A momentous week in France (quite apart from the global spiral towards financial chaos), which saw the 30th anniversary of the death of Jacques Brel, perhaps France's most famous singer-songwriter, and the announcement of the farewell tour of the man who is perhaps France's most famous living singer, the man they simply call Johnny. In fact both of them are Belgian by birth, but we'll ignore that - the French often do, in the case of les belges wallons.
If Hallyday is best described as a French Elvis who didn't (quite) kill himself young, Brel is much less easily characterised. Newsreel of his stage performances invariably show him alone in a spotlight, dressed in a dark suit and tie, his face covered in a sheen of sweat. He seems to be loved mainly for his lyrics and astute commentary on life. As much a poet as a singer.
Which leads us neatly on to the other big news in the French cultural world - the French author JMG Le Clezio winning the Nobel prize for literature. The news had been widely acclaimed despite the fact that he's half-British.
