Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important (pop) cultural happenings.
GORGE: Smorgasburg LA
Brooklyn’s hallowed gorge-athon has arrived, and it’s going down every Sunday at the Alameda Produce Market in Downtown L.A. With everyone from Belly & Snout to Venice Cold Brew in attendance, the roster is impressive. Bring cash and an appetite. (July 10)
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)
LEARN: Pterosaurs at the Natural History Museum
The first back-boned animal to evolve for flight was the Pterosaur. It lived some 66 million years ago, and is the focus of an expansive exhibit at the Natural History Museum. Got kids? Take them. There were 150 different species of Pterosaur, and the exhibit will include life-size models showing their 33-foot wingspans, videos and interactive experiences. (July 3)
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.
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)
LISTEN: Gaspar Noé at Cinefamily
The Red Bull Music Academy is putting on four different events in L.A. this month. The one we’ve zeroed in on is a discussion at the Cinefamily Silent Theater with French auteur Gaspar Noé, one of the founding fathers of the New French Extremity. He’ll discuss the role of music in his favorite movies, as well as its impact on his own work. (July 11)
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.
SHOP: Show +Tell
Show + Tell is a new gallery/retail space in Little Tokyo that sells everything from ceramics to furniture to art by a rotating list of artists. They also do wellness events, like Mindfulness Mondays, and at the end of this month, they’re hosting a Summer Celebration that’ll include performance art and the creation of a giant flower mandala. July 11, 31
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.”
EXPLORE: Obscura Society LA Voyage to Angels Gate Lighthouse
Tour the recently remodeled Angels Gate Lighthouse with Hadley Meares, a field agent with Atlas Obscura and history buff for KCET. She knows L.A.’s wacky history like a clam knows shells. July 16
VIEW: Gallery Openings
Susanne Vielmetter in Culver City has new works from Angelo Otero and Raffi Kalenderian, and Ed Ruscha will debut his new book alongside some prints at The Gagosian in Beverly Hills. July 16 and 28, respectively
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)
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 Kava Gorna
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