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    Stories I Only Tell My Friends
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    Stories I Only Tell My Friends
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    Stories I Only Tell My Friends
    Audiobook9 hours

    Stories I Only Tell My Friends

    Published by Random House UK Audio

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

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

    Teen idol at fifteen, 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-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood.

    The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety.

    Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House UK Audio
    Release dateMay 26, 2011
    ISBN9781446465219
    Unavailable
    Stories I Only Tell My Friends

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    Reviews for Stories I Only Tell My Friends

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    • 5/5
      This exceptionally written book starts with Lowe's childhood in Ohio and his parent's marriage breaking up when he is but five-years-old leaving him and his brother Chad only seeing their father every other weekend. His mother will go on to marry another man, Bill with whom she will have a son Micah. He would act in local theater productions and college shows and be treated as a freak for wanting to be an actor. When he's thirteen his mother would divorce Bill and uproot them and move them to Point Dume just outside of Malibu (but not the glamorous Malibu of today) where a surprise awaits them. The doctor she was seeing at the allergy clinic she went to when she was sick is there and they're going to get married. His once fierce mother would develop a habit of spending her days writing things not meant to be read or being sick in bed with something that could not be defined.He still gets crap for wanting to be an actor in Malibu a place where the cool kids want to be surfers. He starts to go on auditions for stuff but doesn't get callbacks. Until finally he gets a gig as an Extra in a Coke commercial. It pays $2,500. He frames the check. Now, this is when he starts to name drop. He meets up with the Sheen brothers Emilio and Charlie and the Penn brothers Sean and Chris who make movies and he will eventually get asked to be in the Sheen brother home movies. Or going out with Jennifer Grant, daughter of Dyan Cannon and Cary Grant and meeting her famous father, but not really knowing who he was. Or meeting John Dykstra the special effects coordinator for Star Wars whom his aunt and uncle worked for and getting to see a rough cut of the movie and the special effects set before the movie comes out.He gets a role on an ABC TV show in 1979 called A New Kind of Family that would last maybe twelve episodes but would give him some popularity and introduces him to Janet Jackson his co-star. ABC love him enough to put a hold on him for another series but that falls through and instead, they use him for Afterschool Specials. His first is the one about the teenage dad.This will lead him to get his foot in the door to an audition to a movie being made by Francis Ford Coppola called The Outsiders based on the book by S.E. Hinton. He's auditioning for one of the coveted roles of the brothers, Sodapop Curtis. The scene is one where the brothers are together and he tells them how he feels and cries. He's not sure he can cry on cue, but he does and nails the audition and gets to go to New York City to compete for the role there. He's going up against Tom Cruise and others. He and Tom have become friends since Tom, Tommy Howell and Emilio are all going up for parts and all hang out together. When Tom tanks the audition for Sodapop and he nails it he gets the role. Unfortunately, most of his role will end up on the cutting room floor, though if you want to watch the whole thing with the deleted scenes watch the DVD The Outsiders: The Complete Novel. He spends a great deal of time in this section describing his time making this movie and it's fascinating to read.He'll go on to name drop many times and continue on with his movie career and how he got The West Wing and what went wrong there and his alcohol abuse problems and how he sought help for that and meeting the woman, Sheryl, who would change his life forever giving him two sons and a family to keep him grounded. He even goes a little bit into his political activism, but not too much. I wasn't surprised to find that he has rewritten scripts as this book is so beautifully written and with such skill. You do get a real sense of who he is in as much as he lets you in which is pretty far but not so far you feel as though its too much information. This is an excellent book and I give it five out of five stars.
    • 3/5
      This is probably one of my favorite autobiographies. I love any type of book but I have always been wary of autobiographies, not so much biographies. However, Stories I Only Tell My Friends was such an amazing balance of humor and emotion, completely pulled me in from the first page. I felt like I was with Rob Lowe during his time in Dayton, Ohio all the way to Los Angeles, the city he wanted to conquer. Mr. Lowe realizing that the world of acting had more sacrifices than you could imagine. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in need of a laugh or cry.
    • 4/5
      This was a fascinating depiction of a Hollywood career and a young man growing up and dealing with alcoholism. Rob Lowe is a great story teller and he picked his stories with great care to show a lovely narrative. A very reflective and what seems to be honest memoir that was engaging and delightful to listen to.
    • 3/5
      I have to say I'd expected more out of this book. It's getting such great reviews but to me it was a pretty typical celeb bio. Maybe the fact that RL wrote it himself bumps up the reviews a bit.
      I also think I'm just a tad older than Lowe and the rest of the "Brat Pack" so I probably wasn't that interested in his life story.
      Alas, then why the heck did I read this?!
    • 5/5
      I flew right through this autobiography filled with anecdotes as well as pertinents. Lowe's sense of humor and personality shine through without bitterness or rancor for the struggles he faced as well as charm, genuine modesty and gratitude. His love of family and his work are readily apparent and his path from potential troublemaker to star while desperately trying to find his place in the world is admirable.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this quite a bit. The writing is tight, descriptive and well thought out. It has a nice balance between insight, storytelling and dirt. He did leave out quite a bit which surprised me - almost nothing about the scandal at the DNC, he mentioned he dated Melissa Gilbert but no mention of their engagement, pregnancy etc.
      Most disappointing was just how little of the book was dedicated to his recent career resurgence (West Wing, Brothers & Sisters, Parks & Recreation, Californication etc.).

      I wasn't expecting much and never gave Rob Lowe a second thought until he appeared on the West Wing but I really did enjoy his life story and while this book will never change the world it is worth a read.
    • 4/5
      I found this book quite interesting. The story moved along nicely and there was often an anecdote of famous people he knew and grew up with. The tone of the book was upbeat, the author never critical or negative.
    • 3/5
      Well written, great to hear him narrate it (I did audio book on the exercise bike...). He is great at imitating the people he knows and has crazy stories about meeting other famous people in odd ways. But he really glosses over anything controversial - doesn't avoid it, but doesn't give you more juicy details than you need either. (or sometimes vaguely refers to well documented scandals but doesn't take the time to remind you about the details.)


      I think he's planning on running for office some day, so he was careful...
    • 4/5
      In general, my feeling prior to reading this was that I could give or take Rob Lowe. I've not really seen him in anything recent, and when I think of him, I think of him in his 80's movies such as About Last Night and St. Elmo's Fire. And then I think "sex scandal". But I was pleasantly surprised by this autobiography and enjoyed it quite a bit. Rob reads his own book on audio and does a good job (I suppose that's to be expected since he's an actor). For the most part he seems candid and down-to-earth and has successfully gotten his life back together after a dark period in the late 80's and early 90's. There is a lot of name-dropping in this autobiography, and he did pretty much gloss over the so-called sex scandal (devoting maybe one short paragraph to it in a very general way), but I was pretty much engaged in this book from start to finish. I don't doubt that Rob worked hard to get to where he's at, but I'm also sure that living down the street from the Sheen household didn't hurt his odds at success either. I do now have a strong desire to go back and watch those 80's movies (incl. The Outsiders, which (gasp!) I've never actually seen), as well as The West Wing, which I also never really watched when it was on.
    • 4/5
      I liked the flow of this book. Although this was not an auto-biography, Rob talks about himself a lot. He is one of the few people who I held in higher regard after reading his book. The stories were charming, witty, and entertaining. Rob Lowe is a fascinating person with a great perspective on life.
    • 5/5
      I recommend you listen to the audiobook read by Rob Lowe. He does some fantastic voice impressions. The stories are entertaining and as someone who grew up watching him grow up I learned a lot about the man whose face used to grace my walls in the 80s. It's nice to see a former child star who suffered some major setbacks turn out to be such a nice, normal human being.
    • 4/5
      I must say that this was bought as a holiday read and I am romping through it by my standards. I know that some readers / reviewers have criticsised the book as being one long name dropping session, but if you were brought up around people whom were or were later to become famous what else do you write about. Any way I am enjoying it very much.
    • 4/5
      If I could, I would give it 3 1/2 stars... one of the better autobiographies of film/tv stars I have read but there were some careless errors (name of a famous role was wrong/spelling errors) that interfered with my enjoyment of it. That kind of thing drives me nuts! I also tend to dislike books written in present tense but that's a personal preference!

      I found it interesting that he often mentions his role of "Sam Seaborn" on "The West Wing" was his most gratifying and yet he devotes a very small percentage of pages talking about it! And he only mentions a couple of his co-stars by name... I think there's more to the story!

      Overall I admire him for largely adhering to the old adage that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
    • 4/5
      I've always enjoyed Rob Lowe: St. Elmo's Fire, The West Wing, and Parks and Rec, but I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan. Sure, he's pretty, and he's taken some great roles. Billy Hicks was one of my first crushes: the pretty, dangerous, incorrigible bad boy with a heart of gold silently screaming, "fix me; love me!" Sam Seaborn was the perfect package: smart, witty, and doing important things for important people. And who couldn't love Chris Traeger? He was literally the best person to move to Pawnee. Ever.

      However, you don't have to love Rob Lowe to love this book. It's well-written, and he shares lots of interesting stories about growing up in Ohio, breaking into show business, and the wins and losses along the way. My favorite part was about getting his role in The Outsiders and the subsequent adventures in filming. You can see by his stories that Charlie Sheen has always been a little off-center, and Tom Cruise has always been intense and crazy. I also enjoyed his stories of growing up in the excesses of Malibu, how he felt like the outsider growing up, and his journey to stardom when he wasn't mature enough to handle it. He shares some of his struggles with addiction and gives small glimpses into what seems to be a strong marriage and happy family life. His journey could have gone a very different way, and I think he's grateful for what he has.

      If you want a glimpse into what drives someone to persevere as an actor, this is a read for you. I've never had that drive, that pull, to push myself outside of an ordinary life, so it was fascinating to read what kept him going. It was surprising, and an interesting perspective. Clearly it's why I'm not a star--I would never tolerate the bullshit he did to maintain his fame. That, coupled with the cool stories about movies, shows, and actors made this an entertaining read.
    • 4/5
      I have always loved Rob Lowe -- how could you not?? I enjoyed listening to him read and recount his story of his rise to stardom. It was interesting to hear all of the people who were also up and coming when he was trying for roles. He was friends with Martin Sheen's children, the Penn brothers, and so many other actors. He addressed his family and his alcoholism and his Brat Pack moniker. I enjoyed hearing about his wife and how he almost destroyed that relationship until he got clean and sober in order to win her over. His love for his children was also evident. I also enjoyed how he took each job in his career as a learning opportunity. This book was written in 2011, so he has more to offer, but I really enjoyed hearing the stories of his life up until then.
    • 5/5
      LOVED THIS. Rob Lowe writes in an easy-going, engaging fashion, and the way he tells stories about his early brushes with fame (Muppets, Sheen family, Star Wars, to name a few) is unassuming and doesn't come across as name-dropping. What an extraordinary life. Quick, easy, absolutely fun read.
    • 4/5
      It was a funny and interesting read. Rob has a lot more layers to him they I would have imagined. I read it in a day so if you are looking for a quick amusing read, look no further.
    • 3/5
      I don't often read/listen to celebrity memoirs, though i always mean to LOL.Finally heard about this one a few times, and found it on Hoopla. I went to high school in the 80s, I know Rob Lowe from his early work (I have never seen The West Wing). I also know he and his wife hosted a big meal for firefighters after one of the big fires in Santa Barbara, so they are decent. Also, he read this himself.And it was fine. I don't know how it read on the the page, but on audio the writing was great. Parts were very interesting. A bit too much name dropping for my taste, I don't watch tons of TV or movies, so really did not know who many of these people were, especially post-c1995. Maybe this is why I never get around to celebrity memoirs?
    • 4/5
      Published in 2011, the book covers Rob Lowe's life from childhood through to roughly the end of his time of The West Wing. Listening to this on audio is as enjoyable an experience as one would imagine. Lowe is upfront about his past, while never getting so detailed about some of his experiences that the book feels trashy. The first half of the memoir seems particularly filled with reminiscences of meeting what feels everyone who was anyone in Hollywood in the 70s and 80s but is done so deprecatingly that it doesn't feel like bragging. When recounting experiences with big names, he will often imitate their voices for their dialogue, which is largely well done (except for Carey Grant's voice, which is more hit and miss). A charming memoir obviously best-suited to people who are already fans of the actor.
    • 4/5
       Rob Lowe has had some truly wild stories for a kid from Ohio. Before becoming famous his paths crossed with so many celebrities its mind boggling. The audio is read by Lowe himself and it’s a fast and interesting read for anyone familiar with Hollywood. His story about an unexpected meeting with Bill Murray made me laugh out loud. His struggle with sobriety and efforts to come to terms with his fame are familiar celebrity themes.
    • 4/5
      I've wanted to read this book for quite a while now, especially after the sneak preview. It did not disappoint. Filled with so many memorable moments throughout his life punctuated with interactions with other stars and how they met on their roads to stardom, I returned to this book every chance I could. Worthwhile and very enjoyable, it was captivating learning how Rob grew into the man he became and the demons he had to conquer to get there.
    • 5/5
      This was quite a departure from my usual read but it turned out to be a delightful and quite surprising delightful book. It was a comfortable read and quite interesting.
    • 4/5
      2021 pandemic read. He's an actor, sure, but he's a story teller, too.
    • 3/5
      Rob Lowe tells his story of growing up in Ohio, moving to Malibu, CA in high school and from there, the fame and challenges he faced in Hollywood. In Malibu he befriends Emilio Estevez and his brother Charlie Sheen and Chris Penn. Early on Lowe gets sober, marries a women with whom he has quietly raised two boys and is still married to today. Lowe discusses his activism in politics and generally comes off as a good guy. The audio book is read by Lowe.
    • 3/5
      A predominantly chronological collection of stories from Rob Lowe’s life which I listened to on Audible, narrated by the man himself. The focus is very much his drive towards acting (from a much younger age than I had realised) but also touches on his relationships with his parents and his alcoholism. Thoughts So, let's get the negatives out of the way first. The style and set up of this memoir was a little repetitive (start chapter with slightly abstract image, mention people by first name only to reveal which now incredibly famous person they are towards the end). In the content itself there is a decided element of glossing over some of the more troubled parts of his history – the circumstances around his (mostly forgotten) sex tape are significantly light on content as is the description of the impact of his descent into alcoholism. The detail of his West Wing days also feel somewhat redacted given the well-known issues surrounding his ultimate exit. That said I did really enjoy – especially the first half. I found Lowe to be much more articulate than I anticipated and he successfully created an almost nostalgic character flavour to the book. His school days and early career felt by far the strongest part of his narrative and were an interesting mix of both reflective and slightly gossipy insider view of Hollywood in the early 80s – I particularly enjoyed his references and descriptions of Tom Cruise and Patrick Swayze. The fact that on audio he does a pretty decent set of impressions of most of the famous people he references is an added bonus of listening to this on audio. I enjoyed some of his explanations of how TV and Hollywood worked – touring Warner Brothers studios a couple of days after finishing this book I annoyed my husband immensely with my new insights. In the latter part of the book he flips this insight onto experiences of going through rehab, rebuilding his life with his now wife and his ongoing political persuasion. In these parts he is open, honest and at times annoyingly earnest and whilst I am sure the change in focus has for him been a healthy and helpful thing it was not as compelling to hear about as the first half of the book was. An enjoyable read in a genre I don’t usually spend time with
    • 4/5
      Lowe can be so funny (for example, in the second Austin Powers movie, on Parks and Recreation, and now on the Hulu series The Grinder) that I expected him to be equipped with a little more irony and perspective than the average Hollywood actor. But he isn't. He's merely a decent man who went through the crazy cycle of huge fame bestowed too young and came out the other side with his soul intact—an accomplishment not to be sneered at. His memoir is a quick read. I felt compassion for him at times, while at others I was disappointed at his naïveté. (He believes that because he and his friends shared drinks, women, and their own company with a "balding and skinny" profile writer from New York magazine, the journalist was morally obligated to write a puff piece.) And it's telling to me that while he shows ample regret at the toll his lifestyle of excess took on himself, he can't think of any hurt he might have caused anyone else during those years.But this sounds too harsh. The '80s are long gone, and along with them, some of the star power that Rob Lowe abused. I believe in his talent, his sincerity, and his devotion to his family, and what else can we expect from someone who's walked in his shoes?
    • 3/5
      Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

      ★ ★ ★ ½

      This is the memoir of Rob Lowe's life so far (he is currently 48 years old with over 30 years of acting under his belt).

      I really enjoyed the beginning part of this book. The story of his childhood and his family dynamics. He was your average teenager except with cooler friends (he went to school with actors such as Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Chris and Sean Penn, and Downey Jr – just to name a few). I really like the end of this book with his adult realizations and his changes. It was the middle part that made me give this book only a 3 star rating. He talks about the movies he did (which he should) but that's about it. I felt like the middle was a big “look – I made movies and let me name drop a lot so you are aware of all the people I know!”). It was nice at first but after reading about such things for over 100 pages, I got it – you were popular and you know a lot of people Mr. Lowe. From my research, I know he was far from innocent during his 80s popularity in the “Brat Pack” but he seems to nonchalantly skim over much of that period (although some aspects are brought up briefly).

      I can't deny though that it was quick read and I devoured it. A fun memoir and it was well written in many aspects but definitely not an all time favorite for me.
    • 5/5
       I listened to the audio book and highly recommend that anyone interested in this book go with the audio edition as Rob is the narrator. Rob narrates his book with much humor and heartfelt insight as well as some great spot-on impressions of those featured in his stories. And some interesting stories he has! I was pleasantly surprised and you will be too. 
    • 3/5
      I has a great time listening to the audio book, read by Mr. Lowe, while perpetually stuck in Boston traffic. I was never particularly a fan of his until I watched the West Wing, but I still never thought I would read his autobiography. And well, I probably wouldn't read it, but I definitely enjoyed listening to it!
      I have a slight weakness for Hollywood stories and while I don't care for gossip so much, I do love to hear non mean-spirited stories about actors and directors and how they work and who they respect, etc. Rob Lowe has had a really interesting life and he lays it all for you in this book without getting nasty and with just the right amount of swagger and ego that you would expect from a "star."
      Except for some rather high handed criticism of poor Chris Farley's inability to sober up and fix his life (as Rob Lowe himself did), I actually came out of this book liking Mr. Lowe.

      A nice easy book, if you're in the mood for one. And if you can, do get the audio book. Celebrity memoirs should ALWAYS be read by the celebrity!
    • 4/5
      If someone made up this life as a story, no one would like it -- it would be too contrived. How can so many amazing things happen to a guy so likeable?
      Living down the road from the Sheens; meeting Liza Minelli, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Lucille Ball, and others; dating Princess Stephanie of Monacco (and discovering she had a crush on him, too!); witnessing some amazing Hollywood projects; travelling on the 9/11 test flight; working with the Who's Who of Hollywood; loving acting and being able to break into the business to full stardom; recovering from alcoholism; and a whole lot more: its unbelievable.

      Lowe tells his stories with humility, realism, and wit. He does not hide from his darker events, but he does not sensationalize them, either (in fact, he sometimes assumes you already heard about them and gives very limited information). Woven throughout his stories are some very astute observations about show business and life.

      It's an enjoyable read or listen (he does well with many of the voices of his colleagues), and helpful for people who want to be actors.

      My favourite jokes: Michael J. Fox's rib about the cop who raved about Back to the Future because "St. Elmo's Fire was probably sold out"
      and Robert Wagner's quip made in the company of Cary Grant, Prince Rainer, and others, that Rob had "banged all of their daughters."
      You have to read it.