Until July...
/This is the final post for June. Regular posting resumes Monday, July 7th. The next issue of the Love Letters newsletter for supporters comes out Sunday, July 6th.
Sex-criminal, Michel Salmon, aka Cyril Hubert, from Belgium has been kicked out of the Global League of Magicians and Mentalists.
Michel/Cyril was a karate instructor when he raped a pre-teen girl. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison in 2008. He had also been accused of sexually assaulting others, including his daughter.
This doughy little shithead has accusations against him going as far a back as 1989.
And, honestly, from looking at him, I can’t imagine he brought much to the table as a karate instructor other than a profoundly punchable face.
When not sexually assaulting children, he enjoys holding Rubik’s Cubes, at least that’s what I gather from his dull Facebook profile.
Also from his facebook page:
”Ma passion, c'est de jouer au magicien pour divertir adultes et enfants durant vos événements!”
”My passion is performing as a magician to entertain both adults and children at your events!”
Oh, I don’t doubt your “passion” for “les enfants.” That’s precisely the problem.
For those of you who are in the “just write about magic—leave that other stuff to the justice system” crowd, I don’t think you get it. I am writing about magic. I’m writing about magician Cyril Hubert, whose real name is Michel Salmon, who is a child rapist and likes Rubik’s Cubes.
I will leave you with these two quotes from two different articles about the man. One from 2008 and the other 2018. Together, they’re kind of chilling. And they’re precisely the reason I’ll continue to report on these cases and call out these people who have managed to hide their history from the internet and use magic as an excuse to get close to kids.
[Vanessa was 11 years old when she began taking classes with a pedophile karate instructor in Havelange. She is now on her third suicide attempt.]
Switching gears,
Jonathan S., draws my attention to this article:
He writes:
This Atlantic article is about a sport I had no idea existed: people around the world playing competitive "Which Hand" games, but for real. Experts can figure out who's telling the truth and who's bluffing with startling accuracy.
This seems like an amazing premise for any Which Hand type routine.
Yes, but… remember to take the premise up a notch. “I can actually do it blindfolded.” Or, “I’m the only player in the world that can predict in advance which hand you’ll choose, round after round.”
Because if your premise is just, “Look at this game that genuinely exists. I’m actually really good at it.” Then you’re veering very close to just pointing out a real thing and then lying about your skill at it. That’s not exactly magic.
Learn this and other techniques in Oz Pearlman’s second Penguin Live lecture devoted entirely to techniques for getting more gigs.
New ideas/tools in the Digital Appendix for The Test, Breakfast With You, and The Enigmatic Card.
See you all back here in July. The year is almost half over. Summer is here. Don’t let it pass you by. Go to the beach with your boys and check out the babes.
