that Coffeehouse Culture can give them. We are intending to make Coffeehouse Culture so enticing that everyone who believes in the things Amsterdam is all about will want to read it.” With Amsterdam as its inspiration and model, Coffeehouse Culture will set about promoting all aspects of the culture around which it is based. “Coffeehouse Culture believes that Amsterdam is a special place in which something very important is happening. We would like to see the wonderful things that are to be found in Amsterdam more broadly available. Amsterdam culture, we believe, is showing the world how to make life better and we can really get behind that. We believe in freedom — the freedom to expand your own consciousness, to live, grow and enjoy. And those are all things that Amsterdam is famous for.” Professing to be “one of the last surviving members of the lost race of hippies,” Coffeehouse Culture’s editor said: “We suffer from an illness. It is called ‘naive idealism.’ We believe that the New Age is starting to dawn in Amsterdam. And in this dark and desperate age you have got to be ill or something to believe things may get better.”

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