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SERJ TANKIAN: GENOCIDE IS STILL A MODERN HUMAN DISEASE THAT'S NOT FULLY LOOKED AFTER BY INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
15:40 28/03/2014 >> SOCIETY
By David Farrier, 3 News
Tomorrow night, Serj Tankian is playing a one-off show at
Christchurch's CBS Arena.Known to many as the frontman of System
of a Down, for many this concert will show a different side to
the Grammy-award winning musician. He'll be joined on stage by the
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, who will perform some of Serj's
symphony found on his recent Orca album. He'll also be performing with
them as they rock through his Elect the Dead record. Serj doesn't
perform these shows often, so it seemed like a good opportunity for
me to sit down with the musician in New Zealand to talk about what
he's up to.
- Are you looking forward to the Christchurch show?
- I am looking forward to it very much. In fact, we've been planning
on having a show with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for many
years. My friend Hamish McKeich, who conducted our APO show years
ago in 2009 in Auckland, he's the one who called the Christchurch
Symphony Orchestra, and they were keen on working with us. So we've
been trying to plan this for a few years, and we've had very busy
schedules, and touring elsewhere, so this year knowing I am going
to be spending a nice chunk of time in New Zealand I decided let's
definitely go ahead and do the show.
- You've been touring a lot with System - is it hard to get your head
into another space with the orchestral music, or is it quite organic?
- It's not really difficult jumping from one band or musical project to
the other. In fact in Europe and Russia I went from doing three weeks
with System, to doing three weeks with an orchestra. It's actually
really great. It's kind of like going to the gym: With System, you
are getting your cardio, because you are just running, jumping and
doing these crazy acrobatics both vocally and physically.
And with the orchestra you are sitting there and it's more of a
spiritual, emotional, intimate connection musically. And it's a
different value in terms of the connectivity with the audience. One
is a huge festival type of audience with System, and the other is a
beautiful theatre, like the Auckland Town Hall, or as it will be in
Christchurch. I like the diversity.
- Well it's exciting for Christchurch, too.
- I am really excited about going there, in fact we've been looking
at a number of non-profits to work with there as well, and we will
donate the net proceeds of the show actually. There's a lot of great
work happening there, it's really interesting. Obviously the effects
of the earthquake and everything else that's happened since then have
been devastating - [but] it's created all these spaces, because all
these people have moved and gone away. So it's a city with a lot of
spaces, which is something we're not used to, as most areas are so
concentrated. So the creatives of the city have been trying to see how
they can take advantage of those spaces, in a creative and positive
way. So there are these organizations doing some really out-of-the-box
thinking. There are instruments set up in a park for example, and
random people can go up and play them. There's areas where people can
go and dance and put in their CD, and it's all set up with a little PA
system. Just creative spaces that would not otherwise exist in a city.
So I guess these are some of the good things that we can say have
come out of this experience.
- For someone that wasn't at your Auckland Town Hall show, what can
people expect from your show?
- Since the Auckland Town Hall show in 2009, we've done 26 orchestral
shows, throughout Europe and Russia and Ukraine and all these
countries. And it's been incredible, with all these different sorts of
orchestras. So Auckland was the first to kind of put us on that road.
So the show we are going to do in Christchurch is similar to what
we did last year in Europe and Russia. It's a hybrid show between
the Elect the Dead Symphony, which are my orchestral pieces that I
did with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in 2009, and also Orca,
my new symphony. Orca is a traditional symphony. It's instrumental -
it's not rock songs with symphonic variations. So it's actually a
beautiful show. A very unique show, and a way of showing off the
dynamics of an orchestra: Playing almost very heavy rock kind of
orientated moments and coming down and playing really beautiful,
intimate pieces from Orca. We have a duduk player, an Armenian reed
instrument player, from Armenia, coming. He is just stunning, and
plays on movement four of Orca, as well as a few other songs. So it's
quite a joy putting on these shows. And so far every audience we've
interacted with have been quite moved by it.
- It must be nice to play with different energy levels; the rock,
through to the orchestral stuff.
- People are so used to musical segmentation. With a rock show
everyone is on their feet, yelling, screaming, and having beers. With
a classical show, everyone is sitting down, well-dressed and quiet.
Now - we're breaking those barriers. So we're not going to have
the typical classical setting. Yes, you will have to sit down. For
most of the show you will have to be quiet, because they're acoustic
instruments, they're not electric instruments. However, the attitude,
the dress code, the way we interact with the audience and have them
get up at the end of the show and go wild, that is not typical of the
classical world. And the orchestras we've worked with really seem to
enjoy that kind of attention and outpouring of emotion from audiences.
And vice versa!
- What do rock journos think of your classical stuff, and what does
the classical world think of your rock stuff?
- I would bet that rock critics wouldn't love a symphony record,
I would bet classical critics are not going to love someone coming
from the rock world and doing a symphony record. I would bet that jazz
purists writers, in fact I know jazz purist writers, are not into my
Jazz-Is-Christ record. But hey, that's okay! Because I am making the
music that is coming to me from the universe, and I am presenting it
the best way I can. And I am putting a spin on it that is uniquely
what I do. And as long as my fans and people who are following me
like it, I'm happy with it and thankful for it.
- And obviously people like John Psathas are along for the ride!
- We're actually working together now in doing a new piece, it's called
'100 Years', and we will have it out next year. It will be about
genocide and holocaust. It's a heavy topic. The piece is a beautiful
piece, that goes from ethnic to orchestral to many different things,
and we're having friends from all over the world participate by
playing on it. And we're going to be showing them on videos, as well
as recording their audio, and basically having their own emotional,
spiritual stamp on the piece. And we're going to be displaying it at
festivals, as well as probably on YouTube and whatnot.
- That's a pretty heavy topic to focus on.
- We want to bring awareness to the fact that there are still -
even with the genocide convention at the UN, and all these different
committees and sub committees designed to tackle genocide - genocide
is still a modern human disease that's not fully looked after by the
international community. We saw in Darfur for example the Chinese had
economic ties they wouldn't back off from. So we need to have some kind
framework that makes genocide, or holocaust, a kind of 'no-fly zone':
Anytime that is happening, all nations break immediate ties, they get
together and discuss humanitarian aid etcetera. We're seeing with Syria
as well - I don't necessarily call that a genocide - but we're seeing
with the Syrian civil war how confusing it is for the international
community. Nations don't know what side to support. You know, you've
got a tyrant on one side, and then you've got terrorist groups on
the other side, along with a truly rebellious part of the population,
you've got sectarian violence, you've got religious factions... it's
difficult, you know? But we have to take a stand against this modern
disease called 'genocide'.
- Do you find it refreshing to be in New Zealand where I guess
politically we're a bit more - I suppose the issues are a bit smaller
here. Do you find that an encouraging thing?
- I do. I mean obviously New Zealand has its own issues that we
grapple with here, but yeah the geo-political issues are way more
tame. The semi-neutrality of the country is definitely very progressive
outlook. Many nations can benefit from that kind of perspective. And
kiwis are quite wise politically, in terms of international politics,
because they read. Most people in America don't read! And the education
system is great. I think it's not just enough to have a democracy, it's
important to have an educated democracy, because without an educated,
literate democracy, you can have a George Bush as your leader. And
that can be maybe as dangerous as having Assad as your leader in some
cases! [laughter]. Coming to New Zealand it's refreshing, every year
I live between here and Los Angeles and it slows things down on a
beautiful level, and increases the lifestyle for me. The quality of
the lifestyle, the people I interact with and the relationships that
I develop. And it's a different world and I'd love it to stay like
that forever.
- Totally changing track - you've been painting, right?
- I've been doing art for the first time! I've been painting and
creating these musically linked paintings. And we've developed an app
called "Eye for Sound" that lets you take your smart phone and through
optical recognition, allows you to play music while viewing a painting
or piece of sculpture. So we have a number of artist friends who have
joined into this Eye for Sound community. We're doing a multi-artist,
multi-media exhibition. We're looking to do something in Los Angeles
this year and we're also looking at doing something major at a museum
in Auckland early next year. It's exciting and very unique because
the same artist is doing both the visual and the musical piece. So
they both complete the picture together. And we're also talking to
visual artists here in New Zealand who have musical ability, who play
the piano and do other things, so we want to incorporate their talent
into it as well.
- You are basically incapable of taking time off, right?
- No look at me man, I am chilling. I'm on a farm, relaxing, doing a
little work. I am travelling less. I've slowed down this year. I'm
spending more time on the farm here in New Zealand and enjoying my
life, and growing veggies and beautiful orchards. Compose and compost.
That's my new thing. Composting and composing, all in the same day. I
swear, going out and working on a farm for two to three hours,
getting your sweat on and your body going, and physically feeling
the difference you make on the land, and then coming in - showering
[laughs] - and starting to work on music and do something creative.
Music or painting. They're both the same, really. It's a continuation,
one to the other.
- Are you glad you moved to New Zealand?
- I'm more than glad, I am ecstatic. It's my haven. And it's also a
place where I feel more creative. And I feel more at home in myself
to be honest with you. And I have lived in LA since 1975, which is a
lot of years. And I have a lot of friends there, and family there, and
it's difficult to move away. My work is mostly there, the entertainment
industry is there, and I've been scoring for films and video games,
and the music industry is based there in the world. And to have
that excitement and working there is great. But when I get off tour,
I don't think of going to my place in LA, I think of coming to New
Zealand as home. Because I feel more at home here.
- You must be glad it all worked out. I mean, you could have moved
here and found it to be terrible!
- It wasn't an experiment for me, it was more of... 'This is where
I know I have to be, how do I make this happen realistically?' And
obviously that takes time, whether it's residency or purchasing a
place. But it's been the most rewarding experience. And everyone
always asks me about New Zealand. I had a friend of mine call me the
other day and he's like, 'Alright, tell me about New Zealand!' and
I'm like 'Woah! You should just come down first!' And I've spoken
to many people from famous directors to different people about New
Zealand because there's a lot of interest, especially from creative
people who can afford to make the change in their lives, and I think
that's wonderful. And I think the government's policy of actually
helping be a catalyst for that change and bringing in creative people,
people with vision, is a great thing. It's a beautiful thing. I think
it will pay off.
- I bet you find a lot of musicians who come through town probably
want to hang out with you! Like you were on stage with Tool at the
Big Day Out.
- It's been amazing, it's cool having friends come to play a show in
Auckland and me saying, 'Hey come out to the farm and let's hang out,
and go to the beach and chill out' and give them a day off from the
tour, away from their camp. It's a beautiful thing. We did that with
Tom Morello who was here with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,
and before the show he came up to me and was like, 'So, what are
you going to sing with us tonight?' And I was like 'Ah, nothing! I
am a viewer in the audience, I will drink with you and watch your
show and congratulate you after, but I do not have the guts to get
up with you on a Bruce Springsteen stage!' I'll be the first to say
it, I was scared. That time I went up with Tool [at the 2007 Big Day
Out], I was like, "I don't know the song by heart" and he was like
"Just do whatever you want to do" - but I was nervous as f--! Look,
I look at it this way: These people have tens of thousands of fans
that know that music, like the back of their hands, and here I am
about to jam on it, and you know, it's a bit gratuitous!
http://www.panorama.am/en/world/2014/03/28/tankyan/
15:40 28/03/2014 >> SOCIETY
By David Farrier, 3 News
Tomorrow night, Serj Tankian is playing a one-off show at
Christchurch's CBS Arena.Known to many as the frontman of System
of a Down, for many this concert will show a different side to
the Grammy-award winning musician. He'll be joined on stage by the
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, who will perform some of Serj's
symphony found on his recent Orca album. He'll also be performing with
them as they rock through his Elect the Dead record. Serj doesn't
perform these shows often, so it seemed like a good opportunity for
me to sit down with the musician in New Zealand to talk about what
he's up to.
- Are you looking forward to the Christchurch show?
- I am looking forward to it very much. In fact, we've been planning
on having a show with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for many
years. My friend Hamish McKeich, who conducted our APO show years
ago in 2009 in Auckland, he's the one who called the Christchurch
Symphony Orchestra, and they were keen on working with us. So we've
been trying to plan this for a few years, and we've had very busy
schedules, and touring elsewhere, so this year knowing I am going
to be spending a nice chunk of time in New Zealand I decided let's
definitely go ahead and do the show.
- You've been touring a lot with System - is it hard to get your head
into another space with the orchestral music, or is it quite organic?
- It's not really difficult jumping from one band or musical project to
the other. In fact in Europe and Russia I went from doing three weeks
with System, to doing three weeks with an orchestra. It's actually
really great. It's kind of like going to the gym: With System, you
are getting your cardio, because you are just running, jumping and
doing these crazy acrobatics both vocally and physically.
And with the orchestra you are sitting there and it's more of a
spiritual, emotional, intimate connection musically. And it's a
different value in terms of the connectivity with the audience. One
is a huge festival type of audience with System, and the other is a
beautiful theatre, like the Auckland Town Hall, or as it will be in
Christchurch. I like the diversity.
- Well it's exciting for Christchurch, too.
- I am really excited about going there, in fact we've been looking
at a number of non-profits to work with there as well, and we will
donate the net proceeds of the show actually. There's a lot of great
work happening there, it's really interesting. Obviously the effects
of the earthquake and everything else that's happened since then have
been devastating - [but] it's created all these spaces, because all
these people have moved and gone away. So it's a city with a lot of
spaces, which is something we're not used to, as most areas are so
concentrated. So the creatives of the city have been trying to see how
they can take advantage of those spaces, in a creative and positive
way. So there are these organizations doing some really out-of-the-box
thinking. There are instruments set up in a park for example, and
random people can go up and play them. There's areas where people can
go and dance and put in their CD, and it's all set up with a little PA
system. Just creative spaces that would not otherwise exist in a city.
So I guess these are some of the good things that we can say have
come out of this experience.
- For someone that wasn't at your Auckland Town Hall show, what can
people expect from your show?
- Since the Auckland Town Hall show in 2009, we've done 26 orchestral
shows, throughout Europe and Russia and Ukraine and all these
countries. And it's been incredible, with all these different sorts of
orchestras. So Auckland was the first to kind of put us on that road.
So the show we are going to do in Christchurch is similar to what
we did last year in Europe and Russia. It's a hybrid show between
the Elect the Dead Symphony, which are my orchestral pieces that I
did with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in 2009, and also Orca,
my new symphony. Orca is a traditional symphony. It's instrumental -
it's not rock songs with symphonic variations. So it's actually a
beautiful show. A very unique show, and a way of showing off the
dynamics of an orchestra: Playing almost very heavy rock kind of
orientated moments and coming down and playing really beautiful,
intimate pieces from Orca. We have a duduk player, an Armenian reed
instrument player, from Armenia, coming. He is just stunning, and
plays on movement four of Orca, as well as a few other songs. So it's
quite a joy putting on these shows. And so far every audience we've
interacted with have been quite moved by it.
- It must be nice to play with different energy levels; the rock,
through to the orchestral stuff.
- People are so used to musical segmentation. With a rock show
everyone is on their feet, yelling, screaming, and having beers. With
a classical show, everyone is sitting down, well-dressed and quiet.
Now - we're breaking those barriers. So we're not going to have
the typical classical setting. Yes, you will have to sit down. For
most of the show you will have to be quiet, because they're acoustic
instruments, they're not electric instruments. However, the attitude,
the dress code, the way we interact with the audience and have them
get up at the end of the show and go wild, that is not typical of the
classical world. And the orchestras we've worked with really seem to
enjoy that kind of attention and outpouring of emotion from audiences.
And vice versa!
- What do rock journos think of your classical stuff, and what does
the classical world think of your rock stuff?
- I would bet that rock critics wouldn't love a symphony record,
I would bet classical critics are not going to love someone coming
from the rock world and doing a symphony record. I would bet that jazz
purists writers, in fact I know jazz purist writers, are not into my
Jazz-Is-Christ record. But hey, that's okay! Because I am making the
music that is coming to me from the universe, and I am presenting it
the best way I can. And I am putting a spin on it that is uniquely
what I do. And as long as my fans and people who are following me
like it, I'm happy with it and thankful for it.
- And obviously people like John Psathas are along for the ride!
- We're actually working together now in doing a new piece, it's called
'100 Years', and we will have it out next year. It will be about
genocide and holocaust. It's a heavy topic. The piece is a beautiful
piece, that goes from ethnic to orchestral to many different things,
and we're having friends from all over the world participate by
playing on it. And we're going to be showing them on videos, as well
as recording their audio, and basically having their own emotional,
spiritual stamp on the piece. And we're going to be displaying it at
festivals, as well as probably on YouTube and whatnot.
- That's a pretty heavy topic to focus on.
- We want to bring awareness to the fact that there are still -
even with the genocide convention at the UN, and all these different
committees and sub committees designed to tackle genocide - genocide
is still a modern human disease that's not fully looked after by the
international community. We saw in Darfur for example the Chinese had
economic ties they wouldn't back off from. So we need to have some kind
framework that makes genocide, or holocaust, a kind of 'no-fly zone':
Anytime that is happening, all nations break immediate ties, they get
together and discuss humanitarian aid etcetera. We're seeing with Syria
as well - I don't necessarily call that a genocide - but we're seeing
with the Syrian civil war how confusing it is for the international
community. Nations don't know what side to support. You know, you've
got a tyrant on one side, and then you've got terrorist groups on
the other side, along with a truly rebellious part of the population,
you've got sectarian violence, you've got religious factions... it's
difficult, you know? But we have to take a stand against this modern
disease called 'genocide'.
- Do you find it refreshing to be in New Zealand where I guess
politically we're a bit more - I suppose the issues are a bit smaller
here. Do you find that an encouraging thing?
- I do. I mean obviously New Zealand has its own issues that we
grapple with here, but yeah the geo-political issues are way more
tame. The semi-neutrality of the country is definitely very progressive
outlook. Many nations can benefit from that kind of perspective. And
kiwis are quite wise politically, in terms of international politics,
because they read. Most people in America don't read! And the education
system is great. I think it's not just enough to have a democracy, it's
important to have an educated democracy, because without an educated,
literate democracy, you can have a George Bush as your leader. And
that can be maybe as dangerous as having Assad as your leader in some
cases! [laughter]. Coming to New Zealand it's refreshing, every year
I live between here and Los Angeles and it slows things down on a
beautiful level, and increases the lifestyle for me. The quality of
the lifestyle, the people I interact with and the relationships that
I develop. And it's a different world and I'd love it to stay like
that forever.
- Totally changing track - you've been painting, right?
- I've been doing art for the first time! I've been painting and
creating these musically linked paintings. And we've developed an app
called "Eye for Sound" that lets you take your smart phone and through
optical recognition, allows you to play music while viewing a painting
or piece of sculpture. So we have a number of artist friends who have
joined into this Eye for Sound community. We're doing a multi-artist,
multi-media exhibition. We're looking to do something in Los Angeles
this year and we're also looking at doing something major at a museum
in Auckland early next year. It's exciting and very unique because
the same artist is doing both the visual and the musical piece. So
they both complete the picture together. And we're also talking to
visual artists here in New Zealand who have musical ability, who play
the piano and do other things, so we want to incorporate their talent
into it as well.
- You are basically incapable of taking time off, right?
- No look at me man, I am chilling. I'm on a farm, relaxing, doing a
little work. I am travelling less. I've slowed down this year. I'm
spending more time on the farm here in New Zealand and enjoying my
life, and growing veggies and beautiful orchards. Compose and compost.
That's my new thing. Composting and composing, all in the same day. I
swear, going out and working on a farm for two to three hours,
getting your sweat on and your body going, and physically feeling
the difference you make on the land, and then coming in - showering
[laughs] - and starting to work on music and do something creative.
Music or painting. They're both the same, really. It's a continuation,
one to the other.
- Are you glad you moved to New Zealand?
- I'm more than glad, I am ecstatic. It's my haven. And it's also a
place where I feel more creative. And I feel more at home in myself
to be honest with you. And I have lived in LA since 1975, which is a
lot of years. And I have a lot of friends there, and family there, and
it's difficult to move away. My work is mostly there, the entertainment
industry is there, and I've been scoring for films and video games,
and the music industry is based there in the world. And to have
that excitement and working there is great. But when I get off tour,
I don't think of going to my place in LA, I think of coming to New
Zealand as home. Because I feel more at home here.
- You must be glad it all worked out. I mean, you could have moved
here and found it to be terrible!
- It wasn't an experiment for me, it was more of... 'This is where
I know I have to be, how do I make this happen realistically?' And
obviously that takes time, whether it's residency or purchasing a
place. But it's been the most rewarding experience. And everyone
always asks me about New Zealand. I had a friend of mine call me the
other day and he's like, 'Alright, tell me about New Zealand!' and
I'm like 'Woah! You should just come down first!' And I've spoken
to many people from famous directors to different people about New
Zealand because there's a lot of interest, especially from creative
people who can afford to make the change in their lives, and I think
that's wonderful. And I think the government's policy of actually
helping be a catalyst for that change and bringing in creative people,
people with vision, is a great thing. It's a beautiful thing. I think
it will pay off.
- I bet you find a lot of musicians who come through town probably
want to hang out with you! Like you were on stage with Tool at the
Big Day Out.
- It's been amazing, it's cool having friends come to play a show in
Auckland and me saying, 'Hey come out to the farm and let's hang out,
and go to the beach and chill out' and give them a day off from the
tour, away from their camp. It's a beautiful thing. We did that with
Tom Morello who was here with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,
and before the show he came up to me and was like, 'So, what are
you going to sing with us tonight?' And I was like 'Ah, nothing! I
am a viewer in the audience, I will drink with you and watch your
show and congratulate you after, but I do not have the guts to get
up with you on a Bruce Springsteen stage!' I'll be the first to say
it, I was scared. That time I went up with Tool [at the 2007 Big Day
Out], I was like, "I don't know the song by heart" and he was like
"Just do whatever you want to do" - but I was nervous as f--! Look,
I look at it this way: These people have tens of thousands of fans
that know that music, like the back of their hands, and here I am
about to jam on it, and you know, it's a bit gratuitous!
http://www.panorama.am/en/world/2014/03/28/tankyan/