System Of A Downin Serj Tankian kertoo syyn miksi ei aio soittaa kiertueita lähitulevaisuuden aikana

Yhdysvaltalaisen metalliyhtye System Of A Downin keulakuva Serj Tankian on julkaisemassa elämäkerran toukokuussa. Elämäkerran nimeksi on annettu ”Down With The System” ja se ilmestyy Hachette Book Groupin kautta toukokuun 14. päivä. Kirjasta kerrotaan tiedotteessa seuraavaa:

‘Serj Tankian will be the first to admit that his band, System Of A Down, was ‘unlikely a chart-topper as had ever existed in modern music history: a band of Armenian-Americans playing a practically unclassifiable clash of wildly aggressive metal riffs, unconventional tempo-twisting rhythms, and Armenian folk melodies, with me alternately growling, screaming, and crooning lyrics that could pivot from avant-garde silliness to raging socio-political rants in the space of a single line.’ After all, as Serj concedes, ‘it’s not easy listening.’

Even so, there’s no doubt that System’s music had struck a chord with millions of listeners across the globe ever since they burst on the scene in the mid-1990s. With nearly 40 million album sales, three albums topping the Billboard charts, and a devoted legion of fans, the band dominated the alt-rock and metal scenes just as the world hurtled into a new millennium, redefining the very idea of what rockstars could and couldn’t talk about, could and couldn’t do, could and couldn’t represent.

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In DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM, Serj presents readers with a memoir that is far more than just a rock ‘n’ roll fable. It’s an immigrant’s tale, it’s an activist’s awakening, and it’s a spiritual journey from darkness toward light. And all of this comes down to the fact that Serj himself has had the chance to live an extraordinary life—thanks to a combination of luck, circumstance, struggle, talent, and spiritual awakening.

Born to Armenian parents in Beirut, Serj grows up hearing bombs drop outside his childhood home during the country’s civil war, before moving to Los Angeles at the age of seven. As a young man, he is immersed in the SoCal community of ‘Little Armenia,’ learning more and more about the brutal genocide faced by his ancestors while helping his parents adapt to the constraints and contradictions of the American Dream.

Then, during a pivotal drive home from an LSAT class, Serj decides to turn away from a promising future in business and law to make music instead—a decision that leads him to touring five continents as the lead singer of a hugely popular rock band, hitting number #1 on the Billboard album charts the morning of 9/11, and then having the hit single from the same album banned from radio two days later.

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In the years that follow, his uniquely singular story continues, as he evades glass bottles hurled at a cancelled show by angry Slayer fans, teams up with Tom Morello to push social justice causes on unsuspecting metalheads, argues with LAPD officers over the best way to quell rioting fans, and defines new sounds and singing tactics with Rick Rubin.

Braiding together Serj’s thought-provoking insight with heartfelt and poetic prose, DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM retraces Serj’s remarkable and unlikely journey, and explores what it’s taught him—about music, about art, about activism, and about himself. It’s an unforgettable ride that will leave you breathless—and an absolute delight for new fans and old ones alike.’

Nyt Tankian on antanut kirjaansa liittyen haastattelun Revolverille, jossa on kertonut olevansa haluton tekemään pitkiä kiertueita lähitulevaisuuden aikana. Syyksi Tankian kertoo haastattelussa kokevansa kiertueella olemisen olevan liikaa saman asian toistamista ja hän haluaakin vain soittaa yksittäisiä keikkoja siellä täällä isojen kiertueiden sijaan, jolloin säilyttää itse suuremman innon keikan tekemiseen. Lisäksi Tankian paljastaa myös kärsivänsä terveysongelmista, jotka myös omalta osaltaan hidastavat laulajan halua lähteä takaisin tien päälle lähitulevaisuuden aikana. Voit lukea mitä kerrottavaa Tankianilla oli aiheesta tästä:

”I have some other things I’m dealing with right now, which may or may not be affected by travel or touring. It wasn’t just a health-related decision as far as cutting down on touring, but also a lifestyle decision.

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I’ve been touring for 20-something years, on and off, of course. Not every year. And it’s fun, it’s profitable, it makes a lot of people happy in terms of being out there and sharing the music and seeing the reaction, and people really enjoying it and getting that feedback. But after years of doing it and the travel that’s involved, it’s one of those things where it’s not the top priority on my list in life.

When you’re doing a tour, after a while it’s like Groundhog Day. You try to be as creative and present to each show as you can, but after the second week, you’ve been there, done that already. But when it’s one show, it’s actually unique and special and fun.

I’m not saying that I’ll never tour again but for the foreseeable future, it’s not something that I’m really interested in doing.”