Source: Grand Rapids Press
ALLEGAN — David Cook was surprised to learn he had bought an engagement ring for that special someone.
He was surprised, because it never happened.
“One tabloid said I had been spotted in a jewelry store, picking out a ring,” he said in a phone interview. “I never even went into a jewelry store. Where do they get this stuff?”
Since the 26-year-old won “American Idol” in 2008, he has been dogged by the rag media, who are obsessed most of all with his love life.
“I’ve dated more people without my knowledge in the last year,” he joked. “It is stressful when my mom calls up and says, ‘You didn’t tell me you were with so and so.’ I’m like, ‘Mom, I’m not!’”
He’d rather focus on his music. In November 2008, he released his debut, self-titled album. Two months later, the album was certified platinum (one million or more copies sold). The first two singles, “Light On” and “Come Back to Me,” peaked at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, on the Billboard Top 40 chart. Touring extensively, Cook reached the 100-concerts mark Aug. 14 in Knoxville, Tenn.
“I’m excited that everything seems to be going in the right direction,” he said. “I play with some of the same guys I played with before (‘Idol’), in bars, when no one was paying attention. They are amazing guys and comforting — really, it means the world to me — to have them there with me, helping me navigate this thing from zero to 60.”
It was only in his 25th year of life that things accelerated. Cook was 12 when he got his first Fender Stratocaster and learned to strum as he appeared in various musicals and school-theater productions. In 2006, he graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a degree in graphic design, and then moved to Tulsa, Okla. to pursue music.
In the fall of 2007, Cook accompanied his younger brother, Andrew, to an “Idol” audition in Nebraska. When his brother failed to make it through to the Hollywood round, he tried out at his family’s encouragement. Noted for his peerless song stylings, Cook triumphed as the season 7 victor, beating his teenaged runner-up, David Archuleta.
Since his shining moment, Cook has been riding a wave of fame that so far has not consumed him. Still, some days are more turbulent than others. “It’s not a normal lifestyle,” he said. “97 percent of (fame) is absurd, so I try and have fun with it. I do love doing music for a job.”
About half the time, Cook gets away with trips to the mall for a little incognito shopping. The other half of the time?
“If someone recognizes me, I’m on, I’m working,” he said. “It’s hit or miss.”
One side of fame has the paparazzi mobbing him and people rifling through his garbage, but there is a positive side, too. Since the May 2 death of his older brother, Adam, from brain cancer, Cook’s fans have raised more than $130,000 for brain cancer charities. He has become more invested in cancer charities, donating, for example, all proceeds from iTunes downloads of his 2009 Idol finale performance of “Permanent” to Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.
That he and his fans are giving to this intimately personal cause “gives relevance to (his music career),” Cook said.
“It’s easy to go onstage every night and play music. I’m not concerned with my legacy — I’m more concerned with (Adam’s) legacy.”
