Naked cowboy

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The Naked Cowboy in 2006.

The Naked Cowboy (Eng. "The naked cowboy "; real name Robert John Burck , born December 23, 1970 in Cincinnati ) is an American street musician who has performed his songs in Times Square in New York City almost every day since 1998 and has become a well-known tourist attraction there, but less because of his singing skills than because of his eye-catching costumes: in addition to a white cowboy hat and matching cowboy boots, in summer and winter he only wears crisp white underpants (so contrary to his name, if he doesn’t appear stark bare, this is misleading but routinely for photographers due to the strategic positioning of his guitar at lumbar height).

Career

Burck had his first street appearances in 1998 in Los Angeles on Venice Beach . After the success did not materialize, Burck decided, following the advice of a friend, to only appear in underwear and to make his body, which he forms through bodybuilding , his trademark. He has performed in New York since 1998.

In 2000, Burck made his first television appearance on the more conservative talk show Moral Court . Burck took part in the talent shows American Idol , Australian Idol and Star Search with moderate success . He was eliminated regularly in the first round. On May 29, 2002 he was also on German television, at tv total.

In the years that followed, Burck was able to increase his profile in the United States through short appearances in various television formats such as game shows , commercials , talk shows and music videos .

In addition to his appearances in New York, Burck has appeared at various major festivals such as Mardi Gras in New Orleans and on holidays such as Labor Day in Cincinnati .

To this day, Burck appears primarily in the summer months, but also regularly in Times Square in winter and when it is snowing. He charges two dollars per photo and ensures that his services are properly paid for through an employee wearing a black suit. This is how Burck makes up to $ 1,000 a day. During the winter months, Burck performs infrequently in Venice Beach or Santa Monica . Burck can also be found with a partner at Bike Week (March) and Biketoberfest (October), both in Daytona (Florida).

His stage name and outfit are protected by trademark law. Burck says of himself: Personal branding , that's what it's all about today. The main thing is that you are known, then you can sell any crap and make millions .

Legal dispute with the Mars company

Burck made headlines in 2008 because of a legal dispute with Mars Incorporated , also in German-speaking countries . Mars posted a picture of a chocolate bar with a cowboy hat and boots in Times Square above the Marriott Hotel.

Burck saw his trademark rights violated and sued for $ 100 million in compensation. The court largely dismissed Burck's claims, but ordered Mars to remove the representation. Mars demanded that Burck's trademark claims be declared null and void; this request was also rejected.

Political activities

On July 22, 2009, Burck announced that he was running for the office of mayor of New York City. He said in a press conference: "Nobody knows how to make more out of less than I do and I would like to share this way of thinking with the citizens of New York if they choose me". With this plan, he wanted to prevail against the incumbent mayor Michael Bloomberg . Before the election on November 3, 2009, he withdrew his candidacy.

Burck also ran for the 2012 presidential election . When making the announcement, he described his political direction as conservative and announced that this time he would take this election more seriously.

Naked Cowgirl, Naked Indian

On February 14, 2013, he married the 25-year-old belly dancer Patricia Cruz from Mexico City, also known as the Naked Cowgirl. In 2012, Burck advised Naked Indian Adam David, who appeared in red panties, brown boots, blue feather headdress and a guitar, to become a Naked Cowboy Enterprises franchisee.

Web links

Commons : Naked Cowboy  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Burck in winter with snowfall
  2. ↑ New York Stories, Bunte, May 9, 2008  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.bunte.de  
  3. ↑ Decision of the legal dispute with the company Mars, June 23, 2008 ( Memento of the original from January 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( Flash ; 431 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / docs.justia.com
  4. ↑ Reuters: Naked Cowboy for NYC mayor: briefs or Bloomberg?
  5. ↑ TMZ: Naked Cowboy on the Run ... for US President
  6. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/naked-cowboy-hitched-article-1.1263042 The naked cowboy is getting hitched: Now presenting ... Mr. and Mrs. Naked Cowboy, nydailynews.com February 13 2013, accessed September 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/shirtless-showdown-times-square-naked-cowboy-threatens-sue-naked-indian-joins-company-article-1.1109800 I'll Sioux you, sez Naked Cowboy: Shirtless showdown in Times Square as Naked Cowboy threatens to sue unless Naked Indian joins his company, nydailynews.com July 7, 2012, accessed September 18, 2015.
personal data
SURNAME Naked cowboy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Naked Cowboy, The; Burck, Robert John (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American street musician
DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1970
PLACE OF BIRTH Cincinnati , Ohio , USA