Culture Hound: July 2016

Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important (pop) cultural happenings.

Image via Kava Gorna
PERUSE: 100 Cheeks
Daisy Dukes (n. pl.): Brief, tight-fitting denim shorts for women, typically made from a pair of cutoff jeans. Popularized in the early ‘80s on The Dukes of Hazzard, the shorts are now memorialized by photographer Kava Gorna, who documents no fewer than 100 pairs of Daisy Dukes (technically, Daisy Dukes and vintage jeans, their natural forebear) in this new photo tome. A fine addition to a coffee table near you. (Available now)

LAUGH: BATSU!
Coming to Chicago by way of New York, this just-opened live Japanese game show mixes improv, slapstick comedy and the ancient art of batsu, the Japanese word for punishment or penalty. In other words: you’re in for a really wild date night. The shows go down in the upstairs room at Kamehachi in Old Town, with a full food and drink menu available. (Open ended engagement)

USE: The 420 Gourmet: The Elevated Art of Cannabis Culture
The aptly named Jeff the 420 Chef (aka “The Julia Child of Weed”) just released a pot cookbook that solves two formerly vexing problems problems: 1) The book offers tasty recipes that successfully get rid of the food’s cannabis taste and 2) Each recipe here allows you to measure THC dosages to your exact preference. Read our interview here.

DO: Wicker Park Fest
Let peak street season commence. If you’re gonna make it to just one, make it the city’s most popular. This year’s diverse music lineup includes the funky afro-rhythm sounds of Antibalas to the folk-rock ditties of the Mountain Goats. Other festivals of note — street, music and otherwise — West Fest (July 8-10), Tour De Fat (July 9) and the Pitchfork Music Festival (July 15-17). Plan accordingly. (July 23-24)

Image via Dev Hynes
LISTEN: Blood Orange
Some vices don’t stick: Did you know Dev Hynes, the falsetto mastermind behind the buzzy synth-pop/R&B hybrid Blood Orange, was once a member of 2004 dance/punk flameouts Test Icicles? Oof (Test Icicles … seriously?). Dev’s latest, Freetown Sound, is an electronic/soul/jazz adventure with a hint of Prince, built for intense headphone scrutiny … and featuring a bizarrely great guest list that includes Debbie Harry, Nelly Furtado, Empress Of and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Image via Jagjaguwar
STREAM: The Best Songs of July
Our playlist of the month’s best songs, from the long-awaited (16 years!) return of The Avalanches to Angel Olsen’s welcome come-on, “Shut Up Kiss Me.”

SEE: La Femme: Beauty & Form
River North gallery Hilton|Asmus celebrates all things feminine with a new photo exhibit featuring the work of renowned shutterbugs like Terry O’Neill and Peter Sorel. Expect iconic eye candy. In attendance: Brigitte Bardot to Audrey Hepburn; Marilyn Monroe to Salma Hayek. (Through August 12)

Image via Fred Norris
WATCH: Vice Principals
“It’s every motherf—er for himself.” Essentially Eastbound & Down with school bureaucrats, HBO’s new comedy revolves around two vice principals (Danny McBride and Walton Goggins) abusively competing for their school’s top job after the former top dog (Bill Murray!) retires. (July 17)

Image via Gemma LaMana
WATCH: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Two idiot brothers/bros (Zac Efron, Adam DeVine) use Craigslist to find dates for their sister’s wedding (based loosely on a true story). Extremely R-rated hijinx ensue. See it because you need one crass comedy this summer. And because Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick are national treasures. (July 8)

DO: Stihl Timbersports Series U.S. Pro and Collegiate Championships
This one might be out in Tinley Park, but where else can you watch woodsmen and strongmen of all stripe and color flex their weight in wood? That’s what you’ll get at the annual Stihl Timbersports competition. Hot saw. Standing block chop. Single buck. It’s all here. While you’re there, feel free to give it a go. (July 15-16)

ALSO THIS MONTH: Once scheduled to star James Gandolfini, The Night Of is a racially and culturally charged crime drama from the writer of Clockers (July 10, HBO) … Mr. Robot returns for season two; hackers and Reddit posters rejoice (July 13, USA) … Did we need another Sharknado? Well, we got one (July 31, Syfy) … The perfectly named, wonderfully awful ‘80s slasher flick Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, which paired scream queens Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens and Michelle Bauer, finally gets a Blu-ray release (July 11) … Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne, and we thankfully forget the low-rent Jeremy Renner edition (July 29) … And, finally, if you truly want vice: These unearthed james from Betty “Nasty Gal” Davis and once-hubby Miles Davis will do the trick (July 11).