The Track Star Podcast

Two of the best-performing Track Star contestants of all time return to settle a big question: Is Gen X the greatest music generation ever? Writer, comedian, and self-described “man about town” Robert George and New York City SoulCycle instructor Sue Molnar join Jack for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up with radio, MTV, and a musical landscape that fractured into punk, new wave, hip-hop, industrial, and grunge all at once.

Through artists like Blondie, Prince, and Nirvana, the episode traces a shared musical world of radio countdowns (Casey Kasem and American Top 40), MTV premieres, and albums meant to be heard from front to back.

The conversation moves easily between personal memory and cultural history, returning to the idea that Gen X didn’t just inherit great music, but learned how to listen across styles and scenes at a moment when everything still lived together on the same dial, before music became fully on-demand.

Listen to this episode’s extended playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast drop every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

Justin Peck joins The Track Star Podcast to talk about how music turns into movement. From the stage at Lincoln Center, the New York City Ballet choreographer in residence explains why a ballet begins with a score, how melody guides the body, and how choreography is shaped by collaboration with real dancers.

Through a playlist curated by Jack, Peck reflects on the classical canon, including Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and the Balanchine tradition, and on his work on Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, where the camera became part of the dance itself. The episode also features FKA twigs on building the world of Eusexua, and a short history of the Rite of Spring premiere and its aftershocks.

Listen to our extended playlist for this episode: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro joins The Track Star Podcast for a conversation that uses music to get somewhere politics usually can’t.

Through a playlist curated by Jack, Shapiro reflects on how music has followed him from growing up in suburban Philadelphia to knocking 18,000 doors on his first campaign, and into the moments that have defined his time as governor. He talks about the changing identity of Pennsylvania cities, how Meek Mill’s probation case reshaped his view of the justice system, and why certain songs have stayed with him through the pressures of public life.

Along the way, he opens up about faith, bipartisanship, and the emotional side of being a parent, offering advice to a very nervous first-time dad just days before delivery.

Listen to this episode’s extended playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

More Track Star content:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@track-star-show

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trackstarshow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trackstarshow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trackstarshow/

Lucinda Williams joins The Track Star Podcast for a conversation about the music that shaped her, from Highway 61 and Delta blues to Muscle Shoals soul and Brill Building pop.

Through voices like Bob Dylan, Howlin’ Wolf, and Aretha Franklin, Lucinda reflects on discovering songwriting as a teenager, the artists that taught her what honesty sounds like, and how instinct and feeling have guided her own records. She also reacts to hearing a cover of her song “Greenville” for the first time, and reflects on how songs travel from one voice to another.

Listen to our extended playlist for this episode: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday!

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

More Track Star* content:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@track-star-show

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trackstarshow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trackstarshow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trackstarshow/

Tom Freston, one of the founding executives behind MTV, joins The Track Star Podcast to talk through how the channel was built and what it became. Through a chronological run of songs and moments, he traces MTV’s evolution from a small startup into a platform that transformed how music was presented and discovered.

Along the way, he explains why Live Aid marked a turning point for the network, how Michael Jackson helped turn music video premieres into shared cultural events, and how MTV brought hip-hop into middle American living rooms. He also breaks down the move from nonstop videos into the VMAs, Unplugged, Yo! MTV Raps, Total Request Live, and reality television, and reflects on how Comedy Central grew out of the same creative environment.

Listen to our extended MTV playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday!

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

More Track Star* content:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@track-star-show

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trackstarshow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trackstarshow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trackstarshow/