NEWQUAY '78

In memory of my old friend Gary Powell who tragically took his own life a few years ago..... One of the original members of "The Boys" our very select group of teenage trend setters. RIP 

I suppose
I could be selective
With the retrospective,
Though I won't
'Cause I can't,
A liar I ain't,
This was Newquay '78.
Great summertime,
Hot sunny days
Cornwall basking
In shimmering haze,
We arrived
In a drunken blaze.
Me and the boys
Fresh outta toys
Girls now our joys,
Back in Newquay '78.
The town at night
We stood out,
Put it about
Moody pout.
We looked mean
Powerful, yet lean
Anger of James Dean,
It'd never been seen
In Newquay '78.
Mad landlady
Kicked out of digs
For behaving like pigs.
Ha ha! We laughed in her face,
Stomped from the place
Her old man did chase.
But, when we faced him
He backed down
So we walked into town
And drank the night away
In Newquay '78.
Lusty glaze
Beautiful sandy beach
Girls ass like a peach,
Kevin grabbed a feel
That wasn't the deal
Whoa there keep it real.
It wasn't much,
In fact
Only a slight touch
She still slapped him!
A learning curve
In Newquay '78.
Gary had gone!
Things got bad
He'd gone quite mad,
Ran off to the hills
Alcohol and pills.
Lay under the stars
His kicks and thrills
In a potato field
Near Newquay '78.
Staggering about
Followed by the law,
Head feeling sore
Our friend a sorry sight.
Life was his plight
The police he'd fight
Rebellious youth
In Newquay '78.
I look back
Most of it a blur
Booze shadowed what did occur,
Kevin, Gary and Me
I look back fondly.
Misguided yes
But take a guess,
Of course
I'd do it again
In Newquay.
It may be too late
I may be
Past my sell by date,
My body wouldn't allow
What it did then
In the summer
Of Seventy Eight.

Phil Hall  June 2014.