Robert Burck - the Naked Cowboy

Times Square Regular Busks in his Boxers

If you've been to New York's Times Square, chances are you've seen him busking in his underwear, boots and hat, rain or shine. Maybe you've even slipped a dollar into his boot and had your picture taken beside him, like millions of other tourists. He is The Naked Cowboy.

Right now I'm wearing underwear, boots and hat. My real name is Robert Burck and I come from Cincinnati. In 1998, I went down to shoot Playgirl Magazine, which is what took me to West Hollywood, about 30 minutes from Venice Beach.

The first day I was performing at the beach in my clothes, I was completely ignored. So, the guy who was shooting me suggested I play guitar in my underwear. I went from being completely ignored, to having everyone love me, taking pictures and being on California TV news.

So, from then on, I went city to city across the United States, from Cincinnati to Florida, over to California and back. I got arrested 49 times but there were never any charges. I had about $40,000 worth of credit card debt when I first played New York Times Square.

After about a year of driving back and forth to Cincinnati, I started debt planning and thinking of ways to make money. One day, a lady put a dollar in my boot, which eventually turned into a thousand dollars a day within two days, and that was it.

Life as The Naked Cowboy

I work out every single day. I'm a sensible man, and playing without my clothes was probably the most sensible thing in the world. But I think that nudists are lunatics. I can't imagine people walking around completely naked.

Soon I'll be shooting footage for the Naked Cowboy Reality Show. Now we're in music production. I have zero albums out right now. The future is not in albums because people download their music digitally. The two record deals I've signed are with independent labels who are putting them on iTunes.

There is no competition. A lot of people ask me about Naked Cowgirl, and there are a number of other disciples right now. The Naked Trucker on Comedy Central is one, The Naked Cowgirl is another. I'm fonder of her than the rest because she doesn't act like me. She's willing to take all the help she can get, so it's reciprocal.

I've already achieved all my goals. Being in a state of happiness is your own doing. All you gotta do is recognize that. You can happily achieve, as opposed to achieving happiness.