Ever since he won American Idol, the rocker’s life has been nothing but about music. ”Time of My Life”, David Cook’s first single is platinum. His self-titled album also is platinum and had him working with songwriting heavyweights John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, 1980s pop singer Cathy Dennis and Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Audioslave. David Cook revealed, ”To work with these people that I’ve looked up to for years and have them treat me as a peer was the most fun aspect of this whole process.”

David Cook says he was lucky 19 Recordings and RCA Records let him make the record he wanted. ”I feel like this is the record I would have made with or without ‘Idol,’ with or without RCA, with or without 19,” he said. ”It just allows me to go onstage with the confidence and a passion for those songs that I believe is one of the reasons people have shown up the way they have and people have embraced the record the way they have.”

According to the latest American Idol champ, his competition with the teen heartthrob ended with the show. David Cook says, “I think Archie’s a fantastic individual and so the way I look at it is we’re both doing better than we were a year before … As I said kind of before the records came out, I hope he sells a million and I hope I sell a million and one.” LOL! When the show’s executives decided to team the rocker with runner-up David Archuleta for post-show promotion, David Cook says he looked at it as ”I’ve got to continue through this process with kind of a friend in tow.”

Unlike David Archuleta, the rocker champ is not a solo performer. In fact, he’s got a band which he describes as ”four of my friends” that go touring with him. David Cook says of his current concert tour, “The only thing I want to get across to anybody that comes out to the show is that I want people to come out and try to have a good time, ’cause that’s what we’re onstage to do.”

It’s none other than bad-boy judge Simon Cowell! Can you believe that especially since Simon had been specially scathing to David Cook? No worries there as the American Idol champ prefers his tough love than sugarcoated judging comments =) David Cook shares,

“The first couple of weeks I was on the show, Simon and I did not see eye to eye. As soon as I took a step back and realized that everything he said was constructive, as mean as it might be, we got along fine. So if anybody asks me who my favorite judge is, I’m always going to say Simon.”

Carrie Underwood, one of David Cook’s “mentors”, also prefers Simon Cowell. She says, “He’s always been pretty nice to me, and I think it’s really good that somebody will give you a dose of reality, even if it might be said in a harsh manner. I can think of nicer ways to say things than he tells them, but it’s nice that he’s got a very strong opinion, and he does voice it.”

And it goes without saying that the American Idol champion wowed his concert viewers too! =) Last Friday, David Cook sang for roughly 65 minutes at the Weidner Center on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus. The sold out show (1,000 tickets for floor seats only) was mostly based off his self-titled debut album that just turned platinum. In his concert, David Cook wore a simple black striped shirt, matching black stocking cap and metallic jeans plus he and his four member band showed off their range of styles from pop songs to classic rock tunes.

David Cook performed “Mr. Sensitive” and “Declaration” from his album then did a Fleetwood Mac cover of “Little Lies” and plus a pre-“Idol” song Cook wrote and only performed once before. SO KEWL! =) The singer noted, “I wrote that three or four years ago. Crazy!” The AI champion ended his official set with his radio hit, “Light On,” after once again thanking fans for showing up to “hear them make a bunch of noise.” David Cook added, “I can’t tell you guys how much this means. I’m floored, really.”

To those who would love to see these two together as a couple, raise your hand! LOL! I personally think these David Cook and Carrie Underwood are awesome together and I’m so happy to have read an article that they’re quite close =) The most recent winner of American Idol was recently seen with all the other “American Idol” winners to help open “The American Idol Experience” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. David Cook says of the experience: “To be in that little fraternity is a huge honor.”

He shares what he thought of Carrie Underwood, another AI champion: “Carrie has been one of my best kind of advisers through all this. She has been really good helping me avoid pitfalls.” Eeeeee!! I just bet they’ll gonna be perfect together!! Teehee! Anyway, David Cook further shared and described the Idol Experience as “amazing … To give talent another avenue to do something for themselves, I only see positives.”

Winning America’s most-watched and most-loved show can only bring positive results to the winner. And for David Cook, becoming American Idol’s latest champion was the best thing that ever happened to him. So what’s his life been like since winning the show? David Cook says,

“Nuts! I’m constantly amazed at all the cool stuff I get to do. Now the goal is to work as I possibly to make sure I keep to get doing that kind of stuff.”

The singer is currently preparing for his US tour to support his first record — now certified platinum! David Cook said he has been “floored” by the response to his album: “I feel like right now the sky’s the limit. All these good things keep coming in, and hopefully, the other shoe doesn’t drop.”