SERJ TANKIAN LAMENTS THE END OF CIVILIZATION
by Jennn Fusion
Crawdaddy
id=4024
Nov 14 2007
Serj Tankian is best known as the frontman for System of a Down-a band
that shocked many American music fans with intensity, weirdness, and
honest social commentary. These days Tankian works solo, approaching
his material with an even bigger sense of urgency, yet pulling all
the same vocal stunts that impressed audiences before.
His debut album, Elect the Dead, is a dark, atmospheric journey
through the decay of our political system and the subsequent decline
of civilization. Needless to say, I was interested to hear Tankian’s
perspective regarding current affairs. Being of Armenian descent and
having lived in Lebanon, he brings a unique global perspective to
the table. Not only has he written volumes on the subject, but he’s
also established Axis of Justice-a grassroots activist organization
that gives off the impression Tankian is an intelligent guy that
perpetually has a lot on his mind.
Crawdaddy!: Most of your music centers around political themes. When
and how did you first become adamantly interested in getting your
message out?
Serj Tankian: The hypocrisy behind the denial of the Armenian Genocide
in so-called democracies made me more empathetic of other forms of
injustice, from genocide to human rights, labor rights to social
issues, environmental injustice, etc.
Crawdaddy!: There’s a particular sense of urgency and meaningfulness
inherent in Elect the Dead. What was your mindset while writing
this album?
Tankian: Each song is its own animal. The themes are varied from
personal to global, pain to transcendence, political to humor,
Dada-esque art explorations, etc. But one theme that has haunted the
record is the meaning of civilization and the realization that it’s
already over.
Crawdaddy!: I read that you wrote "The Unthinking Majority" to make
a statement about "the current catastrophe of our failing democracy."
Can you expand on that?
Tankian: Borders are the gallows of our collective national egos.
Subjective lines in the sand, water, and air are separating plants,
animals, and atmosphere. Fear! Fear is the cause of separation for
this imposed illusion, this cordoned off space from pre-birth. When
we run out of borders, we reach infinity and unity. As for flags,
they’re much less useful than toilet paper. No one has been caused
distress by running out of flags. They become useful in times of
crisis and unjust, manipulative coercions pitting the victim against
the victor or vice-versa. Neoliberal globalism is failing due to its
underlying imperial ambitions and the discoveries of those sinister
ulterior motives. So the ambitions have reawakened for "democracy
promotion," in the past few years.
In real terms, that means promoting democracy if and only if it
serves imperial ambitions. How about we create a real democracy
right here and now! Let’s allow the people to vote for or against a
pre-emptive war, universal healthcare, expansion of social security,
the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal and World Courts, and
the role of the United Nations in interventions and reconstruction
of devastated lands. Let’s vote for how we want our taxes to be
spent, directly. Major referendums discussed and debated thoroughly
representing all sides of each issue on television. All empires
represent the aristocracy in their imperial ambitions, not the general
populace! Also in dire need is a true democracy of nations.
The UN Security Council should be dissolved and the General Assembly
should rule all international affairs, allowing all nations equal
access to the international forum and law. Given the truth, all human
beings will collectively choose the direction of this lost, possibly
last civilization.
Crawdaddy!: You mentioned creating a "real" democracy where the people
vote directly on the issues. In your travels and observations, have
you encountered a nation that acts upon these principals and falls
close to where you feel the US should be?
Tankian: There are certain nations which observe more democratic
principles than we do in certain parts of Europe and even in the
South East. However, no nation that I know of yet has allowed their
populace to vote for where they individually want their taxes to go.
I think that’s a true democracy.
Crawdaddy!: I’ve read various reports about the Jena Six case and I
know one of Axis of Justice pillars is anti-racism. Explain why this
particular case should matter to more Americans.
Tankian: I think it’s important because most of us live our lives
like racism does not exist anymore, yet these things happen that
occasionally remind us that they indeed do. Racism will exist until
we all realize that everything is connected and one.
Crawdaddy!: Committee chairman Tom Lantos argues that H.R 106 (The
Armenian Genocide Resolution) would be a "huge step in restoring
America’s moral authority." Others, like the president, fear that
openly acknowledging the Ottoman Turk’s genocide would lose vital
support in the war, including the use of an airbase. In fact, they
have already withdrawn their ambassador to the US and issued some
pretty hefty threats. How would you tackle this issue?
Tankian: The truth is where I always start and end. We should
never deny or encourage the denial of a well-known genocide for
geo-political, economic, or strategic expediency. What’s next?
Getting Germany to join our troops in Iraq if we forget about the
Holocaust? It’s ridiculous to allow another nation to vote in our
Congress.
Crawdaddy!: I once asked an old relative whom he felt was the best
US president… and believe it or not, he said Ronald Reagan. Who
do you feel has been the best president and what could the current
president learn from him?
Tankian: Not sure who the best one was, because even the better ones
did some shitty things as Presidents. JFK comes to mind for example.
In the beginning of his administration he was taken for a ride by
the military and the political bosses in power; then he woke up and
started to change things and got assassinated.
Crawdaddy!: What are your thoughts on the current presidential race?
Tankian: 1) Abolish the electorate. We’re not kids: we should be able
to not have our vote reversed by anyone (Al Gore would be president
if that was in 2000).
2) Take money out of politics altogether. No campaign financing by
private donors or public. Anyone who gets say 100,000 signatures
can run and get certain equal public funds and equal TV time to
other candidates.
3) Let’s vote for people that best represent our values and issues,
not ones who "we think will win." Injecting capitalistic principles
into elections could be very dangerous.
We’d need a very extreme candidate to even start to reverse some of
the damage the Bushes have caused along with everything else happening
in the world.
Crawdaddy!: There is a lot of public debate about reforming
immigration. Having immigrated yourself, what do you think would be
a fair policy?
Tankian: You can’t be dependent on unskilled labor on one hand and
complain about immigration on the other as a country. I think people
that are here should be given the respect of any human being in terms
of medical care, schooling, etc. and should be allowed to join the
citizenry in a structured manner.
Crawdaddy!: In a Revolver interview, you talk a little about our
"disconnectedness with nature." Can you expand on that?
Tankian: Yes, civilization itself has been disconnected from nature
from its inception. We are addicted to the city of civilization and
don’t know of any other way to survive and therefore are vulnerable
to the trouble ahead. Indigenous cultures never had that problem.
They were a part of nature, not its taker.
Crawdaddy!: What was your initial response to the 9/11 attacks?
Tankian: I was at home in Los Angeles, saw the events on TV, felt
helpless like most Americans and tried to make sense out of it all
by writing "Understanding Oil", got a lot of shit for it due to the
emotional reactionary state prevailing at the time coupled by a lack
of a historical perspective on the Middle East by the public. In
retrospect now, 9/11 had been used as the scapegoat for all foreign
policy manipulations in the Middle East, both just and unjust.
Crawdaddy!: What do you feel are our biggest failures in Iraq?
Tankian: Invading it. Not knowing how to set up a civil society
after. Not having the right intentions… but primarily going there
in the first place.
Crawdaddy!: Given the complexity of globalization, is there a happy
medium between laissez-faire and imperialism?
Tankian: Yes, countries should trade non-exclusively with those
that they desire, without the WTO and other organizations having
laws that could be held over governments and people-like the old
way of trading. If we need to protect our farmers, we have tariffs,
etc.-whatever works for everyone. If trade is not good for both,
it shouldn’t occur. Global dependence on food, water, and energy are
dangerous to the survival of beings on this planet.
Crawdaddy!: What are you reading right now?
Tankian: Many things: an Eckhart Tolle book, a James Lovelock book
that I bought a few days ago called The Revenge of Gaia, and The
Tipping Point.