"Maybe the London riots were misunderstood tiny acts of rebellion," says Rich Fulcher, sitting in The Library Bar of Edinburgh University.
He then corrects himself: "No. Actually, they weren't tiny. They were out of hand. I'm sure there are reasons why they did it but it wasn't the right way to go about it."
The unrest in London seems like an unusual topic for a comedian best known for his myriad surreal turns in The Mighty Boosh and BBC3's Snuff Box. Yet rebellion is exactly what Fulcher is peddling, albeit small and comic.
His Edinburgh show, Tiny Acts of Rebellion, was born out of the same-titled book in which the US-born comedian offered 97 ways of sticking it to the man.
"I went out on book signings, doing readings," he tells The Huffington Post UK. "They went really well, so I thought I should turn it into a show."
Brought up in Chicago and trained as a lawyer, Fulcher first travelled to The Fringe as part of a sketch group nearly a decade ago. He was spotted by a manager, met Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding and has spent the intervening years enjoying gradual success as a comic, actor and now author.
"It wasn't part of a plan," he says. "I just came over here, started working and it's just gone from there."
He also points out that The Mighty Boosh is shown in the US, while Snuff Box is en route. "Americans are up for UK comedy," he says.
A veteran of eight Fringe Festivals ("I'm trying to do ten then quit forever," he says), Fulcher has witnessed a gradual change in the dynamics of the Edinburgh's month-long gala.
"It's definitely more comedy-intensive now. You used to be able to come up and create a little buzz. These days everyone that gets nominated for an award already has a TV deal. It's very TV-centric."
"I think it has lost a bit of charm as there's immediately a commercial aspect to it - some guy has a great show and people are straight away wondering how to market him."
"There are still great people up here, but you have to seek them out a bit more. People are still interested in who's breaking through. Who's the new Russell Kane? Who's the new comic with a t-shirt?"
Fulcher's own show has been selling out. "There is plenty of audience interaction with people offering up their own tiny acts of rebellion. People even tweet acts in. The other day I had a tweet from a guy saying: 'I took a bath before my girlfriend and peed in it'."
"It's not so much the pranks I like, but the little acts of rebellion, where you're getting at authority, like when someone's about to get a parking fine, and you put some more money in the meter."
"I also just like flipping people off in secret."
At least twice during the interview Fulcher's middle finger was extended at The Huffington Post UK from under the table.
"People do get stuck in a rut but there should always be some form of rebellion. Otherwise it all gets stored up and you end up turning into the Michael Douglas character from Falling Down."
It is a lack of rebellion that's most obvious to the 42-year-old comic when he turns his gaze back at his homeland.
"I do keep an eye on the political situation in the US. It is weird how the argument is all about spending rather than job creation. I think Obama is playing it wrong. He's trying to be Reagan, where he should be Harry Truman. He needs to go out there and say to the people, 'this is what we need to do.' "
"There's also an onus on the comedians to push back from the left. The onslaught from the right is relentless. Just watch Fox News. Everything has become so much more political, even comedy. In the US you can now have a niche act that just does politics, which I don't think you could before. I think if Bill Hicks were alive he'd have an HBO show."
Yet it is Britain that Fulcher has made his home, becoming a household name for a generation of Brits, thanks to characters such as Bob Fossil and Lester Corncrake.
"We've been working on a CD for Boosh for the past year," he says. "It has just taken so long as everyone in the group has so much else going on. If we do something new I think it’s more likely to be a Mighty Boosh film."
Lester Corncrake on the big screen? "Everyone gather round..."