Portobello Belle

I worked as a street performer in the 80s in Portobello road. I recognise some of the people in the song. The "man on his back there escaping from a sack there" was a hard-drinking escapologist up at the top end near the Earl of Lonsdale who had one trick getting free of a chain he asked someone from the crowd to tighten, collect the money and down to the pub. He was miserable old bastard who had been there since the 50s I was told by some stallholders. He actually threatened me once cos I took his pitch and he was desperate for a drink. "The blind man singing Irish" was a blind busker on the corner further down the road. He collected his money in a kind of brass collection dish that organ grinders usually had. The song (he sang "about the long gone Irish girl" was "Molly Malone", (She wheels her barrow through streets broad and narrow etc) , with which MK also hinted at the long-goneness of the Belle.

I don`t know who the "Belle" was but I imagined her as a crazy irish drinker whohad kind oflost the plot("torn up all her roots,now")staggering round the street dancing and giving people a bit of lip etc. Plenty of them in Portobello and the West End. Notting Hill was still quite a rough area in those days before the movie "Notting Hill" kicked off the gentrification.

Great song. .