The Bigger Issue Behind the Butcher Babies AI Controversy

Who knew AI was so controversial? Kidding... we all did... except for Butcher Babies.

Heidi Shepherd's AI video post had fans seriously disappointed last week, and Val does a deep dive into the backlash and weighs whether we're missing important and valid concerns surrounding the use of AI.

We also chat about the news from Beartooth singer Caleb Shomo that broke the internet over the weekend. It really shouldn't have been such a topic of discussion, but it was. Do you think divorce impacts more than just the couple involved? Val offers her thoughts this episode. 

Get more Val at https://valkleinhans.com/

Transcript

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Arguably one of the hottest topics in the world right now is the use of AI. It's everywhere. It seems like it just has a chokehold on us that some of us, if not most of us, didn't ask for. And it feels like it popped up overnight. We're all doing our best to wrap our heads around it, but I, you know, I understand it. I understand that part of it. And we're all trying to form our own opinions on it because it is so prevalent and inescapable. We're trying to do this with music too. And today we're gonna check some temperatures on that subject using an example that Butcher Babies just gave us, that a whole lot of people are talking about. We saw three reels. Okay, we saw three reels. And before I get into the whole situation, I just want to take a moment to talk about something else that was really, really chatted about this past week, too, particularly over the weekend, the Caleb Shomo of it all. Man, I can't go much further without talking about this because this is to me, it's an unfortunate situation. And that is, I'm saying this because I think divorce in general sucks. I am the child, I am a child of divorce. And it is something that whether you know you realize it or not, it impacts firstly the entire family. Secondly, literally everybody around that couple. Everybody around that couple is impacted when divorce happens. So I feel for Caleb. I feel for Flor. I believe that's a per correct way to pronounce her name. I feel for them both. This has to be painful for both of them for a multitude of reasons. I don't know why Caleb coming out was a headline and all. I don't think it had to be. I don't think it was a shock to anybody either. But it just that I think from what I could see, that was the that was where most of the comments were at with this. That, like, dude, why is this even a headline? And then I saw some concern for Flor, his wife, which I have as well. Because this can't be an easy thing to accept for her. Her statement was very heartfelt and filled with love for Caleb. Caleb's statement pretty much stuck to his own story, his own opinion, didn't really detail, you know, her or and I have to wonder if that was done by choice. Some people thought that was sus, some people thought that was disrespectful, but I have to wonder if that was done by choice, because I I question if he wanted to add fuel to what she was already going through, or was trying to avoid adding fuel to what she was going through, and he knew that maybe naming her specifically would add to that. Maybe he didn't want her to go through that. I that's one theory that I have. We'll never really know. But I think they're both doing the uh the best they can with this. I was somewhat familiar with both Caleb and Flora's wife because of Kaylee, because of Katie Maloney and Dana Caithan. I love disrespectfully, I love that podcast, and I also I just I love Katie Maloney, period. Attitude, style, all the above. Dana's funny to me, Dana's entertaining to me, so I listen. And both Caleb and Flora were part of their friend group. At least it appeared on Instagram. Flor did an episode of Disrespectfully with them, where she kind of talked about the beginning of her relationship with Caleb. So go and check that out if you want a little bit more of the lore. But there was nothing in that episode that alluded to this being announced. At least, not that I'm looking back on later going, oh. So I feel for them and their whole friend group right now because this is gonna cause, this is gonna cause some changes, this is gonna cause some adjustments, and I hope that everybody does okay in response to this because divorce sucks. And I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I really wouldn't. So I feel for both of them. Be patient with both of them as they navigate through this. That's really what I wanted to say about Caleb because I because it broke over the weekend and everybody was kind of like, ah, like really reacting to this. So I don't want to go through this episode without at least acknowledging that. I understand that there's been talk about industry plants a lot this last week, too. I want to dedicate a full whole episode to that, which we will do next week. But this week, let me re let me backtrack and get back to why we're here. The Blue Dream Bees of it all. In case you missed it, like I said last Tuesday, they posted something on Instagram that did not go over well. We saw three reels, one of which was an AI video that they created that they thought was poking fun at the fact that their set at Sonic Temple was cut short due to weather. This AI video basically shows the band playing to uh a crowd in the middle of a tornado, kind of wizard of oz like. And they used this video additionally to tease the new single, Blame It on the Wind. They thought it would be kind of a funny tie-in, and I I guess I miss that. But by the way, the single is real. The music for the single, that's real. The AI video is not, but the single is, that's real. They really have a single out called Blame It on the Rain. Or not Millie than Millie, blame it on the wind. Blame it on the wind. That's the real new single from Butcher Babies. And it is a fact. Let me just start with this, too. It is a fact that this video was disclosed as AI by the band. And it was also clearly stated in the caption of this post that the intention of posting said video was to do so as a joke, and they also made it clear that this was not the actual video for Blame It on the Wind. Fans immediately took to the comment section, and a lot of them were upset. They were pissed about the use of AI at all. They were not having that. I also was not having that because it was obvious. Firstly, it was obviously an AI video when I could tell. And I just question, you know, if using AI for that purpose was necessary at all. I'm starting to do that in general. Like, I'm I'm hearing about graduations using AI to like call out names of students now, too, at these graduation ceremonies. What are we doing? We don't need that. Why? Why? I I don't I don't get it, which is we'll get more into this. But uh fans were pissed, obviously. Okay, and their message seemed to be that hey, AI isn't good for multiple reasons. This video is not a flex or a joke. Keep that slop out of here. That's what I heard, that's what I saw, and I can't say I disagree. The next reel from Butcher Babies that we got that same afternoon was a response to those who were upset about the AI video from Heidi Shepherd herself. And I'm paraphrasing, but the sentiment of her message was hey, this is a joke. Y'all need to read because the AI of it all was disclosed. And if you're this upset about that, you must have missed that. And it's like, no, no, no, no, no. Oh no, we read. We read, we just didn't like it. Fans were just not happy with that response because they felt unheard. They felt like Heidi missed the point, which was the disappointment in the use of AI at all. Period. They're passionate, passionately against, let's say, the use of AI. And they're against it right now for a multitude of valid reasons and concerns. And you know what? I have those same concerns too. I can't say I disagree. There we recently in the mail in my area, I got just a general like survey on how you feel about data centers. And I said, ooh, don't you even, don't you even? I'm not having that. I I'm learning more about not just the environmental impact data centers have, but the impact that they have on wellness in these residential areas that they seem to be building them way too closely to. It's just it's a lot for to me. It's a lot for something that isn't necessary. That's how I see it. That's how I see it. The third real post of that day, let's get to this. Uh, the Butcher Babies posted that same day. This video was of a text, it appeared to be of a text between Heidi and someone else making a joke, referring to Michael Jackson screaming in the wind, the ah, the that whole, yeah, saying everybody should have that moment while listening to their new single. Now, I I know now that was supposed to be a nod to the fact that the new single is called Blame It on the Wind. But I I can't speak to why, I guess, but the joke, that joke, I guess didn't register with me at first. It didn't hit immediately. It and it didn't land. I had to sit on that one to get it. So it was a choice. That's why I'm gonna call it a choice. And I noticed that that reel in particular got a lot less traction than the other two that were posted previously that day. And here's my take on Heidi's take. I have seen Butcher Babies live twice, not as headliners. And I have not seen them since Carla left. Let me be clear on that. I have only ever seen them with Carla. They're at that time, fabulous live band. I can't speak to what they've been doing recently because I haven't seen it. I can't say I'm a huge fan of Butcher Babies in general, uh, but I don't mind if I happen to hear them. I'm neutral on them overall, to be honest with you, but I will add that I miss Carla because to me, she just added some extra vitriol, and like that was so crucial to giving them some edge. I feel like Heidi was kind of the organizer of all the chaos, and through Carla went a little bit over the edge. It got a little spicy, like with her. And I loved watching the two of them play off each other on stage too. So I miss that. But I do like, side note, what Carla's doing with the violent hour right now. So give them a listen. I also I overall, I don't believe that Heidi anticipated the backlash from fans. I don't think she anticipated that response. She might not have made that post or approved it, however, that works in their world. If she did, her response did kind of come across as doubling down. Like, I'm not saying that this was her intention. I'm not her, I'm never ever gonna be able to speak to that part, but I can see how it was read this way by fans. And I get not taking every bit of criticism seriously, but this one was pretty loud and prominent, and to me, that makes it worth paying attention to and worth handling with extreme care when you get such intensity like that. Her response also came on very fast, maybe too fast, if I'm not mistaken, within an hour or two. And I'm wondering if a little bit more of a pause would have allowed for some more reflection and processing before addressing a group of important people. If it were me, I might have wanted to give it a little bit more time before saying anything. The whole situation was just bananas and blew up pretty quickly. My biggest overall takeaways on this subject, one of my biggest takeaways from this whole backlash was that some fans, even in a mostly digital age, still have a parasocial relationship with artists. Like some feel like they are the ones to be served. Do I personally feel that way? No. Do some? Yes. And because some fans feel this way, this is where they are getting disappointed in moments like this. I mean, some went as far as to say, almost verbatim, you have to remember that it's us that support you, and you should pay attention to a reaction like this and respond appropriately with that in mind. I don't disagree. I don't disagree with that, but I do think there needs to be uh kind of just a checks and balances on some expectations here, too. You know, they also can't we get we gotta chill with the parasocial of it all, is what I'm saying. Like we we we do have to understand that yes, these artists are humans too. You can't put every single thing on a pedestal, you can have to dial that back a little bit. In my opinion, it is possible that some fans view relationships with musicians as a sort of customer service type situation, if you will. Again, I don't expect artists to serve me, so to speak, but I like to keep humanity in mind, have empathy for that. And then on to the next, if that artist does something that I'm not into. You know, they can make their choices, I can make mine. This is what I'm getting at. And it is that simple for me, and it can be that simple for you too. I think it should be that simple for all of us, but it's not. So fans are feeling like Heidi personally is of the opposite viewpoint of something that they feel passionately about in this situation. I took that away too, which is for them crushing to learn. Because some of them, again, have built a parasocial relationship with her for decades. And that's a long time to feel like you're connected to someone, and just in one afternoon, that perception is shot to hell. So it's gonna be jarring. I get how that plays on one's psyche, but this is where I ask again: should we be pushing these parasocial relationships so far to begin with? Do they deserve these pedestals that we put them on to begin with? Why do we put them there? Now that is something only the fan can answer. My thought is uh no, we should not be doing the most with all this, and this is why. This whole situation is why. This goes extra hard in her case, too, Heidi's case, because Heidi is butcher babies now, period. End of discussion. She's the faced, at least. All right, we'll say that. She is the face. Last I checked, her following on Instagram alone is greater than Levan's is. So she matters, her words matter. And uh that leads me to my next takeaway, which is we have got to be careful about what we're putting online. I like I am not prepared for a censorship conversation, so we're not gonna go there right now, but I am talking about this. I am talking about fully understanding to the very best of your ability potential consequences to what we're putting out and being willing to accept them if they come. Being thoughtful, being intentional. If I'm gonna apply that to this example, I'll say this. It is a well-known fact that AI is a hot, controversial topic right now, that is universally agreed upon. And you have to understand, knowing this information, that the mere mention of it is going to get people talking. The subject itself is very polarizing right now. We know that. This shows us that. So if you're gonna get into talking about it, posting about it, or posting using it, be aware of the fact that yeah, it's this is still controversial right now, it is polarizing right now, and understand the risk before you make it part of your space and share that publicly. This is why a lot of mainstream organizations avoid politics, unless they build their brand on it and they know their audiences assume that risk, politics is inherently polarizing, they know this, so they if they want to, I guess, attract, and I've I've heard this in in meetings before when I used to do radio, like if we're trying to be copacetic with everybody, right? Get as many people to become fans of us as possible, we won't get into things that are polarizing, and politics is inherently polarizing. So, again, if you're a mainstream brand that is trying to appeal to as much of a general audience as possible, you're probably going to avoid the subject. If you're a brand that doesn't do that and is on a different part of the spectrum, and maybe you've even built your brand on leaning politically one way or another. Well, you could do that. And you can also trust that your audience watching you has assumed that risk. They understand that this is what it is. If I turn on Fox News, I know what I'm getting. Let's let's say that. If I turn on MSN, I know what I'm getting. Okay, we we we know. We know. And I think these brands probably might, maybe, maybe, behind the scenes might be a little bit more relaxed about doing anything politically because they understand that they've trained their audience that way, they know what their audience expects. I had to learn this particular lesson a lot in my early radio days and content creation days, and sometimes you do not learn this lesson until you are burnt by it. I have had that happen. I've had moments where something didn't land the way that I wanted it to, because I didn't realize that my phrasing could be interpreted a different way, or I didn't realize that an image I would use, or uh just a particular subject that I approached at all, period, was a, you know, I didn't realize that it was as polarizing or controversial as I found out it was. So it happens. All I'm saying is when it does, and when you find out, just take care and take thought. Take thought into the whole equation. My final thoughts are gonna be this despite all the talk, butcher babies are still here, they're not going anywhere. I don't think they're going anywhere just over the backlash to this incident. But some days it feels like AI isn't going anywhere either. Some days it feels like this is going to be our new normal. And this is where I'm finally going to address how I feel about AI and specify where I stand on it. Ultimately, and I alluded to this a little bit earlier. Ultimately, I question if it's even necessary at all. There are some logistical pros to its use, but I do not know that they outweigh the cons. But right now, current day, it's here, and I caution against using it in its current state, and would more often opt out of using it until more policy and regulation is involved. If we must use it, and it proves to stick around, it proves to last, use it in the most limited capacity possible until all of that is worked out. Because what the way we use it, you know, I'm wrestling with this right now, too, as I'm talking about it. I want to say that we as the consumers have some power here, and maybe we do, but I think it's going to be more powerful if we don't use it at all. And then there's another side of me that believes resistance is futile and these billionaires are going to shove it down our throats, regardless. They want a profit, they want what makes the most business sense. And there's a lot of ways that AI makes business sense for them. But that to me, you know, you can tell me about that until you're blue in the face. I I again, maybe there are logistical pros, but that does not outweigh the cons, in my in my opinion. So we it's weird. It feels like we're almost being forced to make peace with it. Or we're at a crucial point. We're at a crossroads. We're at a crossroads where we need to decide what we want to do with it, if we want to do anything with it, or if we don't want to do anything with it at all. I'm fine with it totally going away. I'm fine with it totally going away completely. If I woke up tomorrow and it was gone, I'd be okay with that. But very, I'm gonna be a thousand percent real with you right now. My day job pushes for using it. And I think a lot of us are seeing AI bleed into our lives like that, our everyday lives like that. And I'm thinking twice now before I do. You know, before I use it on my personal time, more specifically, I might not have as much of a choice at work. But on my personal time, maybe I think twice before I use it. I think twice before I use it at all. Question if I need it at all. And I'm re-evaluating all of that as I more learn as I learn more about what AI does and about data centers themselves and the concerns that come with them. I think we embraced the entire thing way too quickly, but that tends to be what we do with technology. You know, some of us are saying, wow, it popped up overnight, and yes, it feels like it did, but so did the internet when it first came. I'm old enough to remember that. So did social media when it first came. I'm old enough to remember that. All of this was embraced very quickly, without caution, and regulation and policy followed after. So this is gonna be another situation where we see the same thing. And I wish that we had learned because we've seen enough times in the past that that's what you know, that's what's happened before. And we'd like to avoid that. We'd like to avoid those initial issues, and you can avoid it if you simply pause and don't embrace things so quickly. But again, it happened. And I don't know a whole lot of consumers that were asking for it. I don't know. I certainly wasn't asking for it before. I'll speak for myself. It's just odd. You know, the whole push for AI does not seem to be something consumers were asking for, and yet it is everywhere, and that is concerning. And because you have to look at, well, if we're not asking for it and it's still being pushed, then who's asking for it? Because you have to look at that, draw from that what you will. If we're not asking for it as consumers, and it's still being pushed, then who's asking for it? Again, draw your conclusions from your own answer to that question. My understanding is that billions are the ones pushing this, and the 1% is the one pushing this, the wealthier class, the people in charge, the higher-ups, the CEOs that want a greater profit margin. That's the biggest issue surrounding AI, in my opinion, is that whoa they've got this much power to begin with. And it's not that we didn't know this, but again, we're not gonna check that. Question vigorously this week. Vigorous ones. And remember that thought and intention is so important. Make space for it. We'll see you next week.