Yeah - it is true - I used to respond to "can you make my wife disappear" with, "keep talking like that and I am sure she will disappear on her very own" - haha, back when I would get frustrated with the common lines.
Then I did go the route of having a stock line prepared - but it never really satisfied me or the audience - they would either laugh...or realize that I must have heard that joke 100000 times and I was prepared...in which case, I was NO better than the person making the common joke...actually, by having a stock line prepared for a stock line...then being upset at the stock line used by the audience, I was being a bit of a hippocrate.
I then tried to carry a written prediction in my pocket that said, "No, I can't make your bill disappear" and "No, I can't make your wife disappear" and when they said the line, try to make it like I knew they would say that...after sharing that idea with Eric LeClerc, he added a selection to the process and a little something something that he released under Jay Sankey's Jam Sessions and was kind enough to credit me for my inspiration. LeClerc's ILUS (I love unoriginal Spectators) allowed you to make a prediction that the person that said, "can you make my wife disappear will pick the 6 of hearts" - or whatever - a great effect.
However, I then realized that I could take it one step further - and I think this is the secret to great magic - I wrote an essay on it, and I just watched Eric Mead talk about in the TA videos - but the concept was to use these lines to incorporate your next effect.
Someone says, "Can you make my wife disappear" and you ask him, "Where do you want me to send her" - this catches them off guard...and then you say, "think of somewhere in the world" - then you borrow a bill, for example, and change it to that countries money and/or have the place written that he asks to have her go. Someone says, "I wouldn't want to play cards with you" and you get to discuss that in a REAL conversation, then show them a trick that deals with gambling, cheating, etc - you get to direct the conversation - but they feel the show is more organic and real, because of the "spontaneous" effect you did...when you knew where it was going all along.
This is the next level to your conversation - so the real question should be - and I have done this exercise with friends. What lines do you get, and how can you lead the conversation to arrive at certain effects - what effects can you do?
Welcome to the top floor. Look for my essay - The Magic Secret