Source: The York Despatch – Idol Chatter

David Cook won over millions of fans on American Idol with unique versions of other artists’ songs.

Friday night, he won over the crowd at the York Fair grandstand with his own music.

His 13-song set list didn’t include a single full-blown cover (unless you want to count the Tulsa band MWK’s pre-Idol “Til I’m Blue”). And no one in the audience seemed to care.

Fans in the jam-packed track seating jumped to their feet with the first chords of “Heroes” and stayed on their feet until the show ended more than an hour later with David tossing guitar picks into the crowd.

Along the way, David stopped performing long enough to thank the crowd three or four times for their support.

On about the fourth occasion, he explained why he’s so thankful.

“I’m been saying thank you a lot tonight, and I mean it,” he said. “It wasn’t that long ago that we were doing this to nobody. To be able to do travel the country and play music and have people show up …”

David’s words trailed off as the cheers drowned him out.

Of course, most of those fans showed up because they adopted David Cook as their favorite on season seven of Idol and have been following him ever since.

Fans like Katie Nace, 16, of York, who admitted she’s slightly obsessed with Mr. Cook. She knows why his guitar bears the intials “A.C.” She knows he’s left-handed. She knows he used to work as a bartender.

And she knows every single lyric to every single song on his CD, which makes her more than slightly obsessed in the mind of friend Kara Bell, 15, of York.

“I kinda screamed very loudly,” Katie said of her reaction when she learned the season seven Idol would be playing at the York Fair.

Standing in line waiting for a chance to meet David and his band backstage, Phyllis Seitz of York proclaimed him “the best Idol ever.”

And sitting in the third row and anxiously waiting for the concert to start, Alyssa Reigart, 22, of Dover, recalled scooting to the front of the couch and listening intently as David sang “Always Be My Baby” on Idol’s Mariah Carey night.

“I absolutely love what he did on Idol,” Alyssa said. “Now, to get to see him like this, it’s like coming full circle. He could sing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ and it would sound great.”

And several fans said they appreciated the fact that David seems like a down-to-earth guys who’s just darn genuine when he sings.

But not every fan was a Cook fanatic from his days on Idol. Take Elizabeth Kessler, 20, of Stewartstown for instance.

“My friend told me about his CD, and it was really good,” she said, referring to concert-going colleague Kristin Adams, 19, of Fawn Grove.

Then Elizabeth rattled off a long list of songs from the CD that she hoped to hear during the upcoming concert.

Back in row three, Alyssa didn’t bother listing songs, saying she wanted to hear “everything off the album.”

David nearly obliged.

His set included 10 of the 13 non-bonus tracks on his self-titled debut CD, one noteable exception being “Permanent.”

Fans were also treated to a one-track taste of the 2006 independent CD “Analog Heart” and an unreleased song, “We’re Only Honest When We’re Sleeping.”

As for highlights, there was an raucous rendition of “Kiss on the Neck” — much more raucous than the hidden track on the CD — with a touch of “Hotel California” mixed in.

And there was a guitars-blazing extended version of “I Did It for You” that had the crowd in a frenzy.

But the wildest cheers of the night came when David launched into his current single, “Come Back To Me,” which was also his last song of the night.

Did it all work?

Just ask the fans.

“It was fantastic, as usual,” said Britney Marsh, 20, of Carlisle.

As usual?

Turns out it’s the second time Britney has seen David live. She was at his Dickinson College show earlier this year.

Seems Britney’s mom, Penny Seaks, is something of a David Cook fanatic. Britney admitted they’ll likely also be in the audience the next time he performs in the area.

“This time, he had a little more stage room than at Dickinson,” she said. “So he interacted with the crowd more. That was nice.”

Victoria Keener, 13, of Carlisle, said she could sum up the show in one word: “Amazing.”

“It sounded exactly like his CD,” she said.

And Mindy Meredith, 21, of Perry Hall, Md., described the show as “awesome.”

“He’s got a great voice. He’s a great entertainer. And he’s hot.”

Hmm. Your friendly Idol Chatter critic wouldn’t be a good judge of that.

But the music sure was.

Set List

1. Heroes
2. We’re Only Honest When We’re Sleeping
3. Declaration
4. Life on the Moon
5. Bar-ba-sol
6. Kiss on the Neck
7. Mr. Sensitive
8. Til I’m Blue (MWK song)
9. I Did It for You
10. Light On
11. A Daily Anthem

Encore

12. Straight Ahead (from Analog Heart)
13. Come Back to Me

Source: The York Despatch

David Cook talks about upcoming York show, his music and his next album

Back in March, when David Cook played a show at Penn State York, the 1,000-plus seat Pullo Performing Arts Center sold out in a week.

His debut album had recently gone platinum; his tour of college campuses was well under way.

Six months later, the season seven American Idol is still on tour and preparing for a Friday night show at a considerably larger venue, the Toyota Grandstand at the York Fair.

That debut album is still on the Billboard 200, 42 weeks after its release. And David’s latest single, “Come Back To Me,” is number 17 on the adult contemporary singles chart; it previously cracked the top 10 on the Billboard’s adult top 40.

Idol Chatter interviewed David Tuesday, the same day someone discovered 30-second snippets of 11 unreleased songs on the Internet. Those “weren’t meant for public consumption,” David said.

The good news for David Cook fans: He’s already working on music for album number two. Here’s what David had to say about his music, his next album, the upcoming show in York and a variety of other topics.

Make sure to check back late Friday night for a review and photos from the York Fair show.

Idol Chatter: Lots of fans who heard those song snippets the other day kept saying on Twitter: “Please give us a deluxe version of the first album.” Are there any plans for anything along those lines?

David Cook: “We’ve kind of had some casual talk about it, but so far, nothing firm has come up. I’m not opposed to it. I just want to make sure if it’s done, it’s done the right way. I imagine if it’s going to happen, the ball should be rolling in the next couple of weeks.”

Chatter: You did the college tour. You passed your 100th show last month. You’ve got events scheduled through mid-November. How long do you plan to stay on tour?

David: “The goal right now is to stay on tour until the end of the year, then get into the studio to work on another record. I think the goal is to not stop working. I figure if I’m keeping busy, then I have a reason to stay busy.”

Chatter: I know you’re less than a year removed from the release of your first album. But have you started thinking about that second album?

David: “Absolutely. We’ve started writing for another record already. We really don’t have anything prepared to start playing in public yet. That’s another thing we’re kind of up in the air about. Do we play it now and get a gauge on it? Do we try to hold onto it until it’s time for the record? There’s all sorts of options out there.”

Chatter: There are songs on your set lists that aren’t on the first album. So those aren’t songs up for consideration for the second album?

David: “Not necessarily. I wanted this tour to be about showing people that we were more than just the last year and a half. So some of the songs that we play live are songs that I put on (the independent album) Analog Heart in 2006, songs that I played with the band back in Tulsa. I just wanted to show more of the spectrum, a little bit. So as far as those songs making the record, it really hasn’t been discussed. But I wouldn’t take that as a no or a yes.”

Chatter: And what’s the timetable for the new album? Did I hear you say you’d like to get back in the studio at the start of the year?

David: “We’re going to try to get in, I want to say February and try to get a new record out by the summer.”

Chatter: “Come Back To Me” is your current single. Any plans to release another single anytime soon?

David: “That’s another thing that’s been casually talked about. I think right now “Come Back To Me” is still doing what we want it to do. When and if that changes, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But right now, I’m really enjoying seeing the kind of longevity “Come Back To Me” has had.

Chatter: You were here for a college show back in March. I think we were something like show number 27 on the long list. Have you changed your set since then, or will York Fair fans essentially see the same show?

David: “We play different set lists every night. I think since show 27 we’ve worked up new covers and switched some stuff around. And some songs have sort of evolved as the tour has gone on that have really kind of taken on a different vibe. I think the people who came to our last show in York, I don’t think they’d be disappointed if they came out again.”

Chatter: You were on Good Morning America this summer and performed a very rocked-out version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies” with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. Any reason you selected that song for that particular occasion?

David: “It’s a cover we’ve played for a while. If we didn’t play it in York, I’m pretty sure we played it around York. We’d been working on it for a while, and it was something we thought Adam and Kris would sound great on. Kudos to them. They’ve got a ton of stuff going on, and they came in and got it done. It’s a fun song for us. We’ve done enough to it to where I don’t think people necessarily expect it the first time they hear it.”

Chatter: You had a lot of success with different interpretations of popular songs on Idol. As a recording artist, what’s your philosophy about putting cover songs on your albums?

David: “My philosophy is, right now I’m really trying to establish my music and myself as an artist. I don’t know that putting a cover on a record would be the right move right now. Down the line, if we can get some longevity out of this, I don’t think I’d be opposed to it. It’s just a wait-and-see attitude. But I’m really proud of the original music we’ve put out and humbled by the reaction it’s received.”

Chatter: Now, you’re a big sports fan, and you got to perform at the All-Star game Home Run derby. Tell me what that was like.

David: “That was like a pinch-me moment. I just remember walking up on stage and seeing a lot of the ball players sitting out in foul territory and thinking, ‘Oh, Lord.’ I did get a chance to meet some of them. I actually got to meet a lot of the guys from Baseball Tonight. I got to meet John Kruk and David Winfield, which was huge for me, and Peter Gammons. I got to meet Hank Aaron while I was there. It was just kid-in-the-candy-store stuff.”

Chatter: You’re raising money for cancer research in honor of your brother through Race for Hope, correct?

David: “Absolutely. I’ve got a great relationship with ABC Squared (ABC2, The Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure Organization). I think, especially with Patrick Swayze passing away the other day, and Sen. Kennedy, plus my brother, it’s just … I hate watching people go from it. The sooner we can get a cure, the better.”

(Note: David’s Team in Race for Hope, D.C., 2009 has raised more than $135,000 compared to a goal of $75,000. Go here for more information.)

Chatter: Judging from some of the Tweets I was reading last week, it sounded as though some of your former Idol colleagues were trying to organize a season seven reunion around your show at the Fonda Theater (in Los Angeles, Calif.). Did that work out?

David: “They came, yeah. I have to say that was one of the nicest things. I think it speaks volumes about the relationship we all had when we were on the show. I’ve been really bummed … that’s the one bad thing about being on the road as much as we have — family and friends, I don’t get to see them nearly as much as I’d like. So to get to catch up with everybody for that evening was really, really cool. It sounds like everybody’s doing great things. I’m a fan of every one of them.”

(Note: Among those who showed were Ramiele Malubay, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Brooke White, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado.)

Now for a couple of questions sent me by David Cook fans, who apparently still had the Video Music Awards on their minds Tuesday.

Chatter: Pro-Kanye or Pro-Taylor?

David: Pro-Taylor.

Chatter: Favorite Lady Gaga song?

David: (Laughter) “I don’t like to dance, so it’s not ‘Just Dance.’ Wow, man, I don’t know. I always think that lyric about the disco stick is funny, so whichever song that is.” (”LoveGame,” just for the record.)

Chatter: What was your nickname growing up?

David: “Cookie. Just because of my last name. People weren’t trying too hard, I don’t think.”

I had more questions from fans to ask, but David also had other interviews to do.

Want more? Here’s a link to the interview Idol Chatter ran prior to the March show.

Source: The York Despatch

York Fair bound, David Cook talks about those new song snippets

David Cook fans are all abuzz today.

Someone discovered 30-second snippets of 11 songs many fans had not heard before on the Cherry Tree Lane Music Group Web site.

On Twitter, Starryskies80 declared that “it’s like Christmas morning for all of us.”

Referring to one of the new songs, — “Maybe Tonight,” I think — Makeover_girl says that a musician “is amazing when, through 29 seconds, a song can make you cry.”

LoveForeverKay plans to attend a David Cook concert tonight at the Allegan County Fair in Michigan, but was having trouble getting ready because all she can do is listen to the new snippets. And librarybunny says: “Holy moley … leak of unreleased David Cook song snippets has pretty much thrown my whole day out of whack.”

And everyone, I mean everyone, seemed to be begging for full-length versions of the songs.

Just by chance, I happened to be interviewing David Cook today since he’s headed this way to play the York Fair Friday night (go here for ticket information). So I had to ask about those new snippets.

David said they “weren’t meant for public consumption.” (In fact, they appeared to have been taken down by late this afternoon.)

But folks won’t have to wait too long for new David Cook music. Plans are under way for album number two.

Here’s what David had to say about the song snippets.

Check back later this week for the full interview, including what he said about plans for the new album.

Idol Chatter: So, I’m on Twitter today and it sounds like some new song snippets were released. Can you tell me what happened with that?

David Cook: “I don’t know that they were released. I think someone just found my publisher’s Web site, and they’ve got stuff up there.”

Chatter: So that wasn’t a planned release of any sort.

David: “No it wasn’t. Those songs are all kind of real rough demos, songs that may never see the light of day.”

Chatter: Were those songs that didn’t make the first album?

David: “Some of them, yeah. Some of them were songs from before Idol. Some of them were songs that didn’t make the cut for the record. Sort of a hodgepodge of a lot of things.”

Chatter: Have you checked Twitter to see what people are saying about them?

David: “I haven’t. I’m not sure I want to know. They’re really rough demos.” (Told that the reaction is unanimously positive, David laughs). “Well, I guess that’s a good thing.”

Chatter: One thing fans keep saying is, “Please, give us a deluxe version of the first album.” Any plans for anything along those lines?

David: “We’ve kind of had some casual talk about it, but so far, nothing firm has come up. I’m not opposed to it. I just want to make sure if it’s done, it’s done the right way. I imagine if it’s going to happen, the ball should be rolling in the next couple of weeks.”

Source: The News-Herald

‘Idol’ winner has found success for which he’d hoped

By John Benson
Correspondent@News-Herald.com

“American Idol” season seven winner David Cook just wants to rock.

And apparently so does America, with the evidence being Cook’s self-titled 2008 platinum album.

What’s unique about this musician? He is, so far, one of a kind in terms of “Idol” winners, which have included the pop singer (Kelly Clarkson), the country singer (Carrie Underwood) and so on. Prior to David Cook, the one thing the show hadn’t given us was the straight-out rocker, one who straps on the guitar and kicks out the jams.

Fans can see Cook in action when he comes to Northeast Ohio for a sold-out show Thursday at the House of Blues. His set will include material from his new CD, songs from his 2006 debut, “Analog Heart,” and even a few familiar covers (Alice in Chains’ “Man in the Box,” Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies”). The News-Herald talked to the 26-year-old Texas native about his bar-band style, the pesky “American Idol” tag and why he recently changed his band’s name.

The News-Herald: It was just a year ago when you were the latest “Idol” winner hoping the high-profile exposure would translate into a career. Now a million albums sold with club dates selling out all over, what were the last 12 months like?

David Cook: Really, the goal I set for this whole thing, the last year, has been met and exceeded. I just wanted to put out a good record and have it do well. And the fact that in this musical climate and this economic climate we were able to go platinum is pretty amazing. Past that, I’ve always been kind of concerned with just putting out good records, playing good shows and letting everything fall where it’s going to fall. And I feel like the reactions and the responses have exceeded expectations every time.

In looking back at your post-”Idol” success, what’s been the biggest surprise?

Everything has been kind of a surprise. I think I’ve always been one of those hope for the best, expect the worst kind of people. So we certainly put a lot of work into making this successful. But at every step on this whole path the odds are stacked against you, so really I’ve been kind of pleasantly surprised about everything: the way the record has been received, the way the show has been received and really the fact that we’re able to still be on the road this long after the record came out.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that the moniker of “American Idol” winner is a tricky affair. While one dreams of winning the reality show, as soon as the label is bestowed on them they begin the process of distancing themselves from the tag. So are you looking forward to the day when being an “American Idol” winner is no longer what people talk about when discussing David Cook the musician?

Nope, I look at it this way: If people want to call me “American Idol” David Cook for the rest of my life, I’ve been called way worse than that. So I’m pretty happy with it.

We do see where you’re attempting to change the band’s name to The Anthemic. What’s that all about?

We’re trying to fit in David Cook and The Anthemic. I just think it’s a fitting name for what I want this to be, and what I feel like I want this to be. We want these songs to be big. I don’t want to come out and half-ass it. And I think in that regard, we want everything to be bigger than life.

We’re guessing you chose The Anthemic only after realizing The Heartbreakers and the Silver Bullet Band were taken.

We were going to go with The E Street Band (laughs), but somebody — I don’t know who — already took it.

Source: Herald Palladium

Opportunity rocks

‘Idol’ winner David Cook’s seemingly endless tour coming to Allegan Fair

ALLEGAN – On a rare day off from a spring tour that will soon stretch into fall, David Cook sat backstage absorbing the advice from a fellow blue-jeans-wearing singer-songwriter who also plays a little guitar.

“We had a break in June, so I went to see Bryan Adams play an acoustic set back in Kansas City,” Cook says by telephone from Los Angeles.

“He told me, ‘Don’t stop working until you want to.’ I’ve thought about that a lot, and I’ve kind of taken it to heart.”

Since winning the seventh season of the popular reality show “American Idol” in May 2008, Cook has participated in the 40-city “American Idols Live!” tour; recorded and released his self-titled major-label debut that has gone platinum; and launched his own seemingly endless tour that began on Feb. 13 in Tallahassee, Fla., and continues Tuesday night with a stop at the Allegan County Fair. With concert dates stretching into November and plans to head back into the studio in February 2010, it’s clear Cook hasn’t taken his opportunity lightly.

“I don’t think ‘Idol’ is a golden ticket,” Cook says. “It’s a chance. It’s extremely flattering and extremely humbling – given the economic climate and the climate of the music industry – to sell a million records right out of the gate, but I want to be a career artist and I want to be an album artist and not just have a few singles.”

Cook, who grew up in Blue Springs, Mo., began singing in second grade by performing in his school’s Christmas productions. Although his father, Stanley, played guitar, Cook chose to learn a different instrument at first.

“I took violin for three years,” he says, laughing. “It took a while to realize that I needed to switch instruments.”

Cook picked up his first guitar at age 13 and formed his first band, Redeye, two years later. After high school, he enrolled at Central Missouri State – where he graduated in 2006 – changed the name of his band to Axium and recorded a self-produced CD called “Analog Heart,” which sold well regionally.

In August 2007, Cook began his “American Idol” run with a reluctant audition. His younger brother Andrew had asked Cook to lend moral support for his own “Idol” try in Omaha, Neb. Although Andrew didn’t make the cut, he still convinced his brother to go through the process.

“I don’t know if I could have done what I’ve been able to do if he wasn’t 100 percent supportive,” Cook says of Andrew. “He’s one of the people I’ve really relied on since this all began. He now has his own Internet radio show and wants to get into hosting. Largely because of him I’m in a position where I might be able to help him out with that, which is great.”

Renditions of songs such as Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” earned Cook a strong “Idol” following. In the finale, Cook beat out David Archuleta by taking 56 percent of the nearly 100 million votes cast. A week later, 11 of his “Idol” songs debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart – the highest number of new entries in a single week by an artist since the Beatles in 1964. Cook immediately went into the studio to begin work on his major-label debut.

“One of the things that was really important to me was I wanted to be a part of the writing process,” the 26-year-old Cook says.

“Ten of the 13 songs on the album I either wrote or co-wrote. If you want a record to sound like you, then you kind of have to be involved. At least I do. I didn’t necessarily want it to be completely autobiographical, but I also didn’t want to just take what everyone had seen on the show and put it on a record. That was just a part of my life, and there’s another 24, 25 years to talk about.”

The album was released on Nov. 18, 2008, and is still on Billboard’s Top 200. Its third single, “Come Back to Me,” is currently No. 91 on the Hot 100 and No. 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Rob Cavallo, a veteran studio wiz who has helmed hit albums for Green Day, My Chemical Romance and Kid Rock, produced the album, and Cook collaborated with a wealth of songwriting talent such as Soundgarden/Audioslave’s Chris Cornell and Our Lady Peace front-man Raine Maida. Cook co-wrote three songs with Maida, including “Heroes,” which is an homage to his family’s support, and “Permanent,” a song to his older brother Adam who had brain cancer.

Cook famously emblazoned “AC,” his brother’s initials, on his guitar during “American Idol.” He paused his tour briefly in May when his brother died, but Cook continues to use his new-found celebrity to talk about the disease and raise money for cancer charities.

“I always try to consider myself as someone who lives in the moment, but with Adam’s passing it’s really made me stop and think,” Cook says.

“In a way I’ve taken on his mind-set. I don’t want his illness to define me just as it didn’t define who he was, but I’m sure there will be more songs about Adam.”

Cook also doesn’t plan on being defined simply as another “American Idol” contestant who has found some success on the charts, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t kept tabs on the show that made him famous.

“We just played L.A. last night, and a lot of people who were on that season with me were able to come to the show,” Cook says. “It’s more than ‘Idol’ giving me a great opportunity. They’ve given me a second family that I can go back and see.”

Despite the recent departure of Paula Abdul, Cook believes the show is still a valuable platform for musicians. So what does he think of the news that Ellen DeGeneres will become the latest “Idol” judge?

“I got a chance to meet her a couple of times being on her show,” Cook says.

“She has this great enthusiasm about her, and she’s a fan of (‘American Idol’). That excitement can only be a positive in my opinion. I don’t think anybody can replace Paula Abdul and what she brought to the show, and I don’t think anyone should try to, but I’m interested to see how she’ll fit in.”

As for his own future, Cook is equally enthusiastic. Despite a grueling tour schedule, he has already penned a few new songs for his sophomore album. He plans to finish writing by the end of the year and begin recording in February 2010.

“We actually just started writing,” Cook says. “Musically, we have two or three really solid ideas that I’m excited about. Lyrically I’ve always been a binge and purge guy. I’ve been binging on all these ideas since we’ve been on the road, so I expect to be purging lyrics really soon.

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.”

Click here to listen to the entire interview!!

On a different note, please get all those who have Twitter accounts and like David Cook to go follow him @thedavidcook – He’s hoping to get 50,000 followers by the end of the week. Spread the word!!

Source: mlive.com

ALLEGAN — There’s a video rock singer and “American Idol” alumnus David Cook had uploaded to his Web site in August featuring Cook, a ficus plant and a small rubber chicken.

One of series of videos from the road titled “Pork Beans,” the video — “A Ficus Flows Between Us” — shows Cook and the chicken in their own respective armchairs with the ficus plant between them on an end table.

In talk-show format, a deadpan Cook asks the chicken — all but obscured by the plant — a number of questions, ranging from the “Idol”-heavy mundane (“What are your thoughts on Paula Abdul leaving `American Idol’? Is Simon really that mean in person? Who do you like better from Season Eight, Adam or Kris?”) to the outrageous (“Out of a five-star scale, how many stars would you give Kevin Costner’s performance in `Waterworld’?”).

One gets a sense early on that the shrill, nausea-inducing wheezes that serve as the chicken’s answers when squeezed by an off-camera hand are a kind of metaphor for the journalistic burden one must suffer at the hands of reporters as the result of being crowned champion of one of television’s most-watched shows. The ficus a metaphor for “Idol” as an obscuring force between Cook and reporters everywhere.

But the 26-year-old Cook, during a phone interview from a recent tour stop in Montana, said analyzing the video gives him too much credit.

“It was literally just that we’ve been wanting to interview the rubber chicken for a couple weeks for `Pork Beans,”’ Cook said. “It all kind of happened organically, and I read something on mtv.com I think after that fact that said that I may have come across as too jaded, and I thought that was the funniest thing is that people were taking it seriously. The thing about `Pork Beans’ is it’s the last thing in this whole production that we would ever take seriously.”

Yet part of the package that comes with the “American Idol” brand of fame is precisely just that — the brand. From the minute Cook stepped on the “Idol” stage to the minute, he walked off as Season Seven champion in May 2008, he was perpetually branded “American Idol David Cook,” a license which comes with the assurance that the things he says and does will be analyzed.

A well-established regional musician as vocalist for the Missouri-based band Axium for the better part of a decade before his stint on the show that made him famous, Cook doesn’t seem to mind the possible costs that may be associated with his exposure to the masses.

“I just kind of look at it as it’s where I came from, you know? I spent 10 years kind of DIY-ing it and it is extremely, extremely difficult to get anybody to pay attention,” Cook said. “What’s funny is now we’ve been fortunate to have a platinum record (2008’s self-titled `David Cook’) and we’re touring the country, but I don’t really feel like I’m doing anything different. I think it’s just a matter of I put myself out there in a position where people heard me. There’s no shame in that game.”

Touring in support of his album for more than the past 200 days hasn’t offered Cook much time to work on a follow-up, though he said he currently has three songs knocked out. And with the positive way things are going on tour, he doesn’t seem too concerned about what’s next.

Besides, the real question is, out of a five-star scale, how many stars would he give Kevin Costner’s performance in “Waterworld”?

“Sorry Kevin,” Cook said, laughing. “I’m gonna go with two-and-a-half stars.”

David Cook was back in Oregon this last weekend to rock the Oregon State Fair. Before sitting down to chat with his interviewer, he sent a band mate on an elephant ear run (after all, a man’s gotta have priorities)

His interviewer, 105.1FM deejay Sheryl Stewart, hoped to stretch things out long enough to share in the deep fried dough goodness, but she thought the guy got lost…..probably ended up at a salsa-making demonstration or free hand massage booth….anyway…..here’s the convo! They talked about….how he feels about being “cougar bait”….his ideal first date….how his brother’s passing has changed how he approaches life…..what he considers to be the best invention ever….and more!

Click here to listen to the 13-minute long interview!!

Source: PressDemocrat.com

Hooked on Cook

SAN FRANCISCO – As I was headed from paying for my parking in the structure diagonally across from The Fillmore Tuesday night, I overheard one guy say to another: “I don’t think he was ready for The Fillmore.”

Well, maybe they went to different concert than I did.

Or maybe they weren’t referring to David Cook. Maybe it was a buddy of theirs.

But one thing is for certain David Cook was indeed ready for The Fillmore.

Fourteen songs, one encore, 75 minutes of pure rock n roll. He and his band were more than ready.

There were plenty of legendary echos in that place Tuesday night and he probably woke up more than a few of them.

Amidst the Cougars and the Kids there is a love affair for the guy. And, yes, even if you are a 62-year old male Boomer you can admit – unabashedly – that you like his music. You like the songs he writes. You like the ones he interprets. You like the band behind him. The drummer, the lead guitar player put on a show themselves.

Oh, he still didn’t introduce all of them and that is something he absolutely needs to work into his show. But that’s ticky-tack especially when you compare it to the way he sang “I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight.” Amazing.

It’s oh-so-easy to hear just about any artist on a record and realize how sanitized the recording is. I don’t know how many times they do it, or how many ways they splice it together, but it always comes out perfect. The real trick is to hear the artist do the same song in person. It’s always different, the spin is always unique and sometimes it really, really works.

So it was with Cook Tuesday night. He sang “Lie” and “I Did It For You” way, way better than the recordings.

He opened with “Mr. Sensitive” and “Heroes” and ended it with “Come Back To Me.”

“We had a couple of days off before the show,” he said, “and we got to experience the City and now to play in the historic Fillmore.”

I don’t quite know what the two guys in the garage were thinking as they left, but I have a feeling I know what the mom and her daughter who had driven over from Modesto and stood in line for eight hours to be in the front row were thinking.

Mr. Cook, I applaud you.