As he releases his astonishing autobiography, the System Of A Down vocalist discusses the Armenian genocide, his band’s dramatic rise, and the musician-activists of today “If you’re chased out of your homeland,” writes Serj Tankian in his new autobiography Down With The System , “a part of you is always trying to get back there, even generations later.” This idea sits at the heart of the System Of A Down vocalist’s powerful memoir, reaching far back in time – beyond his own dramatic life in music and activism – to tell his ancestors’ stories. All four of Tankian’s grandparents survived the Armenian genocide, perpetrated in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire but still unrecognised by many governments today, including the UK’s.
Tankian has long used his platform to fight for this story’s recognition – “a whole race, genocide,” he sings on System Of A Down’s 1998 track ‘P.L.U.
C.K.’ – and details it here in harrowing prose: “ It’s important to know who you are,” he says, “ from those who brought you to this place.
” An especially vivid portrait is devoted to his grandfather Stepan. “He was the fighter in the family,” Tankian tells NME . “I’ve inherited his legacy in a way.
” A child during the genocide, Stepan was forced from his home on a death-march to the Syrian desert – beset by disease, torture and starvation. Against all odds, Stepan lived to old age – long enough to hear about the success of his grandson’s ba.
