Fresh Air Interviews

Psychiatry's shift toward seeing mental health problems as an illness to be treated with a pill hasn't always served patients well, says Harvard historian and author Anne Harrington. James Wardell/Radius Images/Getty Images hide caption

Demonstrators gather near the studio of singer R. Kelly to call for a boycott of his music on Jan. 9, 2019 after allegations of sexual abuse against young girls were raised on the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

"It's a very natural process for me to write a song where there's absolutely no filter and really get down and peel all the different layers of the onion until I get to the heart of the matter," says Everett. Gus Black/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

B.B King in 1996. David Redfern/Redferns hide caption

Brooke Borel says bedbugs were essentially wiped out after World War II thanks to DDT. It's not totally clear why they came back in the past couple of decades. iStockphoto hide caption

Nick Lowe's Christmas album is called Quality Street. He's currently touring the U.S. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

The Kinks in 1970. Courtesy of Sanctuary Records hide caption

"I got kicked out of school a few weeks in, because I was caught reading a country-music song roundup book inside my history book," Marty Stuart says. David McClister/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

André Benjamin plays Jimi Hendrix in the new film Jimi: All Is By My Side. Patrick Redmond/Courtesy of Open Road Films hide caption

John Darnielle's first novel was about a teenage boy in a psychiatric institution who is obsessed with heavy metal. Lalitree Darnielle/Courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux hide caption

Between 2006 and 2010, Jason Hamacher made many trips to Syria to photograph and record ancient chants. Jason Hamacher/Lost Origins Productions hide caption

Dom Flemons with his 1920s banjo. Michael Weintrob/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Charlie Haden plays upright bass with Keith Jarrett's band in New York City, 1975. Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images hide caption

"Music and books, I think, were the two things I trusted the most as a child," Mary Gauthier says. Jack Spencer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Dave (left) and Phil Alvin. Beth Herzhaft/Courtesy of the artist hide caption