John Dolmayan: It's cold, man. There are lots of neat shops and stuff around here, though, and I'm looking forward to checking stuff out. This is a college city, so there are some cool places I want to go and check out.

VOX: It's raining here in Los Angeles, so you aren't missing much.

JD: LA is home! Rain in Los Angeles beats snow in Cincinnati, I'll tell you that.

VOX: Yeah that's the truth. Let's dive right in…how did you guys come together as a band?

JD: Well, different members hooked up at different times. Serj (Tankian, vocals) and Daron (Malakian, guitars) hooked up first…they played together in a band called Soil, which disbanded. They had met Shavo (Odadjian, bass) through friends before that, and once Soil was done, they hooked up. I came in later. We all met through mutual friends. It's really a coincidence that we're all Armenian. It wasn't intentional - that's just how it worked out.

VOX: Where does the System of a Down name come from?

JD: Daron had written this poem called "Victims of a Down" and the first word was changed to "System" - "Victims" was too narrow, and very personal. "System" is broader, more open socially - it's a more open statement. It leaves it open to thought and interpretation.

VOX: It's become almost rare for a band to come out of LA. What do you think of the LA music scene?

JD: I think it's pretty good. LA really sets the trend for the rest of the country, and really for the world. There's a lot of really cool music coming out of LA.

VOX: You guys have a very loyal fan base. You seem to really connect with your fans.

JD: We're all about the live show - that's what has gotten us where we are today. The fans have made us - we're not really a radio or video band, and you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's all about us getting the music out and having people really love the album. One song isn't enough. If you have one song, you're there for a while, then your disc is in the bargain bin at the record store - we want people to connect with the entire album. We really want the fans to love the record the way we love the record. I want our fans to think of our record the same way I think about the records I have in my collection that I would never part with.

VOX: What records are in your collection, that you hold in that high esteem?

JD: Oh, man, from Slayer, Iron Maiden's Power Slave, The Beatles Revolver, which is my favorite Beatles album, to Rush - Hemispheres has got to be my favorite Rush album. From that all the way to my Zep box set to Maynard Ferguson, the trumpet player. There's also Mozart and other classical stuff.

VOX: Where do you see alternative rock going?

JD: Alternative rock? It's mainstream now, man. If you mean today's music scene - whatever they call it - then I think we'll see a bunch of clones until it destroys the scene. There will be a bunch of rip-offs - every record label is looking for the next Korn, Limp Bizkit…the labels are going to do whatever is going to make money, that's what labels are all about.

I mean, I have no fucking idea what is next after this. I really want to see what comes next. If you mean heavy rock, it's always been here; even when other stuff was mainstream, heavy rock was there. It always goes back to what was here ten years ago. Even while grunge was going on, heavy rock was there.

VOX: How does being Armenian influence your music?

JD: Well, it's like when you make a soup, you use lots of spices to come up with that flavor that makes it good. Our heritage is one of those spices, and it's one part of what makes our music what it is.

VOX: Wow. That's a great analogy - very deep man.

JD: Thanks. I appreciate that.

VOX: What does the hand on the album cover symbolize?

JD: What does it symbolize to you?

VOX: Hmm…reaching out…

JD: Then it's about reaching out. Ask seven hundred System fans what it symbolizes, and you might get seven hundred different answers, and none of them are wrong.

VOX: So it's open to interpretation?

JD: It's completely open to interpretation. We want to inspire people to think, and what they get out of it is neither right nor wrong. There is no right or wrong. People have to go with what works for them. If System of a Down works for them, then great. If the Backstreet Boys work for them, that's cool too. See, I don't think anyone has the right to tell people what's good or bad. It's all about personal taste. It's about where you come from and what has brought you here. People can say whatever they want about System of a Down…it's like the "stick and stones" thing - say what ever they want.

Let's take the Backstreet Boys for example - no one has the right to criticize them unless they know what they have been through, what their influences were. It really fucking bugs me when people slam other stuff, without knowing anything about it. If it's not what you like, that's fine, but if other people like that, so be it. Those people who don't like our music, that's their right. Their stuff might not be my thing, but other people like it.

VOX: How does the System of a Down creative process work?

JD: Well, a lot of the songs are written by Daron, the lyrics are done by Serj...Shavo does some writing, too. I don't do much writing. I helped a bit. I'm content to play drums - I mean, it's hard to copyright drumbeats like you can lyrics or a guitar riff.

VOX: How do you guys get along?

JD: Pretty well. I mean, just like any other family, there are those situations…we've broken up fifty times, like every band, it's "I fucking quit" "No, I quit." "No, I'm outta here." But at the end of the day, we all still love each other. We get over it. That's life. We see the bigger picture.

VOX: What's the next step for System of a Down?

JD: Go home! We've been touring for two years. It's time to take a break, reflect on who we are. Then, it'll be time to write and put an album together.

VOX: What can fans expect from a System of a Down live show?