Is Gen-X The Greatest Music Generation? | 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 our extended playlist for this episode:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QpjqiOy6fXCSmWRhUUjGP?si=bd6b6a34bfea4e04
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-track-star-podcast-episode-21/pl.u-76oNPjBCvDjRDv0
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJwfZsOZW3kW4LeMeNQOHfzr6DoImRblx&si=dsGy2Ysp2g7FyRsm

This Episode’s Tracklist
08:25 Dreaming - Blondie
11:14 Free - Prince
14:13 Walk This Way - Run D.M.C. feat. Aerosmith
22:07 Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails
25:27 Lithium - Nirvana
28:38 Bad - U2
30:23 King's Lead Hat - Brian Eno
32:29 Age of Consent - New Order
33:29 Like a Prayer - Madonna
36:03 In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
38:06 You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast drop every Wednesday. Let us know what artist, theme, or unexpected guest you want us to explore next.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1d5i6AQX4dZaO4MDCbdhjR
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-track-star-podcast/id1836496108
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-track-star-podcast-294088650/
More platforms: https://play.megaphone.fm/f-rd86qotxojfhckdq6uaa

Track Star Team: Jack Coyne, Kieran Coyne, Henry Kornaros, Haley Sobel, Noah John, Alex Fabry, Sarah Mann, Ellie Aslanian, Ryan Dirgins, Lauren Kennedy