Serj Tankian has given further insight into the lyrics of System of a Down’s song ‘Toxicity’. In a recent appearance on the Soul Boom podcast, Tankian discussed the line “somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep”. Tankian shared that the ‘sacred silence’ is a reference to the Native American understanding of spirituality and the place people go to when they meditate. He stated that “everything is lost and everything is found through the different veils of the sacred silence”. Tankian believes that ‘somewhere in between’ is a beautiful place because it refers to a moment, a unique and specific moment during REM sleep, where people are meditating but they do not realise it.
Tankian revealed that he found inspiration for his writing from author Tom Brown Jr. and his book series about his would-be grandfather, a Native American sage. The singer’s recent memoir Down With the System has been released and charts his life, music, activism, and family history. He recently told NME that he was surprised by the warm reception his memoir received, and he hopes it will inspire young creators or would-be creators.
In addition to his literary work, Tankian made headlines in November after critiquing the band Imagine Dragons for playing a controversial gig in Azerbaijan, stating that “I don’t respect them as human beings”. Meanwhile, System of a Down released new music that December for the first time in 15 years, and Tankian has been vocal about his support for his bandmates’ activism and human rights work
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