This period you could call the cream of my youth, I was single, had a car,(A black 1952 ford V8 Pilot with a lovely comfortable back seat) had one of the best driving jobs in the transport industry, plenty of money in my pocket and only my dick to keep, on top of this it was during (What I consider) to be the greatest decade of the twentieth century, the fifties, there was very little unemployment, no violence in the pubs or streets, no racial problems and the rise of some of the greatest legends in the pop world.
There was Elvis Priestly, The Big Bopper, Paul Anka, Bill Haley and the Comets, Johnny Ray, Frankie Lane, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Ricky Valence and more.
I can remember standing for hours around the juke box feeding it money and listening to all of these stars; it was sixpence a record or five for two bob. It is impossible to describe the feeling of enjoyment standing around the juke box while this fantastic new music was belting out and when songs like "shake rattle and roll" and “rock around the clock" were released they were played none stop for days
When we came back onto the Island after a nights drinking binge we would drive to the Unic cafe, (which was next to Taylors garage down the village )drive up onto the pavement and skid to a halt about six inches from the plate glass window, (1ust to scare the birds sifting by the window, as you will have guessed we were show offs and lairs) swagger into the cafe' and throw a couple of bob to the girls standing around the juke box for them to play some music and then go into the back room where we would have a game of cards (the owner did not mind this providing we would keep buying food and teas and he also liked a game of cards) we played pontoon or nine card brag at sixpence a hand and he would keep the cafe' open until we all went, sometimes this was as late as early morning.
Now I will say this that during all of my teenage years I never once heard any talk of drugs or knew of anyone who took them, in fact, we did not even know they existed, and I cannot recall anybody even mentioning the word suicide (in fact life was too good to even contemplate it.