Down with the System

A Memoir (of Sorts)

De: Serj Tankian

Narrado por: Serj Tankian

An exhilarating, thoughtful, and beautifully written memoir by musician, songwriter, and lead singer-lyricist of Grammy award-winning metal band, System Of A Down, Serj Tankian.

Serj Tankian will be the first to admit that his band, System Of A Down, was “unlikely a chart-topper as had ever existed in modern music history: a band of Armenian-Americans playing a practically unclassifiable clash of wildly aggressive metal riffs, unconventional tempo-twisting rhythms, and Armenian folk melodies, with me alternately growling, screaming, and crooning lyrics that could pivot from avant-garde silliness to raging socio-political rants in the space of a single line.” After all, as Serj concedes, “it’s not easy listening.”

Even so, there’s no doubt that System’s music had struck a chord with millions of listeners across the globe ever since they burst on the scene in the mid-1990s. With nearly 40 million album sales, three albums topping the Billboard charts, and a devoted legion of fans, the band dominated the alt-rock and metal scenes just as the world hurtled into a new millennium, redefining the very idea of what rockstars could and couldn’t talk about, could and couldn’t do, could and couldn’t represent.

In DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM, Serj presents listeners with a memoir that is 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. And all of this comes down to the fact that Serj himself has had the chance to live an extraordinary life—thanks to a combination of luck, circumstance, struggle, talent, and spiritual awakening. 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 seven. 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.

©2024 Serj Tankian (P)2024 Hachette Books

Beautiful memoir, deeper than I expected

I loved this memoir. It first caught my attention because I'm a fan of SOAD, but this is much more than a music bio. Serj Tankian also shares his experiences as an immigrant, an activist, and an artist. I will acknowledge that some awkward sentence breaks or pauses and mispronunciations could be mildly distracting at times, but I would never have anyone else narrate this other than Serj himself. It all added to the book's charm.

Fascinating and informative

I’ve been a fan of Seth’s music for years, but was excited to learn about his activism and his history. It was also intriguing to learn about the ups and downs of System of a Down and all his other projects. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes music, politics, activism, and recent geopolitical history.

Historical and just amazing

I have always been a System of a Down fan since I was a kid! As I got older I loved and respected Serj but could never put my finger on what drew me to him. This book summed up my decades long love and respect I have for Serj. I learned so much and scream to anyone that’ll listen to buy this book. I am so glad I did.

Life, journeys and art

A fascinating story of life, immigration, global politics, family, injustice, justice, rock and roll and the background of the global force, Serj Tankian. A must read.

Swimming through the void, we hear the word We lose ourselves, but we find it all

I haven’t enjoyed an audio book, narrated by the author this much since Kitchen Confidential.

It just felt like I was sitting down with an old friend. Not a lecture, just a man speaking his truth.

Within and beyond SOAD

As a long time fan of System of a Down, I wanted answers and insight as to why we haven't gotten an album in 20 years, This book gave me so much more than just the answers I was looking for. I was left wanting more. I got to envelop myself in Serj's wisdom, his mistakes, and the lessons he's received in his whole life. 100/10

Highly recommend if you're a fan or not.

Engaging, heartfelt, inspiring

I happened to be living and teaching at UWC Dilijan College in Dilijan, Armenia when I got to meet Serj. I was clueless at the time about his activism, and, though I grew up with System of a Down playing on the radio, I was never a fan. So being so clueless, I had no expectations, other than understanding that he was someone all of my Armenian students begged me to let them out of class to meet when they heard he was coming for a tour of the school.

What I remember most about the encounter was his humbled sweetness, warmth, smile, and firm, friendly handshake, and that's what listening to him tell his story brought me back to.

Having lived in Armenia since 2017, and having been part of the events that he describes towards the end of the book as far as helping to provide relief to refugees, I feel uniquely connected to Serj. Having only learned about the Armenian genocide through my students that first year of teaching, and though not Armenian, I feel a sort of kindred spirit with the country given my own ancestry and the atrocities committed against my family.

Hearing Serj's family history laid out bare and learning what he has done creatively and politically, how he has evolved spiritually, has left me satisfied as a listener and more in tune with the author than I could have imagined.

Thank you.

WOW

I love SOAD and I recently found out that me and Serj have the same birthday so i immediately felt attached to him lol. This book came with so much information on everything about Serj, Armenia and SOAD itself. I highly recommend this to anyone into metal, SOAD and or activism.

Intellectually informative

This was a great memoir. Interesting learning more details and background happenings of my favorite band and the singer of it. Opened my eyes to what Armenia has faced and is still facing in regard to the genocide. Serj’s narration was of great quality as well.

Honest, raw, open

I loved everything about this book. From the history Serj gives about his parents and grandparents, to the history of System of Down and then all of his activism was incredible. As a refugee myself, it is so important to let others know of the injustices faced by so many people. I truly appreciated how open and honest he was in this book.