David Cook: The Surprised 'Idol"

Sunday, 13 July 2008

David Cook: The surprised 'Idol'

Alan Sculley - Special to the Daily Herald

When David Cook found out he had passed his initial audition for "American Idol" and would advance to have a chance to compete on the hit television series, he felt something besides happiness and anticipation. Cook felt uncomfortable about the situation. The reason was he didn't plan to audition in the first place. Cook came to the audition in Omaha to provide moral support for his brother, Andrew, who was trying out for the show. Cook only auditioned after he was prodded into doing so by his brother and his mother (who also came to the audition). "We were in the same audition group in the first round, and I was the only one out of the group that made it," Cook said in a recent phone interview. "So yeah, it was a little awkward. I made it a point, as soon as I got out of the arena, I said to him, 'If you don't want me to do this, I won't.' And his response, this kind of speaks to his character, he said, 'If you don't do it, I'll kick your [butt].' " With an incentive like that, Cook, 25, had little choice but to stay in the running. And what a run it became, as he eventually made the show, and in May, won the "American Idol" competition by beating out fellow finalist David Archuleta. The fact is, Cook said he never saw himself as "Idol" material. He was well on his way to pursuing a music career in the more conventional way. Born in Houston, Cook and his family moved to Blue Springs, Mo., near Kansas City when he was 2. It was there that Cook, then 15, formed a rock band called Axium. That group never panned out, but he continued to pursue music, while also going to college to study graphic arts. In 2006, he graduated from college, released a solo CD, "Analog Heart," and moved to Tulsa, where he had a gig lined up to play guitar in the Midwest Kings, a group that had built a regional touring base. Cook was working on a second solo album when he auditioned and wasn't looking to necessarily change his game plan. "I was back in Tulsa, bartending and doing a record, so I was pretty happy with where I was at," Cook said. Besides, Cook wasn't sold on the idea that his rock-pop sound would be a good fit for "American Idol." "I didn't really know I was what the show was looking for," Cook said. "I had watched in the past and never seen a rocker win the show. And to me, it was kind of like, if somebody like Bo [Bice] or somebody like Chris [Daughtry] can't come on here and win it, what shot do I have?" That said, once he began advancing through the audition process and eventually landed a spot in the field of 24 contestants who would appear on the show, Cook said he was committed to taking his best shot at winning -- despite some reports to the contrary. In particular, Cook was quoted in the June 26 issue of Rolling Stone magazine saying he was never in the "Idol" competition to win it, saying this helped take off some of the pressure of doing the show. But Cook said that statement was "a bit of a misquote." "I went into the show with every intention of trying to win. I never assumed that I would," Cook said. "I mean, look, there are 100,000 some odd people who tried out this year, and I think for me to have gone into it without the intention of winning it would have been a huge slap in the face to everyone who auditioned and didn't get to that point." Quite a few people didn't think Cook would come out on top, either. He was initially seen as a darkhorse in the field of 24, and when the competition finally boiled down to Cook and 17-year-old David Archuleta, he was still considered by many to be the underdog. In fact, "Idol's" famously outspoken judge, Simon Cowell, predicted that Archuleta would win hands down after the two Davids faced off for the final time on the "Idol" stage. Even Cook began to buy into that line of thinking. After arriving that morning to prepare for the Wednesday evening's finale, Cook was told the vote was 56 percent to 44 percent. He figured that meant only one thing. "I was like. 'OK, Archie's got it,' " Cook said. "I didn't really think much about it the rest of the day. I kind of went through the motions of getting ready for Wednesday night's finale. I was just stoked to be playing with ZZ Top." Hearing his name announced as the winner was a surreal event for Cook. "It was kind of an out-of-body experience," Cook said. "I felt like I was watching it with everybody else." Since that evening of May 21, Cook has been busy preparing for the next steps in the life of an "Idol" champion. He jumped into rehearsals with the other top 10 finishers to prepare for his featured slot in this summer's "American Idols Live" tour. The tour makes its annual Utah stop with shows tonight and Tuesday at the E Center in West Valley City. Cook will perform five songs, as well as participate in a pair of ensemble numbers, and is pleased with the material the performers and the organizers of the show selected. "Everybody seems really happy with their set and we're all able to not only do songs from the show but also throw in some stuff that we weren't able to get on the show, but stuff that we enjoy performing," Cook said. "Like, I'm doing 'My Hero' by the Foo Fighters, and that's one of my favorite songs, just high energy. So it's cool. I think we're all getting to show a little bit more of ourselves to everybody." Cook also has his sights set on recording his first album under his new record contract with 19 Recordings/RCA. The album is due in mid-November, which means time will be tight once the "American Idols Live" tour ends in mid-September. "I'm a rock singer, so it will be a rock record," Cook said. "But the good thing about rock music is there are some sub-genres there. So there's room to meander. My goal is to put out a record that's both eclectic and cohesive. If I can do that and find that balance, I think the sky's the limit." Chances are, when Cook's debut album arrives, it will storm the Billboard magazine charts. He already smashed all previous records from the digital music age by landing 17 songs on various Billboard charts at the same time at the end of May. "The Time of My Life," the song Cook performed after winning "Idol," led the way, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Digital Tracks chart with a first-week total of 236,00 downloads. Even Cook seemed to have a hard time grasping his presence on the charts. "I think every so often everything kind of lines up for you, and hopefully that's what's happening now," he said. "I've said it a few times before, I think if this all ends tomorrow, I've already had a hell of a ride. I'm content. And I think moving forward, the goal is to keep that vibe. If I can keep being happy doing this, great. That's one thing I'm not willing to compromise." source: http://www.heraldextra.com By: Gracey 99.5