Five Minutes With...Paul DeGeorge
How did your involvement in the HP Alliance come about?
It all goes back to one early summer day in 2005 when a breathless and wild-eyed Andrew Slack cornered Joe and I in an elementary school gymnasium. We were playing a show in Cambridge, MA and Andrew had heard about it and tracked us down to talk about his idea for the Harry Potter Alliance. The whole idea of using HP as a conduit for introducing kids to activism made sense to us because we had essentially been doing the same thing by using Harry Potter as a means of introducing kids to rock and roll.
Andrew and I started talking pretty regularly after that and we launched the HPA in October 2005 with a kickoff show that was a benefit for Amnesty International. Since then, I've worked real closely with Andrew to develop and promote the HPA throught the Harry Potter community and beyond.
How do you feel about your song "The Weapon" being the HP Alliance's anthem?
It's a little weird for me, since I'm so heavily involved and I can see how someone might think that I picked one of my own songs to be the theme song or something, but that's not really the case. I would never be comfortable with using the HP Alliance as a way to promote our music. But using our music as a way to promote the Alliance is totally fine by me. Andrew just basically put the song up on the HPA myspace and then started using the catchphrase, "the Weapon We Have is Love." I think it's good marketing - people love love.
If you could visit one place in the wizarding world, where would you go?
The Room of Requirement! Duh! It's a total no-brainer. Now you could ask me what would be in my Room of Requirement, but I'm not sure I'll answer you.
What do you think are the three most pressing social issues in the world right now?
Poverty, Disease/AIDS, Genocide.
Unfortunately, these are all things that are pretty much universally abhorred, yet they never seem to end up being the focus of our government (or any governments, for that matter). Imagine the incredible numbers of lives that could be saved if more resources were invested in fighting those three things.
Who do you think is the most underappreciated character in Harry Potter?
Aberforth Dumbledore. I loved him all along. How can you not? The goats? ...amazing. And then he's such a badass standing up to his brilliant, but arrogant brother.
Do you think Wizard Rock goes hand in hand with encouraging literacy?
I think Harry Potter goes hand in hand with encouraging literacy. That will certainly be one of these books greatest legacies. They've inspired millions of people to read, and I think one of the reasons literacy-activism is so popular within the Harry Potter community is because so many people have had their lives touched by this book series and they are eager to share that feeling with others.
Wizard Rock goes hand in hand with encouraging rocking. But, as a band, we've made it part of our mission to keep pushing people to read more. Reading is cool! It makes you smart! And that's party of why we continue to play in libraries, to post summer reading lists, and to organize events and projects that raise money for literacy-related non-profits.
What are your plans in fandom for this year - and are you ever going to come back to the UK and spread more wrock love over here?
Unfortunately, I don't think that we'll be back for another tour of duty in the UK anytime in 2008. We'd really love to come back and I know we could line up an ace library tour, but we're scaling things back a bit this year. We've played over 350 shows in the last 3 years, so we're taking a little time to do some different things. We'll still be doing a couple months of touring in the US and probably a bit of recording for various projects. The Wizard Rock EP of the Month is continuing into 2008, and we'll also be working on a few other charity projects, and obviously I'll continue to work very closely with the HP Alliance.
Do you have a favourite wrock lyric?
Good question. I can't say for certain, but it's probably either something from Draco and the Malfoys or the Whomping Willows. Off the top of my head, I'll go with "I won't show respect/For that Darwinian reject" from "Hippogriffs Deserve to Die" by the Malfoys. That one killed me the first time I heard it.
Is there anyone in fandom that you'd really love to meet face-to-face?
Is Bruce Springsteen a Harry Potter fan? If yes, then Bruce Springsteen.
Do you think Harry Potter fandom will die out now that all the books have been published?
No, Harry lives! Didn't you read Book 7? Even though some people thought he was going to die, he lives! Voldemort's dead and Harry marries Ginny and they have 3 kids named James, Lily, and Albus Severus! I know it sounds like I'm making it up, but it's true! It really happens!
Do you have a message to anyone out there who's looking to help a good cause and/or do something worthwhile with their free time?
I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that YOU can make a difference. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's absolutely true! A single mom on welfare published a book that changed with world. It's not always that easy, but there's definitely a place that you can find to do some work. They key is to find something you are passionate about, because if you love what you are doing, then it will never seem like work. Trust me! I'm planning to never work again.
Finally, if you were a Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Bean...what flavour would you be?
Chili Dog.