Photo by Richard Oles (Click to visit George's Myspace Page)

George Flores is outspoken, active, strong, successful and–oh yeah–he does not have the full use of his body.  After the former rock star was in a near death motorcycle accident, he did not know he was going to live much less go back to a lucrative existence.  However, George knew lying in a hospital bed was not the answer. Why could he not return to his career as one of the youngest and best harp technicians in the field?  Why could he not speak up and make a change for others like him?  What was holding him back?  Well, for him, George was the only person who could stop his life from moving forward. Today, he has left a major mark in the classical field for symphony and University harpists as well as the medical realm with his true passion for fighting for others.

Are you comfortable with the word disability?

I am because it is just a word. It does not define myself or what I can do.

What do you feel are your greatest accomplishments since having the
accident?

Achieving my goal to return to the Harps and inspiring others all over the world to think differently.

Besides activism and repairing harps, what else have you accomplished or do you like to do?

I love to play my guitar and my bass as well as the djembe and other hand drums. I have began to study with the hopes of returning to school. I also have a new found love for computers.

I did try to develop a sport called wheelchair boxing, but it was too extreme for people–what ever that means. I did this because as a kid my uncle and friends used boxing to get in shape and to control the mind and body. So I thought it was a good idea for people in wheelchairs. Some only interested in keeping people “out-of-shape” saw it as too much for the norm.

What are some other goals you have?

To continue to inspire others to think for themselves and to inform them that simply cannot.  To design a Harp that will be like no other.

When are you going to start designing this dream harp?

As soon as I can find the time but soon!!!

What organizations and people have been your best supporters?

All with love and respect, [my] friends and family with the basic support as well as a few of my friends going to extended lengths to help me. VENUS for believing in me and allowing me to develop my skill in a new way.  N.S.C.I.A. for also seeing in me as the modern man in a wheelchair with SCI. With the Support of both VENUS and the N.S.C.I.A. I just recently finished work on a Harp for charity that will be auctioned off mid-2010 to help raise money for Spinal Cord Injury.

Describe what makes someone a great harp technician.

Someone that can work in complete detail and that is willing to do the best he or she can do to make the instrument the best it can be.

Do you plan on starting a teaching program for other aspiring harp technicians? Or at least a website with tips on how to hone the craft?

I have been asked to, and I very much would like to train a young apprentice.  ‘Til then, I will continue to help people on my Facebook and from home or the road.

Who was your greatest mentor when you were honing your skills as a harp technician and why?

I would have to say my teacher and mentor, Mr. Peter Wiley. He helped teach me the basics, and from there, I just took things to another level as do all good students.

You’re in demand all over the world.  Are you still traveling all over to fix harps?  Or is that one of the things that changed after the accident?

I am currently working on just that. I hope soon to return to do harps internationally once again.

How many harp technicians are there?

True professionals, there are only a few–around 15-20 and most are getting up there in age.

How often does a harp need to be repaired or tuned?  I mean, you are only one man.

A regulation as it is called in the Harp world is recommended once a year for beginners and twice for a professional harpist.

Are you playing a little harp yourself?  Or is it mostly guitar?

I play many instruments but the harp is not one of them by choice. I feel it would be a insult to not learn the harp properly as many harp teachers and students take years to master [it]. I am the man that makes them function not perform.

Do you hope to re-enter the performance arena at some point?

(Laughs) My years of being on stage at this point are not a focus anymore. I have been there and done that, ya know? I feel there is a much greater purpose for myself these days. But ya never know…

In one of your interviews, you said that one day it just clicked that you needed to go on and live.  How do you try to inspire others to have that same revelation?

All you have to do is to simply feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair to understand that life is beautiful and it is worth the effort.

Do you still have those rough days—the regretful thinking?

Sure I do, but [doesn't] everyone have bad days?

When you do have those bad days, what do you regret the most or wish for?

It depends on the situation, like when I see a corrupt health system that is focused on treatments rather than cures. For example, when I am treated for a bladder infection that could take a full coarse treatment to cure. Yet, I am given a few days worth only to stabilize the infection only to have me return a few days or weeks later just so the system can make more money from my suffering. That is a very bad day or days.

I know you are neck deep in activism for stem-cell research, and you are super-busy with repairing harps. But does music “learning” and “playing” still play a key role in your life? Was the act of learning and playing music at all therapeutic and significant in your healing process?

When I was first hurt, it broke my heart to not only know I would never walk again, but that I might never be able to play the instruments I love. The first couple of years, I could not sit up well enough to hold a guitar or a bass let alone be able to hit a drum with my hands.  Yet, these are all tools that have shaped me to be the man I am today. So, yes, I was very scared and hurt especially when it came to playing the drums again.

Eventually, I was able to sit and hold my guitar again. I use to fall side ways from the added weight of the guitar. Also, I had to retrain my mind to relearn a lot of music that I had forgotten due to the accident and trauma. Even today, I have the mechanics down; I just have a hard time remembering the structure sometimes.

There are many opposing sides to stem cell research. How do you reply to them?

I say to take a life that would normally be considered a waste to support life is what we are meant to do. It is far better than it going in the garbage. However, I choose to support adult stem cell research, because today we can do almost as much with adult cells as we can with fetal cells. It just costs a little more.

How about the future? Are you planning on having a wife and children?

These days, that is all I can think about. I get asked all the time to [write] a book, and I tell people the story is not finished yet. I still am fighting to right the last chapter.

For more info on George Flores, visit his facebook page and myspace blog.

June 5, 2010in Interviews by admin Comments Off