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David Cook/American Idols Live Feature - short version

By Alan Sculley

For Kitsap A&E

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, beating out David Archuleta in the final.

The fact is, Cook said he never saw himself as "Idol" material. He recently had moved from his long-time home base of Blue Springs, Mo. (near Kansas City) to Tulsa, to play guitar in the Midwest Kings, a band that had a regional touring base.

He already had released a debut CD, "Analog Heart," and was working on his second album when he auditioned for "Idol."

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?"

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 Archuleta, he still was considered by many - including "Idol's" famously outspoken judge, Simon Cowell - to be the underdog.

Even Cook began to buy into that line of thinking. After arriving to prepare for the Wednesday evening 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."

Since that evening (May 21), Cook has been busy preparing for the next steps in the life of an "Idol" champion.

First up is this summer's "American Idols Live" tour, which features the top 10 finishers from this season's show. Cook will perform five songs, 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, which is due in mid-November.

"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.

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."