Morrissey 'midway' through first novel Following the success of his memoirs last year, former Smiths frontman Morrissey has revealed that he is "midway through" writing a novel. In an outspoken attack on the music industry, the singer disclosed his reasons for turning to fiction: "The actuality is that radio stations will not play my music, and the majority of people have lost faith in the music industry, and it's generally assumed - quite rightly - that the number one chart positions are 'bought' by the major labels, so there really is no passion left in pop or rock music, and I don't think people believe for an instant that the faces we constantly see on television and in magazines are remotely popular. It's all, now, solely a question of marketing. All success stories are safe and dreary, and you will never be taken by surprise by a hit song that sounds out of place. This is not just my view but the view of everyone I know. Despite this, however, Morrissey also told fans that he "never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever stop[s] listening to music" and revealed that "we are about to record our new album, and one of the tracks is called Istanbul." Any hopes that this hinted at a new Smiths record were dashed, however: "As an entity, I have no interest in the Smiths," the singer said. Morrissey's Autobiography was published by Penguin Classics in October last year and topped the best-seller charts in its first week. Described by The Telegraph's Neil McCormick as an "audacious literary heist with a beautifully measured prose style that combines a lilting, poetic turn of phrase and an acute quality of observation," Autobiography charted the lengthy legal battles concerning Smiths royalties and also revealed that the notoriously private singer's first relationship with a man came in his thirties. A spokesman for bookseller Waterstones said: "As with all things Morrissey, we will believe it when we see it. But if he is writing a novel, like Nick Cave before him, he will find a ready audience for it. It will sell well and quickly. If it is very good, it will be read and talked about for a very long time - I imagine it is the latter Morrissey will be aiming for.