Pablo Torre Finds Out

Episode: "Share & Gossip & Tell" with Wyatt Cenac and Charlotte Wilder

Date: October 11, 2024
Host: Pablo Torre
Guests: Wyatt Cenac, Charlotte Wilder

Overview

This episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out is a rollicking "Share & Tell" roundtable, where Pablo is joined by comedian and journalist Wyatt Cenac and sports/gossip reporter Charlotte Wilder. They riff on the absurdities of sports, streaming economics, algorithmic content, and the human instinct for gossip—blending deep-dive reporting with playful, at times surreal, banter. Core themes include the weirdness of golf at Augusta National, the economics of ultra-prolific Spotify musician Matt Farley, algorithm-driven creativity, AI's encroachment on human expression, and the cultural intersections of sports gossip.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Very Weird World of Augusta National (Golf)

• Start: [00:41]
• The group riffs on Augusta’s famously wildlife-free environment at The Masters, referencing how birds and even flowers are seemingly piped-in or imported, leading to much skeptical amusement.
  • Quote:

    “There are no birds, squirrels, insects, or any other living creature indigenous to planet Earth at the Masters. Nowhere on the property.”
    – Pablo Torre [00:55]

• They discuss “Zon Guns” (humane explosive devices used to scare away birds), joking about a Zon Gun ad read.
  • Quote:

    “Do you have birds you want to get rid of or do you just love the sound of thunder? Try Zon guns.”
    – Wyatt Cenac [04:51]

• The banter sets the irreverent tone for the rest of the show.

2. Matt Farley: The King of Algorithmic Music

• Start: [06:31]
• Wyatt’s Share & Tell:
  Wyatt shares a New York Times profile on Matt Farley, a musician who has written 24,000+ songs under multiple pseudonyms for streaming platforms, earning up to $200,000 a year in micro-royalties.
  • Explanation:
    Farley’s approach: flood Spotify with searchable song titles (e.g., people’s names, “Will You Go to Prom With Me [Name],” and novelty songs about poop/puke/pee), engineered to appear in search results and playlists.

    “He is both the shady record label executive and the artist at the same time.”
    – Wyatt Cenac [09:42]

  • On the economics:

    “The rate though, on Spotify now, to be clear, is now apparently, per Matt Farley, roughly a third of a cent per stream.”
    – Pablo Torre [07:48]

• SEO as Music Creation:
  The hosts discuss how modern musical success (for Farley, at least) depends on catering to search engines rather than traditional artistry.

  • “This is the modern day equivalent of going to a gift shop and finding your name on the license plate keychain.”
    – Charlotte Wilder [11:28]

• Philosophical Questions:
  What defines a “song” when content is being engineered to fit into search queries rather than as an expression of art or feeling? Is this the death of traditional creativity?
  • Notable Moment:
    Pablo, Charlotte, and Wyatt all bemoan the loss of “the human touch” in art, with Charlotte noting,

    “...this is just algorithmic Weird Al.” [15:32]

3. Gossip, Sports, and the Rise of ‘WAGs’ Content

• Start: [23:01]
• Charlotte’s Share & Tell:
  • Charlotte plugs her new podcast, The Sports Gossip Show, and segues into how sports gossip is increasingly recognized as a central part of fandom, sometimes merging with reality TV (e.g., Bravo’s upcoming Chiefs “WAGs” show).

    • “Sports is, for a long time, I’ve said, socially acceptable gossip for men.”
      – Charlotte Wilder [25:51]

  • The hosts discuss how the explosion of celebrity crossovers (notably Taylor Swift dating NFL star Travis Kelce) pulls new audiences into football, reframing athletes as broader celebrities/story subjects rather than stats generators.
    • Wyatt:
      “We’re in the loophole era. This is our loophole era.” [25:28]
• Inclusivity and Barriers:
  • Charlotte argues that sports media often excludes casual/new fans, using insidery jargon; there’s a need to “let people in” by explaining who key people are.

  • “...there is a way to invite people who are not versed in the sports canon to appreciate and to join this group... the lone monoculture left.”
    – Pablo Torre [33:43]

4. The Invasion of AI and Algorithmic Podcasts

• Start: [35:01]
• New AI Tech:
  Pablo introduces Google’s “Notebook LM” tool, which can turn documents into podcast-style audio conversations using AI-generated voices—complete with intentional stutters, banter, and the affectations of human dialogue.
  • AI Sample is played: Charlotte is weirded out.

    “I hate this so much. I feel creepy. I hate robots.”
    – Charlotte Wilder [37:30]

• Meta Moment:
  They feed their own discussion into the tool, which produces a flat, lifeless AI podcast summary. All agree: the AI isn't funny, and the human element is irreplaceable.

  • “Similarly to how people who watch sports want to know who the characters behind the athletes are, I believe that people want to know who the people behind the podcasts are... that there are real people talking.”
    – Charlotte Wilder [40:38]

5. Closing Reflections: Humanity vs. the Algorithms

• Start: [43:50]
• Charlotte offers a note of hope:

  “One thing robots are not is alive. One thing humans are is alive. ... As long as we still want to make things and consume things that other people made, that will keep happening. Because that’s the whole point of being alive.”
  – Charlotte Wilder [44:46]

• Pablo and Wyatt agree: the real “content” is connection, surprise, and imperfect humanity.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Pablo on Augusta’s bird sound conspiracy:

  “They pipe in the crowd noise. Like Lucas Oil Stadium with the Colts, except it’s birds. That’s true. Augusta.” [01:33]

• Wyatt on Matt Farley’s methods:

  “Here’s a person who’s like... there’s a little loophole where I could make a ton of money and if I just exploit that.” [16:44]

• Charlotte, on algorithmic songs:

  “But that’s the whole point of being alive.” [44:46]

• Wyatt (skeptical of algorithmic music):

  “What is a song? If the whole goal is just, I know people shout out 'poop' to the Alexa, and I’ll just write 500 songs about poop...” [14:15]

• Charlotte, on sports as gossip:

  “Sports is... socially acceptable gossip for men. But that has been confined to language that makes it sound more mathematical, more scientific…” [25:51]

• On why AI podcasts fall flat:

  “Robots are never gonna be funny, though, because... if the algorithm is based on making connections that already exist, humor is based on connecting things that seem completely separate and putting them together in a surprising way.”
  – Charlotte Wilder [45:02]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Augusta National & Zon Guns: [00:41]–[05:00]
• Introduction to Matt Farley: [06:31]–[16:44]
• Charlotte’s Sports Gossip Podcast & WAGs in Media: [23:01]–[28:10]
• Inclusivity in Sports Fandom: [31:05]–[34:47]
• AI-generated Podcasting Tech: [35:01]–[41:07]
• Human vs. Algorithmic Creativity (closing hope): [43:50]–[45:22]

Tone & Style

The episode is irreverent, quick-witted, and full of friendly teasing. Pablo drives discussions with journalistic curiosity, Wyatt brings dry, subversive humor, and Charlotte provides both earnest vulnerability and sharp comic timing. All three are skeptical of algorithmic art in music or podcasting, and the debate stays fun, not dour—anchored in delight at the weirdness of modern media.

Bottom Line:
If you’ve ever wondered how the internet is warping art, why golf courses might be a front for bird genocide, or what’s really driving the explosion of sports gossip, this episode’s fast-moving roundtable of wit, speculation, and cultural connection is for you. The real heroes are the imperfect humans—at the mics and in the songs.