Big-time magicians such as Penn and teller, Siegfried & Roy and David Copperfield find mass appeal through television, touring shows and the Las Vegas show-biz machine. They're like rock stars, attracting crowds of thousands with their flashy skills and style.

But there's more to magic than all that glitz and glamour.

In Dallas, street magicians do it on the sidewalk and in bars for tips. Local pros do it in corporate settings such as trade shows and conventions.

Some are in it for money and fame, others offer deeper messages- that magic stimulates our thoughts and emotions, and reminds us that things are not always as they appear.

We surveyed several Dallas-based magicians to find out what's up their sleeves...

Approach: Bizzaro choreographs his illusions to techno rock. His shows use a cast of eight, and his specialties include chewing razor blades, swallowing animal balloons and producing multiple eyeballs. "We strive to be different," Bizzaro says. "A guy in a tux producing doves and cutting scantily clad females in half - my group and I are out to prove that there is more." He explains his style of "demented" magic as being "As dangerous to the field of prestidigitation as mad cow disease; Bizzaro is truly the anthrax of magic."

Typical gig: Bizzaro's regular gig is at Club Clearview on Thursdays and Saturdays between 10p.m. and 1a.m. (between band sets) He's also performed at Screams Haunted House in Waxahachie and in corportate settings.

Other Tricks: Bizzaro is mascot and special effects coordinator for local band Alex Can't Sleep.

Who's the best?: "Rudy Coby, Sylvester the Jester, Penn & Teller and The Amazing Jonathan.

Frequently asked: "Where did the Balloon go?" Bizzaro replied to one woman, "In my fallopian tube." She didn't know where that was.

Booking Information: 214-764-3853 or e-mail: smappdooda@hotmail.com

Nancy Moore/Dallas Morning News, March 9th, 2001