May 29, 1998 - MPR’s Dan Olson profiles the local band Speaking in Tongues, a quartet which blends musical traditions from four different cultures. Olson interviews percussionist Marc Anderson and Chinese pipa master Gao Hong.
June 30, 1998 - MPR’s Leif Enger interviews Marvin Rainwater, an American country/rockabilly singer and songwriter from the 1950’s, who’s been living the quiet life in Aitkin County, playing guitar and tending his dahlias.
October 28, 1998 - On this edition of MPR’s Voices of Minnesota series, a profile of two long-time Minnesota political activists; Geri Joseph of the DFL and Republican Kathleen Ridder. The two women have played a major role in shaping politics in Minnesota.
December 31, 1998 - The sweepstakes for “Biggest Minnesota News Story” of 1998’ is no contest. Jesse Ventura's upset victory in the race for Governor was such a shock, his success caught almost everybody by surprise…the media, the political parties, and especially his opponents. MPR's Martin Kaste looks back on Ventura's rise.
January 13, 1999 - In the art world, what's fashionable one year is sometimes passe the next. American artist Thomas Hart Benton is a case in point. Benton was wildly popular in the 20s and 30s -- even making the cover of TIME magazine. But then... with the advent of abstraction.... Benton's realistic paintings of Americana plunged in popularity. Now.... Benton is back. An exhibit of his paintings and drawings is showing at the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St Paul. And Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky toured the exhibit with Kris Wetterlund the museum's director of education.
January 27, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Amy Radil profiles Duluth musher John Stetson, who ran the 1999 Beargrease mid-distance race of 150 miles. He says he loves to race because it's the ultimate test for a musher and his or her dogs.
February 22, 1999 -
March 4, 1999 - Former Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun died today at the age of ninety. He was one of two sons of Minnesota who served on the nation's highest court. Blackmun served with Warren Burger, in fact the two even attended elementary school together on St. Paul's East Side. Blackmun retired in 1994, after 24 years on the bench. He's best remembered for writing the decision on the landmark case Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a woman's right to abortion, although Blackmun didn't want that to be his legacy. The decision changed his life, making him the target of death threats and thousands of pieces of hate mail. Sandy Keith, retired chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, was hired by Blackmun to work as an attorney in Mayo Clinic's legal department.
March 12, 1999 - MPR’s Vaughn Ormseth takes a look at Einojuhani Rautavaara, one of Finland’s best-loved composers. Rautavaara has come to Minnesota with new work, "Finlands Spirit: Rautavaara." The premiere is sponsored by the Plymouth Music series, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College.
March 17, 1999 - A profile of St. Paul composer Eric Stokes, who died in a car accident at the age of 68. Includes a portion of Composer’s Voice interview with Stokes. In a career spanning decades, Stokes wrote music built on classic American melodies which was performed by orchestras around the country. He began teaching at the University of Minnesota in 1961 where he founded the University's electronic music laboratory, and the contemporary ensemble First Minnesota Moving and Storage Warehouse Band. Stokes believed in an American rather than a European esthetic of music. Late in his career he experimented with found sounds including moving ice, seed pods, scissors and glass.