Před nějakou dobou jste na diskuzním foru Serje Tankiana mohli jemu samotnému položit jakékoliv otázky, které vás tíží... A což jsem ani nečekal, odpověděl
http://board.serjtankian.com/index.php?showtopic=1476
For all your fans around the world that haven’t seen you (or SOAD) because you didn’t tour through their city/country, is there any hope of them seeing you solo?
You’ve never been to South America at all, but even countries like the Czech Republic, Greece, Japan, Transylvania and Russia which SOAD only visited once or twice, is there any hope for those fans seeing Serj Tankian touring for Elect The Dead?
Yes. We’ll be playing most European countries on our headlining tour in April or over the summer (festivals). We’re playing our own shows in Prague, Moscow, and Saint Petersburg in June. We’ll probably be playing Japan along with Australia and NZ early next year. We’re looking at playing South America as well though no plans have been made yet.
Now that you've toured and played with the FCC for quite some time, would you consider having them as your 'band' on the next Serj Tankian album? Or do you plan to continue playing most of the instruments yourself?
My next solo record will be a jazz/orchestral record. I am looking at integrating a full symphonic orchestra as part of that, but most likely will invite the guys from the FCC to play some of the instruments both on the record and live.
If you had the chance, what, if anything, might you do differently on "Elect the Dead"? Do you ever look back and think 'Oh, I could've done so much better on this and on that' etc.
No, actually, I made Elect the Dead exactly as I saw fit and wouldn’t change a think to be honest. It’s rare to say something like that for me but I was very fulfilled.
How did the little ditty "I look into your beautiful ass, it reminds me of Beethoven's little CUNT!!!!" come about? After hearing that, I was laughing to myself for at least an hour straight.
Good. That’s how it came about.
Who is Nlelith?
Whoever you’d like him/her/it to be.
What do you do to deal with stress/depression?
I kill people and smile. Just kidding! No, I meditate and get some exercise and bring myself to the present moment in a smile.
On the Elect The Dead standard edition booklet, what exactly is written on Armenian, and what does it mean?
Good question. Go figure it out. That’s the fun of it all. This youtube generation wants an answer to everything pre-digested, no exploratory sense of wonderment left.
What specific incident inspired you to become a veg head (vegetarian powa'!!.)??. Where you motivated to become vegetarian because of animal rights, environmentalism, world hunger, and or health??
I became a veg because my blood type and body required it naturally. It’s not for everyone. All of the factors above do contribute to the state of mind that makes someone consume less animal products, yes.
What is the most embarrassing moment you've ever had at a show?
Let me ask you a question. What difference does it make?
Would you consider doing an album of traditional Armenian music with a Serj-esque edge?
I’m helping my Dad make one actually for Serjical Strike. I’m really excited about it.
He’s got this phenomenal, emotional voice that strikes people when they hear him.
It’s where I get my voice from actually.
Do you have any early memories of you growing up in Lebenon? If so what are they? You moved to the US at a fairly young age, but old enough to realize Lebanon & the US were quite different. What were your first impressions? Did you already speak English at the time or did you still have to learn it? What's your attitue towards the American Dream in general?
My parents immigrated to the U.S. from Beirut when I was 7.
I did know some English but was not fluent. I think everyone would agree that L.A.
Is quite different than any place on Earth, let alone from Lebanon. However, there is a similarity of weather, topography, and coastal life. As a kid it’s always easy to adjust to a new city and lifestyle. I have distinct, specific memories of Beirut, like where we lived, the school I attended, the beach, etc.
To me, music is art, and in my opinion art should be freely accessible to anyone. I know you share this opinion, so would you consider sharing your art on a donation base (like Radiohead or NIN did with their last albums)? What are your views on the present and future of the music industry? Are they similar to Josh Homme and Trent Reznor, both of whom are not happy with how they are treated by their labels?
I think the industry is heading toward a more artist profile, digital online sphere.
Radiohead was successful at their ploy to introduce this record to their fans because
They have a very loyal and smart fan base. Not all bands would succeed in that venture right now but that time is coming. I think it’s very encouraging, especially for an established artist to have direct contact and distribution with their fans without any middle men. Retail in the future will be limited to specialty (gift and coffee shops), artsy Mom and Pops (Amoeba-type), and music kiosks where you can place your ipod and transfer any song from a huge hard drive at any mall.
Is death the end or do you think there is a conscious afterlife? What is the one thing that you'd want your family to make sure to include in your obituary? Do you believe in ghosts?
Death is a simple change in form for beings of energy.
Whether you believe in Einstein (science), or Religion/spiritual worlds, everything including us are made of energy and energy just changes forms. Thousands of cases of near death experiences have shown that people whose time wasn’t up yet were given a choice to move on to another form. Another message they brought back (extensive scientific studies) was that we are here to love and learn. Obituaries have no meaning to me. Yes, ghosts are mere spirits traveling without bodies.
The future is in small hands. I'm a father; what would be the most important value you teach your son or daughter?
That everything is connected. Any theory that comes out of that single theory cannot do harm but nurtures existence.
All human beings seem to have some degree "inconsistency" within themselves...what some call our "insides not matching our outsides". For example, I'm a leather-wearing vegetarian. What's your "inconsistency"? What do you think is your biggest flaw?
I don’t eat meat but I do eat people. My biggest flaw is myself.
Are there plans to release all the videos from ETD on a dvd, together with some live recordings maybe?
We’re thinking about it.
Have you ever considered hooking up with Tom Morello for an "Axis Radio" show on Sirius Satellite Radio?
Yes, at one point Sirius wanted to air our show. Not sure what ever happened with that.
You've said that in your opinion civilization is finished, or words to that effect. What would your vision be for the future of humanity? Where did we go wrong and how can we fix it, and is that even possible?
My vision for the future of humanity, or the percentage that survives the great changes would be to harness life locally in a self-sustaining environment with positive intentions towards life. We’d be wise to use technology in our favor as well to make polluting activities less necessary. Basically we need to redefine our lives to the planet and ourselves and every activity and thought in our lives towards a new direction. Civilization is no longer scientifically sustainable based on the accelerated growth of population coupled by the accelerated rate of destruction of natural resources on the planet, so the answer is no to your second question.
What is your favorite quote?
I don’t have a favorite anything.
What kind of student were you back in High School? I'm guessing you we're the quiet kid, since I read you had a 4.0 GPA. We're you ever in any sports teams?
Played basketball a bit but not for the school just with friends. Yes, I was a 4.0 honor student throughout high school and most of college.
Have you ever thought about being in movies and becoming an actor as well?
Not my gig.
Are you considering returning to doing any heavy/heavier vocals on forthcoming solo albums, such as yells, growls, screams, etc. found in previous projects? It's obvious that Serj Tankian is Serj Tankian and System of a Down is System of a Down, but is there a possibility we will hear that singing style on any future tracks? You reverted back to that sort of style when you played with Fair To Midland at their Coachella appearance.
My next solo record will be jazz/orchestral so probably no screams at all, but honestly the question is kind of redundant, because I don’t even know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow.
When you write a song, do you write the lyrics first or the music first?
Music first.
What do you think the world would be like without music?
Impossible.
What is your biggest temptation?
To not answer this question.
Urcite to chci napsat do novinek na web, ale cas na to budu mit nejdriv zitra odpoledne...