"If your nighttime routine now includes insomnia, Morgan Bassichis wants you to know that you’re not alone. Since New York City hit Pause in March, the irresistibly charismatic performer—whose sui-generis style blends cabaret panache and standup shtick with grace notes of klezmer—has been posting comforting “quarantunes” on Instagram (@morgankindof), including the lullaby “I know it’s weird to go to bed now.” Like the full-length performances that have earned Bassichis a loyal following from Fire Island to the Whitney Museum, the intimate clip is funny, strange, exquisitely sung, and unexpectedly moving. (A selection of videos of past events is available on the artist's Web site.) Onstage, Bassichis often repeats simple lyrics—'I know you’re scared, I’m scared too'—until they accrue the power of incantations. The quarantunes have that same magic, along with some good advice for bad times: 'I’ll tell you the secret. Take a shower.'"
See all of Andrea K. Scott's coverage of this and other quarantine art initiatives in The New Yorker, and follow Morgan Bassichis on Instagram @morgankindof.