Lotte Debeij

In the midst of the one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam is the famous Red Light District. One of the most visited venues in this area is the Casa Rosso. This live sex theater is owned by the recent ‘Uncrowned King of the Red Lights’, Jan Otten. Many European countries have some form of legalized prostitution. But only in The Netherlands, with Amsterdam as it’s main capital, does the sex industry hold a top-ranking position among major tourist attractions. This live-sex-theater opened it’s doors in the late 60’s and immediately thrived on the sexual revolution that was going on all over the world. The owner at the time, Joop de Vries, was involved with the American mob. Eventually, he would draw the attention of the Dutch authorities. After a devastating fire at the theater in which 13 people lost their lives, De Vries saw his kingdom collapse. He died in 1986 and the Casa Rosso became part of his daughters’ inheritance. But in 1996, a former club-bouncer bought the once famous Casa Rosso. It did not take him long before he had the Casa Rosso up and running again. Soon he would become the new ‘Uncrowned King of the Red Lights’. His name is Jan Otten. A couple of years ago the city of Amsterdam began attempts to strike down on the Red Light District. They created a new law (BIBOB), which they used to prove criminal activity, or in Jan Otten his case, the possibility that his venues were being used for criminal activity. The city refused to renew his license. But then the mayor changed his mind…Today Jan Otten still sits on his throne and fights for the existence of the Casa Rosso and the Red Light District.

He has a thick accent, tanned skin, a white smile and the charming interpersonal skills of a salesman. Mick Harren. A Dutch and Amsterdam-based folk singer, Harren has been performing for more then 27 years, and still holds Amsterdam as his home base. Amsterdam has a long history of being home to folk singers (Dutch; volkzangers) like Harren who prefer to say they are singers of "life’s songs" because the lyrics of their songs focus on some of the most common shared experiences in life: love, children, death, etc. You could consider these singers to be something of a rarity, a real subculture. But every ‘Amsterdammer', whether old or young has a place in their heart for one of those good old-fashioned songs about Amsterdam: “It’s the place were you can be free, because everything you want is possible.” This lyric is from the song ‘Love Amsterdam’ from Mick Harren, Lange Frans and Rbdjan. If you want to see more of the Amsterdam icons on YouTube, write down these names: Koos Alberts, Andre Hazes, Willi Alberti, Tante Leen, Johnny Jordaan and of course the contemporary Mick Harren.