The Power Of Belief With Mentalist Alain Nu: Seeing Is Believing

WALDORF, Md. – World-renowned mentalist Alain Nu stopped by The ArtsFam Podcast this past week to chat with cohosts Lindsey Pommerenck and James LePore about his upcoming show The Man Who Knows at The Rex on Friday, January 23rd and Saturday, January 24th. 

Nu is an Asian American mentalist who is half-Vietnamese and half-Chinese. Born to two brilliant parents who met while studying library sciences at university, he grew up in a world where limits did not exist when it came to him exploring his interests. He shares, “By the time I was seven or so, my father really wanted me to start reading more. He was working at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC and he said, “I work in the largest library in the world, which basically means that whatever you want to learn, I can give you books on that subject.” Immediately I said, “well, can you get me books on magic?””

Once he began learning about magic from the books his father brought home for him, he immediately realized that his brain excelled at learning the steps of each trick that was found within the pages. The idea of creating his own magic show greatly appealed to him as a young child and became an ever-present goal. 

When asked by cohost Lindsey Pommerenck if there was a mystical element to his mentalism act, Nu shared, “The answer to that question would honestly be, yes and no. You can either look at it like, yes, there’s something mystical about it. And there’s really hardly anyone who can argue that with you. Whereas if you say, no, there’s nothing mystical about it. There’s really no one who can argue against that either. It’s really about what you believe in. And I think that’s a beautiful thing. That gives you freedom of choice. But I think that the most interesting thing about it is, if you actually decide to pontificate on that subject matter, it makes you realize just how important belief is.”

Alain Nu said that he regularly has cool experiences with audience members, specifically during his question and answer section of his shows. One such experience during a show in Farmville, Virginia when he was asked by an audience member what the name of the member’s son was came to mind. Nu felt confident in his abilities that day, so he asked if the son’s name began with the letter J. He then thought of the name Jaylin and asked if that was it. Gobsmacked, the audience member confirmed that was the case. Nu shares his perspective on the curious situation, “When things like that happen to me, I don’t really even know how I did it. Sometimes you’ve got to try. Sometimes you’ve got to put it in the effort. And sometimes something amazing happens that even amazes you.”

Throughout the interview the mentalist performed multiple demonstrations of his abilities on both cohosts – bending a metal spoon without physical exertion and a card prediction. By the end of the interview, cohost James LePore joked that he was so adamant that everyone come witness Nu’s magical feats that he would transport them to the show himself. Lindsey Pommerenck was happily flustered from the unexplainable events that took place during the episode. To watch the episode in its entirety, enjoy the latest episode of The ArtsFam Podcast embedded at the top of this article. To purchase tickets to Alain Nu’s show, click here or here.