Ride with Benito Skinner & Mary Beth Barone

Episode: Letting Water Dry + Being Out of Pocket
Date: October 15, 2025

Theme Overview

This episode centers on two signature "rides" (enthusiasms) from hosts Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone:

• “Being Out of Pocket” – living, saying, and doing things that are bold, boundary-pushing, and unapologetic, particularly in the realm of pop culture and personal authenticity.
• “Letting Water Dry” – embracing low-stress living via small acts of chillness, like not cleaning up every water spill, and challenging "type A" tendencies.

Throughout, the hosts bring their trademark humor and honesty to personal stories, recent nights out, their dynamic within the entertainment industry, and hot takes on the current cultural moment.

Episode Structure & Key Discussion Points

1. Cultural Catch-Up and Banter (03:47 – 16:12)

• The hosts reminisce about recording in their regular studio, reflecting on recent personal and professional milestones.
• Benito and Mary Beth discuss their infamous “bad night out,” embracing “club wives” and the kinship of finding fans in nightlife spaces.
• Brief commentary on hangovers, sleep issues, and observations about New York social scene interactions.
• Benito waxes poetic about a Delta flight attendant named Spirit:
  • “I am always in my element and I love what I do…I just thought to myself, the world could use a little more of that energy.” (06:12)
• Both poke fun at Glenn Powell’s public persona and share lighthearted celebrity crushes.

2. Men, Money, and Odd Career Pivots (06:39 – 09:41)

• Mary Beth jokes about straight men “buying roofing companies” as the new “thing” when all the tech industries and apps are played out.
• There’s a humorous analysis of entrepreneurial pivots and the strange respectability of blue-collar business ownership among men.
  • “The more we have straight guys using their hands, the less they’ll kill women.” (07:47–07:52, MB)
• They veer briefly into “sinister” climate change opportunism in business.

3. Pop Culture, Authenticity, and Gossip (09:43 – 16:09)

• Mary Beth rails against boyfriends obsessively searching for the “perfect leather jacket.” She insists, “The next guy I date…he will have already acquired [the leather jacket].”
• Discussion about the fallacies of “introvert vs. extrovert”—instead suggesting it’s about the vibe specific people bring out.
• Introduction of quirky LA trends:
  • “Photo Booth Museum” becomes a metaphor for current, empty cultural moments:
    • “We used to have culture. We used to have frozen Obama and Pitch Perfect. Now what do we have?” (12:41)
• Sweet stories about Pinky, Mary Beth’s pet, and what it means to find someone who’s as excited to see them as their pet is.

4. The Ride Section: What We Ride For

A. Being Out of Pocket (21:50 – 29:34)

• Mary Beth introduces the concept:
  • “It’s kind of hard to describe. I think you’ll feel it and you’ll know it when you see it…You do something and it’s just…unapologetic.” (21:50–22:22)
• Out-of-pocket moments from pop culture and their own lives:
  • Ariana Grande dropping “The Boy Is Mine” amid drama.
  • Lorde: “Being friends with Taylor Swift is like being friends with someone with a terminal illness.”
  • Natalie Portman at the Golden Globes presenting “the all-male nominees.”
  • Rihanna’s classic Twitter replies: “Then don’t come.” (27:16)
  • Mary Beth’s candid emails to their own podcast network.
  • “Make art, make trouble. Be out of pocket.” (50:20–50:34, MB)
• They agree that PR training is killing fun and boldness in pop culture.
• “The death of out of pocket is PR training.” (23:45, Benito)
• Exchange around their own wildest/out-there moments, including on-air confessions.

B. Letting Water Dry (36:05 – 46:37)

• Benito frames the approach as “against type” but liberating:
  • “If I have offered you anything in my long career, it’s a platform to show your range.” (36:09, Benito)
• Mary Beth explains:
  • “There’s two types of people: people that are going to clean that up with paper towels…and then there’s people that are just going to let…water dry. I am the latter.” (38:14)
• The philosophy: If spilled water isn’t going to harm electronics or stain, let it evaporate naturally.
• Both discuss the de-stressing, anti-perfectionist power of letting small messes go, even if it feels “bad girl.”
• “It’s literally water’s whole thing—with the cigarette.” (39:05, MB)

5. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Out-of-Pocket

  • “I think being out of pocket…in a public forum… I have to respect it. And I’m appreciating it for the pop culture artistry that it is.” (22:54–23:02, Mary Beth)
  • “When Shailene Woodley said, ‘Well, then you should probably eat something,’ to that woman on the red carpet…” (24:12, MB)
  • “You didn’t have to tell anyone. Out of pocket.” – on Idris Elba turning down his own daughter for a film role (26:29, Benito)
  • “Jessica Simpson? Writing a memoir and naming names? Out of pocket.” (32:25, Benito)

• On Letting Water Dry

  • “If I spill water in my home, I think to myself, well, that’s going to dry anyway, so why would I clean it?” (38:35, MB)
  • “To rush to go get a paper towel when water spills. I just don’t understand it…Let science work that.” (39:17, MB)
  • “If you spill something on something, you just kind of go like this with a little washcloth and water, let that dry. Stain gone.” (49:02, Benito)

• On Each Other

  • “To know us is to adore us.” (48:53, Benito)
  • “To have me in your universe is a gift. That’s all I’m gonna say.” (48:37, MB)
  • “You got that. I would say, like, I know this much to be true.” (48:37, MB)

• Pop Culture Hot Takes & Observations

  • “No one’s calling each other hot anymore. No one’s sending flame emojis. No one’s asking for nudes, like, culturally. And I just think we need to get back that because, like, what are we all here for if not that?” (32:05, MB)

6. Notable Timestamps

• 06:12 – Delta flight attendant “Spirit” story: “I am always in my element…”
• 11:15 – Mary Beth rails against “introvert/extrovert” labels, favors situation-based energy.
• 12:41 – Lamenting the pop-cultural emptiness symbolized by the “Photo Booth Museum.”
• 21:50–29:34 – “Being Out of Pocket” segment, including definitions, pop culture examples, and personal moments.
• 36:05–46:37 – “Letting Water Dry” discussion: the freeing embrace of low-effort clean-up and anti-perfectionism.
• 47:26 – Reflecting on Mad Men’s philosophy of chill, low-drama responses to accidents.
• 50:20–50:34 – Mary Beth’s moral: “Make art, make trouble. Be out of pocket.”

7. Episode Vibe

Irreverent, witty, confessional, and ultra-current. The episode is sprinkled with in-jokes, personal anecdotes, and cultural references—creating a “hanging out with your most honest, pop-savvy friends” feel. The hosts encourage listeners to be braver, to let loose, and to mine meaning and joy from even the messiest, most out-of-pocket moments.

8. Listener Takeaways

• Be out of pocket: Take chances, say the thing, and spice up the culture (without getting yourself fired).
• Let water dry: Sometimes the most freeing and healthy response is to let go—especially for life’s little messes.
• Cherish “your people” like Pinky, or anyone who receives you with clear, honest enthusiasm.
• Bring back fun! (And flame emojis.)

9. Calls to Action & Community Moments

• The hosts invite listeners (the “Bronies”) to share their own “out of pocket” favorite moments—whether from famous people or their own lives.
• Mary Beth recommends keeping a list of crushes: top choice, reach, safety, and wild card.

10. Summary Statement

Beneath all the jokes and breezy banter, this episode is a paean to authenticity, letting go of controlling tendencies, and bringing sparkle back to both personal encounters and public life. Whether embracing messes (literal and figurative) or celebrating the bold and the brash, Benito and Mary Beth push their listeners to have fun, say what they mean, and never let the weird cultural moment dull their shine.

(For context on inside-jokes or particularly opaque references, see timestamps in transcript above. Commercials, intros, and outros have been omitted for clarity.)