Pablo Torre Finds Out: What It Means to Be Cool

Guest: Kevin Wildes
Date: March 6, 2025
Podcast Network: Le Batard & Friends

Overview

In this energetic and sprawling episode, Pablo Torre is joined by Kevin Wildes (FS1's “First Things First”, former ESPN producer) to investigate the ever-elusive concept of "cool." With Wildes arriving from a life-changing Maui whale-watching vacation and armed with a stack of curated notes, the duo examines what constitutes coolness—mining pop culture, nature, personal anecdotes, and a riotous list of 71 “cool” things. The conversation is improvisational, joyful, and reflective, blending humor and philosophy while pondering whether cool is innate, teachable, or simply a matter of attitude.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Wildes' Vacation and Headspace

[04:07] Wildes' Whale Epiphany

• Wildes describes an awe-inspiring whale-watching kayak trip in Maui, recounting a near-mystical moment of being surrounded by humpback whales.
• This encounter reset his outlook:

  "There's an element of negativity to it. Okay, came back from Maui. I've got a very loose door policy at Club Cool right now. Very loose." — Kevin Wildes [08:36]

• The “Club Cool” is now open to all—joy, wonder, and aliveness have broadened his definition.

2. The Proclamation: What Is Cool?

[10:04] The Unhelpfulness of “AI Cool” & Internet Theories

• AI and Google definitions of “cool” are tossed aside as too generic:

  “That's trash...You know what that sounds like? A robot wrote that.” — Pablo Torre [10:27]

• On Reddit, a succinct formula emerges:

  “Competence plus calm plus confidence equals cool.” — Wildes quoting online, [11:17]
  They riff on this CCC model, testing its application with various examples.

3. Coolness in the Wild—Literally & Figuratively

[13:12] Alligator Beer-Can Opener as “Cool” Archetype

• Wildes recounts watching a viral video:

  “This dude takes aluminum can of beer, pops it on the alligator's tooth...gives it to his buddy, who then shotguns it...It's just, this dude's just being him and he's getting down to the raw authenticity of himself and doing cool stuff.” — Wildes [13:20]

• Pablo observes, “So far a lot of your cool examples involve things that live in the water.” [14:04]

4. Cool Moments: Personal Tales

[16:05] Pablo Meets John—Author of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”

• Pablo relates a story of eating lunch alone and being seated with John Berendt, best-selling author:

  “Cool to me is showing up, putting yourself out there and not knowing is this going to be painful or not. And then being rewarded by the universe with the breaching humpback whale of one of the greatest authors.” — Pablo Torre [18:35]

5. Club Cool: The Epic List

[19:18] Wildes' “71 Things”

• Wildes comes prepared with an exhaustive “Massive list” ranging from:
  • Owls turning their heads [19:39]
  • Dogs with spiked anti-wolf collars [21:04]
  • Birds ("underrated”), dogs (“overrated"), and their respective cool feats [21:27]
  • Music and sports—classic moments like Hendrix at Woodstock or Marvin Gaye at the All-Star Game [23:43]
  • Skateboarding, convertibles, mechanics with lots of tools [30:13]
  • All sea life, especially those demonstrating uniqueness or survival [32:27]
  • Sunglasses, Venus flytraps, cacti, "old guys wandering around in flip flops with good vibes,” and more [32:27–32:59]
• In the list, Wildes argues that “pretty much all musical endeavors” are cool, refusing exclusivity:

  “That’s the point...pretty much every musical endeavor is cool.” — Wildes [28:22]

• Pablo: “The committee needs a little bit more exclusivity than…” [28:08]

6. Debates: Deliberate vs. Spontaneous Cool [24:16, 25:12]

• Is coolness the result of practiced mastery or achieved only in spontaneous moments?

  “Does it undermine the committee’s case if this thing was practiced?” — Pablo [25:12]

• Wildes and Pablo agree both have merit, using examples from sports and daily life.

7. “Upsets” in the Coolness Bracket

[38:44] The 16-over-1 Theory

• A March Madness-style bracket of what’s conventionally cool vs. surprisingly cool:
  • Roadies vs. bands (“Roadies are cooler.”) [39:03]
  • Being “pretty good” at billiards is cooler than being a true expert [39:15]
  • Old, worn things over shiny, new things [40:01]
• The discussion roots for the underdog, the unassuming, and the authentic.

8. Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Renewal of Cool

[41:20] Ronaldo’s Affirmations: Can Cool Be Taught?

• Wildes shares a video of Cristiano Ronaldo, about to take a penalty kick, calmly talking himself into confidence:

  “You can cross the barrier. Same as always for you. It's normal to score.” — Ronaldo, paraphrased by Wildes [42:42]

• Pablo: “He looks legitimately like he needs to make himself less scared.” [42:49]
  • Wildes reframes:

    “If Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t believe in himself, has to gas himself up, so can you. And the fact that we're just so few of us on this earth at this one time, being able to see whales, you are cool. Even if you don't think you are.” [46:23]

9. Cosmic Perspective: Club Cool Is Open

• Wildes, on learning about the tiny biomass of humans:

  “When you're accusing me, you're just letting everybody into Club Cool...I'm only letting in 0.01% of all biomass on Earth.” [45:11]

• The takeaway is affirmative and inclusive—everyone has a shot at “the Hall of Cool.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being present leading to cool:

  “Eating alone, cool. Competent, calm, confident. All those things describe John.” — Pablo Torre [18:36]

• On the open-door policy:

  “I've got a very loose door policy at Club Cool right now. Very loose.” — Kevin Wildes [08:36]

• On water-based coolness:

  “I'm just going where the data leads me, dude.” — Kevin Wildes [14:04]

• Challenging the exclusivity of “cool”:

  “You just included pretty much every music room of pretty much human performance.” — Pablo Torre [28:13]

• Ronaldo's calm self-affirmation before a penalty:

  “You can cross the barrier. Same as always for you. It's normal to score.” — (Wildes, paraphrasing Ronaldo) [42:42]

• On the universality and rarity of coolness and humans:

  “Humans make up approximately 0.01% of all biomass on Earth...the moral of the story is the world is amazing. You gotta believe in yourself...you are cool. Even if you don't think you are.” — Kevin Wildes [46:23]

Important Segments & Timestamps

• [04:07] – Wildes’ whale-watching experience and its philosophical impact
• [10:04–11:19] – Definitions of cool: AI, Reddit, and the “Competence+Calm+Confidence” formula
• [13:12] – Viral video of “alligator bottle opener guy” as the embodiment of cool
• [16:05] – Pablo’s lunch story with John Berendt and the serendipity of cool moments
• [19:18] – Introduction of Wildes’ annotated list of 71 cool things
• [24:16–25:12] – Deliberate vs. spontaneous acts of coolness, using sports examples
• [38:44–40:01] – March Madness-style “cool upsets”: roadies vs. bands, shiny vs. worn
• [41:20–42:49] – Cristiano Ronaldo and the vulnerability behind even “the coolest”
• [45:03–46:23] – Cosmic stats and the open invitation to Club Cool

Tone & Style Highlights

• Conversational, improvisational, and playful—with Pablo’s dry wit balancing Wildes’ enthusiastic riffing.
• Philosophical but welcoming; earnest without taking themselves too seriously.
• Joyously inclusive—coolness is both universal and attainable, celebrating the small wonders and the unexpected.

Closing Thoughts

This episode playfully deconstructs the mythology of cool, landing on a position that’s as inviting as it is irreverent: Almost anything (and anyone) can be cool if approached with authenticity, confidence, and openness to the world’s wonder. Whether it’s a breaching whale, a rock god, or a quietly confident octogenarian at a deli, coolness is more attitude than achievement—and Club Cool, after today, is open to all.