
Down with the System
A Memoir (of Sorts)
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Narrated by:
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Serj Tankian
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By:
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Serj Tankian
About this listen
An exhilarating, thoughtful, and beautifully written memoir by musician, songwriter, and lead singer-lyricist of Grammy award-winning metal band, System Of A Down, Serj Tankian.
Serj Tankian will be the first to admit that his band, System Of A Down, was “unlikely a chart-topper as had ever existed in modern music history: a band of Armenian-Americans playing a practically unclassifiable clash of wildly aggressive metal riffs, unconventional tempo-twisting rhythms, and Armenian folk melodies, with me alternately growling, screaming, and crooning lyrics that could pivot from avant-garde silliness to raging socio-political rants in the space of a single line.” After all, as Serj concedes, “it’s not easy listening.”
Even so, there’s no doubt that System’s music had struck a chord with millions of listeners across the globe ever since they burst on the scene in the mid-1990s. With nearly 40 million album sales, three albums topping the Billboard charts, and a devoted legion of fans, the band dominated the alt-rock and metal scenes just as the world hurtled into a new millennium, redefining the very idea of what rockstars could and couldn’t talk about, could and couldn’t do, could and couldn’t represent.
In DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM, Serj presents listeners with a memoir that is far more than just a rock 'n' roll fable. It's an immigrant's tale, it’s an activist's awakening, and it's a spiritual journey from darkness toward light. And all of this comes down to the fact that Serj himself has had the chance to live an extraordinary life—thanks to a combination of luck, circumstance, struggle, talent, and spiritual awakening. Born to Armenian parents in Beirut, Serj grows up hearing bombs drop outside his childhood home during the country’s civil war, before moving to Los Angeles at the age of seven. As a young man, he is immersed in the SoCal community of “Little Armenia,” learning more and more about the brutal genocide faced by his ancestors while helping his parents adapt to the constraints and contradictions of the American Dream. Then, during a pivotal drive home from an LSAT class, Serj decides to turn away from a promising future in business and law to make music instead—a decision that leads him to touring five continents as the lead singer of a hugely popular rock band, hitting number #1 on the Billboard album charts the morning of 9/11, and then having the hit single from the same album banned from radio two days later. In the years that follow, his uniquely singular story continues, as he evades glass bottles hurled at a cancelled show by angry Slayer fans, teams up with Tom Morello to push social justice causes on unsuspecting metalheads, argues with LAPD officers over the best way to quell rioting fans, and defines new sounds and singing tactics with Rick Rubin.
Braiding together Serj’s thought-provoking insight with heartfelt and poetic prose, DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM retraces Serj’s remarkable and unlikely journey, and explores what it’s taught him—about music, about art, about activism, and about himself. It’s an unforgettable ride that will leave you breathless—and an absolute delight for new fans and old ones alike.
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Bestselling author the Countess of Carnarvon tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun on its centennial, and explores the unparalleled life of family ancestor George Herbert—the famed Egyptologist, world-traveler, and 5th Earl of Carnarvon behind it—whose country house, Highclere Castle, is the setting of the beloved series Downton Abbey.
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Plodding Family History…Akin to Listening to Paint Dry
- By J. Willis-Opalenik on 10-31-23
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NOFX
- The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories
- By: NOFX, Jeff Alulis
- Narrated by: NOFX, Jello Biafra, Tommy Chong
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories is the first tell-all autobiography from one of the world's most influential and controversial punk bands. Fans and non-fans alike will be shocked by the stories of murder, suicide, addiction, counterfeiting, riots, bondage, terminal illness, the Yakuza, and drinking pee. Told from the perspective of each of the band's members, this audiobook looks back at more than 30 years of comedy, tragedy, and completely inexplicable success.
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*%#!
- By Jonas on 10-10-16
By: NOFX, and others
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Seven Deadly Sins
- Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good
- By: Corey Taylor
- Narrated by: Corey Taylor
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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For the first time, Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks directly to his fans and shares his worldview about life as a sinner. And Taylor knows how to sin. As a small-town hero in the early '90s, he threw himself into a fierce-drinking, drug-abusing, hard-loving, live-for-the-moment life. Soon Taylor's music exploded, and he found himself rich, wanted, and on the road. His new and ever-more-extreme lifestyle had an unexpected effect, however; for the first time, he began to actively think about what it meant to sin.
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Glad I didn't read this before buying concert tix
- By S. Adams on 07-23-19
By: Corey Taylor
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Got The Life
- By: Fieldy
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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By all appearances, Fieldy had the life. But he was on the dark path of excess, alienating friends, families, and loved ones, nearly destroying himself and the band. It took an unexpected tragedy to straighten him out: the death of his father, a born-again Christian, to a mysterious illness. Following his father's dying wish, Fieldy found God. Filled with the spirit of his new faith, Fieldy quit drugs and drinking cold turkey, and found the best part of himself.
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Good story, poor Narrator!
- By Aaron on 11-01-11
By: Fieldy
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Cool Gardens
- By: Serj Tankian
- Narrated by: Serj Tankian
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Like System of a Down's multi-platinum-selling second album, Toxicity - hailed by Rolling Stone as "a bouquet of smart rock and ardent social argument" and by SPIN as "the sound of now" - Tankian's poetic style is willfully eclectic. Sometimes introspective, sometimes direct and cutting, these poems deal with subjects as wide-ranging as euthanasia and the nature of time itself.
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Exploring the Depths of Serj Tankian's Soul: A Reflective Review of Cool Gardens
- By orca3873 on 06-26-24
By: Serj Tankian
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Just Beyond the Light
- Making Peace with the Wars Inside Our Head
- By: D. Randall Blythe
- Narrated by: D. Randall Blythe
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In his gripping, bestselling debut memoir Dark Days, Lamb of God vocalist D. Randall (Randy) Blythe unflinchingly wrote about some of the most harrowing episodes of his past. Now, in his highly anticipated follow-up Just Beyond the Light, Blythe shares how he works daily to maintain positivity in a world that feels like it is spinning out of control. In his own words, Just Beyond the Light is a "tight, concise roadmap of how I have attempted to maintain what I believe to be a proper perspective in life, even during difficult times."
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There's Something for Everyone
- By andreas on 05-06-25
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60 Songs That Explain the '90s
- By: Rob Harvilla
- Narrated by: Rob Harvilla
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The 1990s were a chaotic and utterly magical time for music, a confounding barrage of genres and lifestyles and superstars, from grunge to hip-hop, from sumptuous R&B to rambunctious ska-punk, from Axl to Kurt to Missy to Santana to Tupac to Britney. In 60 SONGS THAT EXPLAIN THE '90s, Ringer music critic Rob Harvilla reimagines all the earwormy, iconic hits Gen Xers pine for with vivid historical storytelling, sharp critical analysis, rampant loopiness, and wryly personal ruminations on the most bizarre, joyous, and inescapable songs from a decade we both regret entirely and miss desperately.
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My Personal View-Harvilla Rules!
- By Qtsbuster on 11-18-23
By: Rob Harvilla
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Can I Say
- Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums
- By: Travis Barker, Gavin Edwards - contributor
- Narrated by: Cary Hite
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Travis Barker's soul-baring memoir chronicles the highlights and lowlights of the renowned drummer's art and his life, including the harrowing plane crash that nearly killed him and his traumatic road to recovery. After breaking out as the acclaimed drummer of the multiplatinum punk band Blink-182, everything changed for Travis Barker. But the dark side of rock stardom took its toll: His marriage, chronicled for an MTV reality show, fell apart. Constant touring concealed a serious drug addiction. A reckoning did not truly come until he was forced to face mortality.
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The narration was painful at best. It's KILLING me
- By Zen on 02-21-17
By: Travis Barker, and others
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I'm the Man
- The Story of That Guy from Anthrax
- By: Scott Ian, Jon Wiederhorn, Kirk Hammett - foreword
- Narrated by: Scott Ian
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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I'm the Man is the fast-paced, humorous, and revealing memoir from the man who co-founded Anthrax, the band that proved to the masses that brutality and fun didn't have to be mutually exclusive. Through various lineup shifts, label snafus, rock 'n' roll mayhem, and unforeseen circumstances galore, Scott Ian has approached life and music with a smile, viewing the band with deadly seriousness while recognizing the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry.
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This book ****ing rocks--nearly literally
- By Melissa Abdallah on 03-08-19
By: Scott Ian, and others
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The Long Hard Road Out of Hell
- By: Marilyn Manson, Neil Strauss
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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When this best-selling autobiography was originally released, everyone was shocked: The Long Hard Road Out of Hell was the darkest, funniest, most controversial and best-selling rock book of its time - and it became the template, both visually and narratively, for almost every rock book since. Marilyn Manson is not just a music icon, it turned out, but one of the best storytellers of his generation.
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Interesting read (at times) but not well written
- By L-squared on 01-31-18
By: Marilyn Manson, and others
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Boundless
- The Rise, Fall, and Escape of Carlos Ghosn
- By: Nick Kostov, Sean McLain
- Narrated by: Sam Devereaux
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Carlos Ghosn always wanted more. Born in the Amazon, raised by a well-off—if scandalized—family in Beirut, and educated in Paris, Ghosn rose to prominence at Michelin in the United States, Renault in France, and Nissan in Japan. Along the way he earned monikers of Le Cost Killer, for his incisive business savvy, and Mr. 7-Eleven, for the hours he devoted to his work.
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Better than Broken Alliance
- By Amazon Customer on 03-08-23
By: Nick Kostov, and others
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Biblical
- Rob Halford's Heavy Metal Scriptures
- By: Rob Halford
- Narrated by: Rob Halford
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Rob Halford has long been known for his legendary voice. As the front man of Judas Priest, his vocals have been tremendous, and tremendously influential. In 2020, he brought his voice to the page with a glorious autobiography. Fans, readers, and listeners loved Halford’s frank and open narrative, as well as his terrific insight and sense of humor. In an ideal follow-up, Halford runs his lively eye over all facets of the hard rock history and the heavy metal world. Biblical is an encyclopedia and manifesto.
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Rob Halford is my big gay superhero kids!!
- By Jeff Williams on 11-07-22
By: Rob Halford
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Acid for the Children
- A Memoir
- By: Flea
- Narrated by: Flea
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Iconic bassist and co-founder of the immortal Red Hot Chili Peppers finally tells his fascinating life story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you'd expect from an LA street rat turned world-famous rock star.
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Flea gets it right...
- By Anonymous User on 11-15-19
By: Flea
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The Inside Game
- Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves
- By: Keith Law
- Narrated by: Rhett Samuel Price
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In this groundbreaking book, Keith Law, the ESPN baseball writer and author of the acclaimed Smart Baseball, offers an era-spanning dissection of some of the best and worst decisions in modern baseball, explaining what motivated them, what can be learned from them, and how their legacy has shaped the game....
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Narrator is negative value compared to replacement
- By Daniel W. Franzen on 11-28-20
By: Keith Law
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The Best Strangers in the World
- Stories from a Life Spent Listening
- By: Ari Shapiro
- Narrated by: Ari Shapiro
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In his first book, broadcaster Ari Shapiro takes us around the globe to reveal the stories behind narratives that are sometimes heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, but always poignant. He details his time traveling on Air Force One with President Obama, or following the path of Syrian refugees fleeing war, or learning from those fighting for social justice both at home and abroad.
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Interesting life…….
- By Amy birnbach on 06-05-23
By: Ari Shapiro
What listeners say about Down with the System
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- Danielyan Hamazasp
- 05-24-24
A must for every SOAD fun and not only
An honest and touching self biography by Serj Tankian that tells not only his perspective of SOAD story but also the context and background that defined his perosnal search for justice through art and activism. Was so capitvated that I've finshed listening to it within two day
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- Gatchi
- 07-07-24
READ THIS BOOK NOW
READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT !!! READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT !!! ‼️r e a d i t
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- Morrigan Heltzel
- 05-31-24
Serj's Journey made me love his music even more than I already did.
Serj takes you through not only his life, but his family and friends' lives as well. He explains the struggles of living in war, fighting for freedom, and spreads awareness to those ot is hidden from. He explains his thoughts, feelings and emotions of experimenting his expressions through art. This is a great book, not just for his fans of his music but for anyone who wants to hear the story of war to freedom, the realities of "life on the road", or someone who has built numerous successful companies and projects from the ground up.
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- M Veg
- 07-21-24
Great storytelling of his life, music, and activism
I loved this book! He's a very interesting person, great writer, and his performance reading it was great. I highly recommend.
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- Dustin
- 07-16-24
Informative and enjoyable
Great book and the narration adds so much to the story telling. Highly recommend this.
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- Grace Brovold
- 10-10-24
I loved it 💕
Serj has beautiful energy and it was lovely to hear more about his story and his background and journey. I loved his enthusiastic, down to earth performance and learning more about the SOAD lore. The only part I didn't like was hearing about his meeting of his wife, who was 20 when they met, while he was 37. Hearing him describe the beginning of their relationship as "bright, sparkling, and new" gave me the ick, though I know he didn't mean it that way. But they're still married and have been together for 20 years at this point, so what do I know. Still love Serj and I definitely recommend this book.
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- Boxxy
- 11-20-24
Thought provoking, entertaining, & informative memoir
As I sit here listening to the end credits of this wonderful book, I find it difficult to convey my thoughts into something tangible. During many times, this book made me weep, laugh, and ponder with Serj's thoughts. I recommend this book to everyone I know.
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- amanda
- 06-14-24
Armenian Genocide.
I'm a long time fan of System of the Down. I remember the first time I ever listen to them. I was 12 years old at a new friends house. I can't even remember her name but I do remember hearing prison playing from her radio. It was true a turning moment for me. I went home that night and found out everything I could find out about the toxicity album. I love the music I love the passion I love the activism something I didn't even truly understand at the time but I myself believe in standing for what you believe in. I had never felt that kind of connection with any band ever I have never had that connection with any kind of music. haha never stopped stop listening to them from that day on. I have raised every one of my children to listen to System. i had always heard the rumors of why the band didn't produce more music or tour . I knew that the band was Armenia. I somewhat knew of the Armenian Genocide only because of Systems music. To be truthful though that was the only information I had ever received on either and even with that truly did not understand. After this book I have learned so much, that I caught myself being caught up more in System's activism then System the band. I feel like as Americans that share a country with so many Armenian immigrants and their culture this Injustice should be more well-known in our country then it is currently. I also reinsured myself of a lot of my opinions and thoughts about the band by reading this book. I have definitely gained a whole different respect for System other than them being a highly popular American rock band.
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- Murphy
- 05-22-24
In gratitude for this insightful autobiography
Fascinating and enlightening. Thank you. This has made me much more mindful of not only how to approach the plight of others, but also how to navigate my own journey. Also, SOAD has always been one of my favorite bands since 1995.
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- Apo Avedissian
- 05-14-24
Wow!
Amazing book, full of historical lessons and life ones as well - besides the band’s, of course.
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