Updated 15/07/2026
A true story
of the cracks that shaped a childhood, and the light that found its way through.
Welcome to the home of Crackmask, a memoir built from lived experience, early fractures, hard‑won resilience, and the long, uneven work of rebuilding a life from the inside out. This space follows the journey behind the book: the memories that shaped it, the places that forged it, and the clarity that finally allowed it to be written.
Here you’ll find reflections on survival and purpose, and glimpses into a life scattered across continents yet held together by truth. If you’ve ever rebuilt yourself piece by piece or wondered how someone does, you’re in the right place. The mask cracked a long time ago. This is what came through.
Here you’ll find reflections on survival and purpose, and glimpses into a life scattered across continents yet held together by truth. If you’ve ever rebuilt yourself piece by piece or wondered how someone does, you’re in the right place. The mask cracked a long time ago. This is what came through.
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About My Book, Crackmask
Crackmask is my story, told the only way I know how. I grew up in Bolton in circumstances that would make most people run for the hills, and at one point I very nearly didn’t make it out at all. There was an attempted murder that could easily have ended everything before my life had even begun. I don’t go into gory detail in the book, but I do explain how that moment became the turning point. It was the day I decided I was done being a victim and I was going to be a survivor, whatever it took. Oddly enough, that determination eventually led me into a life of buffoonery. I became a silent slapstick performer, a circus teacher, a charity founder, and a man who has spent far too much time falling over in front of large crowds. Over the last forty years, I managed to entertain almost a million people, and that really isn’t an exaggeration. I’ve performed in jungle hill tribe villages in Southeast Asia, the only French cabaret in Shanghai, posh old colonial venues in Bombay, Singapore and Indonesia, beside John Lennon’s star in Central Park, across the UAE, and in pretty much every major city in Europe. I even ended up doing a couple of shows in Inuit settlements in Lapland, which wasn’t something I ever expected when I first learned to juggle. And of course there was my time in Toxteth, Liverpool in the 1990s, when it was still a no‑go zone for the police (or Scouse-Bizzies), and I taught circus skills to any scallies brave enough to give it a go. |
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One of the real highlights was performing in front of Robin Williams, who wandered into my big top circus tent in Southport and laughed so hard he practically rolled into the aisles. That was in the mid‑1990s, when I was also working alongside legends like Sir Ken Dodd, Norman Wisdom and Ron Moody, yes, Fagin himself. And every now and then I’d cross paths with Paul O’Grady, better known as Lily Savage, who was tearing up the cabaret scene at the time. They were all kind enough not to laugh at me when I wasn’t supposed to be funny, which is more than I can say for some audiences.
This book is not a celebrity memoir. It is a collection of true stories from a life lived a little more than slightly sideways. Some parts are funny, some parts are painful, and some parts will make you wonder how I managed to survive long enough to write any of it down. But underneath all the chaos and comedy, Crackmask is really about something simple and important. It is about refusing to let the worst moments of my life define the rest of it. It is about finding resilience in unlikely places, discovering joy where none should exist, and learning that even the most damaged beginnings do not have to decide the ending.
If you enjoy real stories of survival, adventure, comedy, and the occasional moment of complete chaos, you will feel right at home here. And if you have ever wondered whether a person can climb out of the darkest places and still build a life full of meaning, mischief, and unexpected magic, Crackmask will give you the answer.
This book is not a celebrity memoir. It is a collection of true stories from a life lived a little more than slightly sideways. Some parts are funny, some parts are painful, and some parts will make you wonder how I managed to survive long enough to write any of it down. But underneath all the chaos and comedy, Crackmask is really about something simple and important. It is about refusing to let the worst moments of my life define the rest of it. It is about finding resilience in unlikely places, discovering joy where none should exist, and learning that even the most damaged beginnings do not have to decide the ending.
If you enjoy real stories of survival, adventure, comedy, and the occasional moment of complete chaos, you will feel right at home here. And if you have ever wondered whether a person can climb out of the darkest places and still build a life full of meaning, mischief, and unexpected magic, Crackmask will give you the answer.
CRACKMASK is now officially in the British Library.
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The mask has cracked.
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How to Get a Copy
You can buy Crackmask on Amazon using the link on this site. It is quick, simple, and you will not have to deal with me directly, which some people may consider a bonus.
If you prefer a signed copy, or you simply enjoy the thrill of emailing an ageing buffoon in Southport, you can order one from me. I do not have any fancy payment systems, and I have to charge postage, but you will get a personal message and a book that has travelled further than most people.
Just use the contact form, and I will reply as soon as I can.
If you fancy a day out in Southport... Eddie will be at The Museum of Buffoonery: Wayfarers Arcade Address: 40, Wayfarers Arcade, Southport PR8 1NT. Most afternoons through the summer, ready to sign books and talk nonsense with anyone who pops in. If you want to be sure he hasn’t escaped for a brew, contact Eddie beforehand.
Anyone WORLDWIDE can follow the journey... Find (And Review) this book on Amazon
(only available on Kindle in some parts of South East Asia)
You can buy Crackmask on Amazon using the link on this site. It is quick, simple, and you will not have to deal with me directly, which some people may consider a bonus.
If you prefer a signed copy, or you simply enjoy the thrill of emailing an ageing buffoon in Southport, you can order one from me. I do not have any fancy payment systems, and I have to charge postage, but you will get a personal message and a book that has travelled further than most people.
Just use the contact form, and I will reply as soon as I can.
If you fancy a day out in Southport... Eddie will be at The Museum of Buffoonery: Wayfarers Arcade Address: 40, Wayfarers Arcade, Southport PR8 1NT. Most afternoons through the summer, ready to sign books and talk nonsense with anyone who pops in. If you want to be sure he hasn’t escaped for a brew, contact Eddie beforehand.
Anyone WORLDWIDE can follow the journey... Find (And Review) this book on Amazon
(only available on Kindle in some parts of South East Asia)
See Eddie's TV Documentary for free before you buy CRACKMASK!
Patrick Hurley MP lending his support to the Little Museum of Buffoonery and its place in Southport’s town centre revival.
Patrick Hurley, Member of Parliament for Southport, visited the Little Museum of Buffoonery to help promote Crackmask and highlight the value of small businesses and community projects in the town.
He recently spoke in the Commons about town centre regeneration, encouraging support for local enterprises, especially those based in the Victorian splendour of the Wayfarers Arcade.
His visit was a welcome boost for the museum and for everyone who enjoys keeping Southport’s cultural life lively and interesting.
He recently spoke in the Commons about town centre regeneration, encouraging support for local enterprises, especially those based in the Victorian splendour of the Wayfarers Arcade.
His visit was a welcome boost for the museum and for everyone who enjoys keeping Southport’s cultural life lively and interesting.
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When my future-ex-wife, Sue, came right across the country
just to buy my book… I wore my Happy-Day's shirt!
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Meet Eddie and get his book in Liverpool - 2nd of August 2026
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I’m very pleased to say I’ll be at the Liverpool Book Festival at Box Park on Sunday 2 August 2026. It’s Liverpool’s biggest book festival and it looks like it’s going to be a cracking day, with over 60 authors, live music, talks, food, and a huge kids zone.
I’ll be there with Crackmask, now officially available through the British Library, Amazon, and of course at www.crackmask.com If you already have a copy, feel free to bring it along and I’ll be happy to sign it. If you don’t, you can pick one up on the day and I’ll scribble in that too. It’s a great chance to meet loads of writers, enjoy the festival atmosphere, and support local creativity. Hope to see you there. Tickets are £15 and under 12s go free. Click for tickets: https://www.skiddle.com/.../Liverpool-Book.../42295970/ |
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The Red Balloon - A feature in Crackmask
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The Red Balloon - A feature in Eddie's Life
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These two photographs are small windows into a much larger story, a story that began for me with a single red balloon drifting through the grey streets of Paris in Le Ballon Rouge, my favourite film of all time. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a look: Le Ballon Rouge ... Something in that little film settled into me when I was young, and it never really let go.
Years later, in Venice, I stumbled into an extraordinary true tale about the boy in the film, his father, and his grandmother who produced it, a story threaded with coincidence, loss, and a quiet kind of magic. I’ll share that in full another day.
What I can say now is this: the red balloon has followed me across continents and decades. It has floated through almost every performance I’ve given, not as a prop but as a companion, a bright, stubborn reminder of wonder, resilience, and the possibility of rising above whatever tries to hold you down.
These images are simply moments where that thread shows itself again, woven through the long roads and the strange, tender business of being a lost, then found child.
Years later, in Venice, I stumbled into an extraordinary true tale about the boy in the film, his father, and his grandmother who produced it, a story threaded with coincidence, loss, and a quiet kind of magic. I’ll share that in full another day.
What I can say now is this: the red balloon has followed me across continents and decades. It has floated through almost every performance I’ve given, not as a prop but as a companion, a bright, stubborn reminder of wonder, resilience, and the possibility of rising above whatever tries to hold you down.
These images are simply moments where that thread shows itself again, woven through the long roads and the strange, tender business of being a lost, then found child.