 Cachaça saw the story and commented to a sambista friend, Monarco, of the Velha Guarda da Portela, that Lopes's reporting was "the best material that he had ever seen" on Mangueira.In 2002, Lopes was co-writing a book, about Mangueira samba school and his experience growing up there, with Alexander Medeiros.Lopes was one of the founders of the Carnaval bloco, "Simpatia é quase amor" of Ipanema, and had served as an official judge of the annual carnival procession at the Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí.