Letters: Janis Ian, British Health Care

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MELISSA BLOCK, host:

Now, to your comments on yesterday's program. Many of you responded to Robert's interview with singer Janis Ian. Her first hit was this song from 1966.

(Soundbite of song "Society's Child)

Ms. JANIS IAN (Singer/songwriter; Author of "Society's Child: My Autobiography"): (Singing) Come to my door, baby. Face is clean and shining black as night.

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

The song is "Society's Child." That's also the name of Janis Ian's new autobiography. Her song was controversial. It described a teenage interracial relationship. And I asked Janis Ian what inspired the song.

Ms. IAN: I was on a bus watching a young couple. He was black and she was white. And they were young. And they were holding hands. And they were just oblivious to the way people were glaring at them. Not just white people, I mean, everyone was glaring at them but me.

BLOCK: Listener David Atkinson(ph) of Davis, California remembers that as a 12-year-old, he played "Society's Child" so much that he wore out the album. He writes: When I heard the story Janis Ian told for inspiration and the fact that she was only 15 at the time, the first thing I did was introduce my teenage daughter who is struggling to write songs of her own to Janis Ian. The song still holds its power. Janis Ian has a new fan.

SIEGEL: At the end of the interview, I said that Janis lives in Nashville with her wife. And that brought in some mixed reaction. This came from Sarah Van Reich(ph) of White Plains, New York.

BLOCK: I experienced first disbelief and then elation as this is the first time I've heard the term wife used rather than partner in the mainstream media. If history is any judge, one day, the same-sex part of my marriage will be as unremarkable as the interracial part.

SIEGEL: Well, Randy Perez(ph) of Louisville, Louisiana had a different response. He writes: I enjoyed the story on Janis Ian up until the last line. Irrespective of one's view of so-called same-sex marriage, the last I heard you report, there are only three states where she could have a wife -Massachusetts, Vermont and California. Please do not stain future interesting stories with your personal preferences.

BLOCK: One other story from yesterday generated a lot of e-mail. It was about health care rationing in Britain. And many of you echoed this point which comes from Amanda McQuaid(ph) in Grand Junction, Colorado.

SIEGEL: I was frustrated at the constant use of the word rationing without any mention that rationing occurs in the U.S. Rationing happens in the U.S. when private insurers decide what treatments will be paid for under a policy. It also happens when someone is uninsured.

BLOCK: We welcome your feedback. You can write to us by going to npr.org and clicking on contact us at the top of the page. And please let us know how we should pronounce your name.

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