Down with the System

A Memoir (of Sorts)

By: Serj Tankian

Narrated by: 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

A must for every SOAD fun and not only

An honest and touching self biography by Serj Tankian that tells not only his perspective of SOAD story but also the context and background that defined his perosnal search for justice through art and activism. Was so capitvated that I've finshed listening to it within two day

Serj's Journey made me love his music even more than I already did.

Serj takes you through not only his life, but his family and friends' lives as well. He explains the struggles of living in war, fighting for freedom, and spreads awareness to those ot is hidden from. He explains his thoughts, feelings and emotions of experimenting his expressions through art. This is a great book, not just for his fans of his music but for anyone who wants to hear the story of war to freedom, the realities of "life on the road", or someone who has built numerous successful companies and projects from the ground up.

READ THIS BOOK NOW

READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT !!! READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT !!! ‼️r e a d i t

Informative and enjoyable

Great book and the narration adds so much to the story telling. Highly recommend this.

Great storytelling of his life, music, and activism

I loved this book! He's a very interesting person, great writer, and his performance reading it was great. I highly recommend.

I loved it 💕

Serj has beautiful energy and it was lovely to hear more about his story and his background and journey. I loved his enthusiastic, down to earth performance and learning more about the SOAD lore. The only part I didn't like was hearing about his meeting of his wife, who was 20 when they met, while he was 37. Hearing him describe the beginning of their relationship as "bright, sparkling, and new" gave me the ick, though I know he didn't mean it that way. But they're still married and have been together for 20 years at this point, so what do I know. Still love Serj and I definitely recommend this book.

Thought provoking, entertaining, & informative memoir

As I sit here listening to the end credits of this wonderful book, I find it difficult to convey my thoughts into something tangible. During many times, this book made me weep, laugh, and ponder with Serj's thoughts. I recommend this book to everyone I know.

Enlightening

Really liked this book it was very enlightening both spiritually and politically it also made me laugh quite a few times overall loved it

Legendary

Enjoyed every minute of the audio. As a person who is not a fan of SOAD, it was very interesting to learn their story.
And of course once again to see how cool Serj is as a person. One of the greatest representatives of Armenia in the world! Thank you!

Really great insight! Loved it! Very powerful

Loved this book! Made me understand Serj the person, the artist, the activist. Very inspiring. It all makes sense now.