Jacques the Lad If Brussels sounds like all politics and no soul, a series of exhibitions about one of its famous sons hopes to prove otherwise, writes Gwyn Topham • Gwyn Topham • Guardian Unlimited, • Tuesday December 31 2002 When your capital city is virtually synonymous with the faceless bureaucracy of the European Union, there's an urgent need to uncover a little of the romance, the tormented soul, that neighbouring France can effortlessly lay claim to. It's not surprising, then, that Brussels should now choose to promote a favourite son - albeit one who found fame in Paris - with the kind of soaring voice and rich, angst-filled lyrics that seem so impeccably French. Jacques Brel was born in Brussels in 1929, and started both a singing career and a family there before leaving to perform in Paris in his early twenties. Fame arguably might not have been his object: throughout his career he would often eschew big cities in favour of audiences in smaller or rural locations, an