Loren Kantor – Medium

Loren Kantor

11.2K Followers

Published in
Los Angeles Stories

Don’t Live in a Murder House

In the summer of 1988, my friend Kevin was looking for a place to live. His actress girlfriend Leigh wanted to live in the Hollywood Hills…

2d ago

Don’t Live in a Murder House

2d ago

Dick Gregory’s Natural Food Journey

Dick Gregory was part of the new generation of 60’s black comedians that included Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx and Nipsey Russell. In one of his…

3d ago

Dick Gregory’s Natural Food Journey

3d ago

Published in
WritingAndTyping

Jack Kerouac’s Final Years

In 1967, poets Aram Saroyan and Ted Berrigan traveled to St. Petersburg, Florida for The Paris Review to interview legendary Beat…

4d ago

Jack Kerouac’s Final Years

4d ago

Published in
Picture Palace

The Making of the French Connection

The French Connection is a 1971 police thriller featuring the most famous car chase in movie history. Gene Hackman plays Jimmy ‘Popeye’…

Feb 27

The Making of the French Connection

Feb 27

Published in
Picture Palace

Marlon Brando’s Best Actor Journey for The Godfather

Though it’s hard to imagine anyone else portraying Don Corleone, Marlon Brando was not the first choice for the patriarch in The Godfather…

Feb 26

Marlon Brando’s Best Actor Journey for The Godfather

Feb 26

Classic Songs: Solsbury Hill

In 1974, the rock band Genesis released Selling England By the Pound. This was their fifth studio album and it reached #3 on the UK Charts…

Feb 22

Classic Songs: Solsbury Hill

Feb 22

Stumbling Upon a Past-Life Memory

In my early twenties I went through a painful breakup. My first great love left me and my world crumbled. I was overcome with depression…

Feb 18

Stumbling Upon a Past-Life Memory

Feb 18

Overheard at Senior Homes (Part 4)

I teach writing and printmaking classes at senior homes in Los Angeles. Over the years, I’ve kept a journal of the memorable things I’ve…

Feb 13

Overheard at Senior Homes (Part 4)

Feb 13

Kicking Weed Isn’t Easy

Buying weed in the ’80s was a risky undertaking. High schools were filled with narcs while undercover cops attended concerts, nightclubs…

Feb 6

Kicking Weed Isn’t Easy

Feb 6

Published in
Picture Palace

The Making of Singin’ In the Rain

In 1949, the writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green walked into the MGM offices of Arthur Freed. Freed, a lyricist and renowned film…

Feb 2

The Making of Singin’ In the Rain

Feb 2

Published in
Buzzer Beater

I Love Basketball

Bernard Wright was elegant. Standing 6'3" with long arms, muscular legs and an exquisitely carved physique, he glided over a basketball…

Jan 28

I Love Basketball

Jan 28

Published in
RiverRhythms

What is a Van Morrison Moment?

In 1984, I worked on a low-budget independent film in New Zealand called Shaker Run. I was a production assistant and traveled with the…

Jan 26

What is a Van Morrison Moment?

Jan 26

Overheard at Senior Homes (Part 3)

I teach writing and printmaking classes at senior homes in Los Angeles. Over the years, I’ve kept a journal of the memorable things I’ve…

Jan 24

Overheard at Senior Homes (Part 3)

Jan 24

Published in
Picture Palace

My Neighbor Was Darth Vader

In 1987, I lived near Melrose & La Brea just south of Hollywood. My neighbor was a 30ish guy named Chris with greasy black hair and a…

Jan 22

My Neighbor Was Darth Vader

Jan 22

Published in
Picture Palace

Rest in Peace David Lynch

During the 1980s, David Lynch was a ubiquitous presence in Los Angeles. He gave talks at the American Film Institute, his movies Eraserhead…

Jan 17

Rest in Peace David Lynch

Jan 17

The Lemonade Stand

When I was a boy, we had three robust lemon trees in the backyard. The lemons were large and ugly with rough bumpy rinds resembling an old…

Jan 12

The Lemonade Stand

Jan 12

Published in
Picture Palace

Bad Jobs: 3 Days on a Zombie Horror Film

Los Angeles, 1997. I’m in a Hancock Park mansion for three marathon days working on a low-budget mafia/vampire/zombie flick starring an…

Jan 6

Bad Jobs: 3 Days on a Zombie Horror Film

Jan 6

Published in
Los Angeles Stories

When Videotaping Goes Bad

The first rule of videotaping a bar mitzvah is learn who the parents are. They’re the ones who pay you and they expect to see themselves on…

Jan 2

When Videotaping Goes Bad

Jan 2

You Know Who You Look Like?

In my twenties, there were three celebrities I supposedly resembled. Actor Michael Douglas, comedian Richard Lewis and Bono. I never knew…

Dec 31, 2024

You Know Who You Look Like?

Dec 31, 2024

Published in
WritingAndTyping

Writing Lessons From the Beat Generation

The authors and poets of the 1950s post-war Beat Generation viewed themselves as beaten and out of sync with society. ‘Beat’ also meant…

Dec 28, 2024

Writing Lessons From the Beat Generation

Dec 28, 2024

Loren Kantor

Loren Kantor

11.2K Followers

Friend of Medium

Loren is a writer and woodcut artist based in Los Angeles. He teaches printmaking and creative writing to kids and adults.

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