Saturday, July 01, 2006
Lost and Dave Carter
I am hooked on Lost big time. The writing and the acting are just ok, but the characters are very well drawn and the storyline is compelling. I may not care that much about any of the characters individually, but I really want to see what happens next to the survivors (or what happened in their past). There really are no good or bad guys. Everyone has a flaw or a tragedy in their background that makes their character grounded, human and interesting. I also really like the interactions when some of the strong characters clash with one another.
With all that, what raises the show well above average for me is the morality play that each character is separately and collectively part of. The characters engage in conversations and situations that explore their faith - faith in God, in science, in love, in themselves, in their family and friends, in what they see and hear on the island. Lost is not science fiction nor is it Shakespeare or Homer. But I think it is closer to the latter two than the former.
I am also a huge fan of the songwriting of the late Dave Carter. He was unique - the only Oklahoma, Buddhist, cowboy poet, singer-songwriter around. All of his songs came to him in dreams so some have exotic, romantic imagery. But almost all are well grounded in his own experiences and observations. One of my favorite song first lines anywhere - "Common cool, he was a proud young fool in a kickass Wal-Mart tie."
Though I never would have thought of it, it makes all the sense in the world to tie a Dave Carter song to Lost. Fortunately, there are creative people in the world to make that connection. Even if you are not a fan of Lost or have never heard of Dave Carter, check out this homemade video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhdlCA1OfzQ
A big thanks to the creator. He did a phenomenal job of synching the lyrics to scenes from the show. He has helped me see two things I like very much in new and fresh ways.
With all that, what raises the show well above average for me is the morality play that each character is separately and collectively part of. The characters engage in conversations and situations that explore their faith - faith in God, in science, in love, in themselves, in their family and friends, in what they see and hear on the island. Lost is not science fiction nor is it Shakespeare or Homer. But I think it is closer to the latter two than the former.
I am also a huge fan of the songwriting of the late Dave Carter. He was unique - the only Oklahoma, Buddhist, cowboy poet, singer-songwriter around. All of his songs came to him in dreams so some have exotic, romantic imagery. But almost all are well grounded in his own experiences and observations. One of my favorite song first lines anywhere - "Common cool, he was a proud young fool in a kickass Wal-Mart tie."
Though I never would have thought of it, it makes all the sense in the world to tie a Dave Carter song to Lost. Fortunately, there are creative people in the world to make that connection. Even if you are not a fan of Lost or have never heard of Dave Carter, check out this homemade video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhdlCA1OfzQ
A big thanks to the creator. He did a phenomenal job of synching the lyrics to scenes from the show. He has helped me see two things I like very much in new and fresh ways.
