Face to Face with SOAD frontman - for his SOLO stuff

Last Sunday, In roasting temperatures, System of a Down's frontman rushed back to his air-conditioned hotel right after soundcheck at Spirit of Burgas 2010 where he had a quick informal meeting with the city mayor and then a nice little chat with your favourite rock radio. Here you go...

An interview conducted by Vassil Varbanov

SO, PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS FORTHCOMING SOLO RECORD OF YOURS, THE SECOND ONE….
What would you like to know?

WELL, I HEARD THAT IT’S A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS ONE? MORE ROCKY OR JUST THE OPPOSITE?
I don’t know if it’s more rocky at all. The ‘Elect The Dead’ is more of a straight out rock record with a lot of progressive elements, melodic elements, more so than system, you know.

And I think this one, ‘Imperfect Harmonies’… still a kind of a rock record but it’s got way other influences. It’s got orchestra on one side, electronic instruments on the other, definite live rock instrumentation as well and some jazz vibes.

It’s a very unique sounding record that sounds classic and completely modern all at the same time.

WE HEARD YOU BOUGHT A HOUSE IN NEW ZEALAND, IS IT RIGHT?
Yes. I’ve had a house there for five years and residency as well. I am a resident of New Zealand.

DO YOU KNOW THE HAKA?
Yeah! I don’t do the haka, but I know what it is…

BUT CAN YOU DO IT?
No! If I did you’d run away!

WELL, I CAN DO IT MYSELF. I’M A RUGBY PLAYER!
Oh, cool, cool!

TELL US, WHY SO MANY PEOPLE FROM THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN INDUSTRY CHOOSE TO LIVE IN NEW ZEALAND? WE KNOW THAT JAZ FROM KILLING JOKE MOVE THERE FOR A WHILE, ANTHONY KIEDIS OF RHCP TRIED TO BUY A HOUSE THERE…
He had a house but he sold it…

YOU GO THERE BECAUSE IT’S A SECLUDED PLACE?
Because it is one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. Hands down, it’s a very unique place, for many reasons. Non nuclear, non genetic modified foods, a fair balance of indigenious to modern.

A non developed kind of country, you know, it’s still mostly nature, small population. Majority of their power, actually comes from alternative resources which I just found out within the last year. It’s quite a unique place.

AND THEY DON’T HAVE SNAKES…
They don’t have snakes!

I DO HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS WIHTIN THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY HERE IN BULGARIA…
Cool

AND IT SEEMS TO BE QUITE A TIGHT ONE…THEY ALWAYS HELP EACH OTHER. AND IF WE LOOK AT THE AMERICAN ROCK HISTORY, THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT ARMENIANS THERE LIKE CHER, DEREK SHERINIAN, WHO USED TO PLAY FOR DREAM THEATER …
Yeah, yeah, the keyboard player….

SO DO YOU GUYS HAVE THE SAME FEELING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY IN THE STATES OR IT’S WAY TOO LARGER…
It’s a little larger and it’s a little different and it’s more, you know…part of the Armenians are on the West coast and whatnot. But people still are enthused about communality and culture and whatnot. 

There’s a buch of musicians I've worked with, there’s a band called VIZA that has five Armenians in it, I’ve been helping out, that are gonna do some of our headline shows on this tour.

And a band called Slowmotion Rain that I’ve worked with and I’ve produced in the past – some Armenian guys. But, you know, I mean I work with many many different people of different cultures, good musicians. But yeah, I’ve worked with a number of Armenians.

A POLITICAL QUESTION – SHOULD TURKEY BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE EU?
I think that’s really up to the EU and Turkey ultimately. I think that there are many opinions about that on both sides.

I think wethear they should or should not be in the EU is not the question. But why are their prerequirements for them to be in the EU, because there are certain things in their politics that are unjust.

Namely the Cypress issue, the invasion of Cypruss – that’s got to be resolved obviously by Turkey. Then there’s the Armenian genocide issue that’s got to be resolved before Turkey can be accepted into the European union.

There’s also the human right issue, you know, article 301 which supposedly abolished but I am not sure how much of a freedom of speech people have in Istanbul.

I think things are changing a little toward the positive, I see it, you know. On April 24 last year there was a human rights group that had a protest having to do with the Armenian genocide in Istanbul.

That’s a historical first for sure. So hopefully good things will come, you know, from change. But they’ve got the Kurdish issue, they’ve go a lot of things to deal with.

And in the longer, I am not sure what the best decision is for the EU or them, but to me any country has to act and adjust in fair mannor with all its ethnicities and its own history and be honest about things. Wethear they enter the EU or not.В 

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