A Tucsonan since 1995, Nathanial Hendler is best known to local music fans as the frontman of the George Squier Orchestra, who have been working on a new album. For the last three months, Hendler has been working as a load planner at the South Pole. "As exciting as that sounds," he says, "I'm beyond ready to come home." He should be back in Tucson by the time you read this.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
My parents used to drag me to the Paramount Theatre in Denver to see the Gibson Jazz Concerts, and I saw people like Zoot Sims, Ray Brown and Harry "Sweets" Edison. Unfortunately, the first concert I went to on my own accord was the Indigo Girls, but there was a girl involved. Obviously, I was very, very misguided.
What are you listening to these days?
Before my iPod froze, Daft Punk. There are a lot of hippies down here at the South Pole, so I get more Grateful Dead than I need. I compensate by listening to Metallica, but there are also a lot of ex-military, so I compensate by listening to the Grateful Dead. It's god-awful.
What was the first album you owned?
Huey Lewis and the News, Sports.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
Am I the 10,000th person to say modern country and/or modern R&B?
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
The Band, pre-The Last Waltz.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
ABBA.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
I don't know, but since I haven't managed to work Jimmy Giuffre into this questionnaire—and he's a genius—I'll go with something by him, followed by "Butt Ugly Slut" by Roger Alan Wade, just so people don't think I'm too snooty.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Ween. I've never seen God, but I have seen Ween.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Frank Black, Dog in the Sand.
