Serj Tankian has a problem. The System of a Down singer is constantly being terrorized by well-meaning fans who see the famous alt-metal singer in public, run up behind him, and quote his most iconic song, "Chop Suey!," by yelling, "WAKE UP!," in his ear. Folks, Tankian doesn't like when people do that. In fact, he says it "scares the shit" out of him.
During his interview on the latest episode of our "Fan First" podcast, the singer opened up about the hilariously common situation he keeps finding himself in, where he's just out on the town or at one of his shows minding his own business, when someone greets him with a "WAKE UP!" and makes him practically jump out of his skin.
"People will scare the shit out of me when they yell, 'Wake up,' behind me somewhere — wherever, in public," he said, miming the way he frantically chrips the words in the verses of his 2001 hit.
"I'm like, 'Fuck dude! Really? Wow... I'm glad you're excited but don't do that," he continued with a smile.
While this story actually makes us want to scare the guy more now that we know how weirdly common it is, let's give Tankian a rest. No more "Wake up!"s unless you already have his attention and won't make him drop a glass.
Watch the hysterical clip below via TikTok, and then check out the full "Fan First" interview after the jump.
@revolvermag WAKE UP! See the whole interview from our Fan First podcast on our YouTube page! @systemofadown #systemofadown #serjtankian #chopsuey #toxicity original sound - Revolver Magazine