Quarantunes: A playlist by Johnathan Rice

Kevin Bronson on April 9th, 2020

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Here’s Johnathan Rice
Sheltered in place but sharing
Today’s QUARANTUNES

THE LATEST FROM JOHNATHAN RICE

Singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice’s latest album “The Long Game” — an unflinching look at his breakup with Jenny Lewis, came out last year. His book, “Farewell, My Dudes: 69 Dystopian Haikus,” is in its third printing — and he continues to amuse and delight in the short-form verses he posts on his Instagram feed. (Recent quarantine-related favorite: “Becoming my dog / I eat the same thing each day / And need to be walked.”) As a shut-in, he confesses he notices a lot more than just the music during all the streamed-from-home shows:

HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MANAGE THE ‘STAY AT HOME’ EDICT?

I’m holding up very well. Lots of cooking and listening to records. Lots of texting and phone calls with friends and family, trying to stay connected. It’s a tall order, but I’m striving to move through this moment with compassion and love. Also, I’ve found it helpful to get stoned to the bone.

And, as he said on Twitter on Wednesday:

Touring for years in a van has prepared me quite well for quarantine. Sometimes when I have to piss I’ll hold it for an hour or so just for fun and pretend I’m on my way to Cincinnati.

— Johnathan Rice (@MrJohnathanRice) April 8, 2020

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THIS IS OVER?

I’m looking forward to live shows coming back, the joyful return of the collaboration between the performer and his/her audience. This lockdown has produced a staggering glut of “live from home” concerts, which have inadvertently served as long-form commercials for Ikea home furnishings.