For Ryan Out Loud

Ah yes, the Electric Picnic – sex, politics and rock ‘n’ roll. This year the Leviathan Political Cabaret rolls into Stradbally for the fourth time and Ireland’s favourite young fogey – well, that’s what they used to call him a few years ago! – Mr. Ryan Tubridy, will be co-hosting the event on Saturday, the day after his debut on some obscure Friday night chat show or other.

And for those not in the know, Leviathan is part political and cultural debate, part anarchy.
“It’s a panel of like-minded political anoraks discussing issues of the day in a boozy, nerdy platform,” says Tubridy. “Everyone in the tent would probably have pretty much the same habits, thoughts and attitudes bar certain essential issues at which point it becomes a row!”
The format gives Tubridy the chance to exercise his muscles without having to worry about public reaction.
“There’s great freedom doing it because you’re not on camera, not on radio or television, so there’s a freedom to be a bit bolder and less worried about every sentence you speak. I am generally myself, but if I was fully myself, people would be appalled. They’d be very offended!”
So what does he hide on camera?
“The things that you’re not allowed to say are always the funniest. You can bring up topics that might be considered a little sensitive for mainstream RTÉ Radio 1 or an RTÉ television programme. In the confines of a tent in Laois you can have all the fun you want. But we’ll leave the tent open to let some of the hot air out.”
While rabble-rousing hecklers are welcome, given his experience at the Picnic last year, Tubridy does not expect the Molotov cocktails to be flying.
“The Electric Picnic – as you know – is for the middle-class, non-adventurous twenty, thirty and fortysomethings who think that Oxegen is from another planet. There’s not too much craziness, but it is very vocal, which is good.”
With the economy in freefall and a huge amount of anger out there, this year could well be different. Luckily Tubridy is no stranger to handling the bizarre, as his experiences on Tubridy Tonight will attest.
“You never knew what would happen when you went into the audience, or what kind of person you would find. David Hasselhoff will always stand out in my mind as a force of nature. He came upon us on the show like a whirling dervish, not once but twice. And I’ll never forget what Take That did to the female audience – it was like being a teacher in an all-girls school where the girls had been drinking Coca-Cola from half-seven in the morning.”
After the Hoff, Leviathan should be, erm, a picnic?
“I hope so!”
With guests such as Channel 4’s Jon Snow and authors John Banville and Irvine Walsh touted to take part, the event is a mix of politics, literature and pop culture, but the forum is open-ended and anything could be discussed on the day.
“The economy will be there, we’ll be talking about leadership and lack thereof in the country, we may even talk about The Late Late Show – it depends on how bored people are,” he laughs. “The one word that’s on people’s lips is leadership. There seems to be a distinct lack of it. There’s a lack of leadership from all parties and a lack of inspiration out there. When people hear a bit of it, they get very excited. I know on the radio when we do something like that, people say ‘I want to do something, I want to make the country better’. There’s a hunger for it – for inspiration, for innovation and entrepreneurial endeavour. But there is a feeling that at the moment the politicians just don’t get it.”
What don’t they get?
“I don’t believe there’s one bad-minded politician out there. I’m a fan of politicians. I come from a family of politicians and I know how hard they work. I just think they’re not getting this right. I don’t think there’s one of them that doesn’t want the country to get better or to improve but for whatever reason, they just don’t seem to be going about it the right way – or they simply don’t understand the mood of the nation, which is one of expectation. They expect leadership and they’re not getting it. But that might change.”
Talking about the Late Late, Tubridy is understandably anxious about stepping into Pat Kenny’s shoes.
“Of course I’m nervous. It’s the biggest gig in Ireland. The Late Late Show should always be watched, not presented. To be in that position is frankly bizarre. I’m trying not to think about it. There’s a strange collision of nervousness and excitement, so I hope the excitement wins out. But I’m dying to get going at it now.”
Like Leviathan, Tubridy sees the Late Late as a good forum for people to get more involved in political and social debate, bridging the chasm between the politicians and the people.
“Disconnection is one of the words of modern times – the disconnect between people and politics. I think that The Late Late Show, under the new management, is going to bring a bit of that debate and cut and thrust back from the audience and politicians and so forth. I hope so. I love the cut and thrust of a good debate. I love spontaneity and I love politics.
“The Late Late has always been a filter for the thoughts of the country in many ways,” he adds. “I’m thirty-six years old and, to use a cliché, the torch is being passed to a new generation. People my age are coming into their own – they’re heads of companies, they’re heads in businesses and politics and it’s time to look at things slightly afresh. That’s what we aim to do. It’s a good time, and some would say an important time for the Late Late to be changing hands.”
Politics aside, Ryan Tubridy at a music festival? Is that an odd mix?
“There is a perception that I wouldn’t be a natural-born festival-goer. There is a touch of the ‘Tory minister visiting an exotic club in Soho’ about it, but this is my third year in a row going. I’m not a stranger to it, but I can understand people thinking: what is the elephant doing in the china shop?”
But he does like his music.
“I’m a huge Beach Boys fan, so Brian Wilson is a very exciting prospect for me. I’d like to see Bell X1 if I can and Seasick Steve. I love Fionn Regan so I’d like to see him too.”
Unsurprisingly Tubridy won’t be roughing it like most of the great unwashed.
“I’m a day-tripper. I’m not a camper. Camping to me is what Graham Norton does. I don’t understand any other meaning of the word.”