Frequently Asked Questions

The Oracle interviews Alain Nu

Alain Nu’s series of four one-hour specials titled "The Mysterious World of Alain Nu" ran on The Learning Channel.

O: First of all, Alain, congratulations on your series. It was excellent. How would you define the kind of material you performed on the series?

AN: Thanks for having me here. I’d define my material as “psychological entertainments” and some twists on mentalism classics, mixed with dangerous “mind stunts.”

O: You have said that to obtain a television series with magic or mentalism one must offer death- and/or injury-defying stunts.

AN: Correct. TV producers and networks want dangerous effects to be seen, because they believe they can get ratings this way.

O: It seems to us to reflect the current craze for some of the more sensational reality TV programs, such as “Fear Factor,” as well as some of the hard-charging computer games that have captured a significant portion of young America. Is this good for magic and mentalism?

AN: I think the work of artists (mentalists/magicians included) is always affected by our society in both good ways and bad ways. Personally, I wasn’t real fond of doing the dangerous stunts on TV, because I didn’t want my public to think just because I did it, it’s ok, you know? It’s just not something that I enjoy doing, because I feel that it sends people the wrong message as to why I do what I do. Nonetheless, I’m glad I did them. But I’m only glad because those stunts truly represented my own challenge that I was facing at the time.

O: Is the Alain Nu we saw on “The Mysterious World of Alain Nu” the real Alain Nu? How does it compare to the programs you present to college and corporate audiences?

AN: My hour-long corporate and college shows are much tighter programs, since they consist of material that I have been doing for years now. When you fill four hours of TV, one just has to realize how much material hits the cutting room floor – I performed about double the material that was actually seen on the specials. Many of the guys I credited on the specials didn’t even get to see what they were credited for! Four hours of TV is a much different animal than a 60-minute live show. Four hours of TV is an entire zoo.

O: Alain, exactly how would you define yourself as a performer?

AN: I’m an open book. People relate to me because I’m real with them. Smart people relate to me because I’m smart when I’m being real with them. My understanding of mentalism, the pulse of psychological trends, the powers that I possess, and the experience that I leave the people with is both spiritual and philosophical thing for me, and the people whom I come in contact with and those who know me can feel that, I think. I’m just a nice guy with extraordinary abilities.

O: We understand that your friend Allan Hayden referred you to the producer when asked if he knew anyone who could fill an hour TV special with creative original material that hadn’t been done before. Specifically, how did you win the contract?

AN: My producer Fedexed me a really expensive camera and some money to hire a crew to shoot some stuff for the demo-pilot. I came up with the “Exorcist staircase” stunt to do since I live close to there. We shot a few other effects, but it was the stunt on “The Exorcist” steps that got the attention of the Discovery network to begin with. See? I told you they liked dangerous stuff!

O: What was the experience like, taping four one-hour programs?

AN: We were on a limited budget, and had only 16 shooting days over a period of 3 months to invent, work out methods, script, engineer, and execute the plan (and mind you, I also had other shows booked that we had to work around). On the road, I was sleeping from 4 am to 8 am, shooting from 10 am to as late as 10 pm, and then engineering, scripting, and blocking from 11 pm to 4 am. There was a real blood, sweat, and tears happening. It was an enormously tremendous task; but now, that it’s over, I have four shows in the can; and frankly, I’m quite proud of them. I think they represent a truly sincere documentation of my experience.

O: What do you mean by “a sincere documentation of my experience?”

AN: It was simply me doing what I do, at the places where I did them. The majority of the effects seen were my own ideas. Every take was a first take. We never did the same thing twice for the same audience. And the audience’s reactions were always sincere and never prompted or contrived. Sometimes, as in the case with mystery performers, weird “extra-impossible” circumstances manifested to create an even better effect than imagined. Other times, when the odds were completely against us, weather included, a more golden outcome presented itself to us. Within the shooting of the specials, I’d say that we definitely beat the odds. And that’s what I’m all about – beating the odds.

O: Alain, in yours and similar specials, the camera angle frequently shifts from one angle to another, something several times in a single routine and obviously requires more than one camera. Magicians naturally become suspect of such techniques, wondering what they are not seeing, rather than focusing on what they are thinking. We wonder if lay people have the same thoughts. Do you have opinions of this?

AN: I didn’t have as much control in that arena as I wanted. But I can say there were no cutaways on my specials that were used to do anything sneaky. I think everyone has a natural inclination to be skeptical if they are not presented with the full picture of what’s going on, but you have to keep the camera angles moving to make good TV. It’s standard. Of course, I’m not saying that they couldn’t have done a better job with editing properly, but I know for a fact that, if we had more time, we would have done a better job.

O: One of the more sensational routines in the series was the dart catch. How many times did you film that to get what we actually saw on the screen?

AN: That’s what I’m saying by it’s a “sincere documentation” – ALL the stunts – EVERYTHING on the four specials that was shot was done as a first-take. Even many of the smaller effects. In fact, the only effects that were not first-take shots were the ones in which you got to see me do it a few times on TV (any card at any number, zodiac readings, the PK touches, serial number readings, etc.), but even so, those were in a sense first-takes, because you see them all presented anyway. I did those effects as “warm ups” to the actual effects that we were on that location to do. For the more elaborate effects (or the ones that simply were not already in my repertoire), we didn’t have time for second takes, frankly. You either saw me performing them on TV for the first time ever, or they didn’t make the cut.

O: Your website (www.alainnu.com) refers to the series, as well it should! Clearly the series enhances your reputation as a performer. How do you think the series will affect your performance style, or what audiences will expect from you?

AN: The series already has affected my performing style in many ways, but I could say that everything that happens to me every year affects my performing style in one way or another. These days I spend a little more time engaging people in how they can create positive change in their world and the world we share by realizing our true mental abilities and strengths. The show runs a little over an hour, during which I show many of the demonstrations that were witnessed on TV while telling the audience more about me, my purpose, and my personal experiences both on TV and in life.

O: Finally, Alain, what do you see as the trends in mentalism, spirit theater, and storytelling magic?

AN: With all the chaos of the world events, I believe that it’s natural for human evolution that we develop further the ability to lead and plant seeds within our minds that grow into future wisdom and move us all forward into a positive and healthier future. I believe that the time is now to realize that we, as mentalists, story-tellers, and spirit-theatre guides, are also guides for the creative spirit. It’s the creative spirit within us that moves us all forward as an intelligent species. So my prediction regarding mentalism, spirit theatre, and storytelling magic is this: We will start realizing more that our “alleged powers” actually have real powers of their own – and that power can affect positively the people around us. So don’t think we won’t use it!




	Frequently Asked Questions The Oracle interviews Alain Nu Alain Nu’s series of four one-hour specials titled "The Mysterious World of Alain Nu" ran on The Learning Channel. O: First of all, Alain, congratulations on your series. It was excellent. How would you define the kind of material you performed on the series? AN: Thanks for having me here. I’d define my material as “psychological entertainments” and some twists on mentalism classics, mixed with dangerous “mind stunts.” O: You have said that to obtain a television series with magic or mentalism one must offer death- and/or injury-defying stunts. AN: Correct. TV producers and networks want dangerous effects to be seen, because they believe they can get ratings this way. O: It seems to us to reflect the current craze for some of the more sensational reality TV programs, such as “Fear Factor,” as well as some of the hard-charging computer games that have captured a significant portion of young America. Is this good for magic and mentalism? AN: I think the work of artists (mentalists/magicians included) is always affected by our society in both good ways and bad ways. Personally, I wasn’t real fond of doing the dangerous stunts on TV, because I didn’t want my public to think just because I did it, it’s ok, you know? It’s just not something that I enjoy doing, because I feel that it sends people the wrong message as to why I do what I do. Nonetheless, I’m glad I did them. But I’m only glad because those stunts truly represented my own challenge that I was facing at the time. O: Is the Alain Nu we saw on “The Mysterious World of Alain Nu” the real Alain Nu? How does it compare to the programs you present to college and corporate audiences? AN: My hour-long corporate and college shows are much tighter programs, since they consist of material that I have been doing for years now. When you fill four hours of TV, one just has to realize how much material hits the cutting room floor – I performed about double the material that was actually seen on the specials. Many of the guys I credited on the specials didn’t even get to see what they were credited for! Four hours of TV is a much different animal than a 60-minute live show. Four hours of TV is an entire zoo. O: Alain, exactly how would you define yourself as a performer? AN: I’m an open book. People relate to me because I’m real with them. Smart people relate to me because I’m smart when I’m being real with them. My understanding of mentalism, the pulse of psychological trends, the powers that I possess, and the experience that I leave the people with is both spiritual and philosophical thing for me, and the people whom I come in contact with and those who know me can feel that, I think. I’m just a nice guy with extraordinary abilities. O: We understand that your friend Allan Hayden referred you to the producer when asked if he knew anyone who could fill an hour TV special with creative original material that hadn’t been done before. Specifically, how did you win the contract? AN: My producer Fedexed me a really expensive camera and some money to hire a crew to shoot some stuff for the demo-pilot. I came up with the “Exorcist staircase” stunt to do since I live close to there. We shot a few other effects, but it was the stunt on “The Exorcist” steps that got the attention of the Discovery network to begin with. See? I told you they liked dangerous stuff! O: What was the experience like, taping four one-hour programs? AN: We were on a limited budget, and had only 16 shooting days over a period of 3 months to invent, work out methods, script, engineer, and execute the plan (and mind you, I also had other shows booked that we had to work around). On the road, I was sleeping from 4 am to 8 am, shooting from 10 am to as late as 10 pm, and then engineering, scripting, and blocking from 11 pm to 4 am. There was a real blood, sweat, and tears happening. It was an enormously tremendous task; but now, that it’s over, I have four shows in the can; and frankly, I’m quite proud of them. I think they represent a truly sincere documentation of my experience. O: What do you mean by “a sincere documentation of my experience?” AN: It was simply me doing what I do, at the places where I did them. The majority of the effects seen were my own ideas. Every take was a first take. We never did the same thing twice for the same audience. And the audience’s reactions were always sincere and never prompted or contrived. Sometimes, as in the case with mystery performers, weird “extra-impossible” circumstances manifested to create an even better effect than imagined. Other times, when the odds were completely against us, weather included, a more golden outcome presented itself to us. Within the shooting of the specials, I’d say that we definitely beat the odds. And that’s what I’m all about – beating the odds. O: Alain, in yours and similar specials, the camera angle frequently shifts from one angle to another, something several times in a single routine and obviously requires more than one camera. Magicians naturally become suspect of such techniques, wondering what they are not seeing, rather than focusing on what they are thinking. We wonder if lay people have the same thoughts. Do you have opinions of this? AN: I didn’t have as much control in that arena as I wanted. But I can say there were no cutaways on my specials that were used to do anything sneaky. I think everyone has a natural inclination to be skeptical if they are not presented with the full picture of what’s going on, but you have to keep the camera angles moving to make good TV. It’s standard. Of course, I’m not saying that they couldn’t have done a better job with editing properly, but I know for a fact that, if we had more time, we would have done a better job. O: One of the more sensational routines in the series was the dart catch. How many times did you film that to get what we actually saw on the screen? AN: That’s what I’m saying by it’s a “sincere documentation” – ALL the stunts – EVERYTHING on the four specials that was shot was done as a first-take. Even many of the smaller effects. In fact, the only effects that were not first-take shots were the ones in which you got to see me do it a few times on TV (any card at any number, zodiac readings, the PK touches, serial number readings, etc.), but even so, those were in a sense first-takes, because you see them all presented anyway. I did those effects as “warm ups” to the actual effects that we were on that location to do. For the more elaborate effects (or the ones that simply were not already in my repertoire), we didn’t have time for second takes, frankly. You either saw me performing them on TV for the first time ever, or they didn’t make the cut. O: Your website (www.alainnu.com) refers to the series, as well it should! Clearly the series enhances your reputation as a performer. How do you think the series will affect your performance style, or what audiences will expect from you? AN: The series already has affected my performing style in many ways, but I could say that everything that happens to me every year affects my performing style in one way or another. These days I spend a little more time engaging people in how they can create positive change in their world and the world we share by realizing our true mental abilities and strengths. The show runs a little over an hour, during which I show many of the demonstrations that were witnessed on TV while telling the audience more about me, my purpose, and my personal experiences both on TV and in life. O: Finally, Alain, what do you see as the trends in mentalism, spirit theater, and storytelling magic? AN: With all the chaos of the world events, I believe that it’s natural for human evolution that we develop further the ability to lead and plant seeds within our minds that grow into future wisdom and move us all forward into a positive and healthier future. I believe that the time is now to realize that we, as mentalists, story-tellers, and spirit-theatre guides, are also guides for the creative spirit. It’s the creative spirit within us that moves us all forward as an intelligent species. So my prediction regarding mentalism, spirit theatre, and storytelling magic is this: We will start realizing more that our “alleged powers” actually have real powers of their own – and that power can affect positively the people around us. So don’t think we won’t use it!
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