Latest update (BIG thanks to Jeanie who did the last bit - she'll help me fill in the blanks, and then we'll post it somewhere more permanent):
LARRY FLICK INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Right before this transcription starts, Larry was commenting about all the beards in the room. From the convo it appears it’s Larry, David, and a label guy named Berkowitz... all bearded men.

LARRY: I ___ the least of my hairs because I shaved a couple of weeks ago.
DAVID: I’m … uh .. uh … you look put together.
L: You’re a very nice fellow. Don’t worry, I’m already playing the record. It’s okay, it’s okay. [D laughs]
L: But we’re both envious of your label dude. I’ve known this guy a long time
D: Berkowitz. He’s got the beard …
L: He’s got the beard …
D: Fact(?)
L: Yeah!
D: Serpico really.
L: Exactly. Exactly
[D laughs]
L: And uh ... uh … he claims he grew that in like a minute
D: I know. It’s pretty … for those of us that struggle to maintain the beard, that’s uh ... it’s almost insulting. Almost.
L: It is insulting. ‘Cos you know, it wasn’t until I was this age that I could grow what I have now. I used to be like the king of the anchovies.
D: Oh yeah!
L: Remember those back at school?
D: I’m with it
L: High School pictures, dudes … the anchovies. When you look back at them …
D: Never a good look.
L: Never a good look.
L: Well, I’m Larry Flick and this is Sirius XMLQ and what you just heard there was the brand new single by David Cook. We’ve been playing it for a little bit here; it’s called The Last Goodbye
D: Yeah.
L: Interesting way to say ‘Hello Again’
D: Isn’t it? I know, right. It was funny, because when we decided that was going to be the single, I said ‘Oh boy, here we go. I can just see the story write itself.
L: ___
D: If it flops I’m in real trouble.
L: I doubt that’s gonna happen
D: Oh, thank you
L: ____ Congratulations on the new record.
D; Thank you so much
L: And .. uh … the new record is called [Ryan Seacrest Voice] … This Loud Morning
D: Yes!
L: I like that title.
D: Thank you so much!
L: I like that title a lot. I’m going to tell you from the outset, I’m a really big fan.
D: Oh yeah?
L: For me, honestly, honestly? Because I’m a geek. I’m an old dude but I’m an American Idol dude, and …
D: Yeah!
L: And you’re like the last relevant Idol since Kelly Clarkson.
D: Wow!
L: It’s really just the truth.
D: Thank you so much!
L: You’re welcome. [laughs]
David: Man
L: I was a really, really big fan of your first album.
D; Thank you
L: You did a really great job. And so … what I’m really intrigued by is the three year gap. That’s sort of jumping off the conveyor belts.
D: Yeah.
L: Why did you do that? And how many people did you freak out?
D: I’m … uh … Probably everybody. If you surveyed the label, I’m sure everybody was sweating. I .. um … I just wanted this record to be right. And this meant really getting into … into song-writing, and almost kind of starting from scratch. This record was really different for me. This Loud Morning … I’ve always been a gut instinct guy, you know. So if I didn’t like it in the first 30 seconds, absolutely no deal.
L: Uh-huh.
D: And with this record, I … I really had to get out of my comfort zone, and take the time to craft these songs to the best of their ability. We wrote 80-something songs for this record, and 12 made the cut. So I mean, it’s been a process. But I think the end result is … this is far and away the largest undertaking I’ve ever … I guess undertaken. For the record. And uh … I’m really proud of the end result.
L: Was your approach sort of a knee-jerk to the fact that the last album was put together really fast?
D: Um … Not so much a knee-jerk. I just thought … You know, I could do what everybody else is doing, and rush a record and get all these writers to write me hits. Or I can acknowledge and respect the fact that I think I’m a decent writer. And I think I have something to say. And why not just put myself into this record? Like … let’s … let’s envelop myself into this record, the way that I, the way that I want to. And I had a producer that was willing to give me the time to do it, I had a label that was willing to give me the time to do it, and so I absolutely did it. You know, this record took as long as it needed to take.
L: So this time you worked with … you worked with Matt Serletic.
D: Yes
L: Last time was Rob Cavallho
D: Uh-huh.
L: Big producers both …
D: Absolutely
L: But my understanding, as a listener, is that Matt Serletic is … umm …kind of a micromanager in terms of arrangements. Would that be fair?
D: That’s very fair.
L: And he will tell you, without flinching
D:Yeah. Absolutely.
L: How did you survive that? Because that … that can be very wounding
D: Yeah. It’s … That was one of those things where you gotta kind of … you gotta have like a coat rack by the front door, and that’s where you hang your ego when you walk in and um … It’s just , for me, it was going into the studio every day and making a conscious effort to just be like ‘Allright, these songs are way more important than me, this record is way more important than me or .. this band or anything like that, or the paycheck or the travel or whatever. This record is the most important thing’. So .. I was just like ‘Screw it. I’ve got to make this record the best that it can possibly be.’ And Matt is, he’s an intricate guy. And for me, who’s like a gut instinct guy, it was like ‘Oh dear lord, what the hell are we doing here?’
L: That really is the ying and yang.
D: yeah, absolutely. But Matt was conscious of that. And really … really uh … kinda took me in a little bit more than be probably was required to. I think that really helped in the process a lot.
L: So … uh … in this process, where you’re working with your second, big-deal producer and um … If I’m reading co-writes correctly, you did write with some pretty big-deal writers, and yet, you are a writer yourself. I’m familiar with your writing before you did Idol, because you had a band, and once you were on the show, like everybody else, I wanted to know what you really sound like, and it was good stuff!
D: Thank you
L: So how … how hard was it to pull your pants all the way up and walk into the session and say ‘I know you’re Ryan Tedder, I’m very proud of you, but this is how I want my song to sound’?
D: Um … Surprisingly, it was easier than I thought it would be. And a part of it was the people I worked with just being good people, and understanding ... um … that they werefacilitators to the song. But also just … I’m … I’m … I’m confident in what I can do and I have knowledge of what I can’t. Um … And so walking into these writing sessions, it was just ‘Look, this is what I’m good at, this is where … um … this is where I reside on the musical landscape, let’s attack it, let’s go after it’. And really use these … these writers as a way to expand my own parameters and horizons and all that. And so, I think as such, I feel very strongly that my personality is what drives each one of these songs on the record. And really drives this record as a whole.
L: So, if I … I’m batting pretty well in terms of guessing, so I’m going to give it a little bit more.
D: Let’s do it
L: And you can please correct me.
D: [laughs] Okay
L: My interpretation of you, from what I’ve heard is of you post-idol, pre-idol, is that you’re a comfortable storyteller. Right?
D: Yes
L: That you’re probably a little more sensitive than you want people to know
D: Probably [laughs]
L: You’re less comfortable with pop hooks than with anything else.
D: Yes. [emphatically] Okay.
L: Was that good?
D: That as very accurate
L: So far so good! So then what happens when you’re writing, and you have a lot of guys … again with Ryan Tedder, and I keep mentioning him because he co-wrote the single, and I’ve met Ryan a few times. I know that he’s a good guy.
D: Absolutely a good guy.
L: And you also wrote with David Hodges, another really good guy. These are guys who sometimes put on their song doctor hat and will say ‘ Well, that’s a really good song, but if you to this here, then suddenly the chorus pops!
D: Absolutely
L: And so … what did that do to you when they say that to you?
D: Um … you know, it’s a shot in the arm. It stings for a second, but then you realize it’s for the better. And uh … You know, their track record kinda speaks for itself. And for me, it was going to workshops every day and learning the craft. I mean, that’s what this is, it’s a craft. It’s artistic endeavor. There’s a million different ways to get to the same results, it’s just a matter of ___. So for me it was just learning my craft. And I think anytime you can pick somebody else’s brain when it comes to songwriting, I think that’s always a plus.
L: So I remember listening to the first album, the first solo record., and thinking - again, because I’d heard your first band’s albums - I could pick out the songs that you were really comfortable with, and I could pick out the one or two songs that were like right in your sweet spot. Like Bar-Ba-Sol. That was the one you, if you got … you probably had to sing two other songs that you didn’t want to sing to put that song on the album.
D: Absolutely! [laughs]
L: I’m doing pretty well so far!
D: I know, right? I like this.
L: Did you feel like this time it was a little bit more of a balanced situation? Because you’d kinda earned … I feel that what’s really cool about your last record is that it did … it did well enough to earn you some respect, but it didn’t lock you in because it wasn’t bombastically big. It was big – but not ___ . It was like a really good first showing.
D: [Laughs] Yeah!
L: Do you feel that you earned the right to say ‘ I don’t wanna do those two songs. I wanna sing these two songs.’
D: Ah, yeah. I think I did. And I think I … but I think you’re only as good as your last record. And so um .. I … actually I … I tried to bridge the gap a little bit. You’re talking about songs like Bar-Ba-Sol versus maybe some of the more pop-based fare on the last record. And that’s just because … um .. I don’t necessarily want to confuse listeners, you know what I mean?
L: yeah
D: And I don’t want, I don’t want necessarily a distinction like ‘alright these were obviously the songs the label wanted, and obviously these were the songs that David wanted’. Because in the end I work in conjunction with these people. We’re on a team. And I … I want this record to be something that we are all happy with.
L: it never felt contentious.
D: No, I understand
L: It’s just kind of that I’m just one of those geeks from back in my boyhood years when I would study records pretty much too closely.
D: Yeah man, a little bit (?).
L: So [to the listeners] We’re talking to David Cook now I’m Larry Flick and the album is called This Loud Morning coming out on June 28th. And …. Let’s get right to the unavoidable, which is …
David: Okay
L: Which is all the personal stuff going on in the time from the last album till now, the loss of your brother.
D: Yes
L: And I still remember… and I still have a hard time listening to the song Permanent from your last album because it’s so brutal - and it might be the best song you’ve written so far …
D: Thank you
L: Are you allowed now, in your mind, to have fun with this? Because I’m … I’m going to keep guessing … because I’m doing well so far
D: Yeah- yeah- yeah
L: Is that … that, you know, you enjoyed the first go-round, but it was really riddled with a lot of stress and guilt and all kinds of emotions because part of what you were experiencing – it wasn’t only your dream, it was his dream. If I’m …
D: I don’t know…yeah, you’re good
L: If I’m expressing myself correctly…
D: Yeah, yeah.

L: So, can you have fun with this now?
D: Um … yeah! I mean … Look, I don’t really know if losing a sibling or a family member or a friend or anything like that - especially to something as awful as, you know, cancer - is something you ever really get over. Um … for me, it’s just, I have an amazing platform where I get to help in a way that has nothing necessarily to do with music. I get to be involved in charity work, and with the last tour, as involved as they would allow us to be with Make A Wish. With this record, I didn’t want to … I never want to come across as if I’m capitalizing on or using his Adam’s death.
L: No, ___
D: And I .. I …
L: Let me interrupt you. Because one thing has been really compelling to me, and I remember talking about that on the air when it was happening. If anything, it seems almost as if you’ve derailed your record when it all happened. Because you were right in the middle of promoting Come Back To Me
D: Yeah
L: He passed, and the whole trajectory of the project changed. As an observer, it was clear that you were doing the exact opposite. I mean, you stopped doing big shows, you were doing benefits. Some of us were paying very close attention.
D: And I appreciate that
L: And so, when I’m asking you about having fun now, I guess what I was really getting at, is ‘Has the joy come back into this?’. Because, with loss, especially someone as close to you as your brother, there has to be an equal balance of pain because all the great things in the world are happening to you, while the worst possible things are happening to you. So has the joy come back?
D: Absolutely. You know, I think … it’s still ___ I still … I still have bad days. I mean really, to be fair, that’s kinda where the theme of this record comes from. You know, I had those mornings, when I woke up and that’s the first thing on your mind, and that’s like, it’s a helluva way to start the day, you know. But I’m … I’m learning to appreciate things a little bit more. … And I think with the last record, especially the minute Adam passed, I think all of a sudden I got a little numb. I didn’t want to miss any shows, so we out on the road, and I didn’t process it the that I should have. You know when I … I’ve said a few times in other interviews how this record was a therapeutic outlet for me, , and never in a blatant way. I’m not going to directly talk about Adam on this record, but I do talk about loss, and both ends of that experience.
L: Tell me about Rapid Eye Movement. I was reading about it before you got here today, and I’ve read the line over and over again… “Give me one more quiet night, before this loud morning gets it right and does me in.” That’s a really good line. Holy shit, man…
D: (laughs)
L: No seriously, because that’s – that will level anybody who pays attention to what’s happening in their lives.
D: Well I think that for me, that’s the… if I had to give a thesis statement for this record, that’s it. I mean, that’s the plot synopsis. And that’s something, I remember it was a purge to write that song. I wrote that song with David Hodges, and I came in with this riff, and I just (?) and I knew this was going to be one of those songs. He knew exactly what I was talking about, and we immediately… we vibed on that emotion, and that moment, and that song came together actually pretty quickly. And it’s… that’s like a six minute song. If it ever becomes a single, we’ve got some editing to do. (Both laugh)
L: You realize that… you’ll be able to tell – I don’t know how much press you’re getting yet for this album – you’ll soon be able to tell who’s listened to the record and who hasn’t.
D: Absolutely
L: And that’s the one. You know I’ve only heard snippets of the record… I’m being very candid with you, you heard me accost the dude “Where’s my album?” but that already… just lyrically from what I’ve read, and the small snippets that have been available… I feel it jumped.
D: I want those moments. I do. In an industry and a climate where records don’t, in my opinion, get the attention that they deserve, I want to make a record that forces people to pay attention. You know, singles are great, but I would rather make great records that have great songs, as opposed to just make great singles and then filler. Filler pisses me off to no end – I hate that term. So for me, I want to make great records and if I make great records and play great shows I feel like everything else will fall into place.
L: God, you sound so not like a dude who was on American Idol. (Both laugh) Does that feel like a lifetime away?
D: It does. You know I think I umm.. God I backed into Idol. I really did. And I loved the experience, it was a whirlwind and had I known the levels of stress associated with it, I might have thought twice. But ignorance is bliss, and it afforded me this amazing opportunity to have conversations like this and really show people what I want to do musically, man. You know if I never have a trophy to put on my mantle, or a plaque to hang on the wall, that’s fine. Like I said, I just want to make good music and play good shows. That’s it.
L: Well, congratulations because you’re doing all of that, and you also just seem like a good guy.
D: Thanks, man.
L: It’s nice to talk to someone who seems like he’s got something to say.
D: Well, I should talk about my clothing line, and… no, I’m kidding.
L: What is your fragrance, David?
D: (laughs)
L: Actually he should have beard wax
D: Beard Wax. (whispers) Perfect!
L:Andrew, get started on it!
D:Let’s Go. Mustache wax
L: Write it down, write it down… get it with the dye in it for people like me who are going gray
D: Shade of gray?
L: Shade of gray. For guys like me who are going gray it’s perfect, and for guys like him (whispers) it covers the patches. (Laughs)
D: See? It’s all coming together.
L: Full circle! David Cook, thanks for coming by.
D: Thank you very much, man.
L: The album is called This Loud Morning, and because I can – it’s my show – let’s listen to the single one more time. This is called The Last Goodbye.

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