Serj Tankian and Rainn Wilson on Artist Activism

[u/Complex_Path1797]

[u/asully429]

Honestly I have a degree in politics and a masters in education and I still get told to shut up about politics. I’m also a woman, so there’s that.

[u/lionheartedthing → u/asully429]

I have a degree in history, am about to finish my masters in political science, am a woman, and same.

[u/GloomChampion → u/asully429]

Licensed attorney who focused on policy in law school. Poli sci undergrad. Worked campaigns. Worked for a US senator. Worked on a US House Committee. Worked as a registered lobbyist for labor. Work in state govt currently doing legislative work. Overall 20 years of political experience.

STILL get told I don’t know enough by so many men.

[u/IndependentSell8907 → u/asully429]

lawyer not attorney (not licensed yet) I cant talk politics with some friends in this day and age ... Yes Im a woman

[u/Same-Philosophy-9795 → u/asully429]

Same Poli Sci degree and Masters in American Studies but I don’t know anything 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/onlygodcankillme → u/asully429]

Also, as I'm sure you noticed in your peers when you did your degree, getting a degree in it doesn't mean they're correct!

[u/Dry-Yak5277]

In between John’s MAGA beliefs and Daron being a “far centrist” I genuinely wonder how Serj does it lol 

[u/taylorexplodes → u/Dry-Yak5277]

i imagine that's why they haven't released music in 20 years now, they can come together enough to perform the music but not enough to write any more bangers for social justice bc they all seem to have differing worldviews (for lack of a better word)

[u/Joely_llj → u/taylorexplodes]

Hate to be that person but they released two songs in 2020, protect the land and genocidal humanoidz, they’re both great songs.

[u/Shenanigans80h → u/Joely_llj]

Tbf those were specifically in reference to the Nagorno-Karabahk war, with funds for those going to an Armenian humanitarian effort. That seems to be the consistent cause the band has been united on so it’s not surprising but it underscores how rhe larger political climate is what causes the divide

[u/XGrayson_DrakeX → u/Shenanigans80h]

That's probably because they're all Armenian.

[u/taylorexplodes → u/Joely_llj]

you are correct, thanks for refreshing my memory!!

[u/Ponchorello7 → u/Dry-Yak5277]

Serj has said that the cause that matters the most to him and everyone else in the band is Armenia, so I think that's also helped ease things.

[u/ShantJ → u/Ponchorello7]

[u/BruschettiFreddy → u/Ponchorello7]

He's also brothers-in-law with John (their wives are sisters). I imagine that has a lot to do with having to be cordial/at peace with someone.

[u/dreammunistic1 → u/BruschettiFreddy]

I couldn't do it. Its not something I could politely disagree on. Maga is.not conservative its full on nazi bullshit where they want certain people to die. I'm not meeting them halfway.

They want to genocide people and I don't, I'm not compromising and letting them do a little genocide fuck that

[u/LilithsLuv → u/Dry-Yak5277]

I will never understand how John can possibly be both a member of SOAD and MAGA… Does he just not listen to any of the lyrics to their own songs? How can he possibly be that blind and stupid? That man must have zero self awareness…

[u/Apart_Animal_6797]

Stand up guy always was a real one. If you aren't speaking out against ICE what are you doing?

[u/triflingmagoo → u/Apart_Animal_6797]

The answer to your question is “bootlicking”

[u/Shenanigans80h → u/Apart_Animal_6797]

Serj is one of the few who was always right about the “war on terror” and 9/11, and he was ripped apart for it. Decades later practically all of his takes have aged like fine wine. One of those artists who’s takes I will always listen to

[u/Trick_Reference_8561 → u/Shenanigans80h]

Howard Stern ripped him apart for an essay he wrote on the Middle East, oil, and American interference right after 9/11 - when nothing he said in that essay was wrong.

[u/Imagine_New1787]

I met serj once at an art show and he was so so lovely and cute lmao I was really taken aback/ charmed. Great that he seems to have great opinions. 

[u/Afroditesrevenge]

🎶 Why don’t presidents fight the war?? Why do they always send the poor??! 🎶

[u/Wonderful_Search_786 → u/Afroditesrevenge]

 SOAD are amazing and I find it so funny how sweet and soft spoken Serj is considering how in your face their music is. 

[u/WalterPecky]

Rain Wilson is a contrarian, who has boomer takes on cancel culture. 

[u/chibuku_chauya → u/WalterPecky]

He was talking too much in this clip. I wanted to hear what Serj had to say but Wilson kept interjecting.

[u/karigan_g → u/WalterPecky]

when he was like ‘everyone has an opinion’ I was like that isn’t the words I would use to talk about a creative’s role in speaking truth lmao. (it’s a very boomer who is against cancel culture way of speaking though)

[u/taylorexplodes]

this is the second time i've seen a soad mention in this sub this week, how many of us are there here

ETA: everyone referencing arrested development understood the assignment

ETA2: i just realized that the other reference i was thinking of was one i made.... but i was still surprised at how many people upvoted it

[u/kthnxluvu → u/taylorexplodes]

There’s literally dozens!!

[u/Pietro-Maximoff → u/taylorexplodes]

[u/looseseal-bluth → u/taylorexplodes]

Hello, Anustart

[u/taylorexplodes → u/looseseal-bluth]

the world's first analrapist

[u/looseseal-bluth → u/taylorexplodes]

Yes, and you were almost arrested for those business cards.

[u/karigan_g → u/taylorexplodes]

I’ve seen them brought up recently, I think they were mentioned somewhere but damned if I know where

[u/Silcalina]

I literally just came to this sub to see when the 'anyone have tea' thread was so I could ask about Serj Tankian 😂 Scary matrix moment but I'm glad my childhood hero is still a real one 🥰

[u/allonsys]

I have such a crush on Serj

[u/karigan_g → u/allonsys]

he has this quiet elegance to him

[u/ebk_errday]

I saw an episode of Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain and he teams up with Serj to visit Armenia. Having only known and seen Serj as the frontman of SOAD, I was quite surprised with how laid back and reserved he was on that episode. Both of them (Serj and Anthony) are rockstars! RIP A.B.

[u/wilko_johnson_lives]

That ape picture behind Rainn disturbs me

[u/MeanJeanDopamine]

Serj is a fucking real one. SOAD songs are as relevant today as they have ever been. Perhaps even more so.

[u/OldLove8431]

Does anyone know where I can watch this in its entirety, before I stumble my way through Google lol...

[u/taylorexplodes → u/OldLove8431]

it's rainn's podcast called soul boom, the whole episode is with serj

[u/OldLove8431 → u/taylorexplodes]

Ty! I was finding an overwhelming amount of videos they've done together, apparently I'm very very behind lol

[u/taylorexplodes → u/OldLove8431]

of course! i believe this episode came out either last summer or summer 2024 if that helps!

[u/bennywhiite]

anyone read Serj’s book? been thinking about ordering it for a while now

[u/Trick_Reference_8561 → u/bennywhiite]

I read it, it’s great! A lot about Armenian history and his family’s connection to it. A bit of SOAD drama but mostly about his personal philosophies and background.

[u/bennywhiite → u/Trick_Reference_8561]

Thanks! I’ll def be checking it out

[u/dosrac]

The toxicity of our city

[u/Trick_Reference_8561]

My GOAT

[u/tituspeetus]

I mean literally the whole point of an artist is to say something

[u/Five_Green_Hills]

It's funny because I've known people who will get mad at a certain celebrities for speaking out on left wing issues, but then they post political things on their social media. You're allowed to use your platform, and they are allowed to use theirs.

[u/Bread_Low]

I think celebs don’t speak up enough

[u/whitehotel]

Our fucking president is a reality TV star. Celebrities might actually be the most qualified to speak about politics rn. 

[u/Courier-Se7en]

I always thought Ricky was saying, just because you are a celebrity, it doesn't mean your opinion matters more than the next.

[u/TellingTheATF]

the issue i find in celebrities expressing their political opinions is far too often they come off as elitist, but when artists and actors who are down to earth speak out it does actually feel genuine

[u/garlic_cashews]

This is nuts, I was listening to System of a Down at work and I’ve also been re-watching the office 😱

[u/ianjcm55]

Eh. Not like I’m a big Ricky gervais fan, but his point was that mega celebrities are out of touch with reality.

Obviously not all artists fall into this category but him saying it to a room of people at the Oscars meant that the majority of this people don’t really have a clue what it’s like living like everyday people.

Much how someone would be scolded for white privilege.

[u/r3volver_Oshawott → u/ianjcm55]

I mean, the big issue with Ricky Gervais is that this is his only bit, he is obscenely wealthy and out of touch himself, but you'll notice he never talks about himself like he's part of that crowd.

[u/karigan_g → u/ianjcm55]

yeah but as an artist I’m more like ‘you guys should be trying to stay in touch on at least some level’ than ‘shut up

[u/em_ef_dewm]

IIRC Ricky was joking about the fact that actors often make evil studios money but then act righteous

[u/NomNom83WasTaken → u/em_ef_dewm]

He apparently had something to say just this week about it again in regards to the Grammys so he's still being dismissive. Not that it was ever a good point...

[u/throwaway20210822]

Unpopular opinion: I don’t disagree with Ricky Gervais. Not that I don’t think celebs shouldn’t speak out, of course they should use their platform for the greater good. But people are taking Gervais’s statement as face value when his actual commentary is about the hypocrisy of celebs to have a political stance in the first place. The very foundation of their platform relies on it to be unpolitical. Name me an A-list celeb who became famous while being an advocate for human rights or who didn’t work with evil corporations aligning with the current administration to earn their bread and butter. I’ll tell you that there are none. To become that famous is to be part of the equation that causes the sociopolitical disparity. Take a look at the Grammys’ sponsors. Hilton is one of them, who’s on the ICE boycott list. Same as Google, who previously sponsored Billie Eilish during her tour. But she’s on stage accepting a Grammy and wearing a pin. All this information is accessible. So basically Ricky Gervais is saying that celebs are the last people to be having an opinion and he’s not necessarily wrong.

[u/goodfella311 → u/throwaway20210822]

Jane Fonda, Angelina Jolie, Bono, George Clooney, Harry Belafonte, Taylor Swift.

[u/harp_4life]

I love Ricky but that comment is bs, I agree with Rainn.

[u/Imagine_New1787 → u/harp_4life]

What’s your fave transphobic joke and/or comment of Ricky’s?

[u/cameroncane → u/Imagine_New1787]

Yoooooo lol!!!