One of the last true poets of music and definitely the only one working in his genre of music, Serj Tankian has finally released his poetry book Cool Gardens through MTV Books. The book was originally only available for his website but Serj just wanted more people to check it out.
Cool and gracious is the only way to describe this man. He is dedicated to his very strong political beliefs but still has to fight the system through his work.
Check out the website for Cool Gardens.
Daniel Robert Epstein: Is Serj the published author different from Serj of System of a Down?
Serj Tankian: [laughs] It's all from the same source.
DRE: Is there a different process for writing songs rather than writing your poetry? Because your songs are a form of poetry as well.
ST: Sometimes it's the same process and sometimes it's a little more based on the music. For that you need to manipulate the phonetics and the rhythm in a way that makes sense. Whereas with prose poetry you can just flow. I really enjoyed the stream of consciousness with words a lot. I put it down and generally I have no idea of what I am saying then I read and I try to make sense of it. It's funner than trying to write something down.
DRE: I asked this next question of the author Andrew Vachss. You like to tackle issues with your songs and your poems. There are obviously people who have become aware of these issues because of your work but there are people out there who don't care about the issues and just like the music. How do those two audiences affect you?
ST: Not really much at all. A lot of these poems in this book have been over a long period of time and it was in a time when I wasn't even thinking of anybody even reading it. No it became a poetry book way later. There was no original intention of doing that at all which makes it kind of pure I think.
DRE: Were these poems that you kept in a journal in high school?
ST: Not in high school. I originally self published the book a couple of years ago so its work from over the last ten years minus two years.
DRE: So the book is the same one you were selling on your website www.serjicalstrike.com.
ST: They basically decided to do a second edition. I never really had the time to venture and do distribution which MTV Books is doing for me.
DRE: What made you decide to do a second edition? Was it just too hard to do it yourself?
ST: Well we are actually almost sold out of the first edition. It's really great. Selling it through the internet was actually easy because you have one location where orders come in to actually get it in bookstores that would entail working with distributors and wholesalers which are things I don't have time to pursue.
DRE: Was MTV Books just a natural fit?
ST: [Editor] Jacob Hoye over at MTV Books was really cool when I talked to him. He had an authentic interest in the work and that was very encouraging. He said he would like to do something with no huge pizzazz. Just get it out. That was it.
DRE: Do you see any of the poems becoming songs?
ST: I've tried to separate them from any of the songs I've done. Some of them are already unreleased songs. But overlapping always occurs with thoughts as well as words.
DRE: Did you do the illustrations yourself?
ST: No not at all. I've got a really great friend named Sako Shahinian. He's such a multi-dimensional artist about using different forms and different types of canvases. He had that dynamic to him to match the different types of themes in the poetry.
DRE: Has your success and the respect of your peers quelled any of your feelings or anger?
ST: You don't get asked those kinds of questions very often. In some ways it's good to have people to talk to as a soundboard for ideas. In that sense it's been really good. I would like my art to speak for itself. But generally the things that I say are just what's on my mind and my heart at the time. I don't really think about the long term consequences and if I do the harder it is to either speak or to not speak sometimes [laughs].
DRE: Along with your commercial success do you ever stray from feelings of what you have to do not just what you want to do?
ST: No not really. I'm very thankful and lucky to be in the position I am in as an artist. I get to do what I really want to do, live off it and share it with people I care about.
DRE: What keeps you grounded? Is it a girlfriend or friends?
ST: What keeps me grounded is the ground if you can believe that [laughs]. Its communication with people, understanding, looking around and realizing I love nature and love being in nature. I like taking off and not being without a phone for a while. It's hard for me to reflect on my own grounding. That's a question to ask a friend.
DRE: There's so much going on in the world political-wise and it just seems like the majority of the music industry doesn't react. Do you have any comment on what makes this generation of musicians so apathetic?
ST: It's not just the music industry, it's every industry. They're all people. What I'm trying to say is that it would be wrong to just say concentrate on the music industry.
DRE: There was a time when Bob Dylan or whoever would get together and try to make the public more aware.
ST: I share your need for some type of vocal inspiration of unity in a way. I think we need that. We are living in very tricky times. What I find really interesting is that I look at the media and I see that there is more questioning than before as far as our foreign policy however when you listen to the news you feel like things are compelled to occur and they're not. That's what really gets me. People have forgotten that they can visualize their own life. That they can dream and hope for a world they want to live in and create it with those dreams, hopes and hard work. It doesn't have to be what the media or the current administration says it's going to be. It will be whatever comes out of the people's hearts and we have to search that. We have to find that place in our hearts with the full knowledge that we create the world we live in. That's the problem.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
Cool and gracious is the only way to describe this man. He is dedicated to his very strong political beliefs but still has to fight the system through his work.
Check out the website for Cool Gardens.
Daniel Robert Epstein: Is Serj the published author different from Serj of System of a Down?
Serj Tankian: [laughs] It's all from the same source.
DRE: Is there a different process for writing songs rather than writing your poetry? Because your songs are a form of poetry as well.
ST: Sometimes it's the same process and sometimes it's a little more based on the music. For that you need to manipulate the phonetics and the rhythm in a way that makes sense. Whereas with prose poetry you can just flow. I really enjoyed the stream of consciousness with words a lot. I put it down and generally I have no idea of what I am saying then I read and I try to make sense of it. It's funner than trying to write something down.
DRE: I asked this next question of the author Andrew Vachss. You like to tackle issues with your songs and your poems. There are obviously people who have become aware of these issues because of your work but there are people out there who don't care about the issues and just like the music. How do those two audiences affect you?
ST: Not really much at all. A lot of these poems in this book have been over a long period of time and it was in a time when I wasn't even thinking of anybody even reading it. No it became a poetry book way later. There was no original intention of doing that at all which makes it kind of pure I think.
DRE: Were these poems that you kept in a journal in high school?
ST: Not in high school. I originally self published the book a couple of years ago so its work from over the last ten years minus two years.
DRE: So the book is the same one you were selling on your website www.serjicalstrike.com.
ST: They basically decided to do a second edition. I never really had the time to venture and do distribution which MTV Books is doing for me.
DRE: What made you decide to do a second edition? Was it just too hard to do it yourself?
ST: Well we are actually almost sold out of the first edition. It's really great. Selling it through the internet was actually easy because you have one location where orders come in to actually get it in bookstores that would entail working with distributors and wholesalers which are things I don't have time to pursue.
DRE: Was MTV Books just a natural fit?
ST: [Editor] Jacob Hoye over at MTV Books was really cool when I talked to him. He had an authentic interest in the work and that was very encouraging. He said he would like to do something with no huge pizzazz. Just get it out. That was it.
DRE: Do you see any of the poems becoming songs?
ST: I've tried to separate them from any of the songs I've done. Some of them are already unreleased songs. But overlapping always occurs with thoughts as well as words.
DRE: Did you do the illustrations yourself?
ST: No not at all. I've got a really great friend named Sako Shahinian. He's such a multi-dimensional artist about using different forms and different types of canvases. He had that dynamic to him to match the different types of themes in the poetry.
DRE: Has your success and the respect of your peers quelled any of your feelings or anger?
ST: You don't get asked those kinds of questions very often. In some ways it's good to have people to talk to as a soundboard for ideas. In that sense it's been really good. I would like my art to speak for itself. But generally the things that I say are just what's on my mind and my heart at the time. I don't really think about the long term consequences and if I do the harder it is to either speak or to not speak sometimes [laughs].
DRE: Along with your commercial success do you ever stray from feelings of what you have to do not just what you want to do?
ST: No not really. I'm very thankful and lucky to be in the position I am in as an artist. I get to do what I really want to do, live off it and share it with people I care about.
DRE: What keeps you grounded? Is it a girlfriend or friends?
ST: What keeps me grounded is the ground if you can believe that [laughs]. Its communication with people, understanding, looking around and realizing I love nature and love being in nature. I like taking off and not being without a phone for a while. It's hard for me to reflect on my own grounding. That's a question to ask a friend.
DRE: There's so much going on in the world political-wise and it just seems like the majority of the music industry doesn't react. Do you have any comment on what makes this generation of musicians so apathetic?
ST: It's not just the music industry, it's every industry. They're all people. What I'm trying to say is that it would be wrong to just say concentrate on the music industry.
DRE: There was a time when Bob Dylan or whoever would get together and try to make the public more aware.
ST: I share your need for some type of vocal inspiration of unity in a way. I think we need that. We are living in very tricky times. What I find really interesting is that I look at the media and I see that there is more questioning than before as far as our foreign policy however when you listen to the news you feel like things are compelled to occur and they're not. That's what really gets me. People have forgotten that they can visualize their own life. That they can dream and hope for a world they want to live in and create it with those dreams, hopes and hard work. It doesn't have to be what the media or the current administration says it's going to be. It will be whatever comes out of the people's hearts and we have to search that. We have to find that place in our hearts with the full knowledge that we create the world we live in. That's the problem.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
VIEW 19 of 19 COMMENTS
salome:
I think System is underrated
milloux:
Serj <3