Check Out Dennis Cook’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dennis Cook.

Dennis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a vintage 66 year old, slightly patina songwriter in Nashville TN. I grew up in a one bowling alley type of town in Michigan. It was the sort of place where my best memories are safely stored on high school football fields, at July carnivals and cruising up and down Military St. in my parents Delta 88 rusty-green tank.

I can’t remember ever being “good” at anything unless you count my dozen a day donut addiction way back when Johnny Travolta was pointing at spinning mirror balls hanging from the heavens. Oh, I did and still do love disco and donuts, of course all in moderation.

Looking back the only thing I feel I did that deserves a grade a bit North of a C is telling stories. Ask me if Im good in Math and I’ll say “oh my gosh I remember my 9th grade math teacher he had the figure of a number two pencil, but man, he loved the Eagles, Seger and the Temptations,” But I asked if you’re good at math “oh, sorry, no I suck at math.”

Gosh dang it, I still believe good stories can raise the dead.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe as a songwriter it’s always easier to steal someone else’s punchlines than confront your own demons. Easier to snitch on another humans darkness, depression and addictions than to fess up to your own.

Once, I was in writing session with someone who was one candle away from twenty-two and one drink away from the grave. He couldn’t stop crying and confessing without editing a single syllable of his sorrow.

As his past was trying to swallow him alive, bones in all, he looked right at me “Dennis, do you get me? Have you ever felt like…umm, ahh, you know, like have you ever thought about just…ending it,?”

Yes, I went through a six year season of waking up wishing I didn’t. Brother, the only difference between me in you is the gray in my beard.

Funny some days I feel healed and floating in pool of peace. Others days, I just wanted to disappear.

I was asked in an interview, “what do you have to offer all the talented artist you write with?” I had all these clever answers waiting in the queue but all that slipped out of my lips was “suffering.”

I can share my suffering to help others with theirs, At least, I hope thats the way it works. If not…I’ve always got disco and donuts to fall back on, of course in moderation.

For me, songwriting is about redeeming those dark days three minutes at a time. I am so grateful my wife and two daughters have given me permission to heal slowly.

Smooth? NO, Rewarding? YES.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Most days I start the same: I pick up my guitar and softly strum, singing sad James Taylor songs to the sparrows as they flutter by my window. Well, I wish that was my routine. Truth is, I sing like a drunken seal on Fifth and Broadway while my guitar hires a lawyer and files for divorce on the grounds of unfaithfulness.

The real story is every morning I go to coffee shops, say hi to folks and write stuff. Im a very nostalgic antique who just loves writing from my rearview mirror. Like I’ve said before, I’m not an artist, just a writer.

Okay, there’s a 99,9 % chance no semi sane or sober human will ever let me get behind a live mic. My joy comes from writing stories for someone else to shine, I kinda like walking in a donut shop and nobody knows my name, well at least for writing.

It’s been neat to see and hear a few of my co writes played on American Idol, at the Ryman, the Opry, the Listening Room and a batch of bars up-n-down broadway. What’s nice for me is no matter if a million hear it or 3 strangers in an empty bar, it makes my belly happy. A producer friend (Joey) at a show asked “how does it feel watching your song being performed on stage? I said “shoot man I was cool with just the four of us in a living room writing it.”

I hope I’m known for being a C+ story teller and a decent listener at few local coffee joints.

Im not sure what sets me apart beyond my Sr. discounts at McDonalds, but I do know what I’m most proud of. Last year at Songhouse (Nashville platform that lets me write with them) we wrote a Christmas song about my mom. When I was younger she told me “Den, invite anybody who doesn’t have a family to join us for Christmas. I’ll away set out an extra chair.”

Tyler Ward the founder of Songhouse asked if I’d walk on the.Grand Ole Opry stage and introduce the song.

I lost my mom a few birthdays past fifty. Cancer got her real good. So to be able to keep her memory alive just two steps left of that hallow wooden circle I’ll never forget. Thank God the crowd didn’t pull out their lighters chanting for “Fire and Rain” Wait do people even carry lighters anymore?

Lately, I’ve been trying to teach myself how to be a filmmaker by munching down You Tube Videos like their M&Ms. Gosh, I’m clueless on how to do this but my new motto is “Every day, I just try to go to bed a bit less dumb than I woke up.”

What makes me different? I’m not sure. But I have a hunch stories can hold us together when life tries to swallow us alive, bones and all.

I don’t want to die with a pocket full of untold stories. ( Okay I’m talking in the way, way future like when I’m 137 1/2 years old.)

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Not sure about the role luck plays in my day to day life. What I like about Nashville is you’re just one person away from your dreams. For me, I just focus more on being kind because you never know where a coffee with a stranger could take you.

Funny thing is, I got invited to Songhouse while crying with a stranger over coffee as we both shared about a string of “bad days.” Turns out he was an artist, and I was looking for a home for a few of my stray-stories. He asked “do I wanna come to this nameless thing and write some songs? I said “heck yeah, will there be donuts there?”

Call it luck, call it ah miracle, all I know is I called dibs a few Chocolate glazed to be my co writer that day.

It was a good day for a vintage, slightly patina songwriter in Nashville TN.