#438 - Serj Tankian on DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM

Books on Pod with Trey Elling

Musician Serj Tankian, best known as front man for System Of A Down, chats with Trey Elling about DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM: A MEMOIR (OF SORTS). Topics include:

• His family in the Armenian Genocide (0:00)
• The Lebanon Civil War (4:48)
• Being an immigrant kid (7:38)
• The music epiphany (10:32)
• Dad's helpful advice (13:11)
• "System Of A Down" meaning (15:05)
• Rick Rubin (16:47)
• His first visit to Armenia (19:47)
• Criticizing the US, post-9/11 (21:31)
• Spurning the Grammys (24:55)
• B.Y.O.B. (28:22)
• Steal This Album! & "Boom!" (29:16)
• Maintaining creative freedom (31:15)
• Compassionate confrontation (32:12)
• Parenthood (33:48)
• System's ONE Armenia show (37:30)
• Showing Bourdain around Armenia (39:08)
• An ode to America (42:42)
• An ode to making music (43:27)
• An ode to being Armenian (45:46)