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Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography

by Rob Lowe

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 40,300 ratings · 3,855 reviews

A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye

A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seven ...more

Audio CD , Unabridged , 9 pages

Published April 26th 2011 by Macmillan Audio (first published April 15th 2011)

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Feb 12, 2015 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-nf

Okay, I have to say that I met Rob in Arizona in the early 90's...and I was very surprised then at how charming, self-deprecating and intelligent he was...and, yes, beautiful...This memoir reveals all of that, although thanks to SNL and West Wing, his wit and intelligence have already been revealed. The best review that I read of this book said that it was a love letter to his wife...and it is. He has matured and I very much enjoyed his look back at the journey thus far.

I also listened to the au ...more

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May 19, 2011 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction , read-in-2011

If there's one thing I dislike about celebrity autobiographies, it's the amount of affectation and pretension that exist within the pages. While Rob Lowe's memoir certainly contains a lot of name dropping, I couldn't really hold that against him — after all, if you're telling the story of how you worked your way up in Hollywood, it'd be hard not to mention the names of other famous people you met along the way.

I haven't seen much of Lowe's work. I've probably seen two or three of his movies, and If there's one thing I dislike about celebrity autobiographies, it's the amount of affectation and pretension that exist within the pages. While Rob Lowe's memoir certainly contains a lot of name dropping, I couldn't really hold that against him — after all, if you're telling the story of how you worked your way up in Hollywood, it'd be hard not to mention the names of other famous people you met along the way.

I haven't seen much of Lowe's work. I've probably seen two or three of his movies, and none of his TV shows. I never crushed on him as so many other women have (and obviously still do). So I came to the book with very little knowledge of him or his life. It was interesting to learn about his childhood. However, I find it hard to believe that a young boy as good-looking as Rob had trouble getting girls to pay attention to him. Maybe it's because he was so serious about acting from an early age, everyone thought he was gay (he does mention that his classmates called him "faggy" for wanting to act).

Lowe manages to tell the story of his climb to superstardom without mudslinging his fellow actors in the industry. I found that refreshing, because so many other celebrity authors tend to bad-mouth people they've worked with or met in the past, all for the sake of selling a book.

Rob Lowe seems like a decent, stand-up guy who owns up to the mistakes of his youth. I think it's true that beautiful people are often judged harshly because people think they get everything handed to them on a silver platter. But Rob has proven that he's earned his position in Hollywood through a lot of hard work, rejections and tough lessons learned on the price of achieving success at so young an age. So while I might've previously dismissed Mr. Lowe as just another pretty boy, I'm now curious to watch his films and see his talent for myself.

...more

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Jill I too was shocked by his rise in Hollywood from a boy with rocky parenting. He's so intelligent and thoughtful and love that his family is central to ...more
Aug 05, 2011 09:18PM

Cjj Watch all seasons of The West Wing and you will appreciate Rob Lowe when all is said and done. ;)
Dec 02, 2011 02:07PM

Dolly I think you wrote this review for me. I couldn't have said it better.
Dec 07, 2014 03:45AM

May 01, 2011 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just brought this one home yesterday. Yes, I have 4 papers due Monday. Yes, I have a full-time job and two children with many end-of-year activities. But I also have a weakness for celebrity biographies - the trashier the better - and come on. It's ROB LOWE. I'm thinking he's got some stories to tell. Plus, the back cover photo is...well...inspiring. Pure eye candy and the reading is pure mind candy. Awesome.

Well, I'm finished. Rob, what can I say? You dished...sort of. Although the celebrity st Just brought this one home yesterday. Yes, I have 4 papers due Monday. Yes, I have a full-time job and two children with many end-of-year activities. But I also have a weakness for celebrity biographies - the trashier the better - and come on. It's ROB LOWE. I'm thinking he's got some stories to tell. Plus, the back cover photo is...well...inspiring. Pure eye candy and the reading is pure mind candy. Awesome.

Well, I'm finished. Rob, what can I say? You dished...sort of. Although the celebrity stories were fun, the "Aw shucks I'm just a geeky guy" thing didn't quite work for me. Dude, you are one of the hottest men ever in life. It's just a fact. And to pretend that your beauty hasn't affected your experience in life is just silly. Sure, I accept that beautiful people can feel insecure and have problems. But I don't buy for one second that it was just happenstance that you ended up where you did. People are drawn to you because you are drop-dead gorgeous. You can't tell me in one sentence that you were such a geek that Malibu high school kids wouldn't let you surf (what? They had access to the whole ocean and the ability to keep you from it?) and then share the story about how you lost your virginity when you were seduced at 14 on that same Malibu beach. Those two things do not compute, Rob.

Typical of most celebrity bios, Rob glossed over some of the more unsavory aspects of his past. He barely discusses Melissa Gilbert, although he does acknowledge that he didn't treat her well. Still, according to her book, he knocked her up and left her, which is bit crappier than he admits to. And he also barely mentions his sex-on-tape scandal from 1988. I didn't know anything about it, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. I wouldn't judge him too harshly for most sexy hijinks - sure, banging two women, one of them a 16 year old, on videotape is undoubtedly unsavory, but I think it was consensual. A 16 year old is young enough that she hasn't outgrown stupid, but old enough to say "yes" and mean it. But the part that is more repugnant is that Rob was having sex with a woman or women with one of his friends taking a turn as well. Not as a threesome but as a bonding experience. That goes past unsavory to flat out wrong.

The sex scandal prompted Rob to go to rehab for alcohol abuse. He claimed to love rehab, which struck me as especially self-involved. Isn't it supposed to be painful to work out your addiction by figuring out what makes you tick? Not for Rob, who enjoys getting to know himself this way. He's just such a fascinating guy after all. In a self-deprecating kind of way.

I'm sounding harsher than I mean to about this book. Rob doesn't seem to be a bad guy. And his stories and observations about the people he came into contact with were interesting. He opens the book by gushing about Robert Kennedy Jr. in such a way that I thought this was an introduction to the book by someone else, written about Rob. I think he was trying to show that he was subject to hero worship and being upstaged by a better looking man just like an average Joe. What it demonstrated to me, though, that he had to compare himself to someone who was not only good-looking but was American's form of royalty to top himself.

I guess I just can't quite forgive him for not being Sam Seaborn. ...more

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May 15, 2014 Diane Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hollywood , memoirs

This was a surprisingly enjoyable read. I generally avoid celebrity memoirs, but I saw a nice excerpt from Rob Lowe's latest one, "Love Life," about how emotional he was when his son went away to college, and decided to give his first autobiography a chance.

I am a child of the 80s, so I grew up with Lowe's movies and those of the so-called Brat Pack. The Outsiders was popular when I was a kid, ("Stay gold, Ponyboy") and I also loved St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night. Lowe's book had good behi This was a surprisingly enjoyable read. I generally avoid celebrity memoirs, but I saw a nice excerpt from Rob Lowe's latest one, "Love Life," about how emotional he was when his son went away to college, and decided to give his first autobiography a chance.

I am a child of the 80s, so I grew up with Lowe's movies and those of the so-called Brat Pack. The Outsiders was popular when I was a kid, ("Stay gold, Ponyboy") and I also loved St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night. Lowe's book had good behind-the-scenes stories about those movies and others, and he was frank about his womanizing and drinking problem back then. One sobering story occurred when Rob was about 14 and he met John Belushi at a party. When Belushi heard that Rob wanted to be an actor, Belushi said, "Stay out of the clubs." Rob wrote, "I should have listened. Instead, I got my first agent."

Lowe also describes how he got his start in acting, and his early friendships with Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, and every other 80s movie star you can think of. One of my favorite chapters was about making The Outsiders, and how close the cast became during a long shoot in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Unfortunately, a lot of Rob's scenes were cut from the 1983 movie, but 20 years later, Francis Ford Coppola made a director's cut that restored a lot of that footage, and was more faithful to the S. E. Hinton novel.

Rob admits he had a reputation for partying in the 80s, but his redemptive moment came after he met Sheryl, the woman who has been his wife since 1991. He went to rehab and maintained his sobriety, and he has continued to do good work in movies and TV. (I thought he was great on The West Wing and Parks & Recreation.)

Overall, this was a nice, diverting read -- an excellent start to summer.

My rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
...more

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Jun 30, 2015 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: ladies of the 80s

Shelves: biography-or-memoir

Before I read this book, this was my entire conception of Rob Lowe:

so I was definitely surprised to run across an excerpt of this book in Vanity Fair and realize that Rob Lowe used to be a bona fide star in the 80s. WHAT.

This book is downright hilarious for any number of reasons, but it is also surprisingly fun to read. The section on the making of Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders takes up about 1/4 of the book, and it's absolutely fascinating. If you aren't interested in reading this whole ...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Kaliki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio , june-2011 , memoirs-biographies , non-fiction-challenge

I really gained a lot of respect for Rob Lowe through reading this book. He's genuine, honest, he talks openly about his talents, his escapades, his addictions, and his insecurities. I listened to the audio version, read in his own voice and I feel like that made it more personal. I listened to it at the same time as I was reading Patrick Swayze's The Time of My Life and while I enjoyed that one also, it wasn't nearly the read that this one is. I did however, enjoy the parallels between their tw ...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fun, quick read. Great stories with cameos by Cary Grant, Dick Wolf, Demi Moore. Lots of time spent on the making of the Outsiders ...but breezes through the West Wing and stops there. Where's the dirt on Sally Field and Calista Flockhart and the week-after-henious week of bizarre plots on Brothers & Sisters , which drove him into a persistent vegetative state, which sounded like a good deal if it meant getting off that show?! Lyon's Den , anyone?

One item of note: you'll perhaps be unsurpris A fun, quick read. Great stories with cameos by Cary Grant, Dick Wolf, Demi Moore. Lots of time spent on the making of the Outsiders ...but breezes through the West Wing and stops there. Where's the dirt on Sally Field and Calista Flockhart and the week-after-henious week of bizarre plots on Brothers & Sisters , which drove him into a persistent vegetative state, which sounded like a good deal if it meant getting off that show?! Lyon's Den , anyone?

One item of note: you'll perhaps be unsurprised to learn that Rob Lowe has had a lot of sex. Like, a lot. The book is usual celebrity mix of extremely selective, self-serving and self-justifying stuff about how life as a hot star is, well, hard. Really, Really Hard. But he's a good enough writer (who thinks he's a great writer) without being mean-spirited or a gossip. I would have liked to get much more dirt on, say, the sex tape, Princess Stephanie, and the West Wing behind-the-scenes drama, instead of one-sided half-analyses from which he emerges sounding reasonable, balanced, gracious, humble, and never possibly the cause of the problems. Just the victim. Yet it was more charming than I expected. He loves his kids, he loves his wife (and is still married after 20 years) and he's humble and forthright about his addiction and sobriety, which I always respect. All in all, a fun read. But really, you don't need to read it, because as it turns out, there are pictures of him throughout. And in many of them, he's shirtless. So, you know. ...more

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May 17, 2011 Twobusy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Um... yeah. So I read the Rob Lowe autobiography.

Why? Perfectly fair question. The answer lies in the fact that Vanity Fair ran a long excerpt from it a month or two ago, featuring the segment where Lowe talks about his experiences auditioning for and then appearing in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders. And when I read it, I was surprised to find... it was good. Really, really good. Well-executed, thoughtful, and offering tremendous insight not only into what was going through Lowe's head at ...more

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Clay Nichols I heard an interview on Fresh Air that almost hooked me. Thanks for the review. Keith Richard's book should have inoculated me, but I'm a slow learner ...more
May 19, 2011 06:50AM

Lisa I got taken in by the same excerpt and was sorely disappointed by the book
Jul 07, 2012 09:46PM

Stacey I too was intrigued by the Outsider audition part and wished so badly to be in that room so I Googled it and l'll be damned if they had not put the fo ...more
Jul 24, 2014 11:35PM

Jun 06, 2011 Julia Reed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bought this on a whim and really ended up enjoying it. Lowe is funny, witty, and at times even eloquent (mostly when he talks about lessons learned from fatherhood, or being a recovering alcoholic). You can tell why he called this "Stories I only tell my friends," since much of the book is: "One day, I was walking down the street, and I met this girl, and she was really pretty, and really nice, and she told me she was into acting, and I said I was too. Oh and by the way, she was [insert famous n Bought this on a whim and really ended up enjoying it. Lowe is funny, witty, and at times even eloquent (mostly when he talks about lessons learned from fatherhood, or being a recovering alcoholic). You can tell why he called this "Stories I only tell my friends," since much of the book is: "One day, I was walking down the street, and I met this girl, and she was really pretty, and really nice, and she told me she was into acting, and I said I was too. Oh and by the way, she was [insert famous name here]". After about the 30th time this scenario plays out, you start to think "if this guy wasn't Rob Lowe, I probably would never believe this." But it IS Rob Lowe, and he really did grow up next door to Martin Sheen and shoot home movies with Sean Penn and Sean Penn's brother. He really did talk his way into Liza Minelli's hotel suite in Ohio when he was five and act with a very young Janet Jackson in a short lived TV series. And of course, he really was Sam Seaborn on the West Wing. So you can't help but belive it all and surrender to the hilarious anecdotes of a life in show business.

What's great about the book is that it doesn't feel like he's dropping names for the sake of it. He grew up in film, and this is his community. Just as you might write about someone at your job (assuming you want to get fired...) he writes about the people in his industry. His friends and confidants. Only his have enormous mansions and make million dollar incomes (where do I get me some of those friends?)

Mainly he manages to pull of the "Celebrities are people too" thing, without being annoying. His self deferential, accepting of the absurdities of Hollywood, serious about his craft, surprisingly lacking in ego when talking about the ups and downs of his career, and yes, he has some funny stories to impart. Final word: definitely better than your run of the mill celebrity story. Funny, down to earth, and really entertaining. Also, c'mon, it's Sam Seaborn! ...more

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May 18, 2011 Kayla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rob Lowe's life sounds so insanely cool that it's hard to believe it all actually happened to one man. I mean, before I even reached chapter ten he'd already befriended the Sheens and Penns, been on the set of Star Wars and seen the taping of The Muppet Movie. Then he goes on to make some of the greatest films of all time, receive random gifts from Bill Murray and got to work for Aaron Sorkin (genius). If it weren't for the acoholism and numerous deaths of family and friends, it'd be a perfect r ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Trudi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011 , audiobook , biography-memoir , the-wonder-years , books-about-movies

I don't read celebrity gossip rags or keep track of who's marrying / divorcing / screwing who at any given time (not that there's anything wrong with that people!). I definitely didn't pick up this memoir of one of Hollywood's all-time pretty boys hoping for a salacious tell-all about who wears women's underwear or who includes small animals in their sex play.

So why the hell did I pick up this book? Several reasons top the list:

1) Reviews promised it offers a poignant, self-deprecating coming- I don't read celebrity gossip rags or keep track of who's marrying / divorcing / screwing who at any given time (not that there's anything wrong with that people!). I definitely didn't pick up this memoir of one of Hollywood's all-time pretty boys hoping for a salacious tell-all about who wears women's underwear or who includes small animals in their sex play.

So why the hell did I pick up this book? Several reasons top the list:

1) Reviews promised it offers a poignant, self-deprecating coming-of-age tale in the long shadow of the Hollywood sign (I'm happy to report that's mostly the case).

2) Rob Lowe: yes, I did crush on him when I was a teenager, and lo and behold these many, many years later, I was curious to see what kind of a man he had grown up to be. Not ever having seen one episode of The West Wing or either Austin Powers movies (a ridiculous gap in my pop culture history), I lost track of Mr. Lowe somewhere in the late 80's.

3) I'm a sucker for memoirs that focus a lot on the making of movies. Don't ask me why -- I don't act, have never wanted to make a film, but I love movies as only a fan can and every so often a memoir will come along that captures the magic of movie making in a way that enthralls me. I'm one of those geeks who will listen to director's commentary and "the making of" extra features, not for every movie, but always for the films I love. Should you care, my favorite memoir of this sort is Bruce Campbell's If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor . Bloody brilliant!

So for all of these reasons, I knew pretty early on Rob and I would be spending a few evenings together. I went with the audio version and am so glad I did. Rob's voice is lovely, but he also offers up a pretty decent impersonation of almost every person he has crossed paths with. Not all of them are great, but most are funny, and a few are so spot on they had me rolling with laughter. He certainly had Patrick Swayze down cold. I particularly loved his wry assessment of his super energetic co-star: "he makes Tom Cruise look lobotomized".

I had no idea Rob's early life included close friendships with the Sheen and Penn family. His one anecdote about the first time he meets Martin Sheen is hilarious -- considering Martin is just returned from the jungle and the two year Apocalypse Now drug-induced, frenzied insanity that was that.

There are no earth-shattering confessions. Much of the book reads like a love letter to his long-time wife (a rarity in Hollywood for sure) and children (two sons), and for a man approaching 50, that is as it should be, and I was glad to hear that he chose the road of sobriety and sensibility. Heaven knows it could have gone the other way -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ciFGqXIUPU&feature=relmfu ...more

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May 09, 2011 Joanna Silverstein rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book as a get well present from a friend (thanks, Jan!), and it was a decent mindless read. I only rated it ok beucase he doens't dish any dirt, whcih is what I hope for in a celeb authobiography. The way he writes it, everyone he's ever dealt with was wonderful, every movie another experience for him to grow and make BFFs (when all I want to hear is stories like "I once did PCP with Charlie Sheen and we ended up eating his cat").

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Sep 19, 2015 Linda added it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Rob Lowe was a heart throb of my generation, though he wasn't my heart throb. Emilio was my brat pack crush. Which may be why I procrastinated on listening to this highly rated memoir.

Rob Lowe tells a great story, and I'm so happy to be among his friends that he shares with. I was captivated with his unfolding of his youth, including the details of casting, shooting and immediate stardom of The Outsiders. He affectionately describes his friendships and his mentors. The book is beautifully paced, ...more

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Feb 24, 2015 Misty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-shelf-exchange , audio-book

I really enjoyed the audiobook read by Rob Lowe. Listening to this on a long car ride, the first two-thirds of the book was a fun guessing game of which celebrity Lowe was referring to in his story! Lowe also does great impressions of the celebrities he discusses.

Rob Lowe has definitely lived a #blessed life - his family moving to Malibu when he was young, introduced him to some of the great actors of his time and gave him lots of opportunity. It is really amazing that he turned his life around ...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't believe there were many straight girls or gay boys who did not have a crush on Rob Lowe in the 1980s. That said, his career has had its major ups and downs and who didn't cringe when he hosted the Oscars? But as he tells his life story thus far, you start to get to know the "man behind the mask" so to speak. I found Lowe an intelligent, sensitive and quite eloquent man and he really has a great story to tell. I heard of his childhood and all the pain and laughter that entailed, his rise ...more

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Sep 12, 2013 Sue Arnold rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography , audio

I have been eyeballing this book ever since it came out; I was one of the many teenagers of my generation who had a wild crush on Rob Lowe after St. Elmo's Fire came out. And I loved him in The West Wing. But, I thought his book would be like many celebrity autobiographies and held back from buying it. Plus, I must admit, I was a little embarrassed if people were to find out I was reading it. Well, I'm happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I also bought the audible book (highly recomm ...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Bean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What just fell on my head? Oh - the ten thousand names that Rob Lowe drops in this book. I enjoyed this and found the writing to be surprisingly good, but the first 150 pages or so definitely exhausted me with all of the random celebrity sightings that he included. Yes, it was cool to hear about Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise as kids, but c'mon. LeVar Burton? A ten second meeting with Janet Jackson? I liked it better when he focused on his own career. Overall, this was engaging, interesting, and ...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Strawfoot rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow. I wanted some hot gossip from the 1980's. Mr. Lowe I admire your sobriety and positive outlook; however, without said gossip your book bored the hell out of me.

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Apr 27, 2013 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 50-book-2011 , favorites , non-fiction , actors , pop-culture , memoir

This is the first celebrity memoir that I've read that isn't some sort of juicy tell all about all the people the celebrity has slept with and all the drunken parties and drug binges the author part took in with other celebrities.

I will not lie. I first picked up this book because I love Rob Lowe. No, really, I love him...sure, I don't know him, but there is some deep love. I realize, now after finishing this book, that the reason I love him is the fact that even though he's 12 years older than This is the first celebrity memoir that I've read that isn't some sort of juicy tell all about all the people the celebrity has slept with and all the drunken parties and drug binges the author part took in with other celebrities.

I will not lie. I first picked up this book because I love Rob Lowe. No, really, I love him...sure, I don't know him, but there is some deep love. I realize, now after finishing this book, that the reason I love him is the fact that even though he's 12 years older than me and from a different section of the United States, we have the same cultural background. The 80s were a heady time and the power of this decade could be felt by a 9 year old in the state of Missouri. I was reading this book and reminiscing about the first time I watched "Star Wars", the first time I watched "The Outsiders" and realized they left out some of my favorite parts, the first time I realized the term 'Brat Pack' was not a nice term and reading about all the people in my 'Tiger Beat' magazines just made me h-a-p-p-y.

I also have a deep love for this book. Rob let's us in to the story of his life by telling us about the time he met JFK jr. as he tells the story we are reminded of the loss, but also of the passion behind the life of this man. We are reminded that, if given the chance and the time, we all grow into someone great. It's nice to see that celebrities also have those people that they admire and want to emulate. He even talks about that sex-tape scandal in the late 80s, what's so beautiful about that is that he reminds us of the fact that it was embarrassing and horrible and wrong, he talks about how the American culture now finds this sort of thing acceptable which makes me feel embarrassed and horrible and wrong, and then he talks about how this was the wake-up call that he needed to get his life on track. He talks about how meeting someone who loves you warts and all can change your life. This someone who is there for you when you fall but doesn't accept that you are acting and being less than your perfect self changes your life. This book is above all a love letter to the family that has made Rob Lowe the person he is today.

This book made me realize how easy it is to write my own story. Start somewhere in the present, flashback to the beginning tell your story by being honest without being mean to those in the story (there isn't a need to dish or gossip or be hurtful or to rehash how you've hurt others everybody already knows those stories). Show how you've changed. Talk like you are talking to a friend. ...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Hip E. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First impressions:

I started reading this because I was buying the Keith Richards book and then I bought the Tina Fey book and I had heard that Lowe does good impressions of all the other people in his book so that sounded funny. Then I bought the Daniel Ellsburg book.

His writing style is not great. Too much. Over the top. Too important and lofty for the autobiography of a pretty actor. Things that are going to bother me:
- His crappy writing style; Tina Fey is much better at writing.
- He's a chr First impressions:

I started reading this because I was buying the Keith Richards book and then I bought the Tina Fey book and I had heard that Lowe does good impressions of all the other people in his book so that sounded funny. Then I bought the Daniel Ellsburg book.

His writing style is not great. Too much. Over the top. Too important and lofty for the autobiography of a pretty actor. Things that are going to bother me:
- His crappy writing style; Tina Fey is much better at writing.
- He's a christian and has already mentioned asking a roomfull of people to prey for JFK Jr., AND mentioned that JFK Jr. had "rejoined" his father or some crap, "under cover of sadness," or some crap. Jesus.
- He said non-alcoholic beer.
- I have watched approximately 2 episodes of The West Wing and was not really aware that he was on it. He seems to think it was incredibly important.
- He quotes himself and others in conversations that are stilted and clearly are heavily revised and edited or completely made-up.

So far I've only gotten one impression, of his agent. It was alright. More of those. He needs to talk about Wayne's World, STAT.

Almost done:
His writing generally toned down on the grandiosity after the first chapters. The impressions are great, except I was saddened by his pretty awful Christopher Walken. He has lived an incredible life, doing awesome things like training with Navy Seals for a movie and nailing the Princess of Monaco for a month in Paris, man! No but seriously those events sound great. I didn't know much about his early career and I vaguely remember The Outsiders being a cheese ball, but it sounds like he made some pretty big numbers back then. Rob Lowe was incredible in Wayne's World and you can never take that away from him. I recommend this book. It's a cool inside look at how the sausage is made in Hollywood. He has a bunch of great stories. I want to watch About Last Night.
...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Riv rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eye candy and brain candy :)
Do all celebrities know EVERYONE? This guy met Liza Minelli when he was a kid and just kept on going... he drops names like sunflower seed shells. However, he totally glossed over his sex-tape scandal, as if it left his personal life and career completely unscathed, which I guess is the prerogative of any autobiographer; I'll have to read the unauthorized biography for the real story.

Of course, he makes himself sound like a really nice guy, which is the image everyone ...more

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Aug 27, 2015 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my second experience with an audio book. Memoirs by performers seem to work well for me in this format, especially when the writer/reader is as engaging as Rob Lowe. I didn't really know much about him. I'm 8 years older than he is, so when he was in his "teen idol" phase, I was already beyond that. But his work on The West Wing and especially Parks and Recreation led me to believe he was not the vapid individual one might assume. Exceptionally good-looking people who strike it big when ...more

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May 25, 2013 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star , don-t-own

Fascinating perspective from an actor who was one of my "poster boys" when I was growing up in the 80s. While my impression of Rob Lowe has always been that of a pretty-boy party hound, after reading this book, I have a new appreciation for what his life must have been like. He's emerged from the other side of extreme fame as a grounded family man who seems to have his act together.

That said, Lowe does not delve very deeply into the party aspect of his life. Anyone looking for salacious gossip a Fascinating perspective from an actor who was one of my "poster boys" when I was growing up in the 80s. While my impression of Rob Lowe has always been that of a pretty-boy party hound, after reading this book, I have a new appreciation for what his life must have been like. He's emerged from the other side of extreme fame as a grounded family man who seems to have his act together.

That said, Lowe does not delve very deeply into the party aspect of his life. Anyone looking for salacious gossip and who-did-what-and-when facts will not find them in this book. Lowe glosses over his party years by simply admitting that he "self-medicated" heavily with booze, drugs, parties and women. But he never goes into much detail. Even the major scandals he went through are only barely mentioned, as are his romances with famous people like Melissa Gilbert (supposedly they were engaged - he never mentions this at all!) and others. You won't find juicy stuff in this book, if that's what you're after.

While the first two thirds of the book are devoted to Lowe's growing up, entry into the world of acting, and first big role as a part of the boys' club that was The Outsiders , only a paltry chapter or so was spent on his career-defining turn as The West Wing's Sam Seaborne. I certainly wish he would have spent more page count on that time period. It seems that he wasn't well treated while working on that show, and while he never whines or complains about the situation other than to say he felt he had to leave, I did want to know more about his reasons for leaving such a successful show.

One last remark - this book almost seems like the ultimate mea culpa to his wife, Sheryl. By all outward appearances, Lowe is completely devoted to her and cannot go for long without mentioning how she is responsible for turning his life around. While this is certainly admirable and sweet, it got a little bit cloying after a while. No woman is that fantastic.

A nice, light read for those who enjoy celebrity autobiographies. It does make me want to read more about the members of the Brat Pack who played such a big cultural role in my growing up years. ...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Carole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs

I have my sister to thank for my free copy of "Stories I Only Tell My Friends", but it is a fun and engaging read, and actually worth obtaining by other means (i.e., buying it).

Lowe is a cracking storyteller, and has a terrific bunch of stories in his bag of tricks. He does rely a little too much on the element of "surprise" in his stories. For every "and my date's Dad was Cary Grant!" there's a whole lot of, "... and that girl I had a crush on was... Holly Robinson Peete!" (ZZZ) Not everything ...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bio_autobio , listenedto-audiobooks_podcasts

*sigh* I hadn't planned on reading this (trying to be practical and realistic about my larger-than-life to-read list), but after seeing him on Oprah (which I only watched *because* he was on), I think I've been suckered in to wanting to read it. (But to make it less bad, I'll go for the audiobook version, so I can at least multitask while I "read" it.)

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One of the few things i dislike about audiobooks is that you don't get pictures. i'm sure there are lots of pi *sigh* I hadn't planned on reading this (trying to be practical and realistic about my larger-than-life to-read list), but after seeing him on Oprah (which I only watched *because* he was on), I think I've been suckered in to wanting to read it. (But to make it less bad, I'll go for the audiobook version, so I can at least multitask while I "read" it.)

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One of the few things i dislike about audiobooks is that you don't get pictures. i'm sure there are lots of pictures in the physical book, and i'm missing out.

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Eh, it was okay. There's WAY too much swearing. You can have a strong feeling about or reaction to something, and *not* swear about it. Also, Rob Lowe's impressions -- he often (usually) speaks in an impression of a famous person when he's quoting that person ... They're charming at times, but they get to be a bit much. A few times would have been fine, but ugh! Not so much! Chill with the impressions! We know you're good, but you don't need to prove it EVERY TIME A PERSON SPEAKS!

Overall, the book is okay. It was slightly cheesy at times (You can tell it's coming when Lowe takes on his profound, softer voice), and not as much of a tell-all as I was expecting (he glosses over, or at least it seemed to me like he glossed over, a lot of the stuff that I expected to be big moments -- the sex tape scandal, alcoholism/rehab), but other than that, it was okay. I often felt that it was more superficial (that is, not much of stuff below the surface, not so much of the feelings) than a grand revelation, but ... eh. And a lot of times it almost seemed like he was bragging about all the cool kids he knew and all the fun stuff they did, and that that was the entire point of the book or that chapter or that particular story. We get it: you're hot, you were the hot young thing, you and other hot young things were friends and partied -- got it. I don't know, I just went into it with the impression that it was going to be more like ... his mistakes and how they affected him and how he turned his life around, and not three sentences (I think literally *3* sentences) about a scandal, and a few paragraphs about his drinking and rehab (There's a review at http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives... that pretty much has as much about it as the actual book does, if I'm remembering correctly.), and lots about partying with the cool kids (Although, I suppose the partying is the drinking that led to rehab. And by the way, did he grow up with anyone *not* famous? I know he lived in the Mecca of Acting, but *really*?? *Everyone* became famous? Good God!).

But still, Rob Lowe is hot, and he has a great voice. This audiobook is almost worth listening to JUST for his voice. You don't even need to listen to the words; just let his voice rock you to sleep at night :D ...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Vickie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: booksthatmakemegowow , listened-to

I have enjoyed movies that had Rob Lowe in them, but not because he was in them. I am pretty sure I would have passed on by this memoir, but a friend listened to it and couldn't stop talking about it. So I found it on SimplyAudio and put it on the wishlist. It showed up in my mailbox pretty quickly and just as quickly it ended up in my CD player in the car.
SUCH a fantastic book to listen to! Rob is a natural born storyteller, has excellent recall of his life and tells the story in such a way th ...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-autobio

I "read" this in audio format and was glad I did as Rob does a good job of narrating his own stories. He comes across as honest, intelligent, and had many good stories about his relationships with the rich and famous (one of my favorite stories was when he visisted a low-budget movie set with really cheesey props for the movie that turned out to be Star Wars), plus for a guy who really isn't known for comedic impressions does good voices of people in his life (Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Christo ...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Lilly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: celebrity-trash-book-club , fiftyfiftyme

Moral of the story: Rob is not just another pretty face!

It took halfway through the book for me to buy his plea, but his book was well written and touching. He seems like a grounded person, someone you might want to sit down with (I know, I know- every woman under 90 wants to hang out w him)

I appreciate that he included just the right amount of hollywood dirt so it wouldn't be a boring Celeb Trash Bio Book Club meeting. Great context for the Brat Pack, the evolution of his career, etc. And perh ...more

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Liz I listened to an NPR interview with Rob Lowe when this book came out and was completely surprised by how low-key, funny and self-aware he sounded! I j ...more
Mar 07, 2012 05:00PM

Lilly really?! i haven't seen or heard him, so I have nothing to go off. Will see if I can find the interview. The book is a pretty light read. Nothing shoc ...more
Mar 24, 2012 11:42PM

Oct 17, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me awhile to get into this book - the writing style is much different than other memoirs and autobiographies I've read. When I saw the title, I expected a warm, open style like he was talking to a friend, but it's much more stiff and formal, like he's trying to sound very intellectual. That being said, I did eventually get into and enjoyed the stories Rob had to tell. He's met so many interesting people and done so many interesting things, and despite his fame, at heart he is a family ma ...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Holli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rob Lowe impressed me very much with his way with words..... his storytelling abilities are amazing. I loved this memoir. Great read!! I would definitely recommend it even if you didn't have a crush on Rob Lowe.... his book is a testament to life in Hollywood and what it's like to go from being a small town kid with big movie star dreams to an adult finally realizing what his big dreams really are..... family and true love.

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About Rob Lowe

Rob Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., and St. Elmo's Fire. On Television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert McCallister on Brothers & Sisters. He currently appears as a main cast member of Parks and Recreation in the role of Chris Traeger.

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Books by Rob Lowe

Socs and Greasers: Behind The Scenes of The Outsiders from Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10599986-stories-i-only-tell-my-friends?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325623301l/10599986.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10599986-stories-i-only-tell-my-friends?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe[/url]