Times Quotidian

A  decade ago, my writer friend Mona Houghton suggested I contribute an article  to an arts and culture site she was familiar with; it was called Times Quotidian. After perusing its contents, my response was: "Class act, but too highbrow for my tales about Hollywood's past."  Three years later, I met T.Q.'s  Publisher and Editor in Chief, Nancy Cantwell, at the second of two Stravinsky concerts I had attended that month. "Write about that ," she insisted. "Compare the two!"  The result, in 2013,  was 'Rites' of Passage, the first of thirty-five reviews I would write for Times Quotidian. Since then, movies, jazz, and dance have been the focus of some of my T.Q. pieces. But classical music is an even deeper, primary interest. Together with Nancy our adventures would continue as we explored the many venues that Los Angeles has to offer. My thanks to Francois Chouchan for many Sunday afternoon soirees atop the Los Angeles Music Center; his Le Salon de Musiques features rich chamber music, intimate chats with the performers and a delicious high tea with champagne. Across town, in Santa Monica, Jacaranda presents brilliantly curated concerts  of contemporary and avant-garde music, the handiwork of  impresario Patrick Scott and his co-conspirator, conductor Mark Alan Hilt. Kudos to these savvy institutions, as well as REDCAT, for re-connecting me to the finest of the fine arts. And profound thanks to Nancy Cantwell for creating Times Quotidian and rounding up a diverse group of writers, photographers and artists. Her sharp eye and good taste always found the perfect graphics to complement our written words; her patience with my always-missed deadlines was laudable. Times Quotidian led me back to a writing path that, for far too long, I wandered away from; and it's given me a new friendship with savvy, quirky, funny, stylish Nancy Cantwell, which I hope will last forever. — Sean Hughes

 

A multitude of thanks to Sean for his praise. But let's revisit Mr. Hughes' original impetus for coming onboard, tales of Hollywood past. "Both of my grandfathers arrived in Hollywood in about 1920. One began working in MGM's carpenter shop, then enjoyed many years as a theater stagehand; the other started on Charlie Chaplin's film crew before spending three decades in the camera department at Paramount. Their tales of  movie stars, life 'on location', famous directors and vaudeville are part of my earliest childhood memories." And indeed so was my past deeply engrained in the early Hollywood years. Thus, we have shared a heartfelt sympathy for the era and it's endless cinematic treasures.   — Nancy Cantwell

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