Times Square 12 Hours Before The 2011 New Year's Eve Ball Drop

Naked Cowboy entertaining revelers

Inside the Times Square Visitor Information

These are some scenes in Times Square earlier today, 12 hours before the New Year's Eve Ball Drop.

The Naked Cowboy Officiates Wedding

Robert John Burck (born December 23, 1970 in Cincinnati, Ohio), also known as the Naked Cowboy, is an American busker whose patch is on New York City's Times Square. He wears only cowboy boots, a hat, and briefs, with a guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity. On November 22, 2008, he became an ordained minister, and on December 10, 2008 he was officially registered as a marriage officiant by the City of New York. On May 30, the Naked Cowboy officiated a wedding in Times Square and above are some photos from the "ceremony." You can get married by the Reverend Naked Cowboy in Times Square, too (for as low as $499)! Visit www.NakedCowboy.com or call 866-99-NAKED to book your weddings.

Naked Cowboy After Dark

Probably the most famous and interesting busker in the city is the NAKED COWBOY. A constant fixture in Times Square, he is usually seen strutting his stuff near Duffy Square during the day, but I've never seen him after dark until tonight. While many were still walking around in their full winter garb on this cold early spring night, there he was in his signature cowboy hat, boots and white undergear with "Naked Cowboy" and "NYC" printed on it.

From wikipedia:

Robert John Burck (born December 23, 1970 in Cincinnati, Ohio), better known as the Naked Cowboy, is an American busker whose patch is on New York City's Times Square. He wears only cowboy boots, a hat, and underwear, with a guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity.

Burck began busking in 1998 and first appeared on Venice Beach, Los Angeles. The public immediately gave him much of their spare change after a friend suggested to him that he dress only in his underwear in order to generate higher earnings.

Though he is currently most famous as a fixture of New York City's Times Square, Burck is also a regular in the streets of the French Quarter during the New Orleans Mardi Gras season. He also makes appearances in his hometown of Cincinnati, at the Memorial Day weekend Taste of Cincinnati festival and the Riverfest Labor Day Festival. He has also made an appearance in Austin, Texas, during the South by Southwest Music Conference, and on January 25, 2009 he performed at a Leinster Rugby game in Donnybrook, Dublin, Ireland, singing his theme song "I'm the Naked Cowboy" before 18,000 spectators.

In a 2005 online interview, Burck cited Nancy Reagan and Garth Brooks as two of his leading inspirations. During the 2008 American presidential election Burck was a staunch supporter of John McCain, remarking that the Republican candidate was "older and wiser" than his opponent Barack Obama. Additionally, on November 22, 2008, he became an ordained minister, and on December 10, 2008 he was officially registered as a marriage officiant by the City of New York.

As his popularity as the Naked Cowboy grew, Burck began to make appearances in television, music videos, and other popular media. He auditioned for American Idol during its first season, but he was not admitted to the next round. He also tried out for Australian Idol and Star Search, but with the same results. In 2000, he was also on the short-lived show Moral Court, where conservative talk show host Larry Elder ruled that, in his opinion, Burck's Naked Cowboy persona was not immoral and not a danger to public safety. Burck replied, "Actually, I think I am an inspiration to public safety." On January 24, 2009, Burck also appeared on the Tubridy Tonight show on Ireland's RTÉ television network, performing his theme song accompanied by the Camembert Quartet.

In addition, he is known to have discussed possible television show concepts with several production houses, including one in the Greater Cincinnati area, though nothing is known to have come of these talks as of yet.

Burck has also been featured in numerous advertising campaigns. As of 2006, he is part of USA Network's "Characters Welcome" campaign, and he also had a cameo appearance in a Chevrolet commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLI, as well as a Guinness advertisement that aired only in the United Kingdom and Ireland. On August 28th, 2008, Burck entered into an endorsement/licensing agreement with Divinely Naked LLC to endorse and create Naked Cowboy Nutritional Products starting with "Naked Whey Protein Powders", which launched their website on January 1st, 2009.

Burck has also made appearances in several music videos, including Cake's "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and Nickelback's "Rockstar". In 2007, Burck released an album of his own, signing to 4Sight Music Productions and recording the pop-rock album "Year of the Cowboy" produced by Lee Evans and Gaetano Lattanzi at JAMBOX Recording Studios in New York City. The album was featured on MTV News.

He has also been featured in a number of documentaries. He is profiled in the documentary One Man Brand, produced by Mediastorm, and is also included in the second part of the three-part Richard Dawkins documentary, The Genius of Charles Darwin, first shown on Channel 4 in the UK in August 2008. He also appeared briefly in the PBS documentary Origins to give his opinion on the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

NAKED COWBOY

He is known as the “Naked Cowboy,” and he has become a prominent fixture and a must-see tourist attraction of Times Square. He plays his guitar wearing only cowboy boots, a white cowboy hat, and a pair of white briefs. His hat, guitar and briefs have “Naked Cowboy” and "NYC" printed on them, and he sells these items online.

Doug Wagner writes:
“The Naked Cowboy is able to reminisce upon two births, really. One brought him into the world as a swaddling babe in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he grew up, studied at the University of Cincinnati, and tried his hand at professional modeling, dancing and bodybuilding. The other transpired on a sunny morning in Venice Beach, when after an unsuccessful stint of playing guitar on the boardwalk fully clothed, he took the advice of a friend and stripped to his undies before strumming away. It was then that the Naked Cowboy was born.

Every moment thereafter has been an inspired step in Burck’s self-avowed journey of “dominating the commercial landscape of the entire world.” Armed only with his boots, hat, guitar and briefs, the Naked Cowboy has achieved mind-boggling success in his solitary campaign to market, promote and sell the most personal of commodities: himself. His purely self-generated fame has landed the Naked Cowboy appearances around the globe, in print, on radio, and on shows like The David Letterman Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, MTV’s Total Request Live, and the Disney Channel. He’s graced the televisions of viewers in Japan, Korea, Germany, China, Brazil, Italy and South Africa. He’s strummed scantily alongside Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in the film “New York Minute.” He’s done interviews and photo-shoots for magazines including Paper, Gotham, People, YM and FHM. He’s been seen by millions in commercials for products including M&M’s, AOL, the Olympics and Pepsi (the last in a spot directed by Spike Lee that aired during the Oscars.) The likes of Dave Matthews, Donald Trump, and Sponge Bob Square Pants have all retained his services at one time or another.

Far more than just a quirky New York icon, the Naked Cowboy has endeared himself to millions with his trademark stark entertainment. His idiosyncratic life philosophy, in which he aligns himself with thinkers as diverse as Christ, Buddha, Copernicus, Tony Robbins and many more, is outlined in multiple self-published manifestos, found on his website, www.nakedcowboy.com. The Naked Cowboy, however, makes very clear that his astounding success is owing to no one but himself.

Next up for the Naked Cowboy is a slot promoting the 2006 New York City Half Marathon on behalf of Nike, on August 27. He is also currently hard at work on an album with 4Sight Music Productions, whose tracks will be infused with rock, dance, pop, blues, hip-hop, Latin, and, yes, a healthy dose of nakedness.

What to glean from the breakout success of a man, his guitar and his skivvies? Only that when conquering the world, the best ambition is naked.”