"Stories I Only Tell My Friends"

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

I've been a huge fan of Rob Lowe since I fell in love with Sam Seaborn on The West Wing. I still believe that show is the best ever made, even better than The Waltons and I practically made them my family. I've watched all seasons of The West Wing three times and still I never watch an episode without seeing something in it that I missed before. And I've never found it hard to watch Rob Lowe for an hour. So when a friend told me about this book I was eager to read it and she generously loaned me her copy when she was finished with it.

I don't know why I don't read more biographies and autobiographies. People are so fascinating and it always amazes me that each of us is so different. There are no two lives alike among all the people who have ever lived on this planet. That's just mind-boggling to me. Every single person has a story to tell and I'd like to read them all.

In "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" Rob Lowe talks about how he grew up, got into show business and all the ups and downs a life in the public eye brings with it. He is candid about his wild days of drinking, drugs and sex but it's told tastefully. He isn't bragging about those times but using them to illustrate how money and fame can insulate a person from reality and lead to unhealthy excesses that could destroy your life. Fortunately, he was able to get off that road and start making wiser choices.

We meet a lot of other well known actors who were in Lowe's life at various times. He was a neighbour of Marin Sheen and his sons Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, and while still in his teens he worked with Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, and Patrick Swayze. I had no idea he had started acting at such an early age and to tell the truth I had never heard most of what he reveals in this story. I guess that means I'm not so great a fan because it seems to me that diehard fans of actors, musicians and sports figures know every little detail of their hero's lives. I just knew he was really cute.

It came as a complete shock to me as I read that I've never even seen most of the movies and tv shows he did. He's been in movies since he was 15 and I guess I didn't really know much about him at all until The West Wing started. So now I'm on a mission to educate myself in all things Rob Lowe. If you are interested in seeing what movies and tv series he's been in go to Internet Movie Database and you'll find a complete listing.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The writing is pretty good and there is humour as well as drama. I will confess to a little disappointment that Rob Lowe is not actually Sam Seaborn. Once he matured and got his life back on track though he did become more and more the man of integrity and noble character that Sam was. It's safe to say that Rob Lowe and I will never meet so it won't hurt anyone's feelings if I keep thinking of him as my Sam. Now, back to The West Wing. Season 1. Episode 1.