KHOP 95.1 -- The Morning Paper (Modesto, CA) -- 6/18/08 DJ: Jack and Madden Ryan Seacrest Voiceover: The winner, by twelve million votes, of American Idol 2008 is: David....Cook David Cook voiceover: This is amazing, Thank you. [montage of David Cook songs performed on Idol] Jack: David, how are ya'? David: I'm good, how are you? Jack: We're fantastic, man. He was just on with Leno, Larry King, and now you have your New American Idol, David Cook, inside The Morning Paper. Great to have you man. David: Aw, thank you so much for havin' me. Madden: I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but Jack and I actually voted. You were our favorite... [Jack laughs] Madden: ...we like... David: Aw, thank you. Madden: ...were pushin' for you to win. We were so excited when you did. David: Aw, thank you very much. Nah I was uh, I was kinda shocked, [laughs] honestly. Jack: Brother, I had never, ever texted for American Idol ever. And because of my wife, who we'll talk about later, we went crazy on finale night. And brother, you are in as the new American Idol. How does that feel? David: Oh man, it's, it's, it's a trip. I'm just, I, I, I hope it doesn't set in ever. Like, I've just, I, I've thoroughly enjoyed the last, ya' know, few weeks. Madden: You seem like the most humble American Idol they've ever had. You're just like, chillin', havin' a good time. David: Yeah, I mean, why not? I mean, I'm in a position that most people never get the opportunity to be at. So, I, I'm just enjoyin' it, I honestly am. Like, I get, I get to meet cool people. I got to, I got to do Leno, for cryin' out loud. Jack: No doubt, man. Madden: I knooooow. David: Yeah Madden: I so totally saw that. And you rocked it. David: Oh thank you, yeah. It was uh, I was just tryin' not to be...too bad. So... [Jack and Madden laugh] Jack: We've got David Cook, your new American Idol, inside The Morning Paper on KHOP at 95.1 with Jack and Madden. So what has the last couple of weeks been like since you beat out Archuleta a couple of weeks ago? David: A bit of a whirlwind. I, I, I got to do uh, I got to do the press rounds for about a week in L.A. and New York. It was my first trip to New York, and...and then since then it's just uh, that was just-- I've, I've had a chance to just do some cool things and meet some great people, and...I, I got a couple minutes just to, you know, breathe and, and see family and....just celebrated my older brother's birthday, and actually I'm gettin' to celebrate my little brother's birthday on Monday. He's comin' up to L.A. Uh yeah, it, I mean it-- it's a, it's a good time to be me. Jack: You know what man? Family, obviously, s-- ah, at least from the show, the vibe that you gave out, is super important to you. Especially the relationship you have with your brothers. I wanna talk about the two different brothers, the first one being, though, the one that you went to the audition with. And you apparently weren't even supposed to sing or audition or anything. And then you ended up doing so, won the whole thing. How did that go that day when you were in line at the auditions? David: Yeah it was just my little brother Andrew, and uh, he'd wanted to audition for three years or somethin' like that. And, I was like: Ok, I'll go as moral support... [Jack and Madden laugh] David: ...ya' know, but I don't wanna audition. Cuz I was-- I was workin' on a record in Tulsa and was just really content, like, doin' what I was doin'. Standin' in line, it's like 5:30 in the morning in Omaha. It's raining, the sun's not up. Producer comes up with a camera, interviews my brother: Why are you the next American Idol? And then turns to me, and I'm like: "Whoa I'm not auditioning." And he goes: "Oh, well you are now." [Jack laughs] David: And uh... Madden: So they didn't think you had any singing background or anything, and they just say "you're going to audition"? David: I guess, yeah. Apparently, the-- I, I mean, cuz at the time I had that weird hair thing goin' on. [Jack laughs] David: So I guess they thought... Madden: Ohhhhhh David: ...I looked weird enough to make it work. Madden: OK Jack: Dude, your hair rocked. David: Oh man. It was, it was a different beast back then. I... [Jack and Madden laugh] David: Uh, so...yeah, so...I, I picked my song in line and...it was weird. I, I never really got...nervous the first few rounds, cuz it was like-- uh, I was like: OK, well if I make it, great. And if I don't, then oh well. So I kinda backed into the whole thing, and my brother's been great. Uh, whereas it would have been so easy for him to kinda take the jealous tone. I asked him after the first round when I made it through and he didn't, I was like: "Do you want me to do this? Because if you don't, I won't." Jack: Whoa David: And... Madden: That's huge. David: And he goes: "If you--" he goes, "If you don't see this thing through, I'll kick your... [Jack and Madden laugh] Madden: Yeah David: ...expletive." Madden: Good for him David: And uh... Madden: Good for him. David: My brother was a wrestler in high school, and so I believed him. [Jack and Madden laugh] Jack: We've got David Cook, your American Idol, inside The Morning Paper on KHOP at 95.1. That show when you brought, uh, your brother up on stage...I was thinking... David: Mm-hmm Jack: Oh dude, that's either going to be a shining moment for him, or really sting bad. David: Yeah, I mean, and he's been very appreciative of me tryin' to push him a little bit. Ya' know, cuz obviously this is somethin' he wanted to do from the start, so...and, and if I'm being honest, I think he's a better singer than I am. Jack: Wow [laughs] David: Uh...so... [Madden laughs] David: We'll see what happens. I don't know. Jack: You need to, you need to spot that producer who grabbed you in line, like, a hundred bucks or somethin'. David: Oh I know, right? Yeah I just uh...take him out to dinner or somethin'. [Jack laughs] Madden: I know. I know, I know. Jack: Hey, does it trip you out that people are like, really interested now about where you eat, who you're dating, like, stuff like that? David: Yeah, I mean it..it's all been interesting. I, I don't know. I...I'm kinda from the Dave Grohl school, I guess, in that, like, I got into this cuz I wanna write music that, that has some substance to it. And, and all the celebrity stuff, a lot of it's pretty absurd to me. Ya' know, but it, it's also puttin' me in this position where I get to help out and, and uh, and kinda, ya' know, do my part to, to better everybody else. I don't-- ya' know, I'm excited. I think movin' forward, I'm, I'm, I'm tryin' to get involved with some cancer charities, and, ya' know, o-- obviously cancer's somethin' that's very, very close to me. So, uh, ya' know, I'm excited. I, I feel like I'm in a good spot to move forward and, and hopefully uh, promote change a little bit. Jack: Honestly, is David Cook, like, one of the coolest guys ever? Madden: I know! [Jack laughs] Madden: I'm just sitting here, just kinda taking it all in. David: Aww Madden: Um, I have a question. Um, I don't think you're gonna be honest with me. But I'm gonna ask it anyway. Jack: Uh-oh. She's known to do that, man. I'll warn ya' now. [Madden laughs] David: That's fair. Alright. Madden: Um..."Time of Your Life." Does it really seem like your...type of song? How do you feel about having to sing that? That has to be your first single, right? David: Yeah I, I-- well, I mean I, I, I think it's my single now. I don't know that I necessarily have to put it on the record. But, um... Madden: OK David: Uh, ya' know the song is uh....the song is what it is. And I, and I think it's uh, it's, it's a solid, uplifting song. I, I think, I think there's a reason people have gotten behind it the way they have. Madden: I mean, I think you've pulled it off fabulously. I think you sing it great. But I was just like: It just doesn't seem like something he would choose to do.