Longtime vegetarian, animal rights advocate, and letter-to-the-editor writer Morrissey has penned a note to the UK’s Times newspaper declaring his support for Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe’s unveiling and subsequent denouncement of the practice of killing Canadian brown bears for the purpose of lining Royal Guard hats with their fur. As transcribed by fansite Morrissey-Solo, Moz writes:

I first started reading Interview Magazine’s new Q&A between Morrissey and his longtime friend/collaborator Linder Sterling with a notepad nearby, ready to jot down a few inevitably brilliant quotes. Three exchanges in, however, and the page was full, as this interview is not only an unrelenting quote machine, but also the most inspiring read of the day at worst and the Holy Bible of art-related conversation at best.

We’re more than two months out from hearing Laundromat Records’ Sing Me to Sleep, a charity compilation of lullabies and other songs, but the Mystic, CT based indie label is offering up a preview of the forthcoming covers project in the meantime. Currently streaming on their online radio page is Stars’ rendition of the Smiths’ “Asleep,” the B-side to their 1985 hit single “The Boy With the Thorn In His Side,” as well as other well-chosen cover songs, including Dean & Britta’s take on the Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” from a separate tribute album that came out in January.

It’s no wonder they’ve chosen Stars’ cover as a preview for this compilation: Amy Millan’s dreamy and forlorn lead vocal pretty much hits the indie pseudo-lullaby vibe on the head with her reverb-drenched take on Morrissey’s original. Notably absent are the Smiths’ faux-wind sound effects.

All proceeds go to children’s health care charity The Valerie Fund, so pre-order here, grab a cup of chamomile tea, and stream away here (Stars are track #17).

It makes sense that the self-proclaimed “custodians of twentieth-century Modernist poetry” would pen an open letter to Morrissey, persuading begging Moz to let them publish his much-anticipated autobiography, I suppose. After all, if “history demands it” and “destiny commands it,” as they say, publishing house Faber & Faber must know what they’re talking about.

To be fair, parts of Lee Blackstone’s (nice publisher name!) plea are a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the overall sentiment of “pretty please give us your most coveted memoirs” rings honest and true.

As Slicing Up Eyeballs duly notes, the memoirs du Moz are, in fact, in the works, as he told the BBC (via NY Times) a few years back that he had begun work on the project to set “the record straight” about the many “really silly and really extreme” misquotes attributed to the former Smiths singer over the years.

Who knows if this sure to be brilliant book will ever see the light of day, but here’s hoping Morrissey decides to respond to this letter publicly, amusingly (as always), and soon.

The Manchester District Music Archive has uncovered the first ever known Smiths live review (see below), from the City Fun fanzine, of the second Smiths gig ever (and first with their classic lineup) at Manchester’s Manhattan Sound. You could pull any number of quotes from this fascinating artifact for Smiths fans and music nerds historians to enjoy, but my personal favorite is this bit at the end, which refers to the band’s 23-year-old frontman: “If the boy’s head is anything to go by, The Smiths are going to be B-I-G.” Well played, indeed.

Check out this awesome document below, via Manchester District Music Archive, and for more info on this show, as well as a brilliant archive of Smiths live info, visit Passions Just Like Mine. (Thanks for the tip, George!)

So you probably heard about Rage Against the Machine’s recent campaign to dethrone “X Factor”/”American Idol” eye-roller Simon Cowell from his Christmastime pop charts kingdom by starting a Facebook group rallying fans to purchase “Killing in the Name” the same week Cowell hoped for Joe McElderry to wake up with a number one single under the tree. Well, they succeeded(?) with their “Anarchy Christmas Miracle,” and now a group of Smiths fans have launched a chart-topping coup attempt of their own.

“Celebrate [the] 25th Anniversary of Meat is Murder by making “How Soon Is Now?” UK No.1 [on] February 11,” proclaims their Facebook group, adding later, “Let’s put real music back in the headlines and celebrate one of the UK’s greatest bands ever.”

Between scoring Antonio Banderas-starring films, TV shows, jamming with the Cribs, and fielding a daily barrage of Smiths reunion questions, Johnny Marr has apparently found time for a one-off art film project. Well, 30 seconds at least. Southbank Centre reports that director Fiona Skinner’s entry in a competition to produce a 30-second video representing artist Ed Ruscha’s “Fifty Years of Painting” exhibition has been declared the victor.

That alone wouldn’t compel us to post, but then there’s this bit: Skinner tapped Smiths legend Johnny Marr to narrate and score the video, which pays homage to Ruscha’s piece “Noise.”

Check out Morrissey’s former guitarist’s work here or below:

No word yet on whether Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood will be following up his thrilling soundtrack to There Will Be Blood anytime soon, but we now have one more famous axe slinger-penned film score to look forward to: Ex-Smiths and current Cribs/Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr is set to write the first film score of his career, reports MovieScore (via Playlist).

According to producer Reece Pearson, Marr will compose original music for The Big Bang, “a neo-noir detective story” starring Antonio Banderas as a Los Angeles-based private eye who’s investigating the murder of a stripper.