An Ode to Butts. And Pot. And Scream Queens.

July’s best pop culture is a rather salacious affair

July 5, 2016 9:00 am

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)

 

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.

 


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.”

 


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)

 

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).

Main image via Gemma LaMana

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.