Tuesday, August 19, 2008

David Cook

I hung out and wrote with Luke Menard today.

He told me a story that I got his permission put on here.

Luke Menard found out he had cancer the week of the finale.  2-3 days before David Cook performed in the finale, trying to win Idol, he took time to come to Luke's hospital room in L.A.  I can tell you from experience that the final 2 don't have time to use the restroom, nonetheless break away to see a friend in the hospital.  So, that sacrifice alone says a lot about the dude.

But this story blew me away:

Luke recently did a fundraising concert to help pay for his mounting medical bills.  So, his hometown put on a concert to help pay for said bills, and Luke performed.  David Cook sent a signed guitar as a donation to be sold in the auction.  Nice enough, right.

Then, as the concert/auction/fundraiser was starting, David called and told Luke to let the audience know that whatever they bought the guitar for, he would match personally dollar for dollar.  And he did.

Now, David didn't pay off Luke's bills...he still needs help...but that act of sacrifice was pretty incredible, and, to me, says what kind of guy David is.

Hey, in my first EW blog I questioned if he came across as cocky.  But, speaking as someone who is misread a great deal, I have a feeling David is misread also.

So...just a little story.

73 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful human David Cook is. You could tell how thoughtful and caring he was on Idol. This just proves it. Chris, thank you for sharing this warm 'n fuzzy story. Is there a fund where we can send money for Luke? :)

risalea said...

With his brother's battle with cancer over the years, David no doubt has more empathy than many about how it impacts not only the patient, but the family.

Bravo, David.

chamilton said...

AWESOME!!!!

Cathy Storms said...

What an awesome story! I read that he is performing for an upcoming show that benefits cancer patients. It shows what a great guy he is.

The Gang's Momma! said...

Thanks for sharing the story. I some how just "knew" that he was a compassionate, caring man.

Hugs and prayers to Luke - we'll pray for healing and for provision!

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

Very cool...

I was kind of "cold" on David C. at the beginning... didn't dislike him, but didn't adore him either.

But as time went on, I liked David Cook more and more... I hope he does well, but I have a feeling he'll be grateful no matter what happens.

By the way, I heard "The Time of My Life" for the first time on the radio in mid-July. Truthfully, I was taking a little nap at the time. But I could have SWORN I was hearing Steven Curtis Chapman. I couldn't figure out why Steven Curtis Chapman was on the "regular" radio station. When I woke up fully and listened carefully, I STILL thought I heard the "resemblance." Am I the only one?

HstryQT said...

That is a great story. He's very humble and it's great that you put that out there for people to read and see what an awesome guy he is. I agree with Risa - his family's personal experience with cancer allows him to have so much empathy for the situation. It's so tough that families have to worry about financial stress in the midst of such emotional and physical stress. I mean we're feeling a bit of the medical-bill strain now with Teddy, and we're only dealing with an itty bitty kidney surgery. That's nothing in comparison. That also is prompting me to send more virtual ::hugs:: to Cathy. BTW, I need an update email, girl!
OK that was one big rambly thought.
Thanks again for sharing your DC story!

rosalee said...

Yep - that David Cook really has a lot of class.

Carianne said...

Linda B,
Luke Menard posted a blog back in June that included an address where "you can send letters of encouragement or even gas gift cards."

It's not a fund, but if you wanted to send something I imagine this would be the place you would send it:

Luke and Lara Menard
P.O. Box 9
Crawfordsville, IN 47933


Yeah, I always thought David Cook was a nice-but-often-misunderstood-guy. Your awesome story just further solidifies that in my mind.

As for Luke Menard, he has a really awesome spirit about him. I can't help but to smile when I hear about him.

DJ in AL said...

I always like David Cook, but here's a good reason to admire his character-thanks for the story Chris.

risalea said...

Carianne, thank you for that address. OK, Fro Patroers, I think this is an opportunity to do something for this guy...whether you choose to send a little money or just an encouraging note, I think we should make a mass effort to let Luke know that Chris's Fro Patro supports him. I truly believe what we give to others comes back to our own lives, and I think it would be an awesome way for us to do something as a group and to let him know that he is in our thoughts and prayers.

Anonymous said...

Can’t help but get choked up reading your entry. Lost 2 family members to cancer and another been recently diagnosed with it.

I’m glad that artistes that I like, that I’m a big fan of are big hearted and nice like you and DC. Kudos.

Thanks for the story. I made a right choice afterall ;)

~KL, Malaysia

Widya Tarina said...

Wow, that's a great story. Thanks Chris for telling us the story !

Anonymous said...

thanks Chris, David is incredible, and you're pretty awesome yourself for putting this up. If you do have detail on how we can help Luke please let us know.

Cathy Storms said...

Great idea Risa...I'm going to send mine off today. I know first hand how it feels to get prayers and good wishes from others.

Alexis Jacobs said...

I always thought David had a heart of gold, but this just even solidifies those thoughts.

Thanks for the post Chris and best wishes for Luke.

Anonymous said...

Thanks you for sharing Chris, though I just might be the last person on this planet that needs convincing :)
That guy is one in a million, I'm thrilled he auditioned because he is truely an inspiration to me.

I just hope he remains sane during this crazy year he's about to experience, it won't be easy.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Chris, for the article. I had heard this story before, but it's good to put positive stuff like this out there. Too many people misread David Cook's confidence for arrogance. In all actuality, he appears to have a heart of gold. Kudos to you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing! I think David Cook has a good heart. I think he will use his success to inspire and help others.

wtgm3 said...

That's a wonderful thing for David to do, and it doesn't surprise me, :-) David understands what it is like to have someone go through cancer, because his own brother Adam has gone through his battle with cancer. Last we heard from David himself, he announced at a concert that his brother's tumor had stopped growing. I am mostly a Jason Castro fan (and also a Philnatic,:-) ), but David impressed me and won me over for what he did for our local FOX reporter, who covers the AI news: Charley Belcher, the reporter, has a daughter who is dealing with leukemia. She picked David out from the beginning to be the winner and she liked him from the start. When Charley told David about this, he asked Charley for an orange bracelet, which is the color for leukemia, then also asked Charley to call Lindsay Rose and talked to her. Needless to say, it made her day. I hope they can meet at the Tampa concert, or that David can go see her, if she can't make it.

Amy said...

I live in Crawfordsville too like Luke and it has been great to see our community rally together and help out in big ways. Luke is an uber nice guy, isn't he?

And David Cook? I've only heard wonderful things about him like visiting Luke! I guess he even came to C'ville, but they kept it low key. Okay, I'm rambling now, but anyhoo...

Keep up the great work!

EmilyBoo said...

I hope you had a good writing session with Luke and that he is doing well!

As for David, I liked him from the start and I don't recall finding him cocky, though there were times I thought the judges went overboard with praise for him. (Sometimes I think he was embarrassed by their gushing.) I've heard some stories about what a good guy he is, and this just reiterates it. I do hope he can come out with some music I like, because unfortunately I don't like the AI single.

Risa, nice idea about the fro patro reaching out to Luke!

Anonymous said...

David does these things in such a quiet way. I had heard that he does not believe. He should. He'd make a great Christian. And how about the rest of the AI Season 7 team. Are they quietly working in the background too? I hope our Christian friends are.

DJ in AL said...

Rosalee,

Thank you so much for pointing that out to me, I had no idea. Cool, very cool!

Anonymous said...

Now if he's gotten over that teething thing, perfect!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
thanks Chris, David is incredible, and you're pretty awesome yourself for putting this up. If you do have detail on how we can help Luke please let us know.
5:34 AM

...by the way Chris, it was very generous of you to take time from your goings on to post about someone else. You are truly a gentleman.

Cheri said...

David Cook also wore an orange bracelet on his arm for a little girl with leukemia. The girl's father was a reporter and mid season he interviewed David. He shared that his daughter was ill and that David was her favorite Idol. David called her and told her he would wear her bracelet. He wore it all the way through to the finale. (For more on this google Lindsay Rose+David Cook+ Orange Bracelet) He is an amazing person...

risalea said...

That's a cool story that Cheri and cfphilfan shared. I know with Amanda, folks showing support by wearing her bracelet meant the world to her. Praying that Lindsay Rose and Luke are able to beat their cancers.

tkwagner said...

Thanks for posting that story! david really is a great human being. He is such a genuine and selfless person who I hope to meet someday. Your blog is cool and good luck with your new record! SC Rocks!!!

Unknown said...

It is so refreshing to hear about celebrities doing something nice. I have a whole new respect for him.

risalea said...

Slight change of subject (gosh, we did good to stay on subject this long!)but I thought I'd share something I heard yesterday afternoon on KLOVE around 2:30 central. A guy called in from Mississippi-said he lives about an hour from Memphis-and he was talking about how much "Empty Me" means to him. I thought that was neat, because I've read so many accounts of others saying the same thing, and then to hear someone talking about the song was great. No matter what its chart position, this song has made a great impact. Just made me proud. : ) OK, have a great weekend, all!

Anonymous said...

I heard that on KLOV too. I was so proud too. I know it's a great song but to hear how it affects others as well, well, made me proud to be a fan of Chris.

rosalee said...
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rosalee said...

Empty Me" sure does make an impression on people.

I've just listed close to two dozen examples of individuals talking about "Empty Me" this summer in the "Straight From the Blog" thread on the Fro Patro Message Board on Chrissligh.com.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing that story. I'm not at all surprised about that because of as others said, his brother's situation and the little girl with Leukemia he wore the bracelet in honor of. He's definitely a great guy with a big heart and is very talented. I wish him all the success in the world. Both Davids are one of a kind type of guys, IMO we couldn't have had a better finale this season.

DJ in AL said...

I personally feel like EVERYONE should be talking about what a extraordinary song Empty Me is!
I know Chris will continue to write songs that I love, but Empty Me is something special.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

DJ in rainy AL!

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Here is the KC report. The Royals lost their seventh in a row but the crowd for Chris Sligh and Natalie Grant was three times what they expected. They figured it would be about 1600 but it looked like so many more. I was on the hillside and left after Chris did his set because I had two sleepy kids with me so I didn't get to hear Natalie Grant. Chris really won the crowd over with his set. Surprised many with the Beatles "Something" and ended with "Let you know". When he was getting ready to play "Empty Me" and talking about it I was please to see the reaction of many men in the audience. It became very obvious that this song is touching people and both men and women who had what I call their spirit hand in the air all the way through that song. Arise was wonderful also. The sound at this show really, really, framed the Sligh voice beautifully. Chris worked the crowd and some didn't know all of his songs but they did his "Oh oh oh's" loud and proud on the hillside. "In a moment" was simply beautiful and I can't wait till tomorrow's show. Some of us who take video sometimes miss the essence of a show and I can proudly say I had my camera in my pocket and the minute Chris started his set I simply forgot it was there. I don't know if Chris felt the magic that was out there tonight....but we did up on the hillside grass. It was a great night.

ChrisSligh said...

Badpacifist,

I was wondering if you were there!

It was a great show, I thought! I was tired as all getout afterwards from running around before the show.

That was supposed to be a 20 min acoustic show, but Natalie's plane got delayed, so we made it a 50 min band show!

I wondered how it felt out there. It felt really good on stage.

Chris

Anonymous said...

Chris I saw you trying to take care of your Taylor after the show and saw you running around like a madman before and after the show. You were up and down those stage stairs like thirty times. You don't need your cardio work out today. Maybe its a Kansas City thing but in the land of the Royals and the Chiefs the plans don't always go the way they were intended. At least when when you are thrown a curve or forced to punt you adapted, overcame and scored.

Cathy Storms said...

badpacifist~Wow, it sounds like you had an awesome concert. And you get to see it again tonight. What a blessing....We want all the details.
Pictures...Pictures...Pictures...and video...video....video...
Have a really great time tonight. Be sure to give Chris hugs from all of us here. Put the California bug in his ear...hint..hint...

Cathy Storms said...

Chris~That is so awesome that you got to play a live show. You must have been so pumped. It sounds like it was a huge crowd and that they loved you and the band. How could they not?
It's so awesome that so many got to hear your music.

Sarah said...

Hi Chris.

Thanks for the story about Luke and David.

This three-way friendship has come full circle. David is friends with Luke and you're writing songs with Luke. :) Isn't that cool?

I also wanted to you tell you Chris, that I'll be seeing you on Saturday (celebrate freedom).
I have never seen you live before, so it should be quite fun.

your friend,
Sarah from GA

risalea said...

Badpacifist...thank you for your recount of the evening, and looking forward to hearing about tonight's as well. You did such a good job of painting a picture of what went on! I'm glad you left your camera in your pocket and had the opportunity to really enjoy the show. (though I do love video! LOL)

Chris, I'm sorry to hear Natalie had plane difficulty, but it was a great opportunity for you to play a longer set and introduce yourself to those in the audience who didn't know you. To continue Randy's sports metaphor, sounds like you stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the ballpark!

Sarah in GA, welcome, and you will definitely have a great time when you see Chris in person. Have a blast!

rosalee said...

Hey Chris -
If you can turn a 20 minute set into a 50 minute set in Kansas City, maybe you can do the same in Ledyard! LOL

Badpacifist -
Thanks for your summary from the hillside. I hope that we can expect another full report after tonight.

A reminder that we have a thread on the Fro Patro Message Board on Chrissligh.com called "My Chris Sligh Experience", where everyone is invited to leave their Chris Sligh stories. There's another thread there for fan photos,too.

gdahimself said...
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Anonymous said...

OK guys just walked in the door from the Lenexa Baptist Church set...just a sec I am a little verklempt over just the thought of it. I have video of the whole thing I am downloading now and I pray it will be special. Chris just about melted my poor little camera down. My whole thought while I was filming this was for all of you. So we will find out the quality soon. I will be uploading them as I get them finished to youtube/badpacifist
Oh yes of course it was awesome! I am very excited for you to see "Broken"

risalea said...

"Broken" was awesome, wasn't it?! Can't wait to see your video!

Clintster said...

Well we finally made it to a Chris Sligh show. I have two words wow and amazing!!! Chris, I wish you would have had more time to chat. I am glad that my family got to meet you. I really enjoyed that new song. Looking forward to hearing it again. As far as pictures or video, we could not get anything from where we were sitting. We did take our pics with Chris at his table. Badpacifist, I did catch a glance of you when we were at Chris's table. You were wearing your first annual Fro Patrol picnic t-shirt. After we met Chris I looked around for you and could not find you. I wish we could have met. We did not make it to the Royals game on Saturday night, but I am so glad we made the drive over to Lenexa to see the show.

Chris, I am looking forward to being able to see you again. When I don't know, but hopefully soon. By the way, sometime back you had some Branson, MO dates listed on your MySpace. Are you still going to be in Branson? Just curious.

Well if there is a picnic next year I am already starting to talk to my wife about bringing the family. How fun it would be to meet everyone. Looking forward to getting to know everyone through the blog.

risalea said...

Clintster, the Branson show did get cancelled (the run was to go summer into the fall and include several past AI contestants, and the whole project was shelved, is my understanding), but perhaps you'd be interested in joining my campaign to get him to Arkansas? LOL

And there will definitely be a 2nd picnic, so be sure and include it in your summer plans! We're a little too far out for details, but they will be announced here first, once approved by Chris.

Anonymous said...

Clintster... sorry I didn't catch you but since I am in Lees Summit call me if you need a plumber. Of course I only work about four hours a day lols.
Hey gang videos are looking good some are up now
www.youtube.com/badpacifist

risalea said...

You did good, Randy!!! I was so wishing I had video capability that night in Moore for "Broken." The harmony on the end was definitely "melt your face, melt your heart" (and melt your camera! LOL) Beautiful!

rosalee said...

Good stuff, Randy! You've got more?

BTW -
The Chris-Sligh.Info visitor counter just reached the one million mark. A nice milestone!

Anonymous said...

Yep Rosalee! More coming in the next few days.

gdahimself said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DJ in AL said...

Badpacifist-great stuff dude, thanks for keeping us in the loop!

Clinster, I love your pic with Chris! Welcome to the party!

Sending love to all my fro buddies this wet morning in AL!

DJ

rosalee said...

Those were very nice videos, Randy.
That Jason Walker song, "Break" - very Billy Joelesque!

Anonymous said...

I heard that anyone is able to give to Luke on his paypal account which is lukeandrewmenard@gmail.com. let's pull together as Chris Sligh fans and help out a fellow friend of his.
He also has a PO Box address which is.... Luke Menard PO Box 9 Crawfordsville, IN 47933

Cathy Storms said...

badpacifist~great videos. Thank you so much for sharing with us. You rock!!
Clinster~welcome to the party!!Sounds like you had an awesome time and it looks like we will see you at the picnic next year.

Cathy Storms said...

badpacifist~I didn't hear you singing on the video. If I had been doing it that would have been all you would have heard. Me, totally off key.lol..
Great job and thanks again.

Chris~ok,now that we have seen the video, you must come to California.The show looked awesome!! Please...Please...Don't make us Southern California girls come and get you.....and the new shirts that you are selling at the shows. How do we get our hands on them without begging other bloggers to send them to us? Ok, so we don't have to beg, but any idea how we would be able to buy one or two or three?

Carmen said...

Badpacifist,
Really love the video! Thanks so much for sharing. It is getting me excited about Atlanta this weekend. I am hoping for no rain!!
Sarah,
I hope to see you there. I will be the six foot redhead with a Chris Sligh purse & a shirt that proudly says: I am Sligh's #1 fan!! You won't be able to miss me.


Clinster, welcome aboard. Glad you got to see Chris. Take it from me, one concert is never enough. You are going to get hooked!!
Carmen

Anonymous said...

"I heard that anyone is able to give to Luke on his paypal account which is lukeandrewmenard@gmail.com."

Where did you hear this? Luke hasn't updated his blog with the PayPal account.

Anonymous said...

Ok folks all my videos are now all up. Vessel was really beautiful. You can watch in a higher quality or so it says. The embed option is there so you can put them on other sites. My seats allowed us to show more of the band and I tried to do that for them. Of course Jon was as usual playing peek a boo, ah the life of a drummer. Too bad.... his expression while playing looks like my face after I try my golf swing. A mixture of joy and pain.

Sarah said...

Badpacifist , thanks for the videos.

I love "Arise" and "Empty Me".


Carmen, darling, I tried to emailed you (about saturday), but I don't know if it went through or not.
My email address in my blogger profile.

Chris, I'll be there on Saturday. And I'll be cheering too! :)

Anonymous said...

"I heard that anyone is able to give to Luke on his paypal account which is lukeandrewmenard@gmail.com."

"Where did you hear this? Luke hasn't updated his blog with the PayPal account."


Never mind - he has now updated his blog with this info. :-)

Anonymous said...

Where can I find Luke's blog?

risalea said...

http://www.officiallukemenard.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Thanks, risa. :)

Anonymous said...

Saw David Cook and the Idols last night in Davids home town at the Sprint Center. It was a full house and the crown was insane loud!

risalea said...

So, what did you think? I have a friend who went to Bossier City to see them this week because they didn't come to LR this year, and I've got to try and call her this weekend and see how it went. She loves David Cook and was the "official gift basket deliverer for the Word Nerds".

Anonymous said...

Wow, well that sort of changed my view on him. Everyone always made him look like the bad guy, "pimping" his brother and his problems out on live television. But if he's a really nice guy, I definitely wouldn't mind meeting him one day.

Anonymous said...

Poor Luke Menard...

Anonymous said...

That's a blessing to hear. Personally, you and David never cam across as cocky or negative in any other way. It's just media trying to find something to gossip about (and yes, I like VFTW, but most of the stuff people write there isn't true, it's just satire).