During an appearance on a just released episode of Mythical Kitchen, System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian was surprised with his first actual introduction to a banana terracotta pie. Back in 2005, Tankian sang about the dessert on the track “Vicinity Of Obscenity” from Armenian-American nü-metal band’s platinum-certified “Hypnotize“.
If you somehow can’t recall, that song’s chorus went as follows:
“Banana banana banana terracotta
Banana terracotta terracotta pie
Banana banana banana terracotta
Banana terracotta terracotta pie”
The introduction to this somewhat unconventional concoction, which was served in a terracotta pie dish, confused Tankian at first. However, it was ultimately received with laughter, as you can see for yourself below. After being prompted by the show’s host, Tankian also offered an explanation as to why he chose those lyrics for the song, offering [transcribed by theprp.com]:
“It’s Dada-esque basically. I like creating relationships between things that don’t have a pre-existing one. I was thinking of banana — I don’t know how it even came up in my head — but banana terracotta pie. Like, I’m thinking, okay, so this is a banana, where’s the terracotta? Like what does that have to do with the price of beans, right? So it’s kind of…
What I do remember is our producer, Rick Rubin, at first, he was just like — when we were playing it in rehearsals — it was just the song…. I can’t even say he… He didn’t like it at all. Like, he was just like, we’d play it, and he’d just be like, ‘What is that?’ Like, he would just be… by the time that we actually went through recording it, and he had heard it enough times, he said, ‘it’s one of my favorite songs on the record. I can’t imagine putting out this record without this song.’ It’s one of those that just kind of hassle you into loving it.”
When then asked if the band’s juxtaposition of silly lyrics and moments with heavier parts gives the latter more weight, he responded:
“Yes, it makes it more palatable. Because if you just preach no one’s gonna listen. But if you’re laughing, if you’re doing, you know, like you gave the ‘Prison Song‘ is a great example, you know? And then Daron comes in with his kind of funny, ‘I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch,’ whatever. And he’s just, like, funny, you know?
And then so it takes… Suddenly, there’s a light mood, and then, boom, boom, boom, boom, serious, serious, light mood. You know, it’s like, same with the music, fast, slow, slow, fast, you know, or heavy and mellow, whatever.”
As for his actual first taste of the pie itself, he latter added that it was “incredible” and after composing himself, joked that he was going to take the pie home with him.
