Bertrand Pierre was inspired by Victor Hugo, and Victor Hugo was inspired by his very active love life. As it turns out, Hugo’s little love poems make for great song lyrics.

Tired of stuffy old grammar exercises in text books? Come along with Lionel and learn something about the use of gender in French. This one’s fun, we promise — and no boring rules to memorize!

French-Canadian singer-songwriter Pascale—who prefers to introduce herself in verse rather than give the usual “hello my name is”—tells us of the importance of maintaining optimism and lightness in the face of hardship.

We hear a bit more from the lovely Pascale: on her beginnings in the musical world (she started early), her new album, and her music’s special combination of rhythm and soul.

Lionel shows us that sometimes there are better things to do than stay all day in an office building to pay rent for an apartment we can’t even spend time in. (And yes, the word “travail” really is related to the word “torture.”) Remember, the revolution starts with you!

Meet Les Nubians, two singer-songwriter sisters who grew up in both Paris and Chad and whose music has been nominated for several awards, including a Grammy (and not just in the World Music category, thank you very much). We know we’re big fans!

Hélène and Célia tell us about their musical influences, origins, and inspiration. When they encountered prejudice about Africa and Africans upon coming back to France, Les Nubians used music to paint a truer picture of African culture.

We’re all a part of this big, happy family that is humanity. Now if only we could get our “universal citizen” passports…

Sure, the kitchen might be a little smaller on a yacht, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare a delicious dish! Patrick Barbary whips up some pasta for us and invites us to dine with him. Cheers, Captain!

Captain Barbary takes us around his yacht and shows us a few of his nautical necessities, like basil and something to take care of the bad guys…