The “Naked Cowboy,” Times Square’s most famous performer who performs in his underwear, decided not to be defeated Monday by one of New York City’s most severe snowfalls.
A day earlier, Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned that the incoming storm could become one of the “10 largest snow accumulation events in the city’s history.” However, nothing deterred this eccentric Big Apple icon, known as The Naked Cowboy and whose real name is Robert Burck, from strutting around nearly naked.
“I go out every day because that’s what I fucking do. The worse the weather, the better it is,” Burck confidently told our sister publication, amNewYork, while standing in the middle of the street at the intersection of 45th Street and Broadway.
As usual, he wore only his iconic white trunks and played his guitar as tourists—brave enough to brave the blizzard—came closer to take memorable photos. Some even put their gloved hands to their mouths, surprised to see the artist almost naked under the bright lights and heavy snowfall.
“How do you do this? It’s so cold,” a British tourist asked in amazement.
“I was doing amazing until you told me that,” he joked.
For about 20 minutes, Burck walked the fine line between entertainment and hypothermia, but he confessed to amNewYork: “I’m going to tell you a little secret.”
After wading through fresh snow and slush left by cars, he pulled into a nearby parking lot and pulled out a thermal jacket. Then he started jumping and jogging on the spot, next to the garage pipes.
“That’s how I warm up,” he explained. “It’s hard to warm up. I’m cheating.”
Then he prepared to return to the storm. He motivated himself by lifting weights and doing push-ups before checking his reflection in his car window and heading back into the gale for a second round.
Once again, locals and visitors welcomed him, stunned by his imperturbable posture amidst the white blanket.
“Temperature is one thing; snow is another. It can be 30 degrees and nothing happens. But suddenly it starts snowing. It can be 10 degrees and I don’t even notice it,” Burck said. “When it’s terribly cold but it’s snowing and I get attention, that has more weight than what you’re looking at, like the temperature. I’m alive, brother.”
