Serj Tankian Talks Toxicity and Activism

System of a Down’s classic Rick Rubin-produced album, Toxicity, turns 20 this year. Released in 2001 one week before 9/11, the politically charged and wildly bizarre album provided the perfect soundtrack for a world descending into chaos. Serj Tankian, the lead singer of System, is no stranger to conflict. His family is Armenian and migrated to Los Angeles from Lebanon to escape a civil war when Serj was seven years-old. Today we’ll hear Rick Rubin talk to his good friend Serj about how hearing bombs drop outside his childhood bedroom turned him into a lifelong activist. Serj also explains how a funny line about a tapeworm almost caused System to break up, and why the first time Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine heard System play, he called it music for crazy people.

Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecord

You can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/

Check out a playlist of our favorite System of a Down songs HERE . And hear a playlist Serj put together of his favorite tracks HERE.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Avsnitt(375)

BONUS: Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield

BONUS: Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield

Rick Rubin talks with his friend, world-renowned Buddhist and meditation teacher, Jack Kornfield. He's long been one of the most influential figures in American Buddhism.He connects with Rick by Zoom ...

31 Mars 202053min

Glen Hansard

Glen Hansard

Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, and star of the movie Once, talks to Bruce Headlam about his newest solo album, "This Wild Willing" and how he nearly sampled a Queen and David Bowie jam unwittin...

31 Mars 202033min

John Legend

John Legend

During these tough times, Rick Rubin wanted to have a chat with an artist he finds inspiring. Top of mind was John Legend. So he called him up via Zoom, while both were sheltering in place, for a quic...

26 Mars 202039min

Nathaniel Rateliff

Nathaniel Rateliff

Nathaniel Rateliff talks to Bruce Headlam about his new solo album, And It’s Still Alright, a deeply intimate project that reflects on the loss of his former producer and good friend Richard Swift. Na...

24 Mars 202032min

Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead

Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir talks to Rick Rubin about why the legendary band was never focused on their studio recordings, and how they were always more interested in seeing where their live shows wo...

17 Mars 202047min

Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding

Bassist, songwriter, and composer Esperanza Spalding sits with Bruce Headlam to discuss her latest work and the opera she’s writing with the legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter. They also discuss why ...

10 Mars 202051min

Run The Jewels

Run The Jewels

Run the Jewels recently took a (smoke) break while working on their fourth album at Shangri-La and taped this podcast with Rick Rubin. Killer Mike and El-P tell Rick about the music that first caught ...

3 Mars 202046min

James Taylor Comes Clean

James Taylor Comes Clean

James Taylor's voice sounds sweet and carefree. It's a gift that hides the darker side to his lyrics and life. He and Malcolm Gladwell sat and uncovered some of the more troubling moments from his ear...

25 Feb 202053min

Populärt inom Nöje

mellan-himmel-och-jord-med-jlc
filip-fredrik-svarar
mardromsgasten
fordomspodden
badfluence
rss-p3-musikdokumentar
dialogiskt
chilla-med-de-vet-du
fem-i-topp
schulman-show
hemma-hos-strage
gott-snack-med-fredrik-soderholm
mannen-utan-spar
skandal
sexet
podme-bio-4
rss-rockpodden
karatefylla
skivsnack
parterapi