Talk to me about walking the carpet.
I didn’t have a stylist, but my outfit wasn’t too bad for something that I pulled together from my closet. I don’t have a lot of red-carpet attire, and you can’t be an outfit repeater. The jacket is a Japanese brand, but I guess it looks like a Chinese collar. I thought about wearing a suit that I got tailor-made in China, but that one’s gray. And I wasn’t sure if you’re allowed to wear gray to a black-tie event.
The other thing I did not consider is that I should have gotten my hair and makeup done before the party. They even suggested a last-minute touch-up when I first walked in, but I was like, Nah, I don’t need that. That’s why every single other person on the red carpet looks super cool and super nice, and I look out of place and disheveled.
Once you got off the carpet and stepped inside, what did you do?
I pretty much first beelined to get a drink, and then luckily I saw Finneas. I know him fairly well, but he had a lot more friends there than I did. I’m sure he wanted to go chop it up with them. I didn’t want to be annoying, so I eventually broke off. My biggest L of the night was that Dua Lipa was right there but I didn’t talk to her.
Wagner Moura and Javier Bardem were also standing right next to me for an hour. They have radical politics. I wanted to talk to them and thank them for their work, but I thought to myself, I’m just some random guy. I don’t think they want to hear from me.
Are you usually fun at a party?
I’d say so. I’m not a very anxious person at all. I speak in front of thousands of people. I talk directly to high-profile politicians. But this was a bridge too far for me. It’s kind of like how I’m six-foot-four and I never think about my height until I’m standing next to a basketball team. Then I realize, Wow, I’m actually a lot shorter than these guys.
Has spending so much time on Twitch negatively impacted your level of swag?
For sure. I’m swagless. I used to have a robust social life, and I don’t anymore. I have fried my brain in irreparable ways, but I think it’s worth it. If I can be a megaphone for people that don’t really have a voice in mainstream news, the dispossessed masses, victims of American imperialism, it’s a worthwhile sacrifice.
When I approached you at the party, you appeared to be on a phone call. Was it a real phone call?
It was a real phone call. The way I was texting about the party in the group chat made my family members think something really bad had happened. Someone called to check in.
What was it like to share the space with powerful billionaires like Jeff Bezos? Did you feel any sense of moral conflict there?
