Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important pop cultural happenings.
SEE: Greatest Hits
Chris Cuffaro’s rock photography career spans 30 years, and if you read Billboard or bought a CD during those years you’ve seen his work. He’s most notable for shooting George Michaels and the grunge scene in Seattle. Gibson and Sweet Relief are hosting a retrospective of consisting of 80 black and whites spanning Cuffaro’s career at the former Tower Records store on Sunset. RSVP required. (Feb. 2)
WATCH: Get Out
Jordan Peele’s white supremacy horror movie looks properly terrifying — the Key and Peele alum makes a radical shift from laughs to scares here, with a plot centered around an interracial couple (Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams) who visit her family estate for the weekend … in a suburb where “a whole bunch of brothers been missing.” Hypnosis, bigotry and the world’s scariest Bingo game ensue. (Feb. 24)
PERUSE: 50 Parties
New York artist Ryan McGinness threw 50 invite-only themed parties over the course of a year — and documented, in this new hardcover, the hedonism, weirdness and undeniable creativity that resulted. The themes? Sex, drugs, cougar hunt, speed friending, prom, goth, Vogue Ball … you name it, they did it (with cameos from a Beastie Boys mom and Michelle Williams along the way). (Out now)
STUDY: Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction
The senior editor for The Atlantic takes a deep dive into the psychology of cultural popularity, dissecting the turns of Facebook, Trump, Obama, Game of Thrones and The Weeknd (and some more historical models). Also discussed: fake news “going viral.” (Feb. 7)
LAUGH: Myq Kaplan
With his fourth album No Kidding, the master of ridiculously smart wordplay (who counts Louis C.K. as a huge fan) goes a bit more longform but maintains his punny brilliance and penchant for odd drug jokes and Nicolas Cage rants. (Feb. 17)
ATTEND: Air + Style
That 40 of the world’s best snowboarders will be competing on a massive outdoor jump would be great enough. Throw in 13 bands, like TV on the Radio and Major Lazer and you’ve got Air + Style, a helluva show that’s racing along at Exposition Park. (Feb. 18-19)
VISIT: Desert X
Artists, writers and musicians have used our desert landscape as both a backdrop and a focal point, so much so that it’s etched into our cultural consciousness. To celebrate that and explore our effects on the region (#climatechange), The Desert Biennial and renown artists like Ed Rushe and Doug Aitken are bringing us Desert X. The exhibit will span from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea and will leave a lasting imprint on your psyche. (Feb. 25 – Apr. 30)
WATCH: Legion
Noah Hawley turned a small Coen Brothers film (Fargo) into an expansive, must-watch television anthology. So letting him tackle an obscure X-Men character and placing the action in a psychiatric ward sounds like the best superhero paradigm shift since Deadpool. Bonus points for the project appearing seemingly unaffiliated with the larger Marvel universe. Also: Aubrey Plaza co-stars, and she’s an American treasure. (Feb. 8 on FX)
LISTEN: Our monthly Spotify playlist
The winter doldrums are over: we have 26 hot new tracks, featuring the return of Thievery Corporation, Timber Timbre, Arcade Fire, Cloud Nothings and more, plus newcomers Cote, Sorority Noise and SOHN. Plus, hey, Michael McDonald!
ALSO: “Four killer women” direct the horror anthology xx, including a vignette by musician Annie Clark — aka St. Vincent (Feb. 17) … Neo, Morpheus reunion! Yes, that is Laurence Fishburne helping out Keanu Reeves in the ultraviolet sequel John Wick: Chapter 2 (Feb. 10) … Neil Gaiman tackles a cross-dressing Thor in his latest fantasy tome Norse Mythology (Feb. 7) … Just in time for Valentine’s Day, you have your artsy NSFW book choice of Nude Polaroids or 1965 Erotica (pre-orders now) … Author George Saunders was once listed as one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world. Now he’s using his power to write Honest Abe ghost stories like Lincoln in the Bardo (Feb. 14) … Miss England’s more acerbic take on The Office? Ricky Gervais returns in David Brent: Life on the Road (Netflix, Feb. 10) … The shocking Paris shooting of 2015 at the Bataclan becomes a life-affirming tale of survival the HBO documentary Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Feb. 12) … Finally, if you hate Valentine’s Day, Netflix basically Better Call Sauls the holiday with Bob Odenkirk’s dark comedy Girlfriend’s Day (Feb. 14)
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