IN MY SHOES: What It’s Like To Be The Naked Cowboy
The Washington Post profiles 37-year old Cincinnati native Robert Burck – better known as the Naked Cowboy – describing him as “what you'd get if you could cross-breed Fabio with a double shot of espresso”:
Strictly speaking, the Naked Cowboy is neither naked nor a cowboy. Behind that strategically placed red, white and blue guitar, a pair of tighty-whities are wrapped around what he proudly calls his "striated glutes," with "Naked Cowboy" scrawled on the back side. … Woefully Underdressed Ohio Guy, of course, isn't as zippy. But truth-in-labeling issues aside [he] has created a brand: He is the ripped blond dude who strums, sings and preens, seven days a week, hour after hour, on the sidewalk in Times Square. There he was yesterday, hamming it up in the frigid winter weather.
"Buck in the gee-tar," he said to one tourist after another who wanted a snapshot with him. They complied, each one pushing a dollar bill through a slot in the top of the gee-tar. …
"I've got thousands of dollars in the bank. I've got no bills, no operating costs. I park [my Cadillac Escalade] for free. I live with my girlfriend in Secaucus. I've got my suitcase in the back. Nothing but cash coming in." …
The Naked Cowboy might seem like a modest, no-overhead enterprise, but Burck sees himself as the living engine of a merchandising machine. A merchandising machine that always draws a crowd and always brings in money, because - here is the key part - the Naked Cowboy is the most brilliant marketing concept in history. …
The Naked Cowboy has big plans for the future that include a chain of Naked Cowboy-themed saloons.
Comments