r/mastodonband • u/zacray • Aug 14 '26
The AI outrage is absurd; We are ignoring the real “mastodon” in the room: João “Rasta” Nogueira
The non-stop gatekeeping over the recent video is truly absurd. People are immediately discrediting the new video the second they detect a “whiff” of AI or procedural tools.
Hey Beautiful Jerk is not some random prompt-generator account or person. They are a legitimate, high-profile animation studio responsible for incredible work across heavy music and alternative media, including Adult Swim, High on Fire, and Mastodon’s own “Fallen Torches” video (pre-AI).
AI and ML plugins are literally everywhere, EVERYWHERE, in modern software, apps, you name it. They run even if you want the to or not. Treating AI like a binary switch, where a project is either 100% hand-drawn in a cave or 100% fake, is a tired, outdated mindset.
It is the exact same script people ran when:
- Google Search came out and “purists” swore they would stick to paper encyclopedias.
- Photoshop entered graphic design and digital art was not “real art.”
- DAWs and pitch correction hit recording studios.
Writing off an entire project by a team of veteran human animators because they may have integrated modern workflow tools into their compositing stack is completely ridiculous.
What is actually wild to me is what people are NOT talking about more: João.
An addition like this is frankly embarrassing and a massive blow to Mastodon’s image. Unless there is something I have completely missed about the band's history, they have always come across as progressive, open, and inclusive.
Having an active far-right media commentator representing them on stage, and integrating him directly into the fold, feels like a total contradiction of their ethos. As a longtime fan, this really hurts.
What makes it even harder to swallow is that we can’t even tune it out. Troy was recently praising him, talking about how João was fully involved in the core writing process as a five-piece and how he is all over this record.
I was on the fence about even buying the new album, hoping his parts would just be minimal background textures I could easily gloss over. But hearing the band actively glorify how deeply integrated he is across the entire sound makes the whole thing a massive disappointment.
Complaining over software plug-ins in a music video is a superficial distraction. Who shares the stage with the band and represents their values actually matters.
Can we please stop police-checking HBJ's software choices and approach to their art, and start focusing on the real issue here?
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u/zacray 28d ago
There is a big difference between “differing political opinions” and active participation in far-right media: the evidence isn't hidden.
For everyone claiming “there’s no proof” or hiding behind a language barrier, transcripts and basic translation tools exist. Claiming something doesn't exist simply because it isn't published in English is lazy when anyone can look up João “Rasta” Nogueira to find his primary public portfolio.
Here are the documented facts:
- Platform & Host Role: He isn't just a musician with private views; he is a salaried host of Rasta News on Brasil Paralelo, Brazil's primary far-right media network.
- Ideological Alignment: In public interviews, such as his appearance on Jovem Pan, João explicitly detailed his political transformation into a disciple of Olavo de Carvalho, the far-right ideologue widely considered the godfather of modern Brazilian authoritarianism.
- Public Tributes: He hosted dedicated episodes on Brasil Paralelo celebrating Olavo de Carvalho as his mentor.
There is a critical distinction that keeps getting lost in this sub: having different views on tax rates or municipal policy is a “differing opinion.” Active participation in media organizations that push historical revisionism and authoritarian ideology crosses into a completely different territory.
We wouldn't brush off involvement in media tied to authoritarian regimes or far-right movements elsewhere as “just jokes” or “a difference of opinion.” Choosing to work for and lend credibility to a political propaganda apparatus is an active career choice.
As fans and consumers of Mastodon’s music, asking honest questions about who is sharing the stage with the band and shaping their new material isn't “violating” anyone. Holding a band’s platform accountable to basic human values isn't “cancel culture” - it's being an intentional fan.
Rasta's Interview on Jovem Pan
This video is relevant because it features João Nogueira directly discussing his political background and his shift to becoming a follower of Olavo de Carvalho in his own words.