It’s no secret that System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian and drummer John Dolmayan have largely been sitting at the opposite ends of spectrum when it comes to U.S. politics. Earlier this year, Tankian was vehemently expressing his support for then U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, while Dolmayan continues to passionately back current U.S. President Donald Trump.
It’s a situation that has led to some oddly contradictory stances over the past few months. That System Of A Down have often been perceived as being left-leaning politically added fuel to the fire. Despite their differences though, the pair have stated multiple times in the past that they still respect each other and their right to express their own beliefs.
Asked recently by Forbes if it is ‘frustrating’ to share such differing political ideologies with someone who is not only his bandmate, but also his brother-in-law, Tankian responded:
“He’s Armenian. He’s my brother-in-law and my drummer. Is it frustrating being politically opposite to your own drummer and brother-in-law? fuck yeah. Of course it’s frustrating. But that’s having to do with American politics. When it comes to Armenian issues we’re on the same exact page. We know what injustice is happening, we work together. We’re doing different auction activities and working together on many fronts. The Armenian nation is united, whether you voted for Republican, Democrat or neither.
But, I was a Bernie [Sanders] supporter, I still am. I feel like he still would’ve been the best choice going forward. But I’m okay with Biden. I’m happy that they’ve made that statement. The elections are coming up and normally I’m very vocal, but this war and the daily death toll has really taken up my full spectrum of focus.”
As mentioned by Tankian above, the pair do hold a common political ground on certain issues. Earlier this month System Of A Down issued this joint statement to raise awareness and support for those currently affected by the ongoing conflict within the republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
You can read more of Tankian‘s thoughts on that Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over at Forbes.
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