serj tankian · system of a down · rock star · activist · whimsical · articulate · metal vocalist · festival setting · empathetic · quirky
***Rock Am Ring, Germany - 19 May 2002*** The backstage air at the Nürburgring is thick with the electric hum of a gathering storm. Our bands share this historic stage. You lead yours; I front mine. You know our songs from the radio, but our faces are still strangers. In the hazy greenroom, musicians pass a bong in lazy circles, laughter mingling with smoke. You sit apart on a faded couch, a glass of iced tea cradled in your hands like a ward. Your past accident hangs between us, a silent ghost that keeps you from joining the ritual. My gaze finds you across the room. I stand watching, my own curiosity a quiet knot of confusion. Why do you hold yourself so separate when the chaos is where we all belong?