On Saturday, Singaporean magicians JC Sum and Magic Babe Ning, broke the world record for reading 100 minds in under an hour, and they were also made Patrons Of Magic by the International Brotherhood of Magicians Singapore Ring 115.
Hang on, you say, what does magic have to do with music? Well, have you heard the song Magic Carpet Ride as performed by Steppenwolf? Here it is.
It’s a song about dreaming and flying at night with a girl by your side and Aladdin’s lamp and fantasy and, if nothing else, works well as our a tenuous link for the interview with JC Sum and Magic Babe Ning.
You guys broke yet another record on Saturday. Are you still on cloud nine, or drifting back to earth?
Magic Babe Ning: I wish it was either but my hectic work schedule definitely keeps me grounded all the time. There’s simply no time or place to rest on laurels when I’ve got important projects packed back to back; filming for various television shows & live performances. But having said that, I’m truly proud The Mind Heist was a big success and we made Singapore proud by setting this new world record!
JC Sum: I don’t think we ever left earth! We have always got both feet planted on the ground… unless we are levitating or teleporting. But seriously, like Ning said, keeping ourselves grounded all the time ensures our mega illusions and shows are current and remain relevant to our audience.
During the Mind Heist, did you guys think “uh oh, running out of time, maybe cannot make it”?
Ning: Yes, it was a very very close shave since we completed the mind heisting with 100 per cent accuracy in an official time of 59 minutes 51 seconds, with only a mere 9 seconds to spare!!! But even though the process wasn’t an easy one and there were several stressful moments, we did our utmost best and I nearly cried tears of joy and relief, when the officials from Singapore Book of Records and International Brotherhood of Magicians told us final results!
JC: I knew we were behind time halfway through the stunt as I asked the officials for the time. Typically, at that point, we were always at the 20-minute mark as that was the time we hit consistently during our run-throughs. However, during the actual “Mind Heist”, we were more than 10 minutes behind time. So, I knew we were quite late and it would be close. But, I knew expected it to be that close.
Which one of the audience had the dirty thoughts?
Ning: The hottie seating on the third row, fifth from left. Meowrrr!
JC: I wish…
You have accomplished some amazing feats in the past few years. How do you feel about that?
Ning: There’s a great power when you realise you’re a possibility maker who touches and inspires others with your work because through you, they’re reminded that nothing is impossible and one shouldn’t limit themselves. The fact that our 9th mega illusion has been yet another hit, it resonates deeply within me that the best is yet to come 
JC: I’ve been doing this since 1993, so it does not seem like that short span of time. But, I’m really thankful for what we have been able to do for magic and for Singapore magic in particular so it keeps me motivated.
Truthfully now, can you guys do the Jedi Mind Trick?
Ning: Hell yeah, all the time. But if it fails, there’s always the pinch of death I can do to get my way, since I’m also a martial arts expert on pressure points. Would you like a demo? (wiggles fingers)
JC: You did not ask that question (Waves hand)
("You did not see this book": JC and Ning practice the Jedi Mind Trick)
What does being a Patron Of Magic entail? Is it like being a patron saint of magic?
Ning: We didn’t get our own chapel, but JC and I did get a very big and heavy trophy that reminds me of Harry Potter’s Quidditch cup! Haha. I’m truly very honoured the International Brotherhood of Magicians has bestowed upon us this extremely prestigious award and as the only Singaporeans presented this, our focused aim is to really help elevate the art of magic here even further. There’s just so much untapped potential!
JC: The award was a nice icing on the cake on top of our successful world record. But, even without it, we would still continue to push the envelope and break glass ceilings for magicians, not just in Singapore but for the rest of the world too. If we, in our own small way, can create illusions that make waves in all corners of the world, it brings the art of magic to more people, thus benefiting all magicians. So, being a Patron of Magic is a nice acknowledgement of how far we have pushed the art.
Here’s the thing: There are those who still think that magic shows are for children’s birthday parties or old folks’. How can you change their minds?
JC: We hope that our mega illusions and original stunts open their eyes to how magic has shifted. But, we also need the greater magic community as a whole to move forward to change the minds of the people who have a narrower view of magic. While we have awesome magicians in the world that push magic forward like David Copperfield, David Blaine, Criss Angel, Penn & Teller, Lu Chen and Cyril Takayama and several of our close magic friends that we really respect, we need more magicians to abandon the copycat “me too” type of acts and move away from magic that has been performed countless times before for the past few decades. Music evolves as an industry, magic should too.
Ning: Easy. Use the Jedi mind trick. Or the pinch of death.
("Ning, this isn't the solve Rubik's Cube in one hour competition")
Originality is a big part of magic, and how big a deal is that for you? Are you like, “Oh that person has done that cut a woman in half thing, we can’t do that?”? Are you worried about running out of ideas?
JC: We are in the business of the impossible and we know that nothing is impossible! So, we are not afraid of running out of ideas… just yet. We have three more original ideas for mega illusions, two stage illusions and two TV shows.
Ning: JC and I were recognised in 2009 as the “Most Original Illusionists of the Year” by the International Magicians Society and presented with the Merlin Awards, considered the Oscars of Magic (David Copperfield is also a past Merlin recipient). So yes, we always strive to be fresh and unique in our work, unless it is a performance in context of honoring the classics. We’re constantly working on new things and it’s always been a consistent flow of new ideas because there’s just so many things and interesting people out there, which inspire that magical spark of creativity!
Is there a time where you see yourselves not doing this?
JC: Sure! Once we have done all we can to elevate the art to the best of our abilities, it will be time to hang up the magic wand!
Ning: There are ups and downs for sure, in every typical 16-hour work day, but I love my job passionately and I know there’s still so much more of me that I can give… So I really can’t see myself not doing magic, escapes and illusions anymore but I do see myself daring to try out new things, exploring untouched realms like writing for instance.
My book Adventures Of 2 Girls, co-written with my best friend will be published this July by Marshall Cavendish International. And if I ever get approached for an Asian super heroine type movie, I’d absolutely love to be in it… I’d do all my own stunts too!
Our intrepid Alvin went down on Saturday to witness that record-breaking feat. Check it out!
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