[citation needed] On completing high school, he studied to be an English speech and drama teacher in Launceston in 1975, and then moved to Adelaide, South Australia, and enrolled in an arts degree Flinders University at the beginning of 1976.
[citation needed] In early 1978 he co-founded the Adelaide what's-on guide, Preview, with Dennis Atkins, Kim Krummel, Terry Plane, and Phillip White.
After co-editing and writing for the first five issues of Roadrunner, Coupe moved to Sydney to join RAM (Rock Australia Magazine), where he worked as a staff writer for 18 months.
[citation needed] In 1980 he was Sydney editor of TAGG (The Alternative Gig Guide), and a year later started writing the Rockbeat column for The Sun-Herald, which continued through to 1991.
[4] In 1980 Coupe, Roger Grierson (ex-Thought Criminals), and Warren Fahey founded the independent GREEN Records, which released artists including: The Allniters, Beasts of Bourbon, Do Re Mi, Drop Bears, Lime Spiders, New Christs, North 2 Alaskans, Spy vs Spy (Australian band), Super K, Tactics (band) and The Johnnys.
[citation needed] In 1999 Coupe and Jules Normington (a co-founder of Phantom Records) set up the Laughing Outlaw music label focussing on new and emerging Australian artists and a selection on overseas acts.
[citation needed] After 16 years he left Laughing Outlaw in 2015 by which time it had released over 150 CDs from artists including writer Andrew McMillan, Anne McCue, Black Cab, Dusty Ravens, Emma Swift, Jason Walker, John Kennedy, L.J.
[citation needed] In 2005 Coupe also opened and ran the Laughing Outlaw record shop in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Lewisham, which closed in 2014.
[citation needed] In 1983 and 1984 Coupe was the first manager of Hoodoo Gurus and toured the United States with the band after the release of their first album, Stoneage Romeos.
He worked on publicity for the tours by The Clash, The Cramps, Gary Glitter, The Dead Kennedys, The Gun Club, The Teardrop Explodes, and Jonathan Richman.
[5][6] Also in 2020 came Coupe's book length collection of interviews with James Burton, Ron Tutt, Glen D. Hardin and Jerry Sceff who were Elvis Presley's TCB Band.