Since the late ‘70s, Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine has reveled in his role as the black sheep of French rock. If not explicitly punk in sound, Thiéfaine certainly internalized the genre's core philosophies, building his reputation on lean, wiry rock 'n' roll, transgressive lyricism, and nonconformist attitude. Having experimented with everything from folk song confessionals to minimalist synth-pop, Thiéfaine remains a formidable figure in French music in the 21st century, graduating from misfit outsider to revered elder statesman with his iconoclastic spirit intact.