For Serj Tankian, it all fits together. Just as the System of a Down frontman’s new memoir, Down With the System, recalls his life in the band, as a solo artist (in music and painting) and as a political activist, his new solo EP, Foundations, is comprised of material from his past. “All of this stuff was written a long time ago, and most of it was recorded a long time ago as well,” he tells Revolver. “I cleaned it up and added a few things, but I kept a lot of it the same, because the archival quality and experience was, for me, important for the songs.”
Both the memoir and EP were released this year, just a few months apart. “The EP works well as a companion piece to my memoir,” he explains. “In the book, I’m looking retrospectively at my life and music, and it’s those wanderings that made me think we should put this stuff out at roughly the same time.”
Foundations’ leadoff track, “A.F. Day,” is the oldest of the bunch. “It’s at least 25 or 30 years old,” Tankian says. “It harks back to my disgust with indoctrination, which started in my youth — so it’s got that punk-rock ethos. I kept the vocals the same, too, because they had this screamy sound in my tone that I no longer have as much. Sometimes I get complaints about that, but hey — your voice changes as you get older.”
The single “Justice Will Shine On” is about Tankian’s grandparents, who survived the Armenian genocide of 1915. (All of SOAD’s grandparents were survivors.) “Parts of it are as old as ‘A.F. Day,’ but the chorus was added around 2014 or ’15, when we were looking at releasing a few songs for the 100th commemoration of the genocide with System of a Down,” he says.
Tankian also tells his grandparents’ story in Down With the System. And while the book includes plenty of memories from SOAD’s history, anyone looking for tales of backstage debauchery will be disappointed. “Touring stories, partying with this band or that band — a lot of that stuff I took away,” he says, noting that his original manuscript was at least twice as long as the published version.
“Even though it was exciting for the book, I took it away because I didn’t feel comfortable sharing things about other people without their consent. I’ve been very respectful in terms of my storytelling because I think as an author, as a human being, if you don’t first take responsibility for your own life before getting into other people and your interaction with them, it’s not as effective, honest or powerful.”
Though Tankian was born in Lebanon, he grew up in Los Angeles. He spends part of the year there and part of the year on his farm in New Zealand. When we speak with him, he’s in L.A., where his organic coffee company, Kavat, recently opened its first café. “It’s not just a coffee shop — it’s a really nice gallery,” he explains. “We have my art on the walls, and we’re going to be doing exhibitions with artists and photographers — some from the music world, and some not. It’s been an amazing experience, and very gratifying. Having people say, ‘I love your coffee’ is such a huge compliment for me because we’ve put a lot of time and money into coming up with our own roast, picking beans and the curation of the taste.”
But perhaps the biggest news for Tankian fans this year is the fact that System of a Down played at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas and a special one-off at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with the Deftones. “We’re looking at opportunities of doing ‘event’ type of shows rather than full tours,” he says. “But it is something that I’m interested in continuing to do, and I think the guys are as well.”
Considering Tankian’s multi-hyphenate status as a musical icon, activist, author, painter and entrepreneur, we knew he’d be a perfect candidate for our Greatest Interview Ever franchise. To absolutely no one’s surprise, he did not disappoint.
What’s the greatest song you’ve ever written?
SERJ TANKIAN I have no idea. The thing about my personality is, I don’t have a favorite flavor of ice cream. I don’t have a favorite food. I don’t have a favorite movie. I don’t have a favorite song of anyone’s, including my own. My favorite is diversity. I like different things merging together in interesting ways. The more diverse, the more interesting it is for me — and that goes for food, colors, musicians, artists, whatever. Because the death of art is repetition. Repetition creates redundancy. How am I gonna rate a System of a Down song against another System of a Down song, or a ballad against a heavy song? “Prison Song” versus “Aerials” or one of my own songs? I don’t know. It’s impossible.
What’s the worst song you’ve ever written?
The worst song I’ve ever written I’ve never released. There’s a lot of compositions where you’re working through stuff. It’s not complete, and it may never be complete. Or it’s just an idea you thought was cool, but then you record it and think, Eh, I don’t know. So, the worst song I’ve ever written is something that probably no one will ever hear.
What’s the song you’re proudest of?
I guess that might be either “Boom!” or “Prison Song” with System, just because they are both narrative, not lyrical. Instead of writing a traditional lyric, you’re writing a paragraph and literally spewing it out in the song. Kinda like hip-hop, but not necessarily rhyming.
I remember with “Boom!” — it was so conversational that we had to take the music out while I was recording the vocals, because you have a tendency to do things rhythmically as a singer, and we wanted it to be non-rhythmical. It was an interesting way to record.
What’s the craziest gift you’ve received from a fan?
A piss jar. It was empty, thank God. But it had their name on it, like when you go to a doctor, along with their medical details. I just looked at it and said, “This is a piss jar.” And they said, “Yes.” Then I asked, “Is it sterilized?” And they said, “Yes, it’s clean.” So, I said, “Wonderful.” I didn’t even ask why they would give it to me. Obviously, I tossed it. But I thought it was creative.
What’s the greatest album that you didn’t like at first, but now you love it?
I know why you’re asking that, because good music is usually not immediately imbibed. You want to listen to it multiple times, and at first, you’re not sure what to make of it. Really good music is always like that — and I’m hoping that our music also falls under that quality.
For me, it’s maybe the Tom Waits record Swordfishtrombones. The first time you hear him, you’re like, “What the hell is this?” And then you’re like, “Oh my God, this is incredible.” His stories and vocals are great. I’m a huge Tom Waits fan. But when I first heard him, I didn’t know what to make of it. But I think good music takes processing. Frank Zappa is another one like that. Some people just don’t get his music, but I think he’s incredible.
What’s been your greatest success so far?
Telling my grandfather’s story. It’s in “Justice Will Shine On” [from Foundations,] it’s in my book and it’s in the [2006] documentary Screamers [starring System of a Down]. It’s basically a story of survival from the Armenian genocide. What [System] achieved with awareness for this cause that is so near and dear to us — because all of our grandparents are survivors — I think it’s one of the single strongest achievements we’ve made as a band.
What’s your biggest regret?
Not investing in Apple. [Laughs] No, I’m just kidding. I don’t ponder on regrets, because I feel like every step you make has taken you where you are today. And if you didn’t make those steps, including the mistakes, you wouldn’t be exactly who you are today. I had a software company in the Nineties that I sold for pennies on the dollar because I wanted to get out and do music. I was running it as a way to have my own business, not work for anyone else, and still have time to do music. If I had kept that company, it would’ve been very successful because it was a thriving vertical market. So, that might be a regret.
What’s the greatest live band you’ve ever seen?
Ooh, that’s tough. There are many great live bands that I haven’t seen. [Laughs] But one of the best concerts I’ve been to was Roger Waters doing The Wall. I saw it in New Zealand while we were there.
What’s the most rock-star thing you’ve ever purchased?
This is tough because I don’t purchase rock-star things, unlike people I know. [Laughs] I don’t know… a nice house? My purchases are not very exciting. I’m way too cerebral for luxury purchases. I have a nice car, but it’s not a pimp ride or anything like that. I’m wearing a $20 iFIT watch right now, and it’s better than any Rolex because that shit doesn’t monitor your heart rate or your steps.
So, I guess my biggest rock-star purchase would be my farm in New Zealand. We have a beautiful farm where we live part of the year. I enjoy natural living. We compost and we have our own water well and… The more I talk about it, the less rock star it sounds.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement as an activist?
I guess it would be the same answer as my greatest achievement in general: Spreading awareness of the Armenian genocide. But it’s not just a historical event in terms of people’s knowledge. It’s important to note that genocide occurs today. There’s no real agreement towards stopping genocide. We have the Geneva Convention, a United Nations genocide convention, but it doesn’t have teeth. There’s no monitoring, no organization that makes sure that all countries cease and desist from aiding a genocide. Most countries tend to aid their political allies, regardless of whether a genocide is being committed.
What’s the best show you’ve ever played?
2015 in Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenia. System of a Down was invited to play the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It was April 23rd, and it was raining hard. They say it always rains hard the day before the genocide commemoration. We had 50,000 fans just going off.
The show felt incredible because it was not just a show. It was an event paying homage to our ancestors and our own grandparents for their miraculous survival, criticizing governments for their lack of recognition of obvious history. It was just so many things at once. It was the pinnacle, the top of the mountain for System of a Down. It felt as if we were created for that moment.
What’s been your most embarrassing onstage moment?
On one of my birthdays, we were in Pittsburgh playing a show. In the early days of System, I’d have a drink or a smoke before going onstage — it would loosen me up and I’d be fine. Then I stopped smoking pot for a long period of time. On that birthday, Daron [Malakian] called me onto his bus and said, “Bro, let’s have a bong hit together before the show.” He regrets that bong hit forever at this point, because I got really stoned. I got so stoned that I heard all of our music as dance music when we got onstage.
I couldn’t decipher the songs from each other, so therefore I didn’t know the lyrics to any of the songs. It was the fucking most embarrassing show ever. They’d be playing a ballad and I’d be screaming. Then they’d play a heavy song and I’d be mumbling — to the point where the audience were asking me to please not forget the lyrics to the next song. And anytime I would go to one of the guys for help with the lyrics, I’d see them mouthing the lyrics but not hear them — and then I’d just start laughing. But I was so stoned that I didn’t give a shit. Afterward, I felt bad for the band and the crowd. The band had never been so disappointed.
Who’s the toughest band to open for?
Slayer, hands down. No one on the planet is as scary to open for as Slayer. When we opened for them, their fans were giving us the death sign.
What’s the most starstruck you’ve ever been?
David Bowie. I met him twice. I have a picture of him and I, shaking hands backstage at Roseland in New York. He had played a show there, and I met him afterwards. He was the nicest guy. I met him again in Los Angeles [in 2004] after his show at the Greek Theatre. I remember Daron was with me as well. David had this look on his face that was like this kind of beautiful innocence.
I also met the Dalai Lama in Philadelphia, and that was a starstruck moment as well. He had the same look on his face as Bowie, this kind of non-judgmental innocence.
Who’s the greatest metal singer ever?
I would have to say Ozzy. I mean, it’s hard not to say Ozzy.
What’s the greatest nu-metal album?
I’m gonna have to say Korn’s first record, because it seems like that was the time that the term “nu-metal” was created. I actually think people don’t think of System of a Down as nu-metal. But Korn, for sure.
What’s the worst show you’ve ever played?
There’s a couple of them. I’ve toured in many different capacities: with System, with an orchestra, and solo with a backup band. One of my worst shows was in Atlanta with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In fairness to them, orchestras in the U.S. don’t get a lot of prepara-tion time for modern compositions. Whereas in Europe, they give you some time to actually work through the material, so it turns out way better. But we did the Atlanta show with just a soundcheck, and they just couldn’t get it down. It was a fucking disaster.
To add to that, we had a very rock-oriented audience with beer cans pounding the stage for System songs — while these 80-year-olds were trying to get through their violin solos. It was so horrible it was funny. Afterwards, my touring pianist, Erwin Khachikian, had this confounded look on his face and goes, “They’re uncivilized!” [Laughs] But I’m thankful for the experience, because I’ll never forget that day.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen in the crowd at one of your shows?
I’ve seen fires, that’s pretty wild. I’ve seen pits like you wouldn’t believe in Germany. A photographer friend of ours took a video, and it looked like some kind of cosmic thing going on.
What’s the biggest difference between living in Los Angeles and living in New Zealand?
Frequency of life. L.A. is a big city, so everything is happening at a much faster rate. New Zealand is at a much slower, natural rate, based on our heart and our existence. The land is clean, the water is clean, the air is clean. The air here in L.A. is definitely not clean. [Laughs] I call it “air shit.” When we’re flying into L.A., I think to myself, Ladies and gentlemen, we’re landing in air shit. [Laughs] So, there’s a huge difference. But I like the balance of both. I like speeding up in L.A. and slowing down in New Zealand.
What’s the greatest dream, musical or otherwise, that you have yet to achieve?
Most of what I’ve achieved I only partially dreamed up. I come up with new things that I want to achieve all the time, but there’s no long-term vision that I haven’t already brought into reality. I come up with new things to bring into reality to keep me on my toes and keep me interested. But I can’t say, “I would’ve loved to write a song with this person,” or anything like that.
Wait, OK… Here’s one: I’ve scored movies and TV shows, but I haven’t scored a blockbuster — whatever that means. That’d be fun to do.