
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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Story
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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Desolation
- A Heavy Metal Memoir
- By: Mark Morton, Ben Opipari - contributor
- Narrated by: Mark Morton
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Desolation is the story of Lamb of God’s lead guitarist and co-lyricist Mark Morton's lifelong quest for clarity and self-acceptance, and shows how the pressures of career success and personal battles eventually came into conflict with Morton's dedication to the creative process. Intertwined with addiction, self-destruction, and the path to eventual surrender and recovery, Morton also reveals the greatest personal tragedy of his life: the death of his two-day old daughter, plunging Morton further into hopelessness.
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Excellent Listen!!!
- By Jeffrey R. Thornby on 03-13-25
By: Mark Morton, and others
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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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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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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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Good Book By An Even Better Man
- By Nick Schiavone on 03-27-25
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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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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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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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The Storyteller: Expanded
- ...Because There's More to the Story
- By: Dave Grohl
- Narrated by: Dave Grohl
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller created a sensation when it was initially published, becoming a global bestseller and thrilling fans and critics alike. Readers came to the book for Dave’s heartfelt voice, his love of family and music, and the energy that pours from every page. Dave’s is an extraordinary life made of up ordinary moments, and he tells stories just like he writes songs—from his soul.
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The early years of Dave’s drumming, touring in a van, the mad junkies chasing him with pipes, & the Nirvana years.
- By Bob Ruefle 2 on 05-31-24
By: Dave Grohl
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Scar Tissue
- By: Anthony Kiedis, Larry Sloman
- Narrated by: Rider Strong
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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As lead singer and songwriter for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis has lived life on the razor's edge. Much has been written about him, but until now we've only had his songs as clues to his experience from the inside. In Scar Tissue, Kiedis proves himself to be as compelling a memoirist as he is a lyricist, giving us a searingly honest account of the life from which his music has evolved.
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Not A Favorite
- By The Kruels on 08-16-11
By: Anthony Kiedis, and others
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I Am Ozzy
- By: Ozzy Osbourne
- Narrated by: Ozzy Osbourne, Rupert Farley
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say. When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of 60, with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and California, I wouldn't have put money on me, no f--king way. But here I am: ready to tell my story, in my own words, for the first time. A lot of it ain't gonna be pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. But I ain't the devil.
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Laugh Out Loud & BEST Narration EVER!
- By Kerry Jackson on 01-24-21
By: Ozzy Osbourne
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Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll
- My Life in Rock
- By: Stephen Pearcy, Sam Benjamin
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Stephen Pearcy was a scrawny, horny, thrill-seeking teenager with an electric guitar who had graduated from backyard parties in San Diego to half-empty dives in Los Angeles before he and his band broke through at Whiskey a Go Go. Cranking out metal just as metal got hot, Ratt was the perfect band at the perfect time, and their hit single "Round and Round" became a top-selling anthem.
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Stephen Pearcy is one sad mf
- By Awkward Frog on 12-28-20
By: Stephen Pearcy, and others
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Where Are Your Boys Tonight?
- The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008
- By: Chris Payne
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead, Chris Abell
- Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Music journalist Chris Payne experienced emo's mainstream takeover from sweaty crowds and mosh pits growing up in New Jersey. In Where Are Your Boys Tonight? he offers an authoritative, impassioned, and occasionally absurd account told through interviews with more than 150 people, from the scene's biggest bands, producers, and managers to the teenage fans who helped redefine American music culture.
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I REALLY Wanted to Like This
- By Fuzz414 on 08-18-23
By: Chris Payne
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The First 21
- A Memoir
- By: Nikki Sixx
- Narrated by: Nikki Sixx
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Rock-and-roll icon and three-time best-selling author Nikki Sixx tells his origin story: how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx, chronicling his fascinating journey from irrepressible Idaho farmboy to the man who formed the revolutionary rock group Mötley Crüe.
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Surprised but great advice too
- By nancy macintosh on 10-19-21
By: Nikki Sixx
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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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Into the Void
- From Birth to Black Sabbath—And Beyond
- By: Geezer Butler
- Narrated by: Geezer Butler
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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With over 70 million records sold, Black Sabbath, dubbed by Rolling Stone “the Beatles of heavy metal,” helped create the genre itself, with their distinctive heavy riffs, tuned down guitars, and apocalyptic lyrics. Bassist and primary lyricist Geezer Butler played a gigantic part in the band’s renown, from suggesting the band name to using his fascination with horror, religion, and the occult to compose the lyrics and build the foundation of heavy metal as we know it. In Into the Void, Butler tells his side of the story.
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Geezer, The Only Member Of Sabbath You Can Trust.
- By monday night by satellite on 06-15-23
By: Geezer Butler
What listeners say about Down with the System
Highly rated for:
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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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- Anonymous User
- 10-23-24
Enlightening
Really liked this book it was very enlightening both spiritually and politically it also made me laugh quite a few times overall loved it
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- Artur
- 05-23-24
Legendary
Enjoyed every minute of the audio. As a person who is not a fan of SOAD, it was very interesting to learn their story.
And of course once again to see how cool Serj is as a person. One of the greatest representatives of Armenia in the world! Thank you!
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- Anonymous User
- 05-25-24
Really great insight! Loved it! Very powerful
Loved this book! Made me understand Serj the person, the artist, the activist. Very inspiring. It all makes sense now.
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