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.