Podcast Summary

Podcast: Ride with Benito Skinner & Mary Beth Barone
Episode: "25 Year Old Mindset + Being in a Gallery for 30 Minutes"
Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Benito Skinner (Benny Drama) & Mary Beth Barone
Network: Dear Media

Episode Overview

This episode is classic “Ride”—chaotic, warm, and meandering in the best way—anchored around two core “rides”:

• Mary Beth’s “25 Year Old Mindset (with the wisdom of a 34 year old)”, reflecting on how her approach to dating, adventure, and self-respect has evolved.
• Benito’s “Being in a Gallery for 30 Minutes”, a liberating take on consuming art on one’s own terms, without guilt or performative obligation.
  Between these, the duo reminisce about pivotal moments in friendship and creative work, New York living, gallery etiquette, mental health, and creative flow—sprinkled with insane asides, inside jokes, and some truly memorable parental stories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Setting the Scene

Timestamp: 00:44 – 04:00

• The pair start earlier than usual (“4:59, right after dark”), joking about attendance and Mary Beth’s treat for Benito.

• Dive straight into the mood of the “season,” describing it as “a time capsule” and confessing to the unique chaos of their collaboration.

  • Mary Beth (01:23): “This season is insane. I actually think it's a time capsule. We should never listen to it again.”

• Writers’ room chaos: Both have been working in a writers’ room all day, navigating their “fan” dynamic and the peculiarities of sharing creative space with friends.

2. Deep Dives: New York, Duality, Dior Bag Socialism

Timestamp: 06:39 – 08:45

• Celebrate Zaran Momdani’s election as mayor and the atmosphere in New York.
• Mary Beth introduces her “Dior bag socialism” concept—a glam, self-reflexive riff on champagne socialism.
  • Mary Beth (07:43): “I'm starting a new movement...Dior bag socialism, which is being a socialist with a Dior bag. As long as you'd be willing to give it up to help someone in need, you can call yourself a socialist.”
• The idea of duality comes up repeatedly as a theme both in their personal lives and their creative work.
  • Benito (08:19): “It's duality. Me in the writer's room. It's duality.”

3. Life Details: Friendship, Being in the Writer’s Room, and Moving to New York

Timestamp: 08:47 – 12:58

• Mary Beth reflects on her long tenure in New York—almost 14 years—and the duo discuss how long they've been friends (~7 years).
• Celebrate the surreal blending of their professional and personal lives (“Every text you have is a group chat” – 23:35).

4. Pepsi, Parents, and Generational Sass

Timestamp: 10:28 – 12:00

• Mary Beth shares an anecdote about her mom switching from Pepsi to Coke in protest of cancelled DEI initiatives, only to realize both companies have their problems—a reflection on performative activism.
  • Mary Beth (10:58): “What a beautiful gesture to be like, I'm gonna give up this lifelong love of Pepsi because of their abandoning DEI...Mommy, you don't have to do this.”
• The duo praise the irrepressible character and comic bluntness of their mothers:
  • Benito (11:46): “She's my favorite woman. Jesus Christ. They don't make them like that anymore.”

5. CFDA, Celebrity Run-Ins, and the Magic of New York

Timestamp: 12:00 – 15:10

• They recount their night at the CFDA Awards: walking the (incredibly long) press line, running into Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and feeling electrified by New York’s creative energy.
  • Benito (12:53): “To see you on a stage together meant everything to me. I hope you know that.”
  • Mary Beth (13:04): “You did like a tight five [for the Olsens].”
• The real birthday wish: cereal in bed with Pinky—“I'm a simple man. And I've always said that he wants for nothing.” (13:51)

6. Birthday Reflections & Being an Adult

Timestamp: 13:54 – 15:10

• On gifts (or lack thereof) and adulthood: a humorous but honest look at feeling uncelebrated (“I haven't gotten a single gift for my birthday”) and the running joke of “God’s dead, by the way” (14:54).
• Benito (15:00): “You know what? I did get a present. I got to spend an amazing night with my bestie in midtown.”

7. Museums, Gallery Guilt, and the 30-Minute Art Experience

Timestamp: 27:35 – 36:00

The Core Ride: “Being in a Gallery for 30 Minutes”

• Benito describes feeling guilty for not spending enough time in museums, tracing it to childhood school trips.
• Benito (28:25): “I used to feel so much guilt...like, okay, I gotta be here a long time. And so then it limited how many museums I was going to...”
• Shares a liberating Paris experience: quick museum trips as part of a full day, not the full day itself. Encourages listeners to approach art consumption with intention, not obligation:
  • “This is kind of my new thing...I want to challenge everyone to go into a museum and rip through it. Jog if you have to. Just...do what you have to do to get fed by the art.”
• Mary Beth on solo museum-going:
  • “I usually go to museums alone...I know that I'm going to move at a pace that other people are not comfortable with.”
• The hosts agree: you don’t need to consume every plaque, and you can engage at your own pace.

Sexual Harassment in a Gallery

• Mary Beth shares a story of being followed and harassed by a man at LACMA, highlighting the reality many women face in public spaces. The experience both alarms and amuses the duo—but ends with a note about giving oneself permission to leave at any time.
  • Mary Beth (33:44): “So then I did do a Museum in 30 minutes because of a safety issue.”

8. The “25 Year Old Mindset” Ride: Carefree, but Wise

Timestamp: 41:11 – 44:54

• Mary Beth explains living with “a 25-year-old mindset with the wisdom of a 34-year-old.”

  • Mary Beth (41:28): “Being 25 was tumultuous...I had just started doing comedy, I had completely blown up my life...now I have so much more respect for myself and I know what I can handle and what I can't.”

• This means saying yes to adventure, socializing, and moments of recklessness, but with clear boundaries and self-respect.

  • “When I was 25 I could just put up with a lot more, and now I’m just not gonna do that.”

• Both hosts reflect on self-discovery, therapy milestones, growing through past relationships, and creating boundaries in their 30s.

9. Dating, Crushes, and Self-Value

Timestamp: 44:54 – 48:56

• Mary Beth discusses not settling for “crumbs” in dating—no more minimum effort relationships.
  • Mary Beth (46:02): “I have such a full life in so many other ways. I can't be getting crumbs.”
• Humor about being in a “kissing era”: going out, getting tested, and the relief of meeting fans even at urgent care.
• Both reflect on hope, the real possibility of “not meeting someone”—tinged with acceptance and self-love.

10. Creativity & Art and the Pain vs. Inspiration Debate

Timestamp: 50:12 – 51:37

• Both talk about how creativity ebbs and flows—whether single or stable, in pain or happy.
• Mary Beth confesses her fear that she’s more creatively productive when love is messy:
  • “There's this fear—Katy Perry once said the biggest lie we've been told as artists is that we need to be in pain to create. Unfortunately, I feel like I might be...”
• Benny agrees but notes creative inspiration can come from any emotional place.

11. Meta Podcasting and Friendship

Timestamp: Throughout

• The hosts constantly reference their self-awareness: “I want to know if other podcasts are as self-referential as our podcast.” (27:11)
• Their deep friendship is at the heart—peppered with inside jokes, callback humor, and the sense that their lives are art in process.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "God's dead, by the way." – A running joke/bit acknowledging dark humor in the episode (01:19, 14:54, 57:04).
• “I'm starting a new movement...Dior bag socialism.” – Mary Beth on luxury and leftism (07:43).
• “I just want to challenge everyone to go into a museum and rip through it...Jog if you have to.” – Benito issuing an avant-garde museum challenge (31:49).
• “I have such a full life in so many other ways. I can't be getting crumbs.” – Mary Beth on not settling (46:02).
• "This is our big surrender episode." – Surrender as a thematic throughline (43:59).
• “There's easier ways to say you listen to Ride.” – The ultimate inside joke, used about celebrities picking up Ride references (37:11).
• "I'm wearing less and going out more." – Summing up their new era of fun.

Important Timestamps

• 04:00 – 06:39: Writers' room life & new projects.
• 07:43: The birth of “Dior bag socialism.”
• 12:00: CFDA Awards, Olsens, and New York magic
• 27:35: The “30-minute gallery” philosophy begins.
• 33:44: Mary Beth’s story about LACMA & sexual harassment.
• 41:11: “25-year-old mindset,” boundaries, and dating talk.
• 50:12: Creative process & pain/inspiration debate.

Final Vibe

Benny and Mary Beth’s warmth, honesty, infectious humor, and acute self-awareness make for an episode that’s both deeply relatable and aspirational. The heart of the episode: it’s okay to seek adventure at any age, on your own terms, and it’s okay to move quickly—through galleries or chapters of life—as long as you do it with intention, presence, and a sense of fun.