Naked Cowboy
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Robert John Burck (born March 19, 1977 in Cincinnati, Ohio), better known as the Naked Cowboy, is a New York City busker and prominent fixture of Times Square. His routine consists of playing guitar wearing only cowboy boots, a hat, and a pair of briefs.
In 2000, he was on the short-lived Moral Court starring conservative/libertarian talk show host, Larry Elder. His girlfriend brought him to the show because she thought the Naked Cowboy persona was immoral. Elder ruled that Burck's persona was not immoral and not a danger to public safety. Burck replied, "Actually, I think I am an inspiration to public safety."
He auditioned for American Idol during its first season. He was not admitted to the next round. He also auditioned for the talent show Star Search, but was again turned down. As of 2006, the Naked Cowboy is part of USA Network's "Characters Welcome" campaign. The Naked Cowboy appeared briefly in the PBS documentary Origins to give his opinion on the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The Naked Cowboy is also featured singing in the video game True Crime: New York City at Times Square. There is a short animated feature of Blue M&M as the Naked Cowboy on the electronic animation display that hangs outside the M&M store in Times Square. He is in the recording studio working on his debut album, to be released in 2007.
In addition to his New York City appearances, he is a regular in the streets of the French Quarter during the New Orleans Mardi Gras season. He has also made appearance in Austin, Texas during the South by Southwest Music Conference.
He was also on an episode of the game show Street Smarts, and featured in the music clip for Cake's song "Short Skirt Long Jacket". In addition, he is known to have discussed possible television show concepts with several production houses, including one in in the greater Cincinnati area, though nothing is known to have come of these talks yet.
He has started to release mobile phone ringtones.[1]
The Naked Cowboy had a cameo appearance in a Chevrolet commercial, based on a winning contest submission, which aired during Super Bowl XLI. He also had a cameo appearance in a Guinness advertisement possibly only shown in the U.K
