George Carr is a Cleveland attorney at Gallagher, Sharp, Fulton & Norman and on the board of directors at Cleveland Public Theatre. He's also an arts, literature and music enthusiast; he's an accomplished trombonist who's played with Ernie Krivda and the Fat Tuesday Big Band, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and others. We caught up with George at one of his notorious private parties, where the margaritas are smooth and the guest list is wild, mild, and everything in between. What it the best thing about Cleveland? I grew up in Columbus, so I'm still fascinated by the long history of Cleveland (some brilliant events, some embarrassing) and the tremendous diversity of backgrounds of the people in Cleveland. With ethnic neighborhoods, world-class arts organizations, and two big universities, there are lots of reasons why Cleveland stays interesting. The worst thing? Definitely the population emigration. No one can climb to the top of their chosen field, or industry, without leaving for good. The ones I know best are the artists - film makers, musicians, and writers - but even folks in business and education get 'promoted' out of Cleveland quite a bit. That gets annoying, when you start feeling like everyone's leaving. What does Cleveland have that no other place has? Cleveland Museum of Art: brilliant curation, lots of money, even a new emphasis on contemporary work. And the [Cleveland] Orchestra, despite [music director Franz] Welser-Möst, it's still fantastic. How can Cleveland make itself indispensable in the 21st Century? Indispensable? To whom? Cleveland is already important enough in its own right. What does Cleveland have to stop doing? Ignoring the rest of Ohio. It's killing us politically (as the only blue city in a red state, we're losing funding and favors), economically (more out-of-state branch offices are based in Cincinnati or Columbus), and socially. What has been your greatest contribution to this region? Raving about it to everyone I know. My career is pretty mobile (people file lawsuits everywhere), and advocating Cleveland as a working base is never-ending work. I've done volunteer work, too, for Cleveland Public Theatre, the Greater Cleveland Free Clinic, and Independent Pictures -- that's been rewarding. I also co-founded a tiny nonprofit film venture, Cleveland Filmworks, that put its stamp on the Cleveland alt-film scene for a few years. Keeping people in various scenes connected is very important to me.What do you want to be remembered for when you're gone?
It's tough to answer this one honestly ... different things to different people. I want my professional colleagues to remember me as a zealous, honest lawyer. I want my friends and acquaintances to remember my reliability as a friend, and clear-eyed discussions about living a serene and satisfying life. I want the superficial memories (obituaries, etc.) to talk about how well-rounded and well-connected I was. I want at least one person to remember that I loved them deeply.
What was your biggest "failure" and what did you learn from it?
I don't know how to answer this. I've failed at any number of things in minor ways, and made several major mistakes in my life, but none of them had anything to do with Cleveland, or the sociopolitical thrust of the rest of these questions.
Who do you look up to?
Different people for different things. I try to pick the best characteristics of friends, colleagues, and public figures, and live by all of them.
Do you have a motto? Not really. I could make up some I generally live by, like "life is short" and "don't do anything you'll regret after the hangover wears off," but I don't have anything pre-determined as a mantra. What's the best advice you've been offered. Life is short - do everything you want to do at the earliest opportunity. Where are you most likely to hang out in Cleveland?My house, Fulton Bar & Grill, Winking Lizard, and drinking beer around the world. Where are you least likely to hang out?Crack houses - not my thing! (:divend:)