Culture Hound: July 2017

Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important pop-culture happenings.

SEE: Have Mercy: The John Stamos Art Show
What do you get when a punk festival puts on an art exhibition? An art show dedicated to John Stamos. Wait, what? Indeed, the love for Uncle Jesse is real (you may recall Riot Fest commissioned a butter sculpture of Stamos a few years ago). The show — going down at the Cobra Lounge, then later in September at the actual fest — will feature crowdsourced art inspired by Stamos. Have mercy. (July 14-16)

Pitchfork Music Festival
GO: Fests, Fests and More Fests
We’re entering peak festival season, friends. There’s Pitchfork (July 14-16). Tour de Fat (July 29). The Square Roots Festival (July 7-9). And on the neighborhood street festival side: we’ll see you at Wicker Park Fest (July 29-30), West Fest (July 7-9) and Fiesta Del Sol (July 27-30). Pack some sunscreen. (All month long)

WATCH: Atomic Blonde
Basically the stylized violence of John Wick (they share a director), but with Charlize Theron kicking ass in the ‘80s. (July 28)

READ: The Watch Book Rolex
Watch expert/historian Gisbert L. Brunner deep-dives into the past and present of the luxury timepiece. He does not, however, explain how you can afford one. (July 15)

ROOT: Crosstown Classic
The White Sox are in the first season of a major rebuild. The Cubs are currently embracing The Suck. But all that means more or less nothing during the Crosstown Classic. Either way, it’s one helluva time to be a Chicago baseball fan. (July 24-27)

SEE: Dont Fret: Big Shoulders
The man behind some of the city’s most recognizable murals, Dont Fret will be debuting tons of new work at his third major solo exhibition at Johalla Projects. Expect an “immersive exhibition” that will include “precarious furniture-like sculptures that display traces of the street, fragments from life, and discarded materials,” along with mixed media installations along the gallery walls. (July 7)

BINGE: Friends From College
The husband-wife team of Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Neighbors) and Francesca Delbanco helms this semi-autobiographical take on, basically, what happens to your idiot college buddies as they grow up. Great cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, Fred Savage, Billy Eichner, plus guest appearances by Seth Rogen and Kate McKinnon. (July 14)

GO: Newberry Library Book Fair
The Newberry might be gearing up for an $11 million renovation next year, but you can expect the same nerdtastic going-ons at the Newberry Library Book Fair. Now in its 33rd year, Chicago’s favorite used book fair will feature over 120,000-plus books in 70 categories, many of which that are priced under a Lincoln. (July 27-30)

PERUSE: The Last Days of Summer
Fashion photog Akila Berjaoui uses analog cameras to capture bikini-filled beaches around the globe. It’s a perfect ode to the season. (Out now)

LISTEN: Our monthly Spotify playlist
Thirty songs to get you through the sweltering summer, from the welcome return of a few favorites (Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Vince Staples) to some choice newcomers (the hard-to-classify Algiers, the Daft Punk-assisted Parcels).

And don’t forget: Summer blockbusters that are also good movies. Who knew? We’ve got three in a row with Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7), War for the Planet of the Apes (July 14) and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk (July 21) … “Some of you will put this down and go back to your predictable lives in the matrix.” Fighting words from admittedly successful angel investor Jason Calacanis in his new get-rich tome Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups – Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 Into $100,000,000 (July 18) … Deadlier fun, the return of Game of Thrones (July 16) or the return of Shark Week (July 23)? … Maybe it’s Ozark, Jason Bateman’s new Netflix drama about a family on the run from a drug cartel (July 21) … Relive the glory of ‘80s synths when the Stranger Things soundtrack arrives on cassette (July 14) … And finally, new Rick and Morty (July 30)