Some truly touching testimonies here.

Thus far I've been resisting the temptation to include an anecdote PB related at a gig at The Bay Hotel Folk Club in Cullercoats, circa 1986 (?) which caused several of the audience to leave the room in high dudgeon, and even gave us loyal Bellamists pause to ponder. This concerned an event he'd sang at in the USA with some American Folk Singer (can't remember which one) who enquired of two young girls who'd turned up expecting to sing: 'And how long have you been professional folk singers?' To which they replied they weren't in any way professionals, but just sang for pleasure. 'Well,' quoth the AFS ' - You can fuck off then.' PB not only thought this somehow just, but also hilarious; as I say I had my reservations at the time, and I have them now, but wasn't that all part of the - er - charm of the man? On another occasion, as I recall, he stayed with mild-mannered Christian folkies who later reported their horror when PB having asked if they minded if he smoked proceedeed to skin up a spliff.

The Bellamist rejoices in such warts-and-all anecdotage as part & parcel of his very singular genius; a genius way too big for the folk scene. PB was a man could show Vivian Stanshall a thing or two about flamboyance in most respects, and whatever his politics may or may not have been, the humanity of the man was faultless. Here's what Dick Gaughan has to say about him:

http://www.dickgaughan.co.uk/chain/peter-bellamy.html

*

you and Rachel are the focus of a serious personality cult down here at The Beech, erm ........honest.

The feeling is entirely mutual, Les! Rest assured, we'll be back withing the year...