A Breath of Fresh Air With Sandy Kaye
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There could have been no Dexy’s Midnight Runners without violinist Helen O’Hara. She has an amazing story to tell and she’s written it all into a memoir titled ‘What’s She Like’, named after the Dexy’s Midnight Runners song that she herself inspired. It’s an exuberant, joyful account of a classical musical student who suddenly finds herself on Top of the Pops.
What’s She Like takes in Helen’s time working with Tanita Tikaram and Graham Parker before she walked away from music for more than two decades at the start of the 1990s. But inevitably her relationship with Dexys front man Kevin Rowland –both personal and professional – is at the heart of the book. It is even emblazoned on the cover. Helen O’Hara is actually her Dexys name, the one founder and front man Kevin Rowland anointed her with.
During our chat, Helen tells us about her early years, that stage name and the dynamic of being a member of one of the 80’s most popular British bands. She talks about her enduring friendship with Kevin Rowland so many years after their relationship ended. And she talks about why the recent re-release of the song ‘Come On Eileen’ was so incredibly important for Rowland.
