Why is Bloomberg talking about the Naked Cowboy? A brief history of New York’s weirdest tourist attraction.

Though unquestionably a New York institution, Burck is not exactly a household name outside the city. So when former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg attempted to make him the punchline of a joke during Tuesday night’s Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C., the response was a spike in Google searches for “Naked Cowboy.”

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The scantily clad performer came up when CBS News’s Gayle King reminded Bloomberg that as mayor of New York, he had “declared war on obesity” by banning trans fats from restaurants and trying to do the same thing for sugary drinks.

“If you become president, will you push those policies on the national level as well?” she asked.

Before launching into a noncommittal answer, Bloomberg tried out a joke: “Well, I think what’s right for New York City isn’t necessarily right for all the other cities. Otherwise, you’d have a Naked Cowboy in every city.”

The response was polite chuckles from the South Carolina audience, and confusion as Naked Cowboy trended on Twitter for the rest of the evening. “It’s very New York to not realize that only New Yorkers will get that Naked Cowboy joke,” tweeted Vox co-founder Matthew Yglesias.

Perhaps some explanation is in order. In New York, Burck is something of a celebrity, thanks to his gift for self-promotion and unflagging work ethic. He strolls Times Square for six to seven hours a day, often in punishing weather. On cold winter days, he warms up by doing bicep curls in a Marriott parking garage while wearing a fur coat. His breakfast, he once told the New York Post, consists of half a pound of chicken and two protein shakes.

Quirky enough to bring back memories of the old New York but family-friendly enough for the cleaned-up Times Square, Burck is actually a native of Ohio. Growing up in a small town, he “always wanted to be famous,” his father, Kenny Burck, told the New Yorker in 2009. After trying to make it as a bodybuilder, model and movie star, he took the more practical route of enrolling in the University of Cincinnati and earning a political science degree.

When Robert Burck graduated, his father thought he might join the State Department. But the aspiring celebrity had a new goal: becoming a country-and-western singer. He began traveling around the country with his guitar, busking for tips in laid-back tourist spots like Key West, Fla. Eventually, he made his way to California, where the Naked Cowboy was born.

“One afternoon he was playing and singing on Venice Beach, also known as Muscle Beach, and he wasn’t getting much of a crowd,” his father told the New Yorker. “A photographer friend of his suggested he take off his clothes and sing, and since it was a hot day, what the heck, he did take off his clothes, and, sure enough, he drew a big crowd and made a lot of money. This photographer said, ‘Hey, you’re the Naked Cowboy,’ and that’s how it all started.”

Burck began touring the country as the Naked Cowboy and was arrested 16 times, NPR reported. Then, around 1999, someone suggested that he move to New York.

The rest was history. On his website, Burck refers to himself as “NYC’s #1 Tourist Attraction!” — a claim that the Statue of Liberty might dispute. Still, there’s no doubt that he’s been successful. In 2009, he reported an annual income between $100,000 and $250,000, and he’s told reporters that he charges $25,000 a day to make special appearances outside the city.

Burck even trademarked his signature look, settling with candymaker Mars for an undisclosed amount in 2008 after Times Square billboards depicted a guitar-playing M&M wearing a cowboy hat, boots and underwear. He also started a franchise of sorts, charging $500 a month for the right to perform as a Naked Cowboy (or Naked Cowgirl) in Times Square. In 2013, NPR reported that eight people had signed on and were clearing $100 an hour on a good day.

Along with selling Naked Cowboy wine and bobbleheads, Burck’s website notes that he’s available for product endorsements and image licensing. He touts corporate partnerships with the likes of Pizza Hut, Chevrolet and Citibank and is sponsored by Fruit of the Loom. He also claims to be an ordained minister, charging $499 to perform weddings in Times Square. “There is nothing more beautiful and exciting,” his website enthuses.

While Burck shares Bloomberg’s concerns about obesity and excessive sugar consumption, it seems unlikely that he’ll back the former mayor. In 2009, when Bloomberg was vying for a third term, Burck decided to run against him as an independent. The self-described “American icon” explained that he wanted to enact a stimulus plan for small businesses and said he had fresh ideas about tourism and homeland security.

“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,” he said.

But filling out the necessary financial disclosure forms proved to be too onerous, and Burck didn’t collect enough signatures to get on the ballot, the New York Times reported. A few months after announcing his candidacy, he dropped out.

“What I want to do is stick with what I do best,” Burck told the Times. “It’s probably why I look like a naked cowboy, and Mayor Bloomberg looks like a mayor.”

But just one year later, Burck put on a coat and tie and told the world that he’d be running for president as a member of the tea party movement. “American politicians are selling out America and its most cherished institution, that being capitalism,” he told reporters at the news conference.

Finally, in 2016, Burck found a politician he could get behind. He formally endorsed Donald Trump, a fellow New York businessman, by painting the candidate’s name on the back of his white briefs.

“Donald Trump is a freaking red-blooded American man,” he told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He’s tall, he’s handsome, he’s strong, he’s successful — these are things you can’t argue with.”

Before Trump’s inauguration, Burck told the New Yorker that he and the president-elect shared a common bond: They were “both media promoters.” He added that his wife, a Mexican immigrant, “still doesn’t have her papers.” But he wasn’t too concerned.

“Maybe she’ll be the next to be deported, who knows?” he told the magazine. “I don’t think he’d do that. But if he does, hey, that’s fate. Plus, it’s a nice thing to have hanging over her head — you know, ‘Do the dishes, or else.’ ”

Burck could not be reached for comment about his mention at the debate late Tuesday night. Earlier, on Instagram, he had declared that he was “Off to Spring Break!”