SYSTEM OF A DOWN - TANKIAN WAS TOO NERDY TO ROCK AT SCHOOL

SYSTEM OF A DOWN rocker SERJ TANKIAN is amazed he made it in music - as a child his parents begged him to learn an instrument, but he was too interested in schoolwork. The heavy metaller comes from a musical family - but rejected the opportunity to follow in his singer father's footsteps at first. He says, "My parents tried to convince me to take up an instrument as a kid and my Dad is a beautiful, beautiful singer - my voice is s**t compared to his. They bought me a guitar that I never played because I was always more interested in my studies. "Then in college something switched inside of me, I took up the keyboard and I went at it like someone who has never eaten before who has suddenly been presented with unlimited food. I went nuts for music."