‘An underground subculture’: How Chicago coffeehouses shaped the folk revival movement

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the 1960s and 70s, Chicago coffeehouses were popular spots for young people. These were alcohol-free establishments where people in their teens and 20s could listen to live music or just hangout for hours.

Transcript

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0:31.2	It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region.
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0:37.0	Report.
0:39.3	Explore. From WBEZ. What's up, Chicago? I'm Erin Allen.
0:42.3	When you think of a third space, like a place that isn't your home or your school or your office,
0:51.3	but a space you can feel at ease in. What is that place for you? If you're a young
0:57.2	person, it's a little harder to pinpoint what that third space is, especially today, with all
1:01.5	the competing interests that social media creates. But a few decades ago, there was a movement
1:06.9	where many young people of the 1960s and 70s found a second home at local coffee houses.
1:13.7	Anna Mason picks up this week's question.
1:17.6	After seeing the Bob Dylan biopic a complete unknown, Curious City listener Amy Clem was left
1:24.0	thinking about stories her father would tell about her parents dating in their early 20s.
1:29.3	My dad was reminded of a cafe on Sheridan called It's Here, where he used to take my mom on dates.
1:35.3	So I was wondering if there's any information on this place and the folk music scene in Chicago then and now.
1:42.3	It's Here Coffee House in Rogers Park,
1:45.6	known by its regulars as The Passion Pit,
	...

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