While we count down to tonight’s episode of LOST – and I, five hours ahead here in Ireland, try to stay awake for it! – let’s delve into the fanverse and put our 16 questions to the funny and talented Amanda Vare (AKA Manz) and Will Thame (AKA Wadrick) of GritFX.com, where you can buy some of the coolest and original LOST tees and other merchandise this side of the Island. (I want them ALL.) You can browse their LOST designs here and follow them on Twitter here. Read on to find out which one of them wants to be the time-traveling bunny, their fairly, um, aggressive elevator pitches and some very cool fun they had with Lego…
Q: How long have you been watching Lost? If you’ve been watching since the pilot, can you remember your initial reaction to it?
WADRICK: I’ve been watching LOST since the pilot. I can remember seeing the promo stuff on the tube before the show began, and I remember thinking it looked like a cross between Gilligan’s Island and The Twilight Zone. Which was enough to peak my interest. After watching the pilot (and seeing the pilot get eaten by the “whatever-the-hell-that-thing-in-the-jungle-is”, because we didn’t know it was a smoke monster back then), I recall thinking that this show was going to be something else.
MANZ: ‘Gilligan’s Island ‘ – really Wadrick!? You’re getting a coconut phone for Christmas this year! I too have tuned into LOST since the pilot. To me, the promo stuff was reminiscent of film trailers over the standard TV show promos – and that level of quality was one reason I decided to give the mysterious island my time. Watching “an extra” sucked into the turbine of the plane wreckage, as Jack advised to move away from it, certainly left an impression.
WADRICK: Yeah, death by turbine! Maybe Gilligan’s Island was the wrong example, but I sure do want that coconut phone!Q: How did Lost get its polar bear claws into you? What about it got you hooked?
WADRICK: Actually, it was probably when I first saw the polar bear. What was that? Episode 2 or 3 of the first season? I mean, a polar bear on a tropical island? That’s whacky! And strange. And that, for me, has always been the attraction of LOST. It was these concepts and the LOST mythology that made this show stand apart from the rest. The level of mystery in the early seasons was the hook. What is the island? What is the Dharma Initiative? Who are these ‘others’? Questions like these were what had me transfixed.
MANZ: Wadrick sums it up. One of the first moments I recall myself starting to question what I was seeing, was when I noticed Walt’s comic book with the polar bear on the cover. I recall wondering if the bear Sawyer shot down (in hero style) was a manifestation of Walt’s imagination. Little did I know at that point.
WADRICK: There was always something weird about Walt.
Q: Favorite character?
WADRICK: That would have to be Locke, followed closely by Hurley and Ben (who I have always found fascinating). Poor Locke – no one would ever give him a straight answer about his destiny or the purpose of the island. I felt for him. My love of Locke has a lot to do with Terry O’Quinn, who is one of those under-appreciated, great character actors that has been working for 30 years. Watch him in The Stepfather to see what I mean.
MANZ: Ask me whom my favourite actor on the show is, and Terry O’Quinn would get my nod along with Wadrick’s high praise. However, being that you’ve asked about my favourite character, I’d have to answer either Desmond or Dan. I’m drawn to the concepts that surround them and find their back stories the most fascinating. I even gave applause when Desmond re-appeared on my screens in Season 4, grinning as he took in the sight of the chopper.
Q: Least favorite character?
WADRICK: I have a few. Firstly, Nikki and Paulo. These two losers had an entire episode devoted to them and were thankfully killed off at the end of it. Probably the worst of all the LOST “filler” episodes. The other characters I disliked were the two broads who were manning (or ‘womaning’) the Looking Glass station. I mean, if you’re gonna tie up Charlie and beat the crap out of him, don’t expect any love from me.
MANZ: Nikki and Paulo… remind me Wadrick, are they the two that tried to kill each other only to end up buried alive? First character that comes into my mind is Alex. Did anyone ever find that girl to be unbelievable? There’s probably someone much better that I could list here – but if I can’t remember them, they must not have been very memorable!
WADRICK: Yep, that’s them. I forgot they were buried alive. But still doesn’t change my opinion of them. They got what they deserved.
Q: Favorite episode or season?
WADRICK: This is a tough choice. I would have to say Season 2. Firstly, we were introduced to Desmond (another great character). Secondly, we saw the first Dharma orientation film, which was a wild trip in itself. We had the great episode “Lockdown” which revealed the map on the blast door of the hatch. And finally, we had the season finale where Locke decides to not push the button. Can’t get much better than that.
MANZ: True Wadrick, very tough choice. I’ll name a favourite episode, and that would be “The Constant”. Given that my favourite characters are Desmond and Dan, that shouldn’t surprise many readers.
WADRICK: Yeah, that was a good one.
Q: Least favorite episode or season?
WADRICK: Well, my least favourite episode would be “Expose” from Season 3 - the one I mentioned above with Nikki and Paulo.
MANZ: I recall thinking a few flashbacks were dull, but can’t name any in particular.
WADRICK: You’re so biased Manzo, when it comes to LOST. There is nothing about it that you think sucks.
Q: If you had to be one of the following, which would it be and why: an 815 survivor, an Other or a member of the Dharma Initiative?
WADRICK: If I were a survivor of Oceanic 815, I would probably end up as lunch for the smoke monster or killed by an Other. If I were an Other, I’d probably be killed by the smoke monster or by an 815 survivor. And, knowing my luck, if I joined the Dharma Initiative, I’d end up as “Wadrick: Workman”. So, maybe I’ll stay in civilisation and hope I never run into Jacob.
MANZ: Wadrick, let’s not forget, as “Wadrick: Workman” you’d also be subjected to the Purge! Add that to the reasons to stay out of the Initiative. I’d want to be an Other. More to the point, I’d want to be an Other in the 70s! Horse riding and shooting rifles in the name of island protection sounds like a good fit.
WADRICK: Actually, you can mark me down to be a time-travelling bunny. That might be fun.
Q: Which character’s demise were you most upset to see happening?
WADRICK: I think I speak for most fans when I say that Charlie’s death was the most traumatic. Of course it was on the cards, but I didn’t think it would really happen. How can they kill off Charlie? I remember thinking. Before LOST, Dominic Monaghan was always going to be Merry from The Lord Of The Rings. Now, to me, he will always be Charlie from Drive Shaft.
MANZ: On this subject, Wadrick speaks for this fan.
Q: Tell us a bit about your site, your products, etc.
WADRICK: Manz is the best person to speak to about this….Manz?
MANZ: GritFX is a group of t-shirt designers and pop culture writers. With the exception of one team member (who will remain nameless) we’re all fans of LOST. When we started up in 2008, one of the first designs we created was a ‘numbers’ design. Unfortunately, we had to discontinue this when we were advised that ABC owned the numbers. Recently, we were pleased to read that ABC had opened up the opportunity to design LOST fan gear, and we jumped at the opportunity to create some designs inspired by one of our favourite TV series. We’ve since dedicated a section on our website where fans can find them. One of our designs “Namaste” recently won a category in a competition run by ABC and Cafepress, which we were stoked about! Oh, and by the way, time for a free plug – we’ll be running a competition shortly to win some LOST fan gear. Details will be posted on our website in the near future.
Q: What are you favorite online Lost communities, blogs, podcasts, etc.?
WADRICK: To be honest, I have never been a huge LOST blog reader. I devoured the extra tidbits ABC would throw out from time to time, and if I forget something, I usually visit Lostpedia for clarification. Manz usually has all the LOST goss and theories to expound anyway.
MANZ: Dark UFO and Lostblog.com of course! I also like to get on Twitter to see what fellow ‘LOSTies’ are chatting about – weekly theories are always fun to browse through.
Q: Tell us something interesting/scary/amusing/downright weird about how your time in the Lost fan-verse has changed your life.
WADRICK: I find it amusing that most people who don’t watch LOST say, “I watched the first few episodes and then lost interest” (no pun intended). I mean, how could you lose interest after the first few riveting episodes? Huh? As far as I’m concerned, I always have a crazy theory which gets shot down by somebody (usually Manz) who points out something from the show that totally negates what I’m saying.
MANZ: Being in Australia, which is ahead in time of most places in the world, I’ve found that it’s an amusing past time to find ways to incorporate that time difference into conversations about LOST. I also find it very intriguing how the show has hooked two very different demographics – the viewer who tunes in for the science, and the viewer who tunes in for the spiritual/religious overtones.
Q: You’re in an elevator with someone who has never seen as much as a second of Lost. You got on in the lobby and you’re both headed to the fifteeth floor. How do you convince them to buy and watch all the DVDs before the elevator gets there?
WADRICK: Well, a gun to the head and the words “You have two choices” usually doesn’t fail.
MANZ: I’d stop time and send their consciousness to the future, where they’d be tied down and their eyes kept open with lid-locks (see A Clockwork Orange or the episode of LOST where Karl is tortured by his own people) while LOST played constantly on a wall of screens in front of them. When they returned and the elevator doors opened, they’d be ready to convince others for me.
Q: Has watching Lost sparked any creative inspiration in your life, i.e. writing, media, art, etc.?
WADRICK: I think so. It is hard not to be influenced by any form of popular culture that you immerse yourself in, whether it be conscious or not.
MANZ: Yes! I could work on LOST t-shirt designs all day, for the next year… easily.
Q: What are your hopes for Season 6 and based on what you’ve seen so far, how likely do you think it is they’ll be met?
WADRICK: At this stage, all I want is the answers to the questions that have been asked numerous times throughout the series. The base questions. What is the island? What are the characters’ destinies? Etcetera. But expectations are not what have drawn me to the show – I think I have been very open to just letting the story evolve. I have faith that the writers will finish the series with a serious bang.
MANZ: I ask that the show will continue to make me think. I’m not opposed to the format of “answers given/new ones risen” type of flow the show offers. So far, I’ve felt that Season 6 has brought a lot of clarity, especially when it pertains to why they are on the island (even though they’re debatable, I do have my own theories). I’m realistic and don’t expect every single question that I’ve had on the journey to be answered. However, I do trust that the writers will offer us all a decent conclusion.
Q: How do you plan on combatting PLDS (Post Lost Distress Syndrome) or do you think we’re all destined to end up continuously re-watching our Lost: The Complete Series Ultimate Box Set for the rest of our lives?
WADRICK: I don’t want to think about the end of LOST, frankly. That’s kind of depressing. I remember how much it sucked when Deadwood ended, so I can only imagine what life without LOST will be like. Give it ten years, and PLDS will be a recognised illness amongst physicians and psychiatrists. Mark my words.
MANZ: I’m not too depressed about the thought of LOST ending. On the contrary, I like that it has always had a given “life” and therefore can never turn into a show that went too far with one extra season (see Alias). Although, I will miss the excitement and anticipation I feel when Wednesday rolls around (remember time difference!). So I’m bound to re-watch LOST.
Q: What do you think will be Lost’s legacy?
WADRICK: I think LOST has already ‘changed the face of television’. Not many shows have managed to keep the same level of mystery and intensity over six seasons. The Sopranos comes to mind as a similarly transformational piece of work – one that changed the view of what was acceptable on television. TV has become more like cinema for the small screen, and I think LOST will be revered in years to come as one of the shows instrumental in what I’ll call the “birth of modern television”.
MANZ: Totally agree, Wadrick!
WADRICK: Really? I thought I was talking out of my arse.
Thank you so much Amanda and Will (or Manz and Wadrick) from all of us at the LOSTBlog.com!
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[...] LOSTBlog, a cool site for fans (by fans) of the TV series LOST, has interviewed Manz and Will (Wadrick) about all things LOST-related…read the interview here… [...]