Robert John Burck doesn’t wear a button down to work. His uniform of choice is a pair of cowboy boots, a hat, some tighty whities and a strategically placed guitar that dangles in front of him to give off the illusion of nudity.
It’s all part of Burck’s “Naked Cowboy” act, which has become a fixture of Times Square ever since he came up with the idea on Christmas Day in 1998. At the time, Burck was playing guitar fully clothed on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, where he was shooting for Playgirl magazine. It was his photographer who suggested he strip down to his underwear.
When he ended the day with $100 in tips, Burck instantly knew he had struck gold.
His rise to fame, however, really began when he started performing in Times Square. Very quickly, he became an iconic figure in New York City, prompting him to trademark the Naked Cowboy name and likeness. He later began signing endorsement deals, making celebrity appearances and releasing music albums.
At one point, he even attempted to run for the president of the United States and mayor of New York City, leaving all New Yorkers to wonder: Exactly how profitable is his shtick?
According to the Naked Cowboy himself, working the streets of Times Square everyday, regardless of weather, brings him $300 dollars in daily revenue. Coupled with his sponsorships and performances, he makes roughly $150,000 a year, as reported by CNNMoney.
Unlike the other costumed workers in Times Square, the Naked Cowboy has also built up quite a relationship with his fans over the years. In fact, he has his own Yelp page where reviewers rave about his friendliness and accommodating nature.
Joanna T. from Wauwatosa, WI, states,
“…Naked Cowboy is probably the least tacky of the Times Square hucksters.(Crazy, right?) I mean, as far as I know he hasn't gotten drunk and assaulted a tourist from Nebraska like that good-for-nothing Elmo.”
Gary L., from Woodside, agrees:
“The Naked Cowboy has been singing and prancing around Times Square for quite some time now and I must say, he's probably the most friendliest one there. He'll mingle with tourist, switch up his poses, and he doesn't push tourist too hard for money unlike the ranting Elmo who got arrested.”
That “good-for-nothing” Elmo, combined with the drama that unfolded last summer with the desnudas (women wearing only paint on their breast), is part of the reason the New York City Council recently introduced the Intro 1109 bill. It would give the Department of Transportation the ability to set up zones where the costumed characters would be confined to.
The new legislation was the subject of a public hearing last month after complaints about harassment continued to flood in.
The final vote on Intro 1109 was 42-1.
In a surprising twist, the Naked Cowboy came out in support of the bill, mentioning that he was also restricted to a small space when he first started performing.
“To me, it’s just common sense—a little regulation, it’s not a big deal. And believe me, I’m all about freedom, First Amendment rights and everything else,” he said. “But at the same time, everybody else has First Amendment rights, too. They have a right to be left alone if they don’t want to be bothered.”
