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By Megan Riesz
Brooklyn Daily
“Lost” is not so lost to fans anymore.
A Greenpoint musician has teamed up with his Floridian bandmate to create a podcast that revisits the cult ABC television series. “Lost” has not been on air for four years, but since its launch in Feb., the digital radio show has built enough of a following that the pair is now taping an episode in front of a live audience at Park Slope’s Union Hall on April 25.
The twosome said the distance from the sci-fi staple’s final episode in 2010 has actually made it easier to offer fearless and impartial critiques of the episodes and their outlandish storylines.
“We’re a little more critical now that we’re not watching it during the cultural sweep of ‘Lost,’” said Chris Farren, co-creator of the “Back to the Island” podcast. “You were will willing to let a lot more slide then because you were so stoked.”
Farren and his fellow podcaster Jeff Rosenstock were recording a record for their band “Antarctigo Vespucci” in February when they decided to binge-watch a show and record a podcast about it. The duo thought about dissecting the HBO fantasy series “Game of Thrones,” but ultimately decided to re-watch “Lost,” a show following jet passengers who crash on a mysterious, monster-infested island. And with that, “Back to the Island” was born.
In the podcast, the two buddies and their friends lightheartedly review some of the show’s most loved and despised episodes — including the third season’s “Expose” featuring the deeply unpopular couple Nikki and Paulo, as well as fan favorite “The Constant,” a season four gem nominated for three prime time Emmys.
In re-watching the entire series, Farren and Rosenstock said they have completely flipped on characters they previously liked, such as leader Jack Shephard and weird intellectual John Locke.
“You really start to like some characters and start to hate some of the other ones,” Farren said.
The podcasters do not take themselves or their show too seriously, and said they are thrilled to have wrangled a fan base to attend their first live taping.
“We always end up sounding cynical,” Rosenstock said, laughing. “We’re just doing a silly thing and we haven’t had a famous celebrity or anything come on, so it’s really fun that everyone cares.”
“ ‘Back to the Island’ Live Podcast Taping” at Union Hall [702 Union St. near Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 638–4400, www.unionhallny.com]. April 25 at 7 pm. $8.