Q&A with road warrior David Cook, Season 7 winner

To give you an idea just how thorough a concert tour "American Idol" Season 7 champion David Cook is in the midst of, try finding Lewisburg, W.V., on a map. Tough, huh?

That's where Cook, 26, was on Saturday afternoon when we chatted by phone. He was preparing for a show at the West Virginia State Fair, his 101st concert since his Declaration tour began last Feb. 14.

That tour brings the rocker/songwriter to Seattle for the first time a week from today, when he'll be playing the Showbox Sodo (8:30 p.m. Aug. 24, $25, ticketmaster.com).

"I'm looking forward to Seattle," Cook said. Of course he's a fan of the music scene that sprang up here in the '90s. He mentioned Pearl Jam and Soundgarden in particular. As we talked, I got the sense he was looking forward to seeing the setting of that movement up close. I joked about visiting Pearl Jam's rehearsal space and I could hear his eyes getting bigger over the phone, if that's even possible. "Don't tell me things like that," he said.

Me: So how's the tour going?
DC: "It's been an absolute blast. I'm enjoying it, especially playing with guys I've known a long time."

Me: It looks like you mix things up with covers and a lot of banter between songs.
DC: "I pride ourselves on the fact that, short of maybe four shows, we've played a different set list every night. ... I wanted to do be a little different with these shows, to converse with the crowd and entertain them. The band hates it though. But it makes the fans happy."

Me: I heard you say you hope to work on a new album after the first of the year. Have you been able to work on new material during this tour?
DC: "We kind of noodle around out here on the road. Actually yesterday we noodled around at sound check and probably for the first time put a whole song together. But it will be good to get into a studio (in 2010) and really get to work."

The rest of the questions were submitted by fans via Twitter (@Timesidolblog):

@ItsAFugue: Are there any specific instruments you would like to learn to play for fun or for future practical use in your music?
DC: "Sure. I'd like to be a better piano player and better drummer. I'd love to play the violin again -- I played it for a little while as a kid."

@SkibletAtHeart: Ask him how the name for the band is coming along!
DC: "I think we might finally have a band name. It's just a matter of getting it out there the right way. But then you never know -- one day somebody might say, um, maybe that's no good."

More questions and a video clip after the jump.

@LaverneTX: Do you watch YouTube vids of your shows? If so, do you make changes because of what you see/hear?
DC: "No, not really. The shows are really organic and natural. It's funny -- a song like 'Lie,' it doesn't even sound like the version on the record anymore."

Video break: David Cook singing "Lie" at the West Virginia State Fair on Saturday night:

@CookTime: Any chance of a DVD of the Declaration Tour?
DC: "I've been planning to do that for a while. But there's nothing firm."

@Cookistas: What about a live acoustic album?
DC: "Yet another thing I would love to do, but I'm busy with full band electric at this point."

@sky12345: I am interested in his song Souvenir and if it is going to be on a deluxe version of his Album? Love the song.
DC: "We've actually talked about the deluxe album; I would love to put one together. But it's just talk at this point."

@SuzanneEliza: Do you think you and David Archuleta (Season 7 runner-up) will be friends 10 years from now?
DC: "Well, unless David opts out of it, sure. he's a fantastic guy. I imagine we'll be friends for a long time."

@serene_yip: Ask David about how he felt about singing with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert (Season 8 winner and runner-up) at "Good Morning America."
DC: "Hats off to Kris and Adam for doing a great job on that with so little practice time. We ran through that song only once without cameras, and they did great."

@roxybella143: Ask him if the band will be working with him on the next album.
DC: "If i have anything to say about it, absolutely. I want there to be a synergy."

@lilsparrow: Are you thinking about releasing another single soon?
DC: "We're still talking about it, yeah. I'm lucky that the singles have sustained themselves."

@yiddidea: David recently got to perform onstage with his idol, Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace. I would ask him about that experience.
DC: "Yup, flew down to Dallas for that. I'm a huge fan of the band and we've become good friends. I had a blast and they couldn't be nicer guys."