(1) BAD REPUTATION is composer/singer/songwriter Pierre de Gaillande's latest musical venture. It is a translation of the lyrics of iconic French anarchist poet/singer Georges Brassens into English. Pierre is currently at work on an illustrated book of the translated poems along with a CD of the songs performed in English, to be released jointly by Barbes Records and Ugly Duckling Presse in June 2010. He has begun performing these songs at venues around New York and elsewhere with a band of talented musicians. Ever since I was a child, explains Pierre, my father, who is now a French professor living in Los Angeles, was a fan of Brassens. I grew up hearing his music around the house constantly. Growing up in California with a French father and an American mother, I was always stuck between two cultures, and striving to understand what it meant to be French. To a large extent, the music and philosophy of Brassens defined 'Frenchness' for me. As I get older, I realize that these ideals have informed and guided me throughout life. The idea for this translation came to me when my father sent me a translation of one of Brassens’ texts and asked me to put it to music. With BAD REPUTATION, Pierre has undertaken a daunting task; to translate a collection of Brassens' songs, strictly adhering to the rhyme scheme, meter, and meaning of the original texts, while preserving their musicality and lyricism in English. Moreover, he is attempting to convince legions of loyal, stubborn Bras...