Stories I Only Tell My Friends Rob Lowe

I have only three things I hated about this book; he drops the “F” bomb frequently, there aren’t nearly enough photos and he’s a liberal.

But none of those things were enough to keep me from enjoying this book.  This book makes me wholly reconsider my distaste in memoirs/autobiographies. 

I have loved Rob Lowe from the moment my teeny-bopper heart laid eyes on him (yeah, he’s my age; it was still teen fan-lust).  I’ve watched most of his movies – even the forgettable ones.  I’ve said a few words of wonder or sadness at the various escapades, women and problems he’s dealt with over the years.  I haven’t watched most of his TV shows (West Wing, Brothers & Sisters) as they just haven’t interested me; but I have always loved Rob Lowe.

He’s managed to hang on, make it work, re-invent himself through decades of stardom; the ups, the downs the in-betweens.  He talks frankly and genuinely about his attempts to hide from relationships, drama, hurt; while self-medicating and dealing with a world that is shallow and scary and unbalanced:  his mother’s marriages (and divorces), his brothers, his friends, his agents, rehab and meeting his wife.

He explains Malibu and the Hollywood culture in terms that are real; agents that do okay, but not their best; directors who are a bit kooky, but have their own vision; actors/actresses that made their own ways despite the agents and the directors and the competition and anxiety that they all have to deal with. 

Along the way he meets John Kennedy Jr., Liza Minnelli, Robert Wagner, Cary Grant, Darryl Hannah, Tom Cruise, the entire Sheen/Estevez family, Princess Stephanie – as well as a list of others – along with a roll of directors and producers that reads like credit lines at the end of a film.  

He talks frequently about stars that were kind and encouraging, what he learned from films and actors and mistakes and how his wife and sons have changed him in innumerable ways.  He writes about never fitting in and how acting was what made him whole, yet what created an even further divide in being normal.

It was difficult to put down.  Whether the words were his or he was assisted by a ghost-writer (although I can almost hear him say the words that are written with his distinctive voice), it’s a terrific book and a great insight into the perils and challenges he’s faced and the consequences and rewards he’s earned. 

Next time Rob?  Put in more photos and I'll completely forgive the fact that you supported Dukakis.