What's Going On is an album of beautiful despair, told from the point of view of a Vietnam vet returned to a country on the wrong path. The album, which was a departure for Marvin Gaye (and his reluctant record company, which was known as a hit factory), dealt with many issues that had been bubbling just below the surface of a forgotten American dream. Poverty, joblessness, and environmental issues were a far cry from Heard it Trough the Grapevine, but Gaye was not feeling terribly hopeful and cheery in 1970. His duet partner Tammi Terrell had just died and other factors of fame had sent him into a deep depression.

The titular track is by far the album's most popular, but it's a great experience to listen to it in its entirety as each song bleeds into the next. Considered revolutionary and praised as a soul masterpiece, it's actually a somewhat subdued and simple album that derives its power from the strength of its subject, Gaye's captivating voice, and the layers of orchestration.

While I consider the album one of despair, and it seems that that's the way he was feeling when making it, there's a sense of, if not hope than at least a quiet ambition to try to make the world a better place. In many ways, as lots of the problems Gaye addressed become worse, it's still a powerfully relevant piece today.

See more: Albums 1970s Earth Day R&B Soul

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Posted on April 20, 2009

T.C. Boyle specializes in fringe characters, usually misguided and desperate men who go to extreme measures to quelch their boredom, fear, and/or pain. Drop City and After the Plague, both excellent, adhere to this theme and Boyle's ecological disaster tale, 2000's A Friend of the Earth, is no exception.

The story begins in 2025, Ty Tierwater, a former extreme environmental activist, is living in a world created by all the people that refused to listen to him. Most animals and plants have died out, people survive on catfish and sake and the weather fluctuates between intense extremes due to human triggered climate changes. Humanity is not over, just suffering through a hellish, dying planet, sitting in condos as the rest of the world rots or gets washed away in floods.

You want to sympathize with Tierwater. Clearly in the future scenario Boyle has imagined here, he was right all along and yet the author doesn't paint anything black and white; while Tierwater's intentions and beliefs are good, he's not a thoroughly good man, in many ways he's a downright fool and often an asshole.

Skipping through time to tell his story, we meet his second wife Andrea and his daughter Sierra, both big parts of the environmental movement, both hurt in big ways by Tierwater, who believes that to be a friend of the earth, you have to be an enemy of the people, a troubling and complex way to live as a human being.

Once again Boyle, hands down one of my favorite living writers, presents an unflinching look at the intricacies of hot button issues with no easy answers.

See more: Books 2000s Earth Day Sci-Fi

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Posted on April 20, 2009

Phew, there's no getting around the heaviness of a home-made burgers but gosh, they are good. For my first Serious Eats recommended recipe I went with these with lamb burgers (adapted from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat) and the zest, capers and mustard were great flavor enhancers – however, I would cut down on the oil next time, possibly even sub in some Pam.

We garnished these lively patties with think slices of fresh tomato and French Raclette cheese, which is often served abroad heated then scraped onto plates. It's very creamy and melts nicely, a nice departure from the usual sharp cheddar.

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Posted on April 13, 2009

As anyone in my office can tell you, we've had precious little home time as of late. Long hours, working weekends, it can make you appreciate the little pleasures and comforts of home all the more. To my surprise, I've recently found the oft rerun King of the Hill to be one of those small comforts.

Maybe it's Hank's soothing qualities of suburban domesticity. He's the kind of weird American man that certainly never appears in my world that much – a man's man who knows how to use power tools and could save you if you got a flat tire on the highway.

Or maybe it's the leisure time outdoor beer drinking that neighbors and friends regularly indulge in, a practice that in this blustery and sad season seems like a dream miles away. Or perhaps it's the comfortable familiarity of the sitcom format. Conflict arises, the characters' worlds are all mixed up but within twenty two minutes, all is well and back to normal… sigh.

Really though, it's Bobby that gets me through the nights. I adore that chubby, kind hearted kid who loves troll dolls, fruit pies and wants to become a prop comic when he grows up. When I catch a Bobby-centric episode, I know I'm in luck.

It's well written show by any standards, cartoon or not, but it never seems to get the same respect that the Simpsons or other animated shows on Fox command. In fact, it was cancelled earlier this year to make room for a Family Guy spin off. Boo! I'll take Mike Judge over Seth McFarlane any day and, with King of the Hill repeats airing nightly, I can do just that.

See more: TV Shows 1990s 2000s Animated Comedy

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Posted on April 13, 2009

Last fall, friends and I strolled the grounds of the magnificent French inspired Grey Towers in Pennsylvania, not too far from previously recommended Castle Antiques. The home will not be open for tours until the end of May, but the grounds, which is all we were able to see at the time, are alone worth the trip.

Here's the castle's story (from the official site):

“Grey Towers was the home of Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the US Forest Service and Pennsylvania Governor for two terms. Grey Towers was completed in 1886 by Gifford's father, James Pinchot, a wealthy wallpaper merchant. Civic minded and a supporter of the arts, James and his wife, Mary, connected themselves with many influential people, among them Richard Morris Hunt, a leading architect of the era. Hunt designed their summer home to utilize both local materials and reflect the French heritage of the Pinchot family, who first settled in Milford in 1818. For two decades the Pinchots and their children enjoyed numerous summers at Grey Towers, entertaining guests for afternoon teas and dinner parties. Here James, disturbed by destructive logging practices then prevalent in the country, encouraged his eldest son, Gifford Pinchot, to consider a career in forestry.”

See more: Places to Visit Gardens Mansions/Houses Pennsylvania

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Posted on April 13, 2009