 |
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
Taken from Rock Sound magazine July 1999.
Words: Nick Smith
Photos: Carole Epinett
Can I let you into a
secret? Interviewing bands ain't easy. It may look like a
doddle flying around the world and hanging out with pop
stars but most of the time its like pulling teeth. Bands
can be difficult, truculent aggressive, horrendously late
or totally pissed. But worst of all they often have
nothing to say. They've talked about themselves to every
journo under the sun, they've got no opinions on the
state of the world and politics is a word that half of
them can't even spell. System Of A Down are most
definately the exception that proves the rule. Four
Armenian-Americans playing their own brand of politico
agit-rock; heavy, melodic and barking mad, with a
cartoon-like, highly individual image. Fired up, fiercly
intelligent, and passionate, they want to talk and
meeting them is an enlightening experience. While the
rest of the worlds eyes are turned to Kosovo, they want
to make sure their homeland isn't forgotten, with its
bloody history of suffering. How many other bands speak
out about genocide, the collusion of international
governments and Nicaragua? How many other bands make such
incredible music but prefer to speak about the state of
the world? Sick of reading more stories about drinking,
drugs and shagging? Brace yourself for System Of A Down.
TURKISH DELIGHT?
Lead singer Serj Tankian
sips at his hot tea and ponders the fact that his band
are so much more politically aware than your average
American.
"I'll tell you why" says Serj with
typical conviction. "It's because we recognised
the injustice done in Armenia, the genocide, and that
opened our eyes. It's an injustice which hasn't been
resolves or admitted either by Turkey or by the United
States. That lead me to see other genocides, other abuses
and injustices in the world."
System Of A Down cancelled a show in Istanbul recently
because for them it's a matter of principles above
commerce. However such gestures are often inflammatory
and could contribute to the division between Turks and
Americans. Serj agrees, but feels its worth it.
"I would have loved to do that concert because I
could have taught today's young Turkish people what they
don't know about their own history and government.
Unfortunately, the Turkish government didn't give me the
chance to do and say these things on stage. One of the
reasons we cancelled the show is that the Turkish
government still hasn't recognised the genocide. The
other is freedom of speech and the fact that we would
have been thrown in prison and even Sony wouldn't be able
to get us out."
Its admirable to stick by your convictions but your
Turkish fans must have been disappointed.
"There are young people there who know SOAD and
we would like to play to them but their government won't
allow us to play our usual set which includes a song on
the Armenian genocide. Our set also contains songs on
sex, which, I'm sure, wouldn't upset them because they
love having sex in prisons, ha ha. No, I'm joking. We
want to spread our message over there. We don't have a
problem with the Turkish population, only with the
government. And, unfortunately, it's not them who decide
whether you go to prison or not."
I tell Serj that we're including 'War?' on our Music
With Attitude CD with its line, "Of
war, we don't speak anymore." It seems to be
about the fact people tend to forget what happens in the
course of history. Are you trying to remind people it's
their duty to remember?
"No, its more that we don't recognise the
current wars as wars. Take Nicaragua for example. For
about a century, this country has attempted to establish
a popular government regime. And one of the most feverent
opponents of the establishment of democracy in Nicaragua
is America. When the Nicaraguans were finally able to
elect the government they wanted, the United States sent
in the Contras, who are a terrorist group trained by the
CIA, to put another regime in place. But in the States we
don't use the word 'war' to to describe that. We don't
call that terrorism on the part of America. We never see
the word 'war' appearing in that kind of situation. It's
either 'internal conflict' or 'civil dissention'. Or
terrorism on the part of the goverment. It's the same
thing in Guatemala and in lots of other places in the
world. So when i say "we don't talk about war
anymore", that doesn't mean we don't remember past
wars, but that wars are going on today in front of our
eyes without them being called wars. That's why the title
of the song ends with a question mark."
TALKING 'BOUT A
REVOLUTION
So do you see yourself as
revolutionaries? There's a school of thought that the
most effective revolutions are fought with with words
rather than weapons. Serj leans foward with absolute
attention to the subject at hand. With his Rasputin hair
and inspirational zeal, he's almost frightening.
"Revolution starts within each individual
through an awakening of the conscience. It has its
beginnings in each person. In the morning when you wake,
when you look inside yourself, examine your life, your
environment and the world outside, even your spirit.
Thats's a revolution. Not my words, not their weapons.
Anything which doesn't have that sense will never lead to
a revolution. Our conscience is what makes a revolution."
THE HAND WITH FIVE
FINGERS
He settles back, satisfied
with a point well made. On the table infront of us is a
copy of their album with its striking image of a dying
hand. Serj points to it.
"That hand dates from the beginnings of the
century, and it's the concept of a German propagandist
called John Heartfield. He was anti-Nazi and opposed to
Hitlers regime. He was also anti-West because, and few
people know this, Hitler was supported indirectly by the
Anglo-American financial institutions during his rise to
power. The fear of Communism was so intense after the
first world war and during the whole Bolshevik Revolution
that the Western governments financially supported the
facist regimes throughout the world to create buffer
zones, the ultimate shield to Communism. They carried on
doing it after WWII as well. Today with the disappearance
of Communism, the West uses other excuses to intervene.
Heartfield crititsised all that in the underground press.
The hand is taken from a little clandestine Communist
newspaper. Its called 'The Hand With Five Fingers'. The
reason he did it was to wake up the Germans and to show
them they were being taken advantage of : 'A hand has
five fingers and you can do a lot with them. You
shouldn't let people fuck you.' It's a sign of the
people's power."
The album is suggestive of Orwell's 1984. Do you really
believe Big Brother is watching us?
"Oh yeah. In what we call the 'free media',
certain things are touched on and others not mentioned.
It's what we said earlier about the war in Nicaragua,
which is not considered a 'war'. So they control our
knowledge, just like some of the machines which control
us. There's no closed circuit TV in this room but Bill
Clinton just signed the 'V-Chip' which is a bug placed
inside the TV which allows agencies to tell you if this
or that programme is good or bad. With advances in
technology, contol is becoming more and more present and
I hope people realise what that leads to. You see at this
moment, if the CIA are watching us, we wouldn't know it
because they do the job so well."
Mmm. Paranoia? I don't know but I left the interview
looking over my shoulder. Make sure you go and see System
Of A Down on tour this month. They are a band unlike any
other, and they could well change the way you view the
world. Look, listen and learn.
|