Coupe
Toronto’s Coupe, now on its second issue, is clearly determined to raise apathy to inspired new heights. This is a magazine that consists almost entirely of ironic juxtapositions in the form of deep thoughts superimposed over lush collages: “Art Is Not Dangerous. Art Doesn’t Make A Difference” is a typical Coupeism, given a full page with a flowery wall paper background. Articles, it seems, are out and Coupe faithfully provides us with only retrograde text pieces, one an utterly mundane work on the Chemical Brothers and one a design manifesto that includes the advice “it usually takes the passage of time to understand an article of technology.” The only full page of ‘writing’ in Coupe is a silly list of the best “television shows”, “books”, “bombshells” etc. Still I have a fondness for Coupe. It is an apt reflection of a world of arbitrary values and meaningless profundity where getting a table at the latest fad bistro can be considered an achievement. Coupe also proves my long-standing conviction that the only thing separating the self indulgent magazine of lifestyle from the self indulgent zine is layers of pretension and levels of funding. (HN)