My Overdue Audiobook Review of Stories I Only Tell My Friends

One of my favorite audiobooks of the 2012, also happens to be one of the audiobooks I never reviewed. Shame on me! Because Stories I Only Tell My Friends is a fantastic audiobook that I truly believe was meant to be an audio. In almost confessional format that made me feel like I was sitting at the bar having beers with Rob, the actor and writer recounts his life from the moment he knew he wanted to be an actor. He covers growing up in TV/movie industry, the highs and lows of fame, losing his virginity, the "innocent excess of the eighties", how the Brat Pack came to be, his brushes with other 80s royalty, his experiences with political campaigning, meeting his wife, and becoming a father. He offers insight on the filming of The Outsiders, Class, Youngblood, St. Elmo's Fire, About Last Night, Wayne's World, Saturday Night Live, and The West Wing. He's charming, funny, eloquent, earnest, and smart. He overcomes hardships, the nasty side of the industry, and even alcoholism  His life is a wild charmed "full of circumstance" life that will have you laughing, oohing, awwing, and even gasping. He names so many people that you would think it sound like name dropping but it never does. It's a terrific fluid voyage full of unexpected twists and turns. The ending is truly satisfying. Stories I Only Tell My Friends helped me see and understand the eighties the way Lucy in the Sky helped me experience the late sixties. Thank you Rob. It may sound silly but after listening to your audiobook, I feel like we're friends now.

Words aloud: I know you're thinking of course he's a good narrator, it's his life after all. However, I must insist that it's more than that. Rob doesn't just voice the people he's talking about - he mimics them and his impersonations are some of the best I have everrrr heard. Rob's narration is stellar and effortless.

Word to the wise: If you get the chance to listen to this book, take it. If you need an audio for you and your mister during your next road trip, grab this one. If a nonbookie needs an audio, suggest this one. This audiobook deserves the hype and then some. It feels like a real conversation. One you don't want to rush or let end.

Warning: Be forewarned, if you weren't a fan of Rob's before you will be after you listen to this. Even Mr. Whimsy is now.

Wooed: My favorite events involved Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, 911, and JFK Jr. Though not in that order nor together.

Wisdom: “So I came to the realization: Nothing in life is unfair. It's just life.”

Who's mentioned?: Carly Simon, Liza Minnelli, Telly Savalas, Sean Penn, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Holly Robinson, Dean Cain, LeVar Burton, Linda Ronstadt, Regis Philbin, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Diane Lane, Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Leif Garrett, Andrew McCarthy, Daryl Hannah, Jacqueline Bisset  John Cusack, Sarah Jessica Parker, Janet Jackson, Cary Grant, Melissa Gilbert, Robert Downey Jr., Dennis Quaid, Scott Baio, Tom Cruise, Winona Ryder, Christopher Walken, Michael J. Fox, Lucille Ball, Sally Field, James Spader, Molly Ringwald, Francis Ford Coppola, Jodie Foster, Andy Warhol, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Joel Schumacher, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Meg Ryan, Jane Fonda, Melissa Leo, Elizabeth Perkins, Jim Belushi, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck, Robert Wagner, Meg Tilly, Kim Cattrall, Al Franken, Garry Marshall, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Stephen King, Bill Paxton, Chris Farley, James Cameron, and even Bill Clinton

Whippersnappers: Mentions to sex, drugs, alcohol, profanity, and infidelity.

Wind-up: Stories I Only Tell My Friends was written and narrated by Rob Lowe and is 9 hours and 11 minutes long. Audiobook rating: 5 stars. Narrator rating: 5 stars.

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