Eavesdropping in New York — №2: Overheard in the Colonoscopy Prep Room

A little while ago I wrote a piece about a conversation I overheard at a Manhattan restaurant between a couple of septuagenarian doctors with personal reflections on the medical care of Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor. At the end I paraphrased Yogi Berra’s famous saying that “You can observe a lot just by watching.” My twist was that you can observe a lot just by listening.”

I overhear a lot of interesting things. Eavesdropping may not be polite, but how does anyone close their ears when there are fascinating things being said around them? In my case, because it seems futile to even try, I’ve decided to turn my bad habit into a series called “Eavesdropping in New York.” Welcome to Episode №2.

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The pretty young blonde nurse left me alone in a colonoscopy prep tent at Lenox Health in Greenwich Village. She’d given me instructions to remove all my clothes, put them in the plastic bags she’d provided, and put on one of those cotton backless hospital gowns.

I’d dutifully complied and lay comfortably on a gurney, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself for the imminent invasion of my large intestine. But before that, the pretty young blonde nurse returned to ask me a few questions: Name, date of birth, medications, allergies, etc.

I told her that although this would be my third colonoscopy, it was my first in the U.S. I’d had two previous ones since turning 50, both in Switzerland. When she asked what brought me overseas, I started telling her about my work in corporate communications as an expat for the Swiss pharma company Roche. That led to a delightful conversation with the inquisitive young nymph of the gastroenterology ward, who bubbled with questions about the countries I’d visited, my favorite cities, and the best times to visit different destinations. Then she thanked me graciously for inspiring her to make plans with her boyfriend to travel the world, and she existed the prep tent.

Left in the Dust by the Dude Next Door Feeling pretty good about my engaging repartee with the charming nurse, I overheard a conversation similar to the one we’d just had getting underway in the adjacent tent. I’m not sure if it was with the same nurse or a co-worker going through the routine questions. After providing the essentials, the dude next door launched into a bit of self-disclosure that far surpassed my tete-a-tete with the nurse.

He’s a composer, he told her, and he’s been commissioned to create a symphony based on the music of … wait for it … Bruce Springsteen. He said his current assignment is to attend several shows in The Boss’s 2023 tour and just take in the sounds and themes. “It’s the best gig I ever had! he said.

I’ll say! A symphony of Bruce’s music. After my procedure was done and the doctor gave me a clean bill of health and recommendation that I return in five years, I went home and googled the subject. And it turns out that “Symphonic Springsteen” is a thing. It even has its own website.

From what I can determine, Symphonic Springsteen debuted all the way back in in the 2010s. A Las Vegas-based composer, arranger and saxophonist named “Smokin” Joe Escriba masterminded it, apparently with Bruce’s blessing. Composing a collection of symphonic versions of Springsteen’s hits, Escriba partnered with a host of orchestras to perform the music — The Desert Symphony in Palm Springs, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Omaha Symphony among others. Tickets start as low as $62 and go as high as $250, depending on the venue. (The average price for a ticket to Springsteen’s tour with the E Street Band starts at around $200 but can range to a minimum of over $1,000 for floor seats, according to the New York Post.)

I’m not sure if the guy I overheard was associated with Symphonic Springsteen, or working independently with some other orchestra. In any event, I am picturing my behind-the-curtain colonoscopy bro not only bypassing the high price of Springsteen tour tickets, but actually being paid to take in the tunes and the ambiance at multiple performances as he goes about his work of scoring new symphonic arrangements based on Bruce’s prodigious oeuvre of rock classics.

Too bad I never caught the fellow’s name. Next time I’ll have to eavesdrop harder.