Morrissey is busy preparing his next solo album for release as he whittles down that 660-page memoir draft, but his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr has turned his attention toward film and television scores a bit, while also working on solo music. As previously reported, Marr’s follow-up to his remarkable collaborative effort scoring Inception with Hans Zimmer comes in the form of The Big Bang, an Antonio Banderas-starring crime-action-noir flick that will be released on DVD this month.

Speaking to Spinner, Marr revealed that director Tony Krantz recruited him on the basis of his 2003 solo album with the Healers, Boomslang: “[Krantz] was using terminology not normally associated with me — things like ‘trippy,’ ‘heavy,’ ‘psychedelic,’ ‘expansive. Those are not words usually associated with the work I did in the Smiths or Electronic.” Good news for fans of that LP also arrived this week: “I just want to write more than enough material to avoid ducking back into the studio to record a follow-up album,” Marr told Billboard of his plans to make 2 solo albums shortly.

Additionally, Marr has been enlisted to score the second season of the David Cross-starring IFC comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. Below, you can preview an impressive, Inception-esque track from Marr’s Big Bang score alongside his catchy theme song to Todd Margaret, “Life is Sweet”:

While we certainly won’t be hearing news of a Smiths reunion anytime soon, the backstory from what’s been a long and, at times, tumultuous career for the band’s enigmatic 51-year-old frontman is well on the way. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s John Wilson yesterday, Morrissey reiterated his stance that “there really is no point” to an onstage reunion with Johnny Marr, as he’s “very happy with the Smiths’ legacy,” before providing an update on the status of his long-awaited memoirs:

“I’ve reached the redrafting, trimming stage… and I just wonder if 660 pages are too much for people to bear,” said Moz. “And then I sit down and think, well, are six pages too much for people to bear? I really don’t know, so I’m trimming.”

Despite highly publicized interest from a number of publishing houses, Morrissey added that he has yet to sell the forthcoming book to a publisher. Then, employing his trademark cheeky wit, Moz confirmed a report that he’d like his memoirs to be the first book ever published on the Penguin Classics imprint for its first edition. You can revisit his “Supreme 13 Singles” here and/or stream the full chat below:

While I’ve probably heard The Smiths’ “Girlfriend in a Coma” a thousand times at this point, the timeless tune’s reggae influence never really struck me… until today: A treasure trove of unreleased cuts recorded by Morrissey, Johnny Marr, and the boys in the mid ’80s hit the Web this week, including a take on “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” with the original final lyric (“There is a light in your eyes and it never goes out”), a John Porter-produced/band-rejected version of “Sheila Take A Bow,” and the aforementioned reggae-tinged arrangement of Moz and Co.’s trademark tongue-in-cheek jam.

Visit Slicing Up Eyeballs for the details on this epic 16-track unveiling and hear the early “Girlfriend in a Coma” cut below:

Moz railing against the government over animal rights is certainly nothing new, but when was the last time the former Smiths frontman publicly supported his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr? Perhaps there’s hope for a reunion yet. For now, however, the pair have only bonded over a political tweet: “I would like to, if I may, offer support to Johnny Marr who has spoken out to the media this week against David Cameron,” Morrissey wrote today in a screed posted on True To You. “To those who have expressed concern over Johnny’s words in view of the fact that David Cameron has pledged immense allegiance to the music of the Smiths, I would like to try to explain why I think Johnny is right not to be flattered.”

Morrissey shared his thirteen favorite LPs with us last month, and now, in celebration of his remastered, re-artworked, and bonus material-packed reissue of 1988 single “Everyday Is Like Sunday” (aka the rabbit rights song), Moz has counted down “Supreme 13 Singles” on his Facebook page.

A few of his favorite cuts might sound familiar (The Supremes’ “I’m Livin’ In Shame,” The Crystals’ “All Grown Up,” etc.), but Moz included plenty of more obscure picks, as well. Check out the “Supreme” list and stream all 13 songs below:

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.