University grad David Cook rocks road to fame on 'American Idol'
Mar 21, 2008, 12:46 PM
By Lisa Handke for the Muleskinner
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| David Cook pleases the judges and rocks the crowd during the Top 16 show. (Photo courtesy of AmericanIdol.com |
Heck, he almost didn't even try out.
But now, Cook, a UCM graduate, has made it more than halfway through the race to be the next American Idol. The 25-year-old from Blue Springs, Mo., graduated from UCM's graphic arts technology program in 2006, and is
now among the popular music reality show's final ten contestants.
The show's ultimate winner becomes an instant celebrity, winning a record deal and a concert tour and gaining national media attention.
David's younger brother Andrew Cook is a junior elementary-education major at UCM, and here he shares his perspective on David's newfound fame, fresh from a spring break visit to Los Angeles to watch the live taping of the show last Tuesday.
"It's more than proud, I just don't know the word," Andrew said, about what goes through his mind when he watches David perform, either on TV or there in the Idol studio. "I'm excited and intrigued because it's my brother onstage, and I get into his performance just like I would with any famous person."
'All for you, man'
Andrew was actually a major player in getting David on the show. It was Andrew's idea to try out for the show, and he insisted David try out with him. David, he said, was not thrilled about it, but both boys auditioned in Omaha last August.
"And I'm still in school, and my brother is on his way to the Top 10," Andrew pointed out. But there seems to be no hard feelings about David making the show; Andrew's admiration and support for his brother is obvious. Any competition between the two is purely good-natured.
"My brother is my brother, and I love him, but now he's Jessica Simpson, and I'm going to go Ashley on him," Andrew cracked, making a music industry
reference, not surprisingly. "If he gets famous, I've got some good coattails to ride."
Having made it on to the show, David is now very grateful to Andrew for urging him to audition. His appreciation was mde evident at last week's Eleanor Rigby," David called Andrew over to the stage from the
audience, and introduced him to the show's executive producer.
He then told Andrew that his performance had been "all for you, man," and gave him a big hug in the middle of the studio.
Later, after the show, as David and his family were walking out of the studio, David told a group of fans gathered outside that it is all because of Andrew that he is on Idol.
"They asked for his autograph, and he told them it was a package deal, and that they would get mine, too," Andrew said. "So there's a group of girls in L.A. with my autograph now."
Andrew said the whole family is "extremely happy" for David. The boys' mother, Beth Foraker, has attended every taping of the show. Their father, Stan Cook, lives in Indianapolis, and is hoping to go to one of the upcoming tapings.
Andrew said that after each show he is usually on the phone with people for up to two hours, talking about how David did and reminding people to vote. He guesses there are about 100 other relatives and friends that get on the phone and do the same after each week's show.
'The word is getting out'
David's support network does not stop with family and friends. The Blue Springs community has also shown support for David, especially Blue Springs South High School, where both brothers went to high school.
The school put a banner for David in the cafeteria, and had an assembly to share the good news when he first made it on to Idol. Further, a few weeks ago the high school theatre teacher invited the whole town to
the school's gym for a "watch party" to watch the show. Both David and Andrew performed in musicals under the teacher's direction while in high school.
"The school is taking a lot of pride in it, and the town will probably catch on more, as David gets even farther along," Andrew said.
Several Kansas City media outlets have given reports of David's achievement. The Cooks were interviewed by the FOX 4 News station shortly after David made it on to the show, and both the Blue Springs Journal and the
Jackson County news Web site The Examiner (www.examiner.net) have recently run articles about David's local background. FOX 4, the Lee's Summit
Journal and The Kansas City Star have all made it a point to go to the restaurant where David's family gathers for their own watch party every week.
FOX 4 keeps continual tabs on David's progress, and Kansas City radio stations have played back David's song performances from the show, with audio clips of the judges giving him feedback, and comments from David and Ryan Seacrest, the show's host.
"The coverage is good for David," Andrew said. "The word is getting out that he is doing well, and obviously people are voting for him, because he is still going."
David's thrust into the limelight, though, has already brought to reality the stereotype of friends and family members "coming out of the woodwork," Andrew said.
"After his first appearance on TV, David got about 100-150 emails," Andrew reported. "It is good that people are supporting him, but with some of them I bet he thought, 'why would that person email me?'"
Andrew, himself, has received similar treatment. He said people he hardly knows have invited him to come to watch parties, and he has gotten an influx of MySpace and Facebook friend requests, with messages about David's accomplishments.
"I get messages from people saying 'I saw your brother on TV; he was good. We should be friends!'" Andrew laughed. "I think they look me up just so they can say I'm friends with David Cook's brother on MySpace.'"
'A good kid who works hard'
It is not just the UCM students who are buzzing with
excitement for David, but faculty as well. David's
former professor and advisor, Dave Barabas, speaks
highly of him, and said he is pleased that the
"polite, unassuming" student he used to have in class
is now on the path to potential stardom.
"This is proof that a good kid who works hard can make
it," Barabas said. He said he remembers David playing
gigs with his band Axium in Warrensburg as a student.
David formed Axium with a friend in high school, and
the band mates both came to UCM to get degrees in
graphic arts technology management. The band was
successful while the boys were in college, and The
Examiner's Web site quoted the band's other founding
member, Bobby Kerr, as saying that graphic arts
technology served as their backup plan, in case they
never made it big in music.
But now David is indeed well on his way to making it
big.
"I bet he is the only graphic arts graduate whose
picture is in all the teenage girls' lockers in
America," Barabas laughed. "I hope David makes it all
the way, and we [former professors] are all proud of
him."
Axium disbanded as the boys finished school, and after
graduation David moved to Tulsa, where he started
playing guitar and singing back-up vocals in a
friend's band called MWK, short for Midwest Kings.
After awhile, he left MWK and started focusing more on
a solo career, Andrew said. In 2006 David released a
CD titled "Analog Heart," which won the Urban Tulsa
Album of the Year award. He put his UCM education to
good use by designing all the album artwork himself.
Last summer, after first pleasing the American Idol
screeners at his Omaha audition, David had to go
through three more rounds of producer auditions before
making it to the show's "Hollywood Week," which
further sorted through contestants to narrow down the
Top 24, and thereby begin the season.
Since David has been on the show, he has been living
in a hotel in Los Angeles with the other contestants.
He corresponds with his family as much as he can,
Andrew said, but the show keeps him very busy with
rehearsals, shopping excursions and all the other
preparations that go into making a TV show.
"We were in L.A. for four days, and we got to see
David for about two hours," Andrew said.
The brothers talk on the phone when David has time to,
but more often they send text messages back and forth
to keep in touch. David sometimes calls to run song
choices by his younger brother.
The songs David picks to sing and the way he delivers
them have brought positive feedback from the show's
three judges, even from the notoriously negative Simon
Cowell.
'Hey, you don't suck'
"You could actually win this entire show," Cowell
commented on the show last week, after hearing David
sing "Eleanor Rigby." Cowell also had good things to
say about David's energetic version of the Turtles'
"So Happy Together" on the Feb. 19th show: "It's
funny, I've never heard the song like that before, but
you actually made it believable."
David has established himself as the resident rock
star on Idol. After what judge Randy Jackson called a
"slightly emo" take on Lionel Richie's pop tune
"Hello" on the March 4th show, Cowell commended David
for putting his own spin on his audition songs. "I
like people who take risks, and you did, and I think
Lionel Richie would be proud," Cowell said.
So, what does David think about the judges' positive
feedback and his Idol success?
"It's refreshing to have somebody from outside your
circle say, 'Hey, you don't suck,'" he commented on
the Feb. 19th episode.
Little brother Andrew agreed. "It is very gratifying
having a family member doing so well at what they do,"
he said. "It hits me sometimes, while I am going
through my day-to-day routine, that I have a brother
out in L.A. pursuing what he has wanted to do for over
10 years."
Contestants will continue to be eliminated from the
show each week, based on the number of votes they
receive from viewers. The new American Idol will be
determined the third week of May.
Until then, Andrew and the rest of David's supporters
will just have to keep tuning in and voting every
Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Until then, Andrew and the rest of David's supporters
will just have to keep tuning in and voting every
Tuesday night, and hope that their perseverance will
help David go from being a local star to a national icon.
