Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe
Okay, guys, it's time to play Things We Do and Do Not Put In Our Celebrity Memoirs!
Do!
- Gossipy anecdotes about the various people you have met along the way in your celebrity life.
- Affectionate statements toward your wife, your son, friends, and family.
- (Audiobook only) Your impression of Christopher Walken.
DO NOT
- Basically no specifics except about The Outsiders.
- Weird speculation about your mother's sex life.
- WHERE YOUR ELDEST SON WAS CONCEIVED JESUS CHRIST ROB LOWE.
Okay, in all seriousness, this is a pretty okay book. It's gossipy, yeah, but never mean-spirited, and I must say I really admire Rob Lowe for that. You sort of expect celebrity memoirs to name-drop in bad ways as well as good, and Lowe seems determined to go a different route. Which is not to say that bad things don't happen, or that he doesn't talk about these things, but he never names anyone who he feels wronged him or treated him badly (well, with the exception of the journalist who coined the phrase "Brat Pack," but that's public record).
Lowe is also a fluent and engaging writer. His memoir is mostly anecdotal, but he makes the very best of this medium, making his tales as interesting and emotional as possible. You really feel for him. He also knew a LOT of interesting people, from Robert Downey Jr (math class) to the entire Sheen family (neighbors, and it's really kind of funny to watch Charlie Sheen disappear from the narrative as he turns into... well, Charlie Sheen) to this bodyguard guy who must have been involved in SOME kind of espionage, because he knew a LOT of shady things and was murdered shortly after Lowe last saw him. I want a book about that guy really badly. I listened to the audiobook version of this, which is narrated by Lowe himself, and which I highly recommend, because he's really very talented at imitating people and you seriously must hear his Walken impression. Just. Must.
There are issues with the book. The weird speculation about his mother's sex life was thankfully brief, but oh my god Rob Lowe, no one needed or wanted to know where you conceived your eldest son, and I'm very sure that literally no one involved wanted you to tell us. Lowe also glosses over a LOT of his life, including his drug use in the eighties, the sex tape scandal, and a great deal of his interactions on The West Wing. These were probably a casualty of his desire to keep an upbeat tone throughout, but I was disappointed nonetheless.
Regardless, it's a nice gossipy memoir that likes to think the best of everyone, and it's quite well written with only a few bumps. If you like celebrity memoirs, this is one of the better ones.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/398759.html. Please comment over there if possible.
Do!
- Gossipy anecdotes about the various people you have met along the way in your celebrity life.
- Affectionate statements toward your wife, your son, friends, and family.
- (Audiobook only) Your impression of Christopher Walken.
DO NOT
- Basically no specifics except about The Outsiders.
- Weird speculation about your mother's sex life.
- WHERE YOUR ELDEST SON WAS CONCEIVED JESUS CHRIST ROB LOWE.
Okay, in all seriousness, this is a pretty okay book. It's gossipy, yeah, but never mean-spirited, and I must say I really admire Rob Lowe for that. You sort of expect celebrity memoirs to name-drop in bad ways as well as good, and Lowe seems determined to go a different route. Which is not to say that bad things don't happen, or that he doesn't talk about these things, but he never names anyone who he feels wronged him or treated him badly (well, with the exception of the journalist who coined the phrase "Brat Pack," but that's public record).
Lowe is also a fluent and engaging writer. His memoir is mostly anecdotal, but he makes the very best of this medium, making his tales as interesting and emotional as possible. You really feel for him. He also knew a LOT of interesting people, from Robert Downey Jr (math class) to the entire Sheen family (neighbors, and it's really kind of funny to watch Charlie Sheen disappear from the narrative as he turns into... well, Charlie Sheen) to this bodyguard guy who must have been involved in SOME kind of espionage, because he knew a LOT of shady things and was murdered shortly after Lowe last saw him. I want a book about that guy really badly. I listened to the audiobook version of this, which is narrated by Lowe himself, and which I highly recommend, because he's really very talented at imitating people and you seriously must hear his Walken impression. Just. Must.
There are issues with the book. The weird speculation about his mother's sex life was thankfully brief, but oh my god Rob Lowe, no one needed or wanted to know where you conceived your eldest son, and I'm very sure that literally no one involved wanted you to tell us. Lowe also glosses over a LOT of his life, including his drug use in the eighties, the sex tape scandal, and a great deal of his interactions on The West Wing. These were probably a casualty of his desire to keep an upbeat tone throughout, but I was disappointed nonetheless.
Regardless, it's a nice gossipy memoir that likes to think the best of everyone, and it's quite well written with only a few bumps. If you like celebrity memoirs, this is one of the better ones.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/398759.html. Please comment over there if possible.