System of a Down – Right Here in Hollywood

Lyrically, the intriguingly-titled ‘CUBert’ (‘Cubert’ was an old Atari computer game, though Serj’s misspelling may reference the cubed route of a number) wasn’t the band’s strongest; it seemed to suggest that people are essentially unthinking, passive and ultimately contained; conformity in the face of oppression. This, however, is just one author’s interpretation – internet fan sites are awash with alternative takes on the song’s meaning. “[It is about] people who don’t care to take an extra step in their lives,” said Serj, a man never usually keen to explain away the mystique of his lyr

curious thing was, being Armenian-born and American-raised wasn’t something System Of A Down had planned. They were four friends playing metal. They didn’t set out to be an Armenian-American metal band. They also played jazz, prog, classic rock and pop, but couldn’t be categorised in any of those genres. Their argument was, why pigeon-hole them by their ethnicity when they were clearly making music that defied obvious categorisation?
“The fact that we’re all Armenian and in this band is completely a coincidence,” said Daron. “It would be kind of freakish if we lived in Alabama, but there’s a pretty big Armenian community in Los Angeles. People have put that gang shit on us before, made us out to be some fucking Armenian militia: that’s just pure racism, but the fact we’re all Armenian makes us feel like it’s us against the world, makes us feel like we belong together. Are we playing Armenian music? No. Are we singing constantly about being Armenian? No. Does it just mean that certain people are so small-minded, so pathetically bigoted that the fact we come from a different racial background means we have fucking ‘novelty’ value? Yes. Jesus!”
It was something that would go on to follow the band for years to come, but the media can’t be blamed for consistently commenting on the band’s heritage. In a world of white boy rock bands they provided something else to write about, a handy hook to hang the band on. They were interesting.
And besides, culture reflects society. For the four members of the band, that meant being descendents of survivors of a recent genocide, the sons of Armenian artists and musicians, but raised American and loving that music, TV, fashion, and food equally. They appreciated Armenian folk to an extent that it seeped into their music and they spoke of their country of origin because they were repeatedly asked about it, but they loved Sabbath and Slayer too, dude. Their music reflected both worlds – bridged them, in fact – in ways politicians or spin doctors could never achieve. And that’s where their cultural significance lies.
“We know what being Armenian means to us,” said Shavo in a cover feature for Metal Hammer. “It means a certain upbringing, it means the fact that three of us went to the same school, it means we have roots we’re proud of and our roots will always influence us in a million subtle ways. But to just slap a label on us like that just shows that no-one really knows where to put us.”
The final word on the subject can be left to Serj:“If anything, I think coming from where we do, having to fight the battles we’ve had to fight because of it, has actually made us a lot more able to see things clearly than bands who are more easily assimilated into the music scene.”