September is season-premier month in TV-land, but the obsessive fans of ABC’s supernatural survival show Lost will have to wait until 2009 before more secrets of the Island are revealed. Fortunately, even during the doldrums of the show’s current hiatus, there’s plenty of information to seek and conspiracies to follow online, at sites like DarkUFO and DocArzt (my personal favorites). But while some viewers appreciate the nuances – and even humor – of the show, others have gone off the deep end with their devotion.

Fans with a healthy level of interest include those who weave an online web of episode recaps. You’ll find plenty of written summaries and podcast synopses, but as far as I know, there’s only one group doing musical recaps of Lost.

Jeff Curtin and Adam Schatz make up the band Previously On Lost. Each week during the season, they release a song to their MySpace page that riffs on themes from the episode. Past songs include “The Island Won’t Let You Die” and “Be My Constant.”

Curtin and Schatz sing high above their speaking range, and sunny keyboards and organs back up the duo. Schatz sees the band in a similar vein to Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

The music of Previously On Lost is strange to be sure, but that’s part of its appeal. The lyrics Curtin and Schatz write together are hilarious, and they also highlight the silliest elements of the show.

“There is no denying parts of the show are meant to be funny,” Schatz said in a phone interview with me. “Parts of the show are utterly ridiculous. Lost fans aren’t like people who obsess over Star Trek – everybody has a sense of humor.”

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