Tiny Acts of Rebellion: 97 Almost-Legal Ways to Stick It to the Man

by Rich Fulcher

Let's face it, who has the time or inclination to topple a government these days? Never fear, Rich Fulcher will show you hundreds of devilish ways to revolt against the tedium of everyday life. Whether it s making rude gestures to a hotel clerkunder the desk or making your own 'Do Not Disturb' sign that says 'Come In If You Like Swordplay' , Rich Fulcher s inventive collection will allow you to unleash your rebellious side without getting arrested.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comedy, Humor

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Michael Legge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shame he dies in the end.

[Beth Braun · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I love Fulcher's characters on the Mighty Boosh, this book fell flat for me. It gives different acts that you can do to rebel against society, all with different levels of extremism. While some gave me a chuckle, most were unamusing. Good for a quick read and a couple laughs, but don't expect too much.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it will suffice to merely insert here a choice extract to give those who may be curious an oddly flavoured sample of the British-based American comedian's prize nonsense:

Act.62

My Name Is...My Name Is...

You know those moments when strangers in public feel comfortable asking you point blank for your name? Situations like getting a dinner reservation or being called on by the comedian at a standup club. I mean who cares if your name is Frances with an 'e' or your last name has an umlaut in it? This is a primo opportunity to be creative and make up a fake name destined to shock and awe everyone in the vicinity. It is name-telling with absoulutely no consequences.

What does the comedian care if you call yourself 'Crumpky the Magician'? Why should the hostess bat an eye if you say 'The Tits McGee family would like a table for four, preferably that red booth in the corner'?...

...~Saying you are 'blank' from 'blank' is always fun. Try it. I am Dave from Sweden, or Ian from Stability Cottage. I am Ronald from Sucko.

~Another good option in this vein is volunteering your name when it has not been solicited. For example: 'Hi, I'm Nibbles, do you have the time?'

~You might also consider adopting a fake name for the entirety of a social event. Imagine roaming around a party with the name 'Fancy Wonderchuck'. Feel free to add an MD or Esq. to the end of it as well. Knock yourself out...

...The possibilities are endless. Remember, the more strangers are involved the better. It takes an extra pair of stones to invent a name in front of someone you already know: 'Oh, sorry Mum, I thought you knew that I'd changed my name to Speedballs Pocketflaps. My bad.'

As Simon Pegg says on the jacket blurb: "Rich Fulcher is hands down one of the funniest men on the planet and I'm not entirely sure he's from Earth."

Three stars, and I'll keep it in the bathroom...

[Matt Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, funny book. Probably shouldn't have read it in public as people probably think I'm an idiot for laughing whilst reading a book.

[Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

"As a first-time author, I naturally thought that books were made of steel and shaving oils."

3.5 stars
Irreverent and non-sequitur, this creative volume delivers several suggestions for injecting silliness into daily life.

[Jay Waghray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a few yucks, if formulaic. The cardinal sin is over-indexing for British English idioms by an American :/

[Lucy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wickedly ridiculous

[Alex Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

My tiny act of rebellion was to not finish this book.

[Scarlett Hazeldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a pretty easy read. some parts were funny, others were trying way too hard to be funny. they weren't really ways to "stick it to the man", it was more just pranking innocent civilians.

[Jake Parkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and petty

[варя · Rating 4 out of 5]

so peak, some big words spotted

[Merrikay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this, a few pages at a time as a break from a book I am struggling to finish.  I confess to being too chicken to live out most of my rebellious fantasies so Mr. Fulcher has given me a few tiny acts I might accomplish.  Who knows? Perhaps I will build up my courage and one day perform a humungous act of rebellion!  In fact, he has offered up 97 chances to rebel.  Most of them are pretty silly, such as flipping someone off under the table or behind your menu.  But then, that's what makes them doable in my case.  There is a little too  much bathroom humor for me.  Although, there have been times when I have seen a cranky clerk refuse the use of a bathroom to a child and I may have encouraged said child to just go ahead and throw up there on the counter.

One tiny act is to see how many extra items you are willing to go through the 10 items or less line with.  Or for you grammarians, 10 items or fewer.  Oh wait, that still is not a sentence.  Anyway, my preference in that situation as I am counting out the items is to get to 10 and tell the clerk I will put the rest back.  They always say no it's ok, but my revenge is to leave the items there.  BUT......my favorite tiny act happens when a clerk has failed to remove the alarm setter-offer-thingie from an item I have bought and the alarm goes off as I walk through the sensors. I start running to see if they can catch me.  That's always fun.  Well, for me  anyway.

Fulcher also has some good ideas for sticker bombing, one of my favorite activities. (Be sure to buy stickers that are easily removable.  But then I guess what would be the point.)  He suggests rebelling against poor products by going back to the store and putting stickers on toaster boxes stating things like "This toaster has a faulty....." whatever.  or on a book saying 
"Lousy ending".

Well, as you can see I am easily entertained.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Bob Fossil from the Mighty Boosh and the absurd things he comes out with. The book leaves a bit to be desired but I got a few laughs out of it, especially when imagining it in Bob Fossil’s voice/yell.

I can’t work out whether Rich Fulcher is a genius and just acting, or a complete moron. Three quarters of the way through I think I started to understand the act and I found a new respect for his overall body of work.

There are so many ways we are expected to behave or speak that it can feel like you’re handcuffed sometimes and will be singled out for anything remotely different or out of the norm and so everything ends up feeling like a cliche.

Fulcher’s bizarre comedic persona is an outlet to break out of this by letting loose with absurd word plays and behaviour that just isn’t tolerated in a serious and ‘respectable’ society.

I find the extreme contrast hilarious and am a big fan of the man but would not recommend this book to anyone. A hardcore Rich Fulcher/Bob Fossil/Mighty Boosh fan might get SOME enjoyment out of it.

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been some time since I read this book and I'd entirely forgotten about it. This probably speaks volumes, though.

While I quite enjoy Rich Fulcher's character portrayals in The Mighty Boosh and Snuff Box it's something that doesn't translate particularly well to the written form - even if you're working hard to imagine Fulcher providing the delivery - sadly, this is one I'd sooner dispatch to the charity shop than try reading again.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for anything by anyone involved with the Mighty Boosh or Snuff Box, and this book was no disappointment. Rich Fulcher has a lot of in-your-face humor countered by some subtle humor you might miss in casual reading. If you've seen Rich on any show, you know this is definitely his book. Very funny and recommended!

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first good 'toilet book' I've owned, you can pick it up and read 3-4 pages and put it down. Some really good humor of you like Fulcher's unique sense of it. Otherwise it could potentially be very off-putting

[Badinia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast, funny list of ways to amuse yourself and annoy others- Rich Fulcher's narrative voice is almost as funny as his ideas.

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Rich Fulcher - but I feel as though his humor doesn't translate onto paper as well as one would hope. The book was hilarious at parts, but I didn't enjoy the lay-out so much.

[Emma Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic book, stupidly funny in a way you kind of don't want to laugh at. This taught me that I am in no way a 'rebel'...

[nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS IS A FUNNY BOOK. READ THIS SHIT

[Epicnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on how you can break your everyday mindless being with some rebelious action. Stick it to the man boosh style.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Mighty Boosh, Eleanor The Whore and Rich's twisted sense of humor. There's quite a few things in here I really need to do and I'm so glad someone though of them.

Good, fun read :)

[Rebecca Dalleywater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Fulcher.

[Alex Sarll]

The book Aug Stone might write if he weren't (rightly) worried about what they do to guys like him in prison.

[Random · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect book for the porcelain reading room.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genuinely funny stuff. But the swearing is the letdown.

[Jenna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still love it. He's a cheeky bastard and full of delight

[Kadri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things done so far in my life: 2.

Will work on that...

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, Ridiculous, I loved it

[Livinginthecastle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw the live show associated with this book and I would agree the material is much funnier live with Rich Fulcher's performance and voice, but there's still a lot to enjoy in this book.