I think it's safe to say that within in pop culture I have two real obsessions. The first being Stephen King's Dark Tower series and all of its brilliance, and the second being Lost. For the longest time the Dark Tower has always been my main pop culture obsession, I've read those books more times than I can remember as well as the connecting novels and keeping notes on important events throughout both. As of late though I find myself being more obsessed over Lost then the Tower. Is it because I haven't read the books in a couple of years? Maybe, but I think there is a more honest answer and that's the power of Lost.
I'm not afraid to admit I was a bit of a late bloomer to Lost. When it first aired back in September 22, 2004 (yes I remember the air date because it's the same day that the plane crashed on the show) I was out and about doing things (I can't for the life of me recall what) so I asked my girlfriend at the time to record it for me (this is also way before DVR's were all the rage). Well needless to say she didn't record it. So when they aired the encore the following week I again asked her to record it for me (I believe I was playing slow pitch softball) and again she failed (if she were Desmond we would have been screwed… love Lost humor). So I let the show fall to the way side. Until the DVD's were released the following September that is. I was no longer dating the recording challenged girlfriend and took it upon myself to rent the first DVD from Blockbuster (this Blockbuster has since closed in the wake of Netflix, sad day). What followed was a Lost binge. I spent the next three or four days watching DVD's and commuting back and forth to Blockbuster. In retrospect it would have just been easier to buy the box set but I was having too much fun.
I was in the prime of my bar hopping stage and I stayed in on a Friday night so I can learn what happened to Claire after Ethan kidnapped her. I needed to know I could get drunk another night or that night while watching (drunk Lost-ing equals lots of fun). I finished Season 1 right before Season 2 started and each week I was glued to the TV for my latest Lost fix. That's the best way for me to explain it, I'm a Lost junkie. The best part though was meeting other junkies and discussing. What was in the hatch? What's the deal with the monster? What if the Island was real? And other questions of that nature were common, actually to this day a lot of these questions are still relevant and come out in our Lost discussions.
The great thing about Lost is the characterization. The writers present the audience with such deep and life like characters that you can't help but get wrapped up in their story. Of course there are division lines (are you Team Jack or Team Locke? For those interested I myself am a Team Jack guy) but that's what makes the show brilliant. What you see as a disconnect from one character another person can see as a connecting point. These characters evolve as the story evolves and are the whole driving force behind the show. Yes the mysteries are interesting and pick at your mind but they would mean nothing if it wasn't for the characters.
One of the biggest characters of the show is the music. I briefly touched upon the music of Lost when talking about Fight in the Dungeon (http://yearofshuffling.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-blog-far-far-away.html). The themes in the music help to dictate where the story is going for that episode. For example I know if I hear the Life and Death theme it means we're going into a heartfelt scene. Michael Giacchino has provided such a wonderful score that it's hard to separate the music from the show. They have fused into one.
Today's piece, Rushin' the Russian, comes from Season 3. At this point in the show I had stopped watching, gasp, I know, I know. I was frustrated. Season 3 is a tough season to deal with. While a huge amount of the writer's brilliance is displayed the first few episodes really slow down the progress of the show. There was a period of three weeks where the trailers for episodes were claiming "big reveals, and mysteries solved" and then not answering any questions. After awhile it was like "you know what? I'm done" and stopped watching. During my break from Lost the writers came to an agreement with ABC to give the show a clear end date so it didn't ramble on and become another X-Files. With an end date in sight the story was able to be tightened and lead to a conclusion.
Like I said though I wasn't watching. I was annoyed spending so much time watching and re-watching and not getting anything for it. So I found myself at my buddy Tim's place one day and he asked if I was keeping up with Lost. I told him the same thing I just told you and he said it was getting good again. He informed me that Sayid had been shot (my first response was "well is he alright" hahaha) among other things that were happening. A couple of days later I found myself on my laptop watching episodes online and catching up. From then there were no other problems, I wasn't going anywhere (and anyone who knows the show knows it would be impossible to turn away especially after the Season 3 twist).
Rushin' the Russian isn't the greatest piece of Lost music but it does hold some importance. The scene is a couple of our almost main characters in the jungle capturing a Russian villain (Patchy) who up until this point had eluded capture. The theme that plays would later become the action theme for the Others (the other inhabitants of the Island) and would frequently appear in other pieces of music. You knew when you heard it on the show that some things were going down. That's the beauty of the music of Lost though, how all these themes find a way to connect to each other just like the characters. It's a story within itself.
( Side Note- If you're looking for a greater break down of the musical themes of Lost or if you just want some answers to some of the lingering questions head over to http://www.lostpedia.com/ because it's brilliant. Everything you could ever want to know is there, including the musical themes, when they appear on the show, and what's the significance. It's outstanding work.)
The Lost Season 3 soundtrack also holds a special place in my heart because it's the first full album that I downloaded from itunes. Up until this point I was still buying CD's and only downloading select songs. I wasn't ready to give up CD buying, it was too much fun for me. There is just something about holding that disc in your hand and putting it into the CD player. It's like Christmas morning. When I saw there was a ten dollar difference between the CD copy of the Lost Season 3 soundtrack and the itunes version I was sold. It opened the door for me downloading just about all of my full albums now (every so often I have the need to buy a CD. It's very nostalgic for me).
The music of Lost is pretty important to me. Shea and I used Landing Party and Hurley's Hand Outs as part of the music for our cocktail hour (more than one person asked us if we were using music from Lost which was exciting). I have two different Lost playlists on my ipod. The first being Stuck In A Bloody Snow Globe which is a number of the actual songs that appear on Lost. The second being We Have To Go Back which is about fifty of my favorites from the soundtracks. I like to listen to this one when I'm reading or just kind of lounging around. It's relaxing to me. Landing Party and Through the Looking Glass are two of my twenty-five most played songs on my ipod (that's an interesting list that I'm sure I'll reveal somewhere down the road). Much like the show the music just speaks to me. It's so emotional and there are times where I just need to hear it. I can't really explain it better than that.
I can talk about Lost ad nauseum, and throughout the course of the project here I probably will (you'd be surprised how many things relate to Lost… and the Dark Tower for that matter. Actually the two of them are deeply related but that's a story for another day). If you haven't watched let me implore you to do so. One- it's the gift that keeps on giving and two- you won't feel so lost (pun intended) when I go on my Lost tangents. With the Ewok Celebration yesterday and Rushin' the Russian today I think we're in for a good shuffle week Shufflers (a nickname for those of you who are following the site. Let me know what you think.).
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