Before playing the Bardavon 1869 Opera House earlier this week, “American Idol” champion David Cook answered several questions posed by readers of the Poughkeepsie Journal’s pop-culture blog.

Journal reporter Sean T. McMann, who interviewed Cook and met him after the concert, has posted the singer’s answers to readers’ questions at www.seantm.blogspot.com.

Since soliciting questions from David Cook fans for me to ask the reigning “Idol” before I interviewed him Tuesday afternoon, just before his concert at Poughkeepsie’s Bardavon 1869 Opera House, I received more than 100 e-mails in about 18 hours, literally from all four corners of the globe. (And believe me, I got all sorts of questions from which to choose!) David, himself, even said he read about me asking looking for fans’ queries; and as such, he was happy to share his thoughts with his supporters. As I posted earlier, David was great to take some time out from his “Declaration” tour and give some great answers to his fans. Read his answers, and you can see he where his smart lyrics come from.

So here are David’s answers to six questions from “Sean’s Space” readers, and be sure to check out the Poughkeepsie Journal’s Web site later for my full story on David’s performance here in town…

Nicole from Poughkeepsie, NY: I saw you and Carrie Underwood sing together at the opening of the “American Idol Experience” attraction at Disney World, and you sounded great together! Would you consider recording a song with her or with any of the other “Idols” past?
David Cook: I’d certainly be open to the idea. We have that Tulsa connection. We’ve really become close. She’s a great friend and she’s really helped me. There’s no school that prepares you for all this.

Christina from Salvisa, KY: What has been the most memorable moment that has occurred so far during the “Declaration” tour?
David Cook: It was the second show of the tour, I think, and Brett Favre came to the show which was cool. I think it was about a week later, we got to walk on the field at Lambeau (Field in Green Bay). I’m into seeing landmarks around the country. I’m looking forward to getting to Niagara Falls later this week.

Heidi from New York, NY: Did anyone ever tell you that you would never “make it” as a musician? What was that like?
David Cook: I’ve been told I wasn’t going to make it my whole life. If it’s something you feel strongly about, you either buck up and work harder or you stop. I decided to work harder.

Penny from Malone, NY: How does it make it you feel knowing that so many people find themselves emotionally connected to your music and consider it such an inspiration?
David Cook: To me, it’s paramount. I don’t know if this would work otherwise. I wanted to evoke emotions and give people a reason to get emotionally connected to the music. I’m immensely appreciative of that.

Jen from Brooklyn, NY: If you had never auditioned for “American Idol” in Omaha that day (at 4 in the morning, in the rain), what do you think you’d be doing right now, instead of answering this question?
David Cook: I would probably be in Tulsa, bartending and playing 8 to 10 shows a month, trying to get people to pay attention to me.

Elaine from State College, PA: How does a midwestern Irish boy celebrate St. Patty’s Day?
David Cook: I’ll have to figure that out. I’ll have a good time with friends. I think we’ll be out in L.A., and I’ll have some family members coming out there, so I’ll probably spend time with them.