David Cook Finds Peace in Rock and Roll
Colleen Freeland Towner | Dec 09, 2011 | Comments 20
Surrounded by an entourage of road crew, band mates, managers and security, David Cook graciously handles his frenzied schedule with the peaceful energy of a seasoned professional.
The singer, who was launched to stardom in 2008 when he won American Idol, is firmly grounded in his role on center-stage, extending a personal connection to everyone from VIP greenroom guests to back row skeptics. And as expected from a real rock star, the opening note of the first song creates a mesmerizing trance that only live music can offer. It’s more than a performance, it’s an experience.
Cook’s songs strike a chord of melancholy; his eyes reveal a deep well of emotion. In an interview with Spaces Quarterly, Cook discusses that both the gift and the plight of an artist is to take off the peripherals and expose the world as it really is. Indeed, the songs on his latest album This Loud Morning express both the beauty and pain of a sensitive soul.
In the song “Paper Heart,” he sings, “Let it fall, take it all, ’cause I’m so tired of feelin’ everything. So damn me and my paper heart in this pouring rain”.
Writing music that speaks to so many takes a lot of self reflection and internal focus. Cook explains that he works in “bunches,” experiencing times where he can find inspiration in anything, and that everything he writes is consistent and great. ”But it comes and it goes”, Cook says. “There are months where nothing I write is good enough”.
Many of his lyrics contain the back story on his life. Cook lost his older brother in 2009 to brain cancer, and the trauma of that loss is expressed beautifully in his song “Permanent,” released on his first album David Cook.
And everything is temporary, rest your head
I’m permanent.
I know he’s living in hell every single day
And so I ask, Oh God is there some way for me to take his place?
Even with such intense expressions, his new album, This Loud Morning, is musically up-tempo with choruses that grab your attention and pull you into the next song. He starts with a dark vibe and artfully rearranges it in a way that makes you smile.
David Cook has a lighthearted laugh accompanied by a down-to-earth sense of humor and pays tribute to where he comes from. During a recent performance, he surprised the crowd (and possibly his bandmates, too) by launching into a heart-pounding, acoustical rendition of Led Zepplin’s “Rock and Roll” and commented to the crowd that “to not like Led Zepplin is to not understand rock ‘n’ roll. Sorry, ” he laughed, “it’s the truth.”
And exploring the truth, however complicated it may be, is what sets Cook apart. “I try to write in a way that [my music] does what I need it to therapeutically, but also allows people to find something in it for themselves.” As an artist, he finds that this is his purpose. ”I hold no images of grandeur that my music will change the world. I think that coexisting with it is enough.”
Photos and Video by Tony Frantz
Special Thanks to Vera Bradley
About the Author: Colleen Freeland Towner is Waking Up to both the consequence and potential found in every choice she makes. She's a vegan yogini, a wife and mother of four, learning to balance the present moment with her dreams for the future. Her passion is to be an advocate for change, bringing awareness to how our daily habits and consumer buying power can synergistically create a sustainable future for the next generation. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana and is also author of the blog Waking Up Vegan, and the community outreach coordinator for Green B.E.A.N. Delivery.
Wonderful piece. =)
Fantastic interview, and beautiful pictures. Thank you for representing David Cook in a fantastic light. He’s such a truly amazing artist and man.
LOVE David Cook; it is so true; his lyrics are heartfelt and speak to many. That’s the gift of a true song-writer, in my opinion. I hope he has a long and fruitful career; he deserves it!
I can’t say enough about what an amazing human being David Cook is. And that he is able to make such beautiful music is just pudding to me.
Colleen Freeland Towner thank you for taking the time to get to know David Cook and asking great questions in the interview. Love your description of David being a ‘sensitive soul’ that is so true and makes him an talented artist and composer/songwriter with beautiful music.
Thank you for a wonderful article about David. He is a sensitive soul and just an amazing human being as well as a very talented musician.
Thanks for this wonderful interview! This brings forth what we love in this talented, intelligent, smart and adorable musician!Love David so much not only for his talent but more so of his character and personality!
Great interview. So refreshing to see an interview with David that let’s David come through. He is such a multi-level artist in so many ways. His voice is intoxicating & his writing touches you (me/us) where you live. He also has a gift for music, not just guitars & drums, that is displayed on his albums. Thanks so much for appreciating what a wonderful “guy” he is.
Really nice piece. Enjoyed the video interview and read very much, Thank you!
Thank you for your insightful interview and nicely edited video. It’s always appreciated when an interviewer “gets” an artist, as you seemed to do. David is a wonderful, talented, beautiful person in so many ways. I’m a fan for life, of everything he is and creates.
Wonderful interview! David has been one of my favorite artists since American Idol. Very happy to see this kind of coverage on him.
Thank you so much for digging deeply and intelligently into what makes David Cook so special to so many. The combination of wisdom, heart, honesty, and sincerity is so refreshing. And that doesn’t even begin to speak to his singing, and his music.
[...] Spaces Quarterly brings us a new interview with David Cook, wherein he describes his writing process, love of Led Zeppelin, and his ideas about how “maybe co-existing in the world is enough.” How could anyone out there not love this guy? [...]
Nice article. David Cook has been blessed with many gifts and he uses them all to the fullest. I’m more impressed as I continue to learn who he is. So much to love.
This guy never ceases to amaze, and always in a good way.
Thanks for the nice article and interview. I’m always amazed by how humble David Cook is, and continues to be.
”I hold no images of grandeur that my music will change the world. I think that coexisting with it is enough.” Love it.
Love You David! You are my inspriation!
Excellent update on David Cook.My alltime favorite
American Idol breakaway star.He really has amazing talent.
His pre Idol music is at the very top of my listening
list. The added bonus is knowing what an incredibly humble,sweet heart-ed sensitive teddy bear he is.
I buy all his new music,even though I prefer the older
more grungy/edgy hard rock..
I love this interview. You ‘get’ David Cook and I like that. He is the real deal. Humble, gracious and extremely talented! Thanks for a great article!