Naked Cowboy

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Naked Cowboy

Naked Cowboy performing in Times Square
Born Robert John Burke
December 23, 1970 (1970-12-23) (age 38)
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Occupation Actor, singer, songwriter, writer
Years active 1998-present
Official website

Robert John Burke (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 briefs, with a guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Burke began busking in 1998 and first appeared on Venice Beach, Los Angeles. The public immediately gave him much more money after a friend suggested to him that he dress only in his underwear in order to generate higher earnings. Burke earned a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Cincinnati.

Though he is currently most infamous as a fixture of New York City's Times Square, Burke 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, Burke cited Nancy Reagan and Garth Brooks as two of his leading inspirations. 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.[1]

[edit] Media appearances

As his popularity as the Naked Cowboy grew, Burke 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, Burke's Naked Cowboy persona was not immoral and not a danger to public safety. Burke replied, "Actually, I think I am an inspiration to public safety." On January 24, 2009, Burke 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.

Burke 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 28, 2008, Burke 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 1, 2009.

Burke has also made appearances in several music videos, including Cake's "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and Nickelback's "Rockstar". In 2007, Burke 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.[2]

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.[3]. He also appeared briefly in the PBS documentary Origins to give his opinion on the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

[edit] Mars Inc. trademark infringement lawsuit

Mars Incorporated created a short animation of the Blue M&M's character playing a guitar while dressed in a white cowboy hat, cowboy boots and underpants on the electronic animation display that hangs outside the M&M'S store at Times Square. Burke, who owns registered trademarks to the Naked Cowboy name and likeness, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Mars Incorporated on February 15, 2008.[4]

Burke alleges that the ads infringe on his trademark by "using his likeness, persona, and image for commercial purposes without his written permission and by falsely suggesting that he endorses M&M'S candy."[5] The Cowboy’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, requests an injunction stopping Mars from using the Naked Cowboy’s likeness to advertise M&M’s products, up to $100 million in punitive damages, and attorney's fees.[6]

On June 23, 2008, the court issued a decision[7] that dismissed a portion of the suit relying on New York law but rejected a motion by the defendants to dismiss the trademark claims.

In a filing dated November 7, 2008, Burke and Mars, Inc. both agreed and stipulated that the action be dismissed with prejudice, with each party bearing his own costs and attorney's fees. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. See "Naked Cowboy, Mars Inc. End M&M Ad Dispute".

[edit] New York City mayoral election, 2009

On July 20, 2009, it was announced that Burke would challenge Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2009 election for Mayor of New York City. At his announcement, Burke stated, "No one knows how to do more with less than yours truly, and that's the kind of thinking I plan on sharing with my fellow New Yorkers when you elect me."[8] On September 5, 2009, Burke withdrew from the race. [9]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official NYC Certificate.
  2. ^ Naked Cowboy: Behind The Bulge
  3. ^ The Genius of Charles Darwin, Radio Times entry for Monday 11 August, 8:00pm–9:00pm Channel 4
  4. ^ Slater, Dan, "The Naked Cowboy Sues the Naked M&M". The Wall Street Journal. Feb. 13, 2008
  5. ^ The Wall Street Journal Law Blog, "Cowboy's Lawsuit Drives M&M Out of Dodge", February 15, 2008
  6. ^ Middleton, Ekin, "'Naked Cowboy' can sue makers of M&Ms". CNN.
  7. ^ http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nysdce/1:2008cv01330/320985/20/0.swf
  8. ^ "Naked Cowboy for NYC mayor: briefs or Bloomberg?". Reuters.
  9. ^ http://www.examiner.com/x-22880-New-York-Groove-Examiner~y2009m9d5-The-Naked-Cowboy-pulls-out-Announces-hes-done-with-New-York-mayoral-race

[edit] External links

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