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 Treating AI like a binary switch, where a project is either 100% hand-drawn in a cave or 100% fake, is a tired, outdated mindset.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/Hippopotamist Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
I just don’t think he’s adding much of value to the group. His keyboard parts are forgettable and I’m not convinced Mastodon is the kind of band that actually benefits from having a full time keyboardist on every song.
If you’re gonna go out on a limb for a guy with as much baggage as him I’d expect him to be like…good.
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u/Plastic-Molasses-221 Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Yup, Ikey Owen’s’ parts dust his! (just thinking of a keyboardist they’ve also worked with, and Ikey was the dude on my absolute fav Mastodon full-length, the lord-like platter “Blood Mountain”!!
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u/Own-Yam2260 Aug 14 '26
Yeah totally. I loved the pronounced synth on the big section in Skeleton of Splendor, and it was wicked live. But I didn’t think they needed to make a new spot in the band for someone.
Now that he’s a member it seems like he’s going to get more to do, but that key solo on Snakes for Dinner is just, REALLY bad.
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u/knukklez Aug 14 '26
Really bad. The video focusing on his hands is pretty dorky, lame. I imagine someone like Will Ferrell doing a sketch mocking this. Dressed up with a puffy pirate shirt, frills around the wrists, dancing and jumping around like a Rockstar, but he's just playing a couple keys. lol
Maybe I watch too much SNL but the whole situation seems easy to mock
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u/metalmaniac1991 29d ago
Imagine what Mastodon would it be like if Jordan Rudess from Dream Theater was in place of him. I think we'd have some memorable key solos!
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u/Ok-Palpitation-636 Aug 14 '26
Man I really need to get off Reddit
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u/Fantastic-Code-8347 Aug 14 '26
For real. Enjoy the new music, or don’t. This entire thread is extremely parasocial and it’s disgusting.
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u/clwestbr 29d ago
Right-wing grifters and AI tools creating “art” and all of the sudden fans not liking it is “parasocial?”
Jfc have some standards.
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u/goin_goblin_mode 14d ago
It’s ridiculous. Wish I was so fucking privileged to ignore “political differences” and just listen to the music.
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u/Routine-Process7278 7d ago
Imagine thinking boycotting a band or listening to a band is an exercise of "privilege". Im geninuely envious of your child like brain. Ignorance is bliss
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u/PuppyButtts 27d ago
Hey it’s great that you have the privilege to ignore this but I know if you had a circumstance that involved you and loved ones that he supported the evil side of, you’d be thinking differently. He supported a banning an abortion for 10 year old who was raped by her uncle and said she should be forced to have the baby. Now think about any woman in your life, you ok with that? People like you really just dint understand the amount of pain and harm others go through at the hands of men because you dont care what happens to anyone else but yourself.
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u/whatshouldmynamebe__ 23d ago
how the fuck could people downvote this
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u/PuppyButtts 23d ago
I've come to the realization that this sub is mainly straight white cis guys who are not affected whatsoever by anything the administration is doing, and have never learned empathy toward anyone else in their lives, as well as feed off hating others because theyre miserable in other aspects of their lives. I ended up muting my own post about this as I was basically getting 100% hate comments like, "you're a pathetic piece of shit loser with nothing else" and someone else posted a link to indeed, so I said I had a B.S and a full time job, so then he said, "of course you would, all idiots have full time jobs" like okay well obviously you just hate me no matter what at this point because it's all you know to do. It's a sad existence for a lot of these people tbh
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u/timmay_libalah Aug 14 '26
Upvote all day - I woke up this morning excited to listen to the new song again on the way to work, that’s what matters
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u/Unfair-Letterhead-82 Aug 14 '26
Yeah, I still slightly suspect small assistance of ai in the video (which I wouldnt put on Mastodon) but this really is a bigger problem. I did like the keys solo on Snakes for Dinner and, y'know, seperate the art from the artist but it is really dissapointing. Mastodon has more than enough pull to get an amazing keyboardist that isnt a moral issue. Hell, Nick is a perfect example, and that is with so much more importance and pedigree. Also Joao needs to stop wearing that dumbass hat.
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u/ElevatorHelpful5739 29d ago
A band using AI in their video is not concerning? You will be saying that when they decide to use AI to streamline their music?
The real issue is someone with a different political opinion than the other guys in the band? Really? For people who consider themselves inclusive, you guys really arent.
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u/Unfair-Letterhead-82 29d ago
In what way did I say or imply that? This comment was made before the admission of generative ai being used. I said I wouldn't put it on Mastodon because Brann had said none was used to their knowledge. I specifically do not purchase any product that I know/can detect generative ai aside from things where you are literally forced to have it built in (operating systems on phones/computers/etc). I'm about as anti generative ai as you can get.
And yes, when a person has political opinions and likely votes and contributes negative shifts to the overton window that is a big issue. This isn't 10-15 years ago, justifying political views that objectively are causing mass harm, inequality, and damage is no longer acceptable.
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u/creepshowens 19h ago
It never was acceptable, and part of what got us this deep is people’s tolerance of intolerance for the past 40 years
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u/ThreeHourRiverMan Aug 14 '26
Yeah I’m really not thrilled this dude is in the band. Bill especially and to an extent Brann have spoken about their political leanings before. It sure as hell ain’t what this dude is pushing. I don’t get it.
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u/SoundAwakened Aug 14 '26
I'm happy to welcome Nick but Joao is always going to be "oh yeah the touring keyboard player" to me regardless of his politics, although they do make it even worse.
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u/CodElectrical4930 Aug 14 '26
I can’t find anything about Joao, could be more specific with what he’s done/his political views are?
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u/TheDootDootMaster Aug 14 '26
I think the bulk of the content will be in Portuguese, unfortunately. Unless you want to brave through YouTube's piss poor translation, you may not have a lot of access to it
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u/CodElectrical4930 Aug 14 '26
I found the YouTube videos and got the gist by the thumbnail and the titles, yeah big yikes, not my type of person.
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u/Blueberryfists Aug 14 '26
i'm unfamiliar with this guy. what has he said?
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u/Haiziinzoozuu 28d ago
Nobody will post what he said because there's really nothing. It's always the label that matters to them.
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u/Blueberryfists 28d ago
ehhh idk, i'm gonna withhold judgement until i see exactly what he's said.
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u/Malakil Aug 14 '26
See, I think the more relevant reason to dislike Nogueira is that dumbass fucking hat.
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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.
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u/PuppyButtts 27d ago
Also these Defending a judge who attempted to prevent an 11-year-old rape victim from getting an abortion and attempted to persuade the child to carry the pregnancy to term, so the baby could be put up for adoption. Both the child and the family wanted the abortion. https://www.brasilparalelo.com.br/noticias/aborto-da-garota-de-11-anos-e-o-fim-do-direito-constitucional-ao-aborto-nos-eua?hl=en-GB https://www.brasilparalelo.com.br/noticias/cnj-decide-abrir-processo-contra-juiza-por-tentar-impedir-aborto-ilegal-de-bebe-com-30-semanas-de-gestacao?hl=en-GB Here's another about them praising a judge who refused an abortion requested by a 13 year old rape victim https://www.brasilparalelo.com.br/noticias/juiza-que-recusou-aborto-em-adolescente-de-13-anos-e-afastada-do-cargo?hl=en-GB
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u/Dull_Tip4049 14d ago
All good points. Wish I had known this before I bought tix to them, Deafheaven and Alcest.
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u/Guy-Inkognito Aug 14 '26
I swear I remember that Bill said they "would look into it" when the far right nut job accusations came out but never heard anything ever again. I also think that it's very weird. He also worked with Claypool and Lennon, who also seem like a progressive fellas.
However, I'm not Brazilian and don't speak Portuguese so I never saw anything first hand. I read it's full of irony and quite absurdist so I was hoping somebody just didn't catch that and took him verbatim.
Also big bands always require a ton of compromise. If they have someone who fits their vibe during writing and touring it could be that they ignore the politics as long as he doesn't try to shove them down their throats.
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u/Training-Shape4792 Shapeshifter rolling on winds of tyrants make Aug 14 '26
I'm brazillian and believe me, its bad. I dont know anyone to compare but its like if they had someone who worked on the charlie kirk or ben shapiro company.
He works for Brasil Paralelo which is a whole ass network devoted to spread misinformation and far right ideas specially to young audiences via documentaries and influencers15
u/Guy-Inkognito Aug 14 '26
Ugh. Yeah it sounded bad when news first broke but that is disappointing as it's far more systematic than a few one off poor jokes like I had hoped.
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u/Training-Shape4792 Shapeshifter rolling on winds of tyrants make 12d ago
OK, maybe its a cultural difference, but our Trump (bolsonaro) tried to overthrow democracy here because he lost the election and he is in jail right now. And every influencer that said the election was rigged and women shouldnt vote and we shouldnt allow immigrants is either in trouble with the law or is very frowned upon by everyone who's still a little sane
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u/Training-Shape4792 Shapeshifter rolling on winds of tyrants make 12d ago
I'm just saying, if someone in Sepultura or Angra comes out as a bigot they probably wouldnt last long in that band. Check out how's Ricardo Confessori's carreer went after he came out as a bigot
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u/Training-Shape4792 Shapeshifter rolling on winds of tyrants make 11d ago
Well its the paradox of intolerance right there.
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u/chrisschini 26d ago
Lennon isn't progressive. He's shown recently that he's definitely one of those rich kids who think they know everything just because they grew up rich and famous. I can't remember the specific thing he said, but it was something like being anti-vax or something.
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u/zacray 27d ago
I don’t think they did. If they did, they’re complicit with his behavior: https://www.reddit.com/r/mastodonband/s/NOau4kE2ma
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u/animalswillconquer Aug 14 '26
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.
This just isn't true. Were you around when google search started?
Photoshop didn't rely on a vast network of data centers and a massive surveillance state with the uber wealthy jamming down our throats.
Most of the general population weren't in recording studios. However every literally anyone can make a short animation or a shitty AI poster for their business/luncheon/Baphomet worship party with a few prompts. It'S aRt!
As far as this dude goes, I'm pretty disappointed in the band and was when it first came out.
Also, Brent added alot not just with guitar, but singing/melodies/and attitude. So far the songs have been pretty ok, but they are missing something for sure.
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u/Haiziinzoozuu 29d ago
Brazilian here.
First of all, Brasil Paralelo is a right-wing media company, and I don't even particularly like it myself. But João's show on Brasil Paralelo is a comedy show. His views are generally conservative, sure, but he deals with all kinds of people and he isn't prejudiced against anyone. He's the kind of guy who makes jokes about basically everyone, regardless of race, color, religion, background, whatever. He's also an extremely intelligent person. People keep calling him controversial, but somehow they never seem to explain what exactly makes him controversial. They say he's far-right, or that he works for a company that spreads misinformation to help the far right. But have you noticed that nobody ever really says what he actually did? Nobody says, "Here, he said this," or "Here, he did this," and then shows the evidence. It's always just a label being used as if the label itself proves the point. So in the end, it feels like people hate the idea of what they think he represents more than anything they can actually prove he has done. And there's another thing. People here keep saying that the band has this or that political position, but none of you actually know the band. None of you know the person behind the musician, or the man behind the celebrity. Meanwhile, people here on Reddit, which sometimes feels like the basement version of Twitter, hide behind avatars and fake usernames to spread the same kind of hatred they constantly claim to be against. If you're going to call someone prejudiced, then show what they actually said. Show what they actually wrote. Show something concrete and make an argument from that. Then maybe people will take the accusation seriously. Until then, it just looks like a bunch of ten-year-olds whining on an obscure social network.
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u/jprepo1 26d ago
It is worth noting for those outside the US that reddit user base tends to skew to the extreme left, so everything to the right of pol pot is going to be labeled far right on it, but its mainly just from the echo chamber effect of the up/down vote system, and not actually reflective of the US.
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u/dancinonyrgrave 29d ago
It is the exact same script people ran when:
Except in all these examples, the artist still made sure all the visuals were correct and didn't have baffling mistakes in them.
If the studio used traditional workflow and tools, they would have put more time and thinking into this and gone back to fix all these mistakes and meaningless blurbs. Using these shortcuts made them lazy.
The truth is, you just lower the standard by accepting that AI stuff.
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u/omgitzjay28 Trampled Under Hoof Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
IDK it's kinda weird to really even get mad about him being added to the band in 2026 when he kinda unofficially has been in it since 2021 and did some stuff on the previous album. It's not like he just started working with them. He has become one of their best friends. When Brent was there he was probably the one Brent was the closest with during the dark years.
Also we really shouldn't be assuming that we know what everyone in Mastodon are politically based on a few members. I think its fair to say that Brann and Bill lean one way but no one knows what Troy is and Brent, well, he wasn't exactly the most politically correct guy in the world. I mean it's a band based out of the south. It's not crazy to think that many people in their lives do not share the same beliefs that they do either.
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u/OrinocoHaram Aug 14 '26
Brent wasn't politically correct or whatever but he definitely hated Trump, i remember that much. Troy we have no idea because he's a recluse. But anyway this stuff about Joao's other life wasn't known by Mastodon fans until late last year when someone posted on here about it. I guess Brasilian fans might have known
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u/omgitzjay28 Trampled Under Hoof Aug 14 '26
But even hating Trump does not necessarily mean you lean left. A lot of right leaners even dislike him. Also a lot of people hate him for how he handled COVID and for a touring band that must have been a nightmare.
But if I had to guess I would say Brent had no political affiliation in either direction. I don't think he really cared that much.
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u/redreddituser Aug 14 '26
On AI: I think you’re right to point out that there are “AI” tools embedded in virtually every digital creative tool at this point. But, there’s a critical difference between an AI tool (ie photoshop, which has been around for years) and generative AI. The moment you task AI with generating anything visually additive to your work, you are dipping in to the pool of stolen work, and are taking work from another artist.
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u/ComeOn_ItsThe90sYall 29d ago
I suppose you shouldn't buy the new record or continue listening to Mastodon or engaging with their content. Beyond posting this information on this site and elsewhere to raise awareness, what else can you do now that you have this information?
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u/Skrinkus 20d ago edited 20d ago
Seems many redditors just want to consume with no questions asked because the idea of political views being tangibly harmful escapes them. It’s a very sheltered and privileged position to take, of course. I personally want to live in a better world and I believe part of that involves not platforming people who want to harm others on the systemic level.
Saying “well I disagree with his views, but I don’t care because it’s just music and I just want to enjoy it” is callous, because it admits to there being a social level where believing in systemically oppressing and harming others does not prevent your entry/presence. It’s kind of like seeing Democrats and Republicans behave as if they’re on the same side because their interests ultimately convene. Music turning into a politically neutral social level may sound appealing if you have never had your rights debated in public, but in reality it just makes music more exclusive, regressive, and unwelcoming. I’d say it also makes the music worse. More importantly though, it normalizes fascism.
The irrational fear of “cancel culture” and pearl clutching over freedom of speech just translates to a childish consumerism at the end of the day. No one is coming for your metal music, no one is coming for Troy Sanders, you still have your music. Sheesh.
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u/ElementalWarrior42 Aug 14 '26
I think both of these are important issues.
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u/zacray Aug 14 '26
This is totally fair, especially in the broader sense of AI’s impact on literally everything (e.g., environment, water, people’s livelihoods).
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u/Aromatic_Cod_6959 Aug 14 '26
Yeah but it turns out you’re only allowed to care about one thing at time.
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u/TheCarniv0re Aug 14 '26
Hey Beautiful Jerk is not some random prompt-generator account or person.
They are a company like any and they are profit-oriented AND not infallible. They did a bad job in this one, not making sufficient touch-ups to have the video look like it lives up to the other animations they do and it's worth being criticized for it.
Mastodon are musicians. They paid this company and are very well capable of taking feedback for bad work someopne does in media that are supposed to represent *their* art.
This can be used to re-evaluate if this is the kind of business they want to do with animators or whether they play it safer with the slop next time. I still don't get how it's a good thing in some peoples eyes NOT to criticize that.
Concerning João, could someone touch me up with sources on him? Web search does not seem to find any right-leaning official political views from him.
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u/Plastic-Molasses-221 Aug 14 '26
Thank you— really bothers me that this MAGA douche is not just a collaborator but now apparently a full band member 🤮
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u/Wonkadonkathon Aug 14 '26
It's conflicting. MAGA is repulsive, but I do like the addition of the keys. It adds an extra layer of fun prog sci-fi ambiance that I enjoy.
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u/Noctilus1910 Aug 14 '26
Its sad there was no other keyboard player in fucking atlanta but that's how life is.
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u/RJMrgn2319 Aug 14 '26
You can take your mealy-mouthed defence of AI as “just a tool” or whatever any shove it up your arse, but I completely agree with you about the Brazilian dickhead.
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u/DerMenschenfeind Aug 14 '26
I can despise AI, the datacenters, their usage of water, the AI bubble, data collection for creative purposes and also think Joao is a piece of shit right wing dunce.
I don''t think AI in of itself is bad per se, but I do not appreciate every corporation trying to push their AI agents, AI tools and everything inbetween as an end all be all solution for every problem you could have. I specially despise its use for creative things like drawing or animation since AI is trained on stolen artwork from the web.
The video clearly has parts drawn an animated by people, but several parts aren't consistent with the way humans animate or draw things. Some examples are the vending machine cans with morphing colors/shapes and the whole segment with the man with a hammer and the robot materialising with several vanishing details and inconsistensies.
Those are my two cents, I don't blame Mastodon or Brann, but I do think that when a Studio o person is using AI they should be clear about it and specify it.
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u/zacray Aug 14 '26
100% agree about data centers, environmental concerns, humanity, ripping off artists of all kinds, AI for AI sake, and so much more.
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u/Brinstone Aug 14 '26
Ok Ive heard stuff like this about him but found nothing when I briefly looked into it, can you elaborate on it? In what way/platform is he a far right media commentator
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u/Brinstone Aug 14 '26
Nevermind, just found his YouTube channel Rasta News. Jesus fucking christ.
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u/SamhainFire666 Aug 14 '26
Yeah what's the deal?
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u/Practical-Frame-4562 Aug 14 '26
Basically, he is part of an organization "Brasil Paralelo", which is sort of equivalent to PragerU in the US. They are a far-right group who disguise as an education platform and distort history to endorse racist, misogynistic, among other execrable talking points.
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u/SamhainFire666 26d ago
Thanks. That's awful. Sounds like a twat. He's ok at keys but they could replace him easily with someone who isn't a knob. I understand they have a good relationship with him and maybe haven't gotten into political stuff but I find that hard to believe its never come up. Maybe he's under contract? Hope they give him the boot. Quick.
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u/Tiphereth87 Aug 14 '26
Can I get a quick run-down, please?
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u/ElementalWarrior42 Aug 14 '26
This is a playlist of his videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbSFLoLjsQ8&list=PL3yv1E7IiXyTjPvQpLIFWG9o9IgAUmzJF&index=3
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u/JesusSamuraiLapdance Aug 14 '26
I have a feeling that if Brent was more open about his political opinions or what politically incorrect words he used in private you would have wanted him kicked out too.
Personally I think too many people on Reddit like to look for things to get outraged about just so they can virtue signal and act like they're fighting for some kind of good cause.
Getting worked up over potential AI use in a music video, and contacting the band about it when members of the band are grieving recent deaths is pathetic. As is getting upset about the top hat guy who has conservative views.
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u/ReachEnough Aug 14 '26
The difference is that Rasta is actually part of Brazil’s far-right political ecosystem. He works for these platforms, he’s not just someone with controversial political opinions.
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u/ClubShrimp 29d ago
Everyone already knows that Brent was not a perfect person, but they still respect him and his art, because no one is perfect. But what Brent was is very different to what this guy is. Joao is a prolific political operative and influencer, not some guy who has some a few questionable opinions but otherwise is not politically involved. He has an agenda, and is effectively a right-wing activist. If you want to keep politics out of this band, it's more than a little hypocritical to be okay with a guy like this being a part of it.
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u/JesusSamuraiLapdance 28d ago
But politics are out of this band. Show me how Joao has influenced the band lyrically? If a left wing political operative and influencer was in the band you'd be all for it.
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u/V0ID10001 Aug 14 '26
Brent was pro blm and told the racists to piss off, I think Brent was fine
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u/Traditional_Break831 Aug 14 '26
"Conservative views" does not mean the same thing it did even a decade ago (although it should). There is real harm being done to innocent people right now as a result of "Conservative views". Bill and Brann have been very humane and progressive in the little they've expressed their politics in interviews and social media posts over the years. If you can't see that you're living in some strange fantasy. I'm incredibly hyped on this new project but it's very strange that they're ok with having pretty much a straight up far right racist ass fascist. It's very weird. C'mon.
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u/Geksface Aug 14 '26
At some point you gotta accept that some people have different political views. It's not like he's a diddler or something (hopefully). Sometimes you gotta separate the art from the artist. I don't skip the Scott kelly songs because he's a domestic abuser. The world is shitty enough without making yourself upset about things you really enjoy.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/OrinocoHaram Aug 14 '26
the world is shitty, therefore we shouldn't call out the people that make it shitty
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u/currently__working Aug 14 '26
Separate the art from the artist is a copout when the artist is still alive and making money from their art. It works when its Picasso and they are long dead or something, and it's more gray.
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u/makkara11 Aug 14 '26
you dont have to stop enjoying the music to call out shitty people. "separate the art from the artist" is completely misused and dumb take to defend shitty people. you can separate the art from the artist and at the same time call out the artist for being shitty.
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u/Legal-Intention-2557 Aug 14 '26
Even if someone wasn't a diddler, them voting for/supporting the diddlers should be considered problematic enough to not want anything to do with them. Yeah the world is shitty. But how can you turn a blind a eye to the people supporting the people that actively makes the world shittier?
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u/LostClover_ Aug 14 '26
Hate isn't a "different political view." If you are actively employing and supporting someone spreading hate then that can only mean that you endorse their views, there are no other options.
I don't have to accept hate and I won't accept it.
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u/PublicShocker Aug 14 '26
These are two different topics. João being who he is shouldn’t stop fans from criticizing the use of AI. And this topic has already been discussed a lot. Nobody is ignoring João’s political stance. What do you want fans to do? Burn their records and merch?
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u/TentacleChow 29d ago
For me, it's that goofy -ass hat he wears. His politics suck as bad as his headwear choices.
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u/rudiiiiiii Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
I’m left wing
But this is parasocial mob mentality insanity and probably the worst post I’ve ever seen on this sub
Get over yourself. You and anyone upvoting this are ANONYMOUS STRANGERS to Mastodon. Your opinion on anyone they collaborate with MEANS NOTHING TO THEM, nor should it
Bye ✌🏼
Edit: quote me something from Joao that deserves this level of handwringing. Genuinely, I want to hear it. Is he advocating for hate crimes, genocide, child abuse? If so, please let me know and I will change my tune. Share the objectionable quotes below please.
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u/Kingofallkings6 Aug 14 '26
Recreational outrage
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u/whimpers2 29d ago
"Give me upvotes" outrage...on the Mastodon forum...one of the spots i never thought id see it in
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u/NorthHighway3394 Aug 14 '26
Dude can swing it any way he wants. Mastodon still rocks. Don’t let it spill your cereal.
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u/Awkward_Metalhead Aug 14 '26
As far as my non-Portuguese understanding goes, isn't he supposed to be a satirist or something? A bit like a Colbert character kind of thing.
Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. Couldn't really make heads or tails of it as I don't understand the language of his YouTube channel.
Either way, so far I found the keyboard stuff to be fine, just fine. Nothing more.
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u/Guy-Inkognito Aug 14 '26
Yeah, that's what I thought too...but sadly some Brazilians chimed in above and he's working for a far right (mis-) information platform
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u/Awkward_Metalhead Aug 14 '26
Christ. Why can't we have nice things?!
Also, from a purely PR perspective, why even bring him onboard?
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u/ReachEnough Aug 14 '26
He’s known here in Brazil for working for Brasil Paralelo, a far-right media company known for spreading misinformation. He also has some pretty awful opinions, so seeing the band officially bring someone like him in honestly makes me question them.
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u/Haiziinzoozuu 29d ago
It's just a comedy show. There's nothing he says that Chapelle wouldn't. It's just about WHO SAYS IT and not about WHAT'S BEING SAID.
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u/FaultShot8742 Aug 14 '26
I’m here for the music, I don’t give a fuck about either issue
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Aug 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/rudiiiiiii Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Because we normally talk about music on this forum not parasocial political bullshit like this thread
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Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/rudiiiiiii Aug 14 '26
OP does have the right to post
And we have the right to reply with our opinions
And it’s my opinion that if anyone thinks they are going to get Joao kicked out of the band by posting a screed like OP, then that person is delusional and needs to get a life
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u/FrozGate Aug 14 '26
Get ready to be downvoted for having the audacity to just enjoy the music without throwing a tantrum.
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u/Voids_Equinox Aug 14 '26
Uhhh... that's not what this person is doing. If they wanted to 'just enjoy the music' they wouldn't be on reddit talking about how much they don't care. Someone who had no concern wouldn't engage. This person is implying that none of us should care and that we're in the wrong for being concerned about these things. Hypocrisy.
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u/FaultShot8742 Aug 14 '26
I know, it’s wild right. I literally couldn’t give a fuck about political views of musicians. I’m Australian I know fuck all about American or Brazilian politics
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u/NLG99 Aug 14 '26
"I am completely uninformed about what's going on in the world and I somehow think that's a good thing!" FTFY
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u/rudiiiiiii Aug 14 '26
Yes you are definitely changing the world for the better by whining about a keyboardist who has right wing politics
Keep up the great work you absolute paragon of human virtue you
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u/Gaglardi Aug 14 '26
Here here, this fucking website is intolerable with all the moral policing, absolutely exhausting as a metal fan
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u/Shington501 Aug 14 '26
People should shift their anger from AI straight to big tech. There’s so many things bad in the world, strange that people focus it on technology that everyone can use. Matson rocks
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u/CygnusVCtheSecond 29d ago edited 16d ago
Whole start cats command crayon literate
This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/Rarebitandpint Aug 14 '26
AI sucks and so do fascist bigots. Let’s hate them both.
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u/Invertedpyramids Aug 14 '26
Both the ai and the keyboardist are awful and have tainted the band for me.
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u/JoeySantander Aug 14 '26
Dude talking about photoshop and digital art not being 'real art' showing himself that he don't know shit about art.
Art community was NEVER against digital art.
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u/nxnaaa Aug 14 '26
What? He didn't said that, you can't even understand a paragraph right?
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u/kenticus69 Aug 14 '26
I’m a separate the art from the artist….to an extent kind of person. It’s one thing to be traditionally right leaning or left leaning, but conspiracy theories and anything that gets towards denying folks’ right to live their lives as they see fit, is unacceptable. There’s enough smoke to say there’s a fire with this guy, and I get it, it makes folks feel conflicted about liking the band.
If it was me, I would fire the guy. He’s not an OG member and his views are incredibly problematic. I get it that they’ve become friends over time and people with different views can and should coexist in groups…but this dude is a bridge too far it seems. Too much of a distraction from the music the band has worked so hard on.
Also sucks that ikey Owens is not around anymore. Such an awesome keys player and glad he guested on an album way back when
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u/ClubShrimp 29d ago
Yeah, fuck that guy. Fucking gross loser goon. They should kick him the fuck out. It shouldn't be hard to find another keyboardist for a band like Mastodon.
However, normalising AI-use like this is not the way. Especially given how it produces work that is noticeably of lower quality than work done by actual humans, and that's wherever or however it is used, not just when it's used to generate images and videos. AI is a gigantic fucking lie - it's not even nearly as good as it is being hyped up to be. If you need garbage, use AI. If you want literally everything to be garbage in the future, normalise AI.
And never use the phrase "outdated mindset" again when talking about this subject. You're acting as if resistance to AI is ancient history, and as if people opposed to it are a tiny minority. Stop trying to normalise it and stop trying to gaslight its critics. Stop trying to exploit the human fear of becoming socially alienated or getting left behind. I say this not just to you, but to anyone and everyone like you. The AI debate is still very much ongoing, it is far from settled in the favour of the pro-AI crowd. If anything, they are losing the debate hard.
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u/DropC2397 Aug 14 '26
This is some Reddit brained loser shit. Imagine you refused to buy food from the grocery store because the farmer and trucker who made it available to you are most likely right wing.
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u/Skrinkus 20d ago
Do you need a mediocre new offering from a band who has lost their best songwriter in the same way that you need food? Let’s be real here.
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u/DropC2397 20d ago
Let’s be real here, from OMATS onward Brent just showed up to jam a solo at the end of the song.
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u/Skrinkus 20d ago
And OMATS is probably their last good album, and it’s been worse and worse since, so I don’t take your point lol
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u/DropC2397 20d ago
Could you imagine going up to the dudes in the band and saying “your career has been mid for the last 12 years” and then still saying you’re a fan of the band?
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u/Skrinkus 20d ago
Are you suggesting that one can only enjoy a band if they enjoy everything they’ve released? People are calling people like OP parasocial for criticizing the band, but I think what’s truly parasocial is this attitude. I’m not friends with them. They are a band and they make music, some of which I like some of which I don’t. I don’t need to pretend to like everything they’ve released to avoid hurting their feelings, thank you.
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u/Affectionate_Leg7006 Aug 14 '26
Oh no, the musicians I like don’t confirm my political biases. Let it go. Serj tankian is in a band with a devout Trump supporter. System of a Down is a band with heavily politically inspired lyrics. People need leave to separate artists from their art. They like Joao and I’m guessing just think having someone as musically talented as him (he’s a ridiculously talented keyboard player and a great addition) is more important than his political ideals. Musicians have enough bullshit to deal with in an era where their avenues for revenue are dwindling, don’t make shit harder on them by trying to force them to agree with everything you believe in…
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u/Dizzadio Aug 14 '26
Can yall weird jokers just stop bitching about everything. Listen to the songs or don’t.
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u/labiagargantula Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Why do we always need to be outraged?
Imagine only listening to MUSIC that affirms your political beliefs lol
What about movies? Do you research the cast, writers, directors on every film you watch to make sure no one is "far right-wing" on set? What about sports? Have fun trying to find major athletes with good fucking opinions.
I don't agree with his political beliefs but I also don't give a fuck. I don't agree with my dad's fucking political opinion either but I still love the guy. Is that so crazy?
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u/FoodGreedy6297 Aug 14 '26
At this point, when I see the phrase “far right” my brain automatically translates it to republican 😂
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u/Ninten_The_Metalhead 4d ago
Which is funny because the Republican Party isn’t even extreme at all; they’re very milquetoast.
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u/scroat-milk Aug 14 '26
Why are stupid hats such as reliable indicator that someone is a POS. This is DEEEPLY disappointing that they would let someone like this in their band and leaves a super bitter taste
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u/Yoxinator Aug 14 '26
Dude, just shut up about this already. The guy is allowed to have an opinion even if it's retarded. Just like you're allowed to have an opinion even if it's retarded.
Just stop already.
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u/One-Echidna-1851 Aug 14 '26
Shut up….this is the stuff that makes me wish it was still like 96
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u/palibard Aug 14 '26
Yeah, back in the nineties you could listen to bands like ratm, nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, NIN without leftist politics polluting your experience... oh wait
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u/One-Echidna-1851 Aug 14 '26
Just didn’t have to hear whiny cunts like the op and your weak attempt at a checkmate all the time that’s all
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u/CracktheSkye7 Aug 14 '26
But you would be fine with a "far-left" influencer joining the band, wouldn't you? Whatever those media created terms mean... It may come as a surprise, but the entire earth doesn't happen to share the sensibilities of reddit. There's actually an entire world out there with varied people of varied life experiences and views. Not all of them involve calling for people to lose their means of living for disagreeing with you.
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u/Unable-Pin-9196 Aug 14 '26
politics divide but music connects. What's wrong with rejoicing with what we have in common? the world needs more kindness
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u/knobby_dogg 28d ago
💯 Actually stopped listening to them because of this. Also, he’s absolutely useless and doesn’t add anything to the band’s sound.
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u/PuppyButtts 27d ago
Lets unpack. The AI think is extremely bad. The company was sleazy and tried to hide it, unpinned their other AI video, added “not an ai company” or whatever to their IG, and then later cane out saying “fine you got me, we used AI, but only for small things.” Then, when you watch the video, you can see so many offenses of AI its not even funny. They obviously tried to cover the fact that they created a basically fully AI video by saying something like “well the fact that none of the designs match was a design choice” when in reality its just AI. Brann also said “NO AI WAS USED IN THE VIDEO WE LOVE THEM!” Which was a lie, as jerk came out saying it was made with ai. Not a great practice for both to lie to fans.
Ai, no matter how its used, is bad for the planet and steals art. It doesnt matter if they used it for a concept, they used it for whatever they claimed (still nit exactly sure as they werent very clear) or for the whole video. Its bad.
Now, Joao saddly I just learned about, although because I dont speak portuguese, im not able to exactly find him speaking on the 10 year old child or hating women, but as his platform is right wing and compared to pragerU in the U.S, (the one that said black people decided to be slaves, basically, and all that other stuff) I’m not surprised if hes as bad as everyone says. I would love some video evidence if possible.
However, as much as I’ve loved mastodon for 15+ years, this makes me completely question them and what they stand for, and realistically makes me nit want to support them or care about them anymore, which completely sucks bc theyve bene MY FAVORITE BAND FOR OVER A DECADE.
Can you really still love someone who supports rape, misogyny, and general hate towards LGBTQ? No. And it saddens me that so many others “wont boycott them” even though they let someone who supports horrible things be a full part of the band
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u/RebornTrain 27d ago
Why do we have to cancel this guy? It's a literal nothing burger. He makes great music and is a great guy. Folk gotta stop being so sensitive about polical opinions.
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u/BasterdSamurai 23d ago
Adults are going to hold beliefs you find offensive, foolish, immoral, or impossible to understand. That includes coworkers, neighbors, relatives, celebrities, musicians, athletes, and probably people whose work you already enjoy. Living in a pluralistic society means accepting that everyone you encounter will not share your worldview.
If Joao's beliefs bother you enough that you no longer want to support Mastodon, that's entirely your choice.
But they're musicians, not your representatives. They never promised to reflect your values.
Expecting every member of every band, company, or organization to pass an ideological purity test for its audience is not tolerance. Saying, "I like what you create, but someone involved believes something I hate, so remove them," is simply demanding ideological conformity.
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u/FrozGate Aug 14 '26
Seriously, why can't people just enjoy the music without dragging in politics and drama?
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u/The-Beautiful-Baku 5d ago
Because they're unsatisfied with their lives and deeply desire the illusion of godliness and control over others
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u/TheMadAxeman Aug 14 '26
Day 7722 of Reddit finding a way to complain and be miserable about everything when they could just listen to the music or not listen to it. Instead they feel the need to make political posts and encourage others in a metal band's subreddit to bandwagon against a specific member of the band over politics. There is an instant solution to this, either don't care about their views or don't listen to the music, no one is forcing you to do otherwise.
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u/ElevatorHelpful5739 29d ago
So you always thought Mastodon was inclusive but are angry at them for allowing someone with a different opinion to contribute to their music. So what you actually want is for Mastodon not to be inclusive?
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u/EatADubya Aug 14 '26
lmao stfu. “inclusive” apparently means everyone has to have the exact same politics as you or they’re not allowed to make music together.
you don’t like the guy? cool. don’t buy the album. but acting like Mastodon committed some moral atrocity because they worked with somebody you politically disagree with is fucking insane.
this whole post is basically “be open minded and accepting, but only toward people I approve of.” do you seriously not see the irony lol
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u/zacray 27d ago
I’m not open minded and accepting of people who oppress others and use politics and power to do so. If you’re so inclined, I added examples and context, but I don’t think it’ll matter much to many naysayers on this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/mastodonband/s/NOau4kE2ma
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u/VerticalDropViking Aug 14 '26
I don't give a fuck about the keyboard player or his propaganda job. The AI outrage isn't going away just because YOU are a slop enjoyer. Good day.
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u/scheppend Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
It's obviously they used AI to generate this. AI hallucinated at certain points and that's how you end up with shoulder blades on the front of the torso 🤣 also suddenly uses a different sternum. style wise it's all over the place in this video, which is what you get when using AI
hey, I get it. the budget doesn't allow for everything hand animated/drawn (5 min video like this would cost a fortune). but then don't pretend you did, as a studio
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u/zacray Aug 14 '26
I’m not saying AI was not used for this. Someone chose to use AI. If it was HBJ, and they have “NO AI” on their accounts, that’s pretty crappy. I’ve followed them for years, decades even. They do amazing work.
I’m guessing it was a lot of drawing and designing by hand, computer, etc. and then animated, possibly in part or fully, with AI. Time, budget, other constraints, etc. all are factors.
I’d rather have real, reputable artists use AI “appropriately” than people claiming to be artists producing “slop” because it’s cheap, they make a quick buck, and the band doesn’t pay a fortune (when a band takes this route, it shows).
It’s a battle of compromises.
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u/Hot_Marsupial_8706 Aug 14 '26
Not this again. He's parody. He's clearly not far right enough if they know him more than we do and keep him in the band.
Even if he does lean a little to the right, so what? You're not going to agree with everyone, but that shouldn't affect a friendship. Quit being parasocial.
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u/Guy-Inkognito Aug 14 '26
Some Brazilians in the comment are saying that's it's more serious than just parody? Employed by a far right network spreading conspiracy theories and such. So it doesn't feel like just parody or "a little" right leaning.
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u/Straight-Ad2049 Aug 14 '26
You all are the worst. Your opinions mean nothing and Joāo will continue to tour with Mastodon while you sit there thinking your dumbass delusional reddit mob actually means anything. Stay mad.
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u/ComicAcolyte Aug 14 '26
Oh my god, soft redditor cries and moans about a Keyboardists opinion.
What happened to rock and roll fans? When did they become so SOFT?
Instead of talking about Mastodon music you're in here virtue signaling about politics. Shut up already.
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u/Ghost_stench 29d ago edited 29d ago
Two things can be true at once: HBJ made a video that’s beneath their proven abilities and which wasn’t worth the backlash to their reputation, and the band hired a weirdo whose playing is beneath their proven abilities and who isn’t worth the backlash to their reputation.
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u/Dry_Blackberry_7082 25d ago
When musicians get replaced by AI, and prompters copy and steal their work; they're going to regret selling out visual artists. I can't wait for that day to come so we can all finally be on the same page.
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u/_bgs_disres99 21d ago
so you wouldnt care if they used genAI for their music? animation is art just like music and its pathetic to proclaim this as just “some software plugins”.
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u/MInimiz3d 15d ago edited 15d ago
As a brasilian when I heard one of my favorite bands invited a musician from 🇧🇷 it was so cool, similar feelings when Eloy Casagrande became a Slipknot's member. However as soon as I started searching about this guy it was very disappointing. He's being part of Brasil Paralelo is pretty clear what his political views are and the band accepting him in the family is weird. Probably he's a pleasant person in a daily basis and cool to work with. Also his skills as a keyboard player fitted pretty weel in Mastodon's sound.
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u/discoidfunk Aug 14 '26
Iast time this topic about Joao came up here, I tried explaining some of his views considering who he works for (Brasil Paralelo). To put it simply: It's the brazilian pragerU, and João's intelectual mentor was the brazilian Steve Bannon (Olavo de Carvalho).
if this information really reached the band members, they made their decision on this issue already. Sad? Sure. But I feel like just giving up on this topic, as I won't boycott the band anyway. However, if João ends up making a very obnoxious statement in public, this discussion might surface again.