Peter Latimer was Morrissey's role model?

Dylan Jones claims in his article for Mail Online, that the character of 'Pansy' Peter Latimer who starred in Roll on Four O' Clock, a 1970 TV play based in a Manchester School, not only influenced Morrissey but many 'emo' figures after him, as the archetype of the Neurotic Boy Outsider:

...Colin Welland had it about right.

The star of Roll On Four O’Clock, Welland’s 1970 TV play about the staff and pupils of a Manchester Secondary Modern, was a teenage outcast called 'Pansy' Peter Latimer.

Wearing blue jeans, a fawn roll-neck sweater, a blond fop fringe and a black leather jacket with ‘Pete’ written on the back in round silver studs, Latimer was the school oddball – tormented, bullied and relentlessly beaten up.

It's not difficult to see where Morrissey drew his inspiration from - it's surprising that 'Pansy' Peter Latimer hasn't turned up on the cover of one of his records

'Latimer, he’s a special case,' says one teacher.

'He’s not a bad lad,' says another, 'for a creep.'

Latimer was Britain’s first home-grown Neurotic Boy Outsider who wasn’t a singer or an actor. He was a bona fide internalised rebel; a teacher’s pet who hated games, an outsider who longed for acceptance.

It’s not difficult to see where Morrissey drew his inspiration from, and it’s surprising that 'Pansy' Pete hasn’t turned up on the cover of one of Morrissey’s records, a Northern role model to rival Pat Phoenix in Coronation Street or Albert Finney in Saturday Night And Sunday Morning.

There are few more classic pop archetypes than the Neurotic Boy Outsider...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mos...y-Morning-Jacket-Time-folk.html#ixzz1WphSBTBz
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh I saw that, it was repeated on BBC 2 in the early 90s, in a season about shows made by Granada. It was brilliant and I've wanted to see it again ever since. It was so dead on and close to the bone - Lattimer was a gay school kid, y'see.. relentlessly bullied by staff and teachers.
 
Peter Latimer was the character. The actor who played him was called Frank Heaton.

Strange how Morrissey has never acknowledged this play at all, or lifted lines from it like he did in A taste of Honey.
 

Trending Threads

Back
Top Bottom