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]

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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]

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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]

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The Track Star Podcast continues our CBGB series with hardcore historian Steven Blush, tracing how the club transformed in the early 1980s from punk’s downtown art scene into the chaotic, all-ages world of New York hardcore. Blush breaks down the rise of the matinees, the birth of slam dancing and stage-diving, and the anti-fashion ethos that defined the scene, while connecting CBGB’s hardcore explosion to the wider national movement beyond Manhattan.

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

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday!

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

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Iconic photographer Roberta Bayley breaks down how the CBGB scene formed in the mid-1970s, before anyone agreed on the word “punk,” and the room was still mostly bands, friends, and a $2 cover.

Through songs by the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith, Blondie, and more, Bayley walks through the early CBGB ecosystem: what the club felt like night to night, how Punk magazine helped give the scene a name most of the artists didn’t even want, and how that label quickly spread beyond New York. She also tells the story behind her iconic Ramones photo becoming their debut album cover, shares road stories from the Sex Pistols’ chaotic U.S. tour, and reflects on documenting Blondie during their mainstream breakthrough.

Along the way, Bayley traces her path to New York: seeing the Beatles as a teenage superfan, coming of age in the San Francisco counterculture rock scene, living in London during the years leading up to punk, and arriving in New York just as CBGB became the center of a new musical underground.

Special thanks to Punk magazine and Ki Smith Gallery for hosting this interview. Ki Smith Gallery (170 Forsyth) is currently presenting a special Punk magazine exhibit featuring several of Roberta’s iconic photos, on view through January 18.

https://www.instagram.com/kismithgallery/?hl=en

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]

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Actor and director Ethan Hawke joins The Track Star Podcast for a conversation centered on Americana, outlaw country, and songwriting.

Through songs by Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Blaze Foley, and others, Hawke connects music to places he’s lived, films he’s made, and relationships from different stages of his life.

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

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast drop every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

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Maya Rudolph joins The Track Star Podcast to talk through the music that shaped her, from classic pop and soul to rock, funk, and film soundtracks.

Through songs tied to childhood memories, Boogie Nights, and her years at Saturday Night Live, Maya reflects on discovering artists through family, the emotional pull of live performance, and how music marks moments across a life.

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]

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Billy Corgan joins The Track Star Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the music that shaped him, from classic rock and post-punk to jazz and country.

Across artists like David Bowie, Joy Division, and Howlin’ Wolf, Corgan reflects on influence, longevity, and the tension between art and commerce. He also talks about wrestling, rock mythology, the role of fandom, and why certain bands endure long after trends and critical opinion move on.

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]

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Lily Allen joins The Track Star Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the music that shaped her and the instincts that guide her songwriting.

Across British punk, ska, and pop, Lily reflects on the Blur vs. Oasis divide, the influence of The Clash and The Specials, working with Mark Ronson, and her admiration for writers like Randy Newman. She also talks about making her new album, how quickly it came together, and what it’s been like to see earlier music re-enter the charts as she enters a new creative chapter.

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]

More Track Star* content:

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