Serj Tankian Thinks Holograms Are the Future of Touring

Serj Tankian has a plan to help improve the environment and cut down on emissions: holographic touring. "I think we could reduce our need to travel if we could project ourselves into meetings and concerts. We have the technology, and we're not using it right now," said the System of a Down frontman. "It would open up a whole new world for touring. There would be no travel costs, so bands with very little money could play shows, and tickets would cost less." Tankian's humanitarian efforts are well-documented: He recently launched the Axis of Justice tour with Tom Morello to promote peace, human rights and social equality. Tankian also stressed that the fans wouldn't mind seeing a hologram perform live as "it's not like the audience can touch me, anyway."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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