In a new interview for the LiveSigning , hosted by actor and comedian Rainn Wilson, Serj Tankian discussed topics such as the fatigue of doing long tours, songwriting, and the release of his new book.
Regarding the process of composing music with Daron Malakian , Serj says (via Blabbermouth.net ):
“Originally, when we started System of a Down, I was primarily a lyricist and he was primarily the musical composer. Shavo Odadjian (bassist) also contributed some riffs.”
"Over time, I became a better instrumentalist, playing and composing, and Daron became a better lyricist, so we started bringing more complete songs to the table, and then whatever it was, if something was missing, the other would make up for it."
“But sometimes there was a request to change thematically this or that from any member of the band, actually. So it was a process that developed and changed over time.”
Tours and shows
In addition to the music, the vocalist explained the reasons for his lack of enthusiasm for doing long tours: “I love performing. But not especially on long tours… I think when you do a long tour, it’s not only physically tiring, but it’s artistically redundant after a while, repeating the same thing.”
However, the band continues to perform smaller shows: “That’s why we’re really enjoying doing these one-off events. We can’t do them everywhere. I don’t do it all the time. But in a way, it’s become fun again. And I kind of missed that.”
Tankian talks about some health conditions that have made him more cautious: “I also had some back problems, back surgeries and things that were holding me back. I’m much better now, I exercise better, all those things, so a lot of that has been resolved. Possibly, I would say, I’m open to looking at things, but I’m not enthusiastic about doing long tours, anywhere. One-off performances, yes. Or maybe a handful of one-off shows with dates in between.”
Watch the full interview at the following link:
Book launch
With a release date set for May 14th, Serj Tankian is promoting his memoir titled Down With The System A Memoir (of Sorts) where he talks about his relationship with his bandmates, songwriting, and the origins of the songs.
"Let me first say that the book provides very detailed explanations about our relationships, but it also talks about the origin of the songs and everything else."
“But one thing I want to make clear is that, despite some of our creative differences, which have happened over the years, which is quite normal in a band, the drive and appeal of the compositions, the themes, the direction and all those things – again, despite all the creative differences, we have immense respect for each other.”
READ ALSO : Serj Tankian announces solo EP with music originally written for System Of A Down