MTV Chill Out in the Hot Seat with Ronan Keating

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Cyrus Sahukar: You’ve hosted MTV, you’ve hosted shows; you’ve got your autobiography written…….

Ronan:  Yes

Cyrus: The thing is how do you manage all that? How does it happen?

Ronan:  I think hard work for one is a big part of it, dedication loving what I do.  I really enjoy what I do; I get a great kick out of it

Cyrus:  But see when you were 16 years old, you’re only human, I think every human being is really different, you’re young and you had a billion women all screaming your name….

Ronan:  I know it was crazy

Cyrus:  So how do you keep that sane? What was the one force that kept you grounded?

Ronan:  I come from a big family

Cyrus:  Do you have lots of siblings?

Ronan:  Yeah I’ve got 3 brothers and a sister

Cyrus:  Are you the youngest?

Ronan:  I’m the baby yeah

Cyrus:  Ah so Ronan Keating all over the world and then you come home and you’re treated like a baby…… (Laughs)

Ronan:  Oh yeah I’m the baby yeah, baby of the family.  But that’s what keeps your feet on the ground as well ya know?  Your family keep you grounded for sure

Cyrus:  And now another thing is that during the course of your work, you also find time to take part and do a lot of charitable work.  Including the Immies at one level, which is important to you?......

Ronan:  Yes very important

Cyrus:  So when did you decide to take this decision and why?

Ronan:  Yes well I’ve been given so much of what I have; I believe it’s my duty and other people in my sort of shoes to give back and to help.  Coz what happens is CNN and SKY news or whatever they show this devastating earthquake but the next day there’s some other piece of news that’s taken over

Cyrus:  That’s correct and it’s a forgotten story…..

Ronan:  And it’s forgotten but these people are still suffering, so we need to continue to let people know what’s going on and that’s why the Immies are so powerful and so important

Cyrus:  We’ll be talking a lot more about that in time people don’t go away; ok at this point we’ll be playing a lovely song for you.  So Ronan what song can we start the show with?  You have to cut the ribbon (points to an imaginary ribbon)

Ronan:  We’ll cut the ribbon (does scissor movements with his fingers) we’ll cut it with Life is a rollercoaster, let’s go…….

Cyrus:  Lovely, super that’s the song that your kids love apparently?

Ronan:  Yeah they love that one yeah

Cyrus:  Alright here comes the song and when we come back, lot’s more with Ronan

(Life is a rollercoaster video)

Cyrus:  The lovely thing is at a really young age you got married

Ronan:  Yeah I got married at 21

Cyrus: So how did all that happen? Tell me a little bit about it

Ronan:  Well I mean ya know, I had a great lifestyle; I travelled the world I really enjoyed myself and then eventually I met the right person and found I wanted to settle down, I wanted to have children while I was young

Cyrus:  Why? Why is that?

Ronan:  I wanted to be able to relate to them, I wanted them to be able to understand me and vice versa that’s a very important thing for me.  Ya know large generation gaps can sometimes, can cause – create problems I think

Some people like to wait and have more experience and sew their oats ya know and meet lots of women and then eventually… but I had a great time in Boyzone I met lots of women ya know? But at a young age I did find the right person

Cyrus:  How was the meeting of your wife? How did it all happen?

Ronan:  Well my wife and I met when I was about 12 -13 first, we really became friends when I was 17–18 in Dublin, small town, everybody kind of knows everybody.  She was working in the model business, I was obviously in Boyzone so we got really pally, we became friends for 4 years before there was anything sexual or any sort of relationship between us which was great because the friendship was built, the foundation was there before anything else and I just fell in love with her

Cyrus:  Which is beautiful can I ask you; a lot of people have become really cynical in today’s day and age of fast love and all that, tell me what’s the secret of actually staying with a human being for so long?

Ronan:  It’s about friendship; it’s about finding someone that you want to spend the rest of your life with and that you happen to have a chemistry with as well, which helps ya know? I think

You get married to be with that person, you don’t get married to be apart and that’s something I’ve seen with a lot of people in this business.

Cyrus:  And what’s the one thing according to you that spoils most relationships?

Ronan:  Sex with other people! (Laughs)

Cyrus:  So now we all want to know a little bit about how do you unwind? You know we hear of great performers running to the middle of a tropical jungle and disappearing there for 6 months to unwind, what is your way to unwind?

Ronan:   I definitely don’t get to do that, I’ve got 3 children and err that’s how I unwind I go home.

I like playing golf, golf is a place where I can clear my head and concentrate on something different, I really enjoy playing golf.  But ya know when you’ve 3 kids that takes up most of your time, so as soon as I’m not working I‘m at home looking after the kids

Cyrus:  So what’s the toughest part about being a dad?

Ronan:  Erm well ya know, you just want to raise them properly, that’s the thing.  Kids are a blank canvas and you paint whatever picture you see fit and obviously they have different ideas and different minds and they grow differently; but still you have to teach them manners and the right values and as a father all I want to do is raise my kids properly and hopefully I will

Cyrus:  How old are they?

Ronan:  6, 4 and 3 months

Cyrus:  Ah man and 3 months?!

Ronan:  3 months yeah

Cyrus:  What’s the toughest thing about you know dealing with….you have to go to parent and teacher meetings……

Ronan:  Ah you gotta do all that stuff yeah; I was at a parent and teacher meeting last week.  You gotta do all these things, drive them down to Taiquando classes and swimming classes, art classes, I mean it’s a full time gig

Cyrus:  There are many fathers out there who are crying and understanding your pain and the various degrees that you go through

Ronan:  (laughs)

Cyrus:  So at this point in time we’ll take a short break and we come back with lots more….

Cyrus:  You’d be sitting in a hotel room flipping channels and you’ve been seeing a lot of clippings of Hindi Cinema……

Ronan:  Oh yeah big time, I’ve been seeing a lot of it, the colours are fantastic.  There’s nothing like Bollywood in the rest of the world, ya know? So that’s a very very cool thing, it’s a great identity

Cyrus:  If you ever got the opportunity to actually sing for it would you be open to that?

Ronan:  Absolutely yeah

Cyrus:  You would yeah?

Ronan:  Yeah I would, I’d look at that yeah

Cyrus:  And what about acting in them?

Ronan:  I’d give it a go yeah, I’m not very good at dancing though and a lot of the movies kinda…..

Cyrus:  But give me one….what if we’re doing an action sequence at this point because we’re doing a lot of action movies out at the moment

Ronan:  Yeah I saw that yeah

Cyrus:  And most of the actors give that one look……..that one look when you just turn around and you give that look.  So if you are willing all you have to do is give me that one look

Ronan:  OK I’m gonna take these off (Ronan pulls off his shades and squints at the light)

Cyrus:  Are we talking in Hindi?

Ronan:  OK I’ll look in Hindi as well………

Cyrus:  (laughs)

Ronan:  It’ll be a Hindi look

Cyrus:   (acting) Ha ha ha Ronan (pulls an imaginary gun from his waist and Ronan bursts out laughing clapping his hands)

Ronan:  Sorry OK do it again……..sorry sorry! I wasn’t expecting the big laugh! (Laughs)

Cyrus:  It was my wildest look! You’re seeing my very own acting, thank you

Ronan:  I know sorry, it was very unprofessional of me to laugh

Cyrus:  I’m putting my gun back now

Ronan:  OK start again

Cyrus:  Ha ha ha (evil laugh and pulls imaginary gun speaking in Hindi and aiming at Ronan.  Ronan throws his meanest expression to camera; reaches out and punches his evil enemy making Cryus scream……..)

Cyrus:  Wonderful Ronan brilliant!

Ronan:  (Puts his shades back on) that was a good moment (laughs)

Cyrus:  Amazing

Ronan:  You have a real good movie laugh

Cyrus:  Yeah? Thank you thank you for endorsing me great celebrities! Take a quick song, what song can we play for you?

Ronan:  Erm let’s play Lovin’ Each Day

Cyrus:  OK here comes Lovin’ Each Day another beautiful song and when we come back, no more punches only good laughs

(Lovin’ Each Day video)

Cyrus:  And then we’ll figure out everything about you, so supposing you’re taking a walk down a road and you see this beautiful wooden house and you pass the house; now behind the house what do you see? Do you see a tap? Do you see a river? Do you see a stream? Or do you see an ocean?

Ronan:  Err a stream

Cyrus:  Are you sure Ronan?

Ronan:  Yeah

Cyrus:  This will decipher a lot about you

Ronan:  OK tell me about it

Cyrus:  OK it’s a stream, basically it’s about the sexual want of a man which are represented through water

Ronan:  (Grins)

Cyrus:  In the event of choosing a tap it’s not a very good sign, you said a stream which shows a great amount of balance

Ronan:  Right

Cyrus:  If you had chosen an ocean we would have all ran away……..

Ronan:  Ah right ok (laughs)

Cyrus:  That’s the psychology….

Ronan:  Funny I thought about an ocean and then I thought no it’s a bit vast and yeah…….

Cyrus:  OK let’s come back to now, during the course of many shows what’s the most embarrassing moment you’ve ever had?

Ronan:  I’ve had some really ya know, very embarrassing moments where I’ve forgotten words to songs on TV shows, fallen off the stage at a show

Cyrus:  How do you fall off a stage?

Ronan:  Well you get so into the show and it’s going on and you run across the stage and you think you’re on a stage that you played last night or something and you think there’s a wall with a step there and there’s not…down you go

Cyrus:  Boom! The tough part must be when you get up and act like…….

Ronan:  Ah you just gotta laugh, just gotta smile and get back up there and go on again ya know?

Cyrus:  What about now, one thing I notice in your career is people have been obsessed with your hairstyle, for example 5 years, 5 or 6 years ago you had really; long hair

Ronan:  That’s right yeah

Cyrus:  So everybody else tried to grow their hair really long, I looked like one of these bears half bear half man

Ronan:  I don’t look good with long hair either though

Cyrus:  You do you do!

Ronan:  No I didn’t like it

Cyrus:  So then you prefer short hair?

Ronan:  Yeah I actually get me head shaved but……

Cyrus:  Really? You shaved your head?

Ronan:  Yeah it’s just so easier to manage

Cyrus:  So the long hair days were they?.......

Ronan:  Oh they were dodgy days

Cyrus:  You also had your bad hair days (laughs)

Ronan:  Oh we’ve had some many bad hair days

Cyrus:  We’re not waiting, here comes a quick break and when we come back we’re going to be playing what’s called a ‘rapid fire round’ 

Ronan:  OK

Cyrus:  It’s really original and never been done before in the history of music or television.  We ask you lots of questions really fast

Ronan:  Alright…

Cyrus:  To break you down emotionally and make you answer them……

Ronan:  Be careful be careful coz that could happen easily today, I’m very fragile

Cyrus:  Really?

Ronan:  Yeah

Cyrus:  Great! OK here they come Ronan; I think you know about these rapid questions

Ronan:  I know, I’m nervous now

Cyrus:  I’m going to ask them really fast

Ronan:  Shoot shoot

Cyrus:  Here comes the first question, the one thing you want your kids to learn from you?

Ronan:  Values

Cyrus:  Father or husband?

Ronan:  It’s difficult they’re on a par but I love being a father

Cyrus:  OK are you a romantic or practical?

Ronan:  I’m a romantic

Cyrus:  Pick one: fame or money?

Ronan:  Oh I wouldn’t buy fame anyway, money

Cyrus:  Alright music or your family?

Ronan:  Family

Cyrus:  Boxers or briefs?

Ronan:  It depends, but probably briefs you need to hold it in ya know?

Cyrus:  OK blonde or brunette?

Ronan:  Depends on what time of the day (grins) blonde

Cyrus:  OK short or tall?

Ronan:  Short

Cyrus:  Sex or romance?

Ronan:  Sex

Cyrus:  Bachelorhood or marriage?

Ronan:  Marriage

Cyrus:  Boy band or solo?

Ronan:  Solo

Cyrus:  Boy bands or girl bands?

Ronan:  Girl bands

Cyrus:  Favourite pick up line?

Ronan:  Do you come here often? (Laughs)

Cyrus:  Most attractive body part in a male?

Ronan:  I’ve no idea

Cyrus:  OK most attractive body part in a female?

Ronan:  (Saucy grin and hand movements gesturing to women’s breasts)……..eyes

Cyrus:  Most controversial thing you’ve heard about yourself?

Ronan:  That I had loads of money…it’s all lies! (Laughs)

Cyrus:  The one person who gives you a complex?

Ronan:  You

Cyrus:  Thank you! It’s the hair (grins) anyway your biggest strength?

Ronan:  My biggest strength is my ability to work hard

Cyrus:  Your biggest weakness?

Ronan:  My ability to work hard (laughs)

Cyrus:  Cat Stevens or Michael Jackson?

Ronan:  Cat Stevens

Cyrus:  Michael Jackson or Stevie Wonder?

Ronan:  Stevie Wonder

Cyrus:  Ice cream or Vanilla Ice?

Ronan:  Ah Vanilla Ice was great!

Cyrus:  I love him man!

Ronan:  Ice ice baby that’s great

Cyrus:  Do you remember his hairstyle?

Ronan:  I know that whole rap

Cyrus:  Even I do!

Ronan:  Come on give it to me

Cyrus:  OK (raps) Alright stop collaborate and listen….

Ronan:  Ice is back with a brand new invention…

Cyrus:  Something grabs a hold of me tightly….

Ronan:  Falls like a hawk daily and nightly……

Cyrus:  Will it ever stop?

(Together): Yo I don’t know turn out the lights and I’ll glow…(lose the words)

 Ronan:  Get up on stage jump like a candle, dance….

Cyrus:  I used to love that song

Ronan:  Ah everybody loved that song it’s so great

Cyrus:  I had shaved the side of my head and grown that cone he had

Ronan:  Really? I didn’t do that

Cyrus:  Yes I got beaten every day for a year

Ronan:  I bet you did (laughs)   

Cyrus:  Anyway now it’s time for the Immies, the show will be beginning in a couple of hours, thank you so much for giving us some of your time

Ronan:  Good to meet you, enjoy the show tonight

Cyrus:  You’re a really wonderful person and thanks for the music; it has made life better for all of us  

Ronan:  Nice one

Cyrus:  The great man Ronan Keating and me of course, keep watching on MTV lot’s more stuff coming up not as interesting

Ronan:  Good luck

Thanks to Jessie for the original recording!

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