David Cook, Indie Rocker

The best thing to come out of the Omaha American Idol audition? David Roland Cook!

“Rocker David” is no stranger to the music business and has been performing for several years. From musical theater to college bands, David has been honing his skills to perfection. His critically acclaimed indie release Analog Heart is unfortunately no longer available for sale, but there are tracks available from his former band Axium.

From his AI home page:
Favorite Quote: "Pain don’t hurt." - Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse
Q: How do you plan on differentiating yourself in the competition?
A: I’m just going to be who I am. Will it work? Tune in to find out!
Q: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
A: I’m weird. People aren’t usually surprised by anything with me.
Q: What other talents do you have?
A: I am an expert television watcher. I can also sleep and eat like nobody’s business.

The season seven champion spoke about his run on American Idol in several interviews.

Cook was surprised to win, as he fully expected Archuleta to take the title. He says, “My hat’s off to Archie just for the whole scenario. He handled himself with a lot of grace and, more importantly, he’s just an amazing human being. I was just honored to share the stage with him.”

As far as the “Daughtry theory” that he would be better off not winning, Dave says, “I think going into this with the idea that you don’t want to win is a huge slap in the face to the 103,000 people who auditioned this season who really wanted to win. So I definitely went into this to try to win it.”

Earlier this season, Simon addressed David as arrogant, but at the end of his final performance on Tuesday, he told him that he was one of the nicest guys in the competition. David addresses this change of heart: “I just went into this as an opportunity to expose myself musically to a large audience. And so my confidence level never really wavered and maybe that’s what got misinterpreted as cocky or arrogant, but I think as the season went on, maybe he saw the work that I was putting in, not just on my own stuff, but really just to make it a positive working environment for everybody.” He also states that the vocal coaches encouraged him to “break down the wall” between himself and the audience.

About his fans: “I can’t believe the level of support that has come out of me doing this crazy TV show. All I can do is try to embrace it and make all the effort that these people are putting into supporting me worthwhile and that’s going to start with a record and hopefully moving down the road a tour and a lot of success. The sky’s the limit right now.”

In regards to what we can expect from a David Cook album: “I think it’s going to be a mixture of my writing and hopefully writing with some other people. The bottom line is I just want to come out of the gate with a solid record, so if I can do that I’ll be happy. The ideal release is ‘as soon as possible,’ if you ask me, but obviously these things take time. As far as the type of record? It will probably be a rock record, but I think that’s a pretty vague generalization. I just want to make a record that’s gonna make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.” He also adds, “I want this record to have some twists and turns in it. I want people to feel like they got taken on a trip from beginning to end. I’ve got my work cut out for me, but it should be a lot of fun.”

He talks about his public persona as being confident and mature: “Maturity? You guys don’t see me when the cameras are off. I’m a goof and a nerd. The confidence comes in knowing what I can do and what I can’t, what works for me and what doesn’t. I never tried to fake it. It’s been a process, but my family and my friends have kept me really grounded, and that’s probably where it comes from.”

David talks about his brother Andrew: “He has been my No. 1 supporter from day one. He really wanted me to audition with him, and I was just hesitant - not for any negative stigma associated with the show. I didn’t really see this as my path for whatever reason. Standing in line ... a producer comes by and interviews my brother and then turns to me. I said, ‘I’m not auditioning’ and he’s like, ‘Well you are now.’ Life has a weird way of working itself out sometimes.”

As reported in previous interviews, David’s older brother Adam has brain cancer. David has never mentioned his brother on the show but was obviously touched by his presence when he was able to see him perform during top seven week.

Additionally, the orange wrist band that David proudly wore throughout the competition was in honor of cancer stricken Lindsey Rose Belcher, a seven-year-old from Tampa.

For the past five months David has endured everything from copycat accusations to high blood pressure to being called the “dark horse” in the competition. He has progressed from an auburn-haired “emo” artist in a sweater vest, to a confident fashionable bona fide star.

To sum it all up in a nutshell, David Cook says, “I’ve been holding my breath for four months. Tonight was just about exhaling and enjoying what this show is and what it isn’t…It’s crazy how things turn out.”

Keeping in touch... David’s myspace.

Check out David’s Guitar Hero commercial. Risky Business indeed! :-)