Author Paul Culshaw: ‘I want my book to help anyone who feels different’
Paul Culshaw, a 31-year-old actor, singer & DJ from Liverpool and living in London, has now turned writer by self-publishing his own ‘warts n’ all’ autobiography, Sticky White Label.
‘I called it Sticky White Label because as a DJ, a white label record is distinctive, hard to find and one of its kind but more importantly – these compartments society like to box us into and labels they encourage pinning on us, ones I’ve received over the years including tranny, fat or faggot – can not only be inaccurate but incredibly reductive and damaging. Labels, like mud, can stick and be hard to shake off. Looking forward, I hope we can all start to move towards being less judgemental of one another.”
Originally intended as a witty look at the polar opposites of Culshaw’s life – coming out at 15 years old while a born-again Christian, then making a name for himself as a drag queen DJ – the book quickly turned into something else.
“I wrote the book out of sequence, and as I delved deeper, I found a rather melancholy and troubled character on the pages. As I continued to dig, the book became a different entity: the effects of being relentlessly bullied from early childhood for being ‘different’, having camp mannerisms and my voice sounding different to the other boys, it then led on to looking at mental health; such as low-self-esteem, anxiety and panic attacks. I began to realise this could be something more universal – something that could help other people who had ever been ostracised for being different.”
Culshaw admits he feared that initially he had no idea how the book would be received and therefore decided to ensure something good came out of it no matter what the critical reception, with £3 from every physical copy (not Kindle) going to three separate charities; PACE (LGBT Mental Health), Ditch The Label (Anti-Bullying) & The British Heart Foundation, as they are all connected themes within the work.
“Some people may be going through something isolating at the moment or may feel like they don’t have a voice. To break down stigmas we need to start sticking our necks out and talking about these matters, some of which make people uncomfortable – so if me talking about private things such as mental health can help even one person feel they do have a voice, then its reason enough. Going on the feedback received already, I am delighted it’s already making people feel they can reach out and talk about their shared experiences explored in the book.”
Promising an empowering conclusion, Culshaw says that “Ultimately this is an account of redemption and triumph through adversity and the positive message of the book is that no matter what is thrown at us, there is always help at hand.”
‘Sticky White Label’ is available now through amazon.co.uk or amazon.com, and Culshaw offers signed personalised copies with hand-written individual messages through www.facebook.com/paulculshawperformer.