Serj Tankian Talks Solo Album, Prolific Use of the C-Word: Exclusive Audio

System of a Down's Serj Tankian appears in the current issue of Rolling Stone to discuss his new solo album Elect the Dead, the first concert he attended in the U.S. (Iron Maiden) and his fondness for Borat and Ali G. The interview could not be contained in just the magazine, however, so we present you with some exclusive audio excerpts from that Q&A.

Tankian talks about the inspiration behind his new song "Unthinking Majority," a correlation between war and anti-depressants.

NSFW: Tankian discusses why the C-word keeps popping up in his art.

Tankian explains why his song "Lie, Lie, Lie" morphed from overly serious to very humorous.

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Song Stories

“Let My Love Open the Door”

Pete Townshend | 1980

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

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