System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian recently took part in Revolver‘s ‘Greatest Interview Ever’ series of interviews. As opposed to a traditional interview, that series seeks to ascertain the answers to some bigger questions, including the various bests and worsts of an artist’s career and accomplishments.
During the interview, Tankian was asked about his most embarrassing onstage moment. The multi-platinum nü-metal star/activist/composer, poet, etc. cited an unspecified past Pittsburgh, PA show as being the setting for that unfortunate series of events.
According to Tankian, the show went off the rails thanks to some birthday bong hits provided by his bandmate, vocalist/guitarist Daron Malakian. As Tankian tells it, his tolerance to THC had been significantly diminished due to having not partaken in smoking pot for a “long period of time.”
With the 57-year-old’s birthday falling on August 21st, the show he is referencing would have been the band’s 1999 show at the Graffiti in Pittsburgh, PA, as that’s the only concert they played in the city on that particular date.
Tankian recalled the following of that fateful night:
“On one of my birthdays, we were in Pittsburgh playing a show. In the early days of System, I’d have a drink or a smoke before going onstage — it would loosen me up and I’d be fine. Then I stopped smoking pot for a long period of time. On that birthday, Daron [Malakian] called me onto his bus and said, “Bro, let’s have a bong hit together before the show.” He regrets that bong hit forever at this point, because I got really stoned. I got so stoned that I heard all of our music as dance music when we got onstage.
I couldn’t decipher the songs from each other, so therefore I didn’t know the lyrics to any of the songs. It was the fucking most embarrassing show ever. They’d be playing a ballad and I’d be screaming. Then they’d play a heavy song and I’d be mumbling — to the point where the audience were asking me to please not forget the lyrics to the next song. And anytime I would go to one of the guys for help with the lyrics, I’d see them mouthing the lyrics but not hear them — and then I’d just start laughing. But I was so stoned that I didn’t give a shit. Afterward, I felt bad for the band and the crowd. The band had never been so disappointed.”
Later in the chat, Tankian was also asked which nü-metal album he feels was the ‘greatest.’ He responded:
“I’m gonna have to say Korn’s first record, because it seems like that was the time that the term “nu-metal” was created. I actually think people don’t think of System of a Down as nu-metal. But Korn, for sure.”
You can find the whole feature with Tankian over at Revolver. This Friday, September 27th, will see the release of his new EP “Foundations“.
