System of a Down’s Serj Tankian Announces Memoir
In a move that surprises absolutely no one, System of a Down frontman and human rights activist Serj Tankian recently announced that he’ll be releasing a memoir.
Titled Down With The System, the book will be released on May 14, 2024 via Hachette Books.
“I had had a blast working on this accidentally hatched philosophical memoir, as it’s given me the unique opportunity to dive deep into my family history, my own motivations from a young age, and lessons I didn’t know I had learned.”
Hachette Books’ senior commissioning editor Richard Roper said the company’s choice to run with the memoir stemmed from Tankian’s special place in the rock and metal world.
“Serj has never been a conventional rock star, and this isn’t a conventional memoir. We are absolutely thrilled to be publishing this forthright, funny, and gloriously entertaining book—Serj’s fans are going to absolutely love it.”
There’s no denying that Tankian’s position at the head of one of the biggest bands of the 2000s has led to an extraordinary life full of rock and roll excess and insanity. Yet Tankian’s life as an Armenian-American also takes front and center as well.
According to the book’s official description, Down With The System will be a memoir that’s “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.”
“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 7. 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.
“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.”
As for the future of System of a Down, we’ve got no idea if or when the band will get back together to make any music at all outside of the occasional festival appearance here and there. So for now, fans of Tankian or SOAD will have to accept that this is yet another solo endeavor to get interested over.
