I dressed carefully for my interview with Boots Riley. Layered under my flannel shirt was a purple tee featuring a cartoon explosion around the words i got the s#*@ kicked out of me! It was a deep cut, a reference to the fake game show in Riley’s movie, Sorry to Bother You, where people submit to abuse for fame and prize money. Danny Glover’s character wears this shirt during a key scene, and later the main character, Cassius, goes on the show as a publicity stunt, to bring attention to the worker strikes that are spreading across the city. Nothing sums up the power of capitalism better than watching Cassius get punched bloody on a fake TV game show while screaming about worker rights.

When Riley strolled into the coffee shop where we met in Oakland, California, he grinned. “Nice shirt!” Before I could say something in reply, the guy waiting for coffee next to us reached out to shake Riley’s hand. “You’re Boots Riley, right? I really love your work.” Fans greeted him a few more times during our interview, and Riley was always kind; he asked people’s names and chatted with them a bit before turning back to our conversation. He may be a celebrity—lead vocalist in funk-punk band the Coup, writer-director of Sorry to Bother You, and creator of surreal TV series I’m a Virgo—but he’s also a pretty humble guy. He’s the sort of celebrity whom people feel comfortable approaching, and who makes time for everyone.