The Track Star Podcast

LeBron James is one of the defining figures in modern sport, with a career that has shaped not just basketball but music, fashion, business, and popular culture more broadly. Across more than twenty years at the top, he’s become as recognizable for his longevity and influence off the court as for everything he’s achieved on it. On this episode of Track Star, LeBron talks through the songs that shaped his world - from Jay-Z, Nelly, Dr. Dre, and Nas to Whitney Houston and Outkast. He shares stories about being referenced in rap lyrics, appearing in a Tyler, The Creator video, helping bring Beats into locker rooms in its earliest days, and why music has always been part of his everyday life. We also get into family music taste, draft-day fashion, the soundtrack of his high school years, and the one song he instantly adds to his playlist after being stumped. Can he guess them all? Let’s find out.

Tim Riley, rock historian and journalism professor, explores artists who rival the Beatles. He contrasts the Stones' live grit with the Beatles' studio craft. He highlights Bob Dylan's lyrical force, Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds influence, Miles Davis and jazz, soul covers that reframe Beatles songs, Dolly Parton’s songwriting depth, and Led Zeppelin’s power versus substance.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer joins The Track Star Podcast for a conversation that moves from Motown to modern Detroit, using music as a way into the state she represents. Through artists like Madonna, Aretha Franklin, and Eminem, Whitmer reflects on growing up in Michigan, the state’s deep musical lineage, and how Detroit became a global center for sound, from the Motown assembly line to rock and hip-hop. The conversation also opens up into something broader: how listening shapes leadership, why asking questions matters more than having answers, and how the small, often invisible systems of everyday life, from roads to water to schools, shape whether people have the space to create at all. 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]

Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann joins The Track Star Podcast to talk about Elvis Presley and what made his music and live performances so powerful. Using songs from the new concert film Elvis: The King in Concert, Baz and Jack explore what made Elvis a singular entertainer, from the raw power of “Polk Salad Annie” to the emotional weight of songs like “In the Ghetto.”  The conversation traces Elvis’s upbringing in the American South, the unlikely path that led him from Hollywood movie star to Las Vegas showman, and why the physicality of his performances, his voice, his body, and his connection to the band and the audience still feels unmatched. Along the way, Baz explains how lost archival footage, recovered audio recordings, and modern restoration techniques helped bring Elvis’s performances back to life. 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]

Academy Award–winning filmmaker Morgan Neville joins The Track Star Podcast for a deep dive into Paul McCartney’s most misunderstood era: the decade after the Beatles’ breakup. Centered around McCartney, Ram, and the rise of Wings, the conversation traces how Paul rebuilt his identity after the collapse of the biggest band in history, examining the backlash he faced in the early ’70s, Linda’s role in shaping the sound of Wings, and why albums once dismissed by critics are now seen as some of his most inventive work. Neville also reflects on the making of his documentary Man on the Run, what it was like conducting intimate audio-only interviews with Paul, and how archival footage and handmade animation helped reframe a period long overshadowed by Beatlemania. 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]

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, Resident choreographer at New York City Ballet and Tony Award winner, talks about how music becomes movement. He discusses starting ballets from scores, deep listening and playlists, collaborating with dancers and composers, and adapting choreography for film versus stage. The conversation touches on Tchaikovsky, Rite of Spring, Philip Glass, and his work on Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania and former state attorney general, shares how music threaded through his suburban upbringing, campaigns, and public life. He recalls knocking 18,000 doors, Meek Mill’s case shaping his views on probation, reflections on Pittsburgh and Philadelphia’s music scenes, parenting memories tied to songs, and how faith and listening guide his approach to service.

Lucinda Williams, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for blending country, rock, blues and folk, chats about the music that shaped her. She recounts discovering Dylan and Delta blues, reacts to a cover of Greenville, and explores Muscle Shoals soul, Brill Building pop, and the instincts behind her songwriting.

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/