To Be an Artist, Serj Tankian Says You “Have to Have Honesty”
Few people in metal talk about the “artistry” and the meaning behind the music, at least when it comes to speaking with the media, than System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian. Since he’s not working on new music with his old band, nor is he really touring all that much these days, I guess he’s got a lot of time to talk about how bad he wants to quit System and how other artists should think/act (even if he’s on the right side of history on that one…).
During a recent interview with Chasta and Baby Huey of San Francisco Bay Area’s 107.7 The Bone (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Tankian’s politics and activism once again became the focus of conversation. Historically left-wing politically and outspoken on a number of issues, Tankian’s thoughts and feelings have often rustled some feathers and caused controversy. I mean, we’re talking about the guy who basically (and accurately) said the U.S.’ actions in the Middle East are what sparked 9/11 — just days after the tragic event. So when he was asked whether he worried about losing fans as a result of his outspokenness, he once again argued that all an artist has is their authenticity.
“I think early on you have to decide what role you wanna play within this industry. If you want to maximize your fanbase, be a good musician, write music, and not talk about things that might turn people away, then you’re going to probably be an incredible entertainer, and I’m a fan of a large number of entertainers who play music. But if you’re going to be an actual artist, whether it’s a painter, a musician, an architect, any type of thing, you have to have honesty, and that honesty has to come through your soul and through your work. And you will end up turning people away, you will end up pissing some of your fans off, and so be it. It’s something that you have to accept as part of the journey for you to remain intimate with the truth.”
If you’ve been following along with Tankian’s interviews over the years, you know that none of what he said was controversial or anything. If anything, it tracks completely.
When asked where he finds his political voice and why he’s so passionate about the causes he touts, Tankian said he’s felt and acted that way for a very long time.
“Well, I guess I was an activist before becoming a musician. So it kind of carried through. And so the truth was always something important for me, in my personal life as well as what’s transcendent into my artistic life. And so that’s where it really comes from. The varied degrees of job experience or career experience just add to my kind of understanding of the intricacies of the music industry and some of the weird things about it. I don’t take a lot of this stuff seriously, as far as the celebrity aspect and all of that stuff. It’s nice to get reservations at restaurants, but that’s as far as it goes. So I think that’s helped me stay a bit grounded, even though I think we’ve all lost our heads a little, based on the success of the band and of our music and everything. But I try to remain in a world where I can look at people in the eye and see their excitement and thank them for it and be authentic about it. I mean, one of the reasons, when we opened up the [Kavat Coffee] Café [And Eye For Sound] Gallery a few months ago, I drop in any chance I get and see people and take pictures and hang out and have conversations and have coffee with them. And it’s fucking amazing. I love the person-to-person [interactions]. I don’t get that at shows ’cause shows are huge and there’s too many people and it’s impossible to connect [on a] one-on-one level with anyone, really. I mean, even backstage, there’s hundreds, hundreds of people. So I enjoy that. I’m getting a kick out of that these days.”
