Q with Tom Power
CBC
Five days a week, Tom Power brings you candid conversations with the artists shaping our culture. Whether he’s chatting with A-listers or rising stars, his disarming warmth and meticulous research always gets below the surface, bringing us deeper into the art and lives of today's most compelling musicians, writers, actors and filmmakers.As a Canadian institution, Q has attracted the biggest names in the world. But it's never been about the fame. It's always been about the art.Since becoming the host of Q in October 2016, listeners have come to know Tom for his in-depth interviewing style (asking founding Wu-Tang Clan member RZA what was inside his teenage notebooks), his mischievous sense of humour (jokingly chiding actor Catherine O'Hara for her parenting skills in Home Alone), and his genuine enthusiasm and fearlessness (singing a duet with Mavis Staples).You’re just as likely to hear from celebrities and cultural icons as you are to hear from emerging artists at the beginning of their career. Tom gives each and every artist the space to tell their story in their own words. He also has a track record for interviewing artists on the precipice of stardom, like Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Daniel Caesar, who appeared on Q well before they hit the mainstream.On Q, we cover arts and culture in all its forms, including music, movies, film, TV, comedy, painting, photography, theatre, cinema, Broadway, fashion, dance, opera, documentaries, books, fiction and memoirs.Look to our archives to hear some of Tom’s award-winning artist interviews, including his moving and insightful conversation with the Canadian actor Michael J. Fox, which was awarded the prestigious gold medal for best interview at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards.In 2022, Tom spoke with Friends star Matthew Perry in front of a live audience. Their warm and frank conversation about the actor's struggles with substance abuse struck a chord, leading to millions views on TikTok and Instagram, while also being picked up by news outlets internationally, including Vanity Fair and CNN.Tom’s impactful discussions with top talent have included Adele, Bono, Chappell Roan, Pamela Anderson, Cate Blanchett, Dua Lipa, Cher, Denzel Washington, Mick Jagger, Florence Pugh, Francis Ford Coppola, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone, Jim Carrey, Billy Porter, Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Alan Moore, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Darren Aronofsky, Harry Styles, Simu Liu, Sean Penn, Sandra Bullock, Michaela Coel, Ryan Reynolds, Katy Perry, Neil Young, Shakira, George Clooney, Ava DuVernay, Omar Apollo, Trixie Mattel, Orville Peck, Big Sean, Anil Kapoor, Jane Fonda, Robert DeNiro, Antonio Banderas, Elton John, Celine Dion, Kerry Washington, Chuck D, Steven Soderbergh, Mikey Madison, Cillian Murphy, Sean Baker, Steve McQueen, Paris Hilton, Taylor Tomlinson, Gwen Stefani, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kylie Minogue, Stanley Tucci, Rufus Wainwright, Caroline Polachek, Hans Zimmer, Denis Villeneuve, Alex Garland, Alan Ritchson, Britt Lower, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, David Blaine, Brian Tyree Henry, Perfume Genius, Deepa Mehta, Tracy Chapman, Chloë Sevigny, Josh Hartnett and many more.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 30, 2025 • 25min
These choreographers are making the invisible visible through dance
Or Schraiber and Bobbi Jene Smith are two of the most important names in contemporary dance. They’re also a married couple. Or and Bobbi join Tom Power to tell us how their creative and personal partnership began while they were dancers at the Batsheva Dance Company, how the Gaga dance style influences their work, and their Canadian debut at the National Ballet of Canada, “Procession.”Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 29, 2025 • 22min
Colin Farrell plays a desperate gambler in his new movie
In his new movie, “Ballad of a Small Player,” Colin Farrell (The Penguin, The Banshees of Inisherin, In Bruges) plays a gambling addict who’s not averse to going all in. The role comes on the heels of his award-winning part in “The Penguin” on HBO, and his Golden Globe-winning performance in the 2023 film “The Banshees of Inisherin.” In this interview with Tom Power, Colin talks about continuing his winning streak by ironically playing a guy who keeps losing.Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 29, 2025 • 26min
How three Toronto filmmakers made the scariest movie of 2025
Horror master Eli Roth has called the new Canadian-made found footage film “Dream Eater” one of the scariest he’s ever seen. Directed by Toronto’s Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm and Alex Lee, the story follows a filmmaker who decides to document her boyfriend's violent parasomnia during their remote cabin holiday. “Dream Eater” has now hit theatres across Canada. Jay, Mallory and Alex sit down with Tom Power to talk about the incredible journey of their film.Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 28, 2025 • 48min
Judd Apatow takes comedy seriously
Writer, producer and director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People) is truly a comedy legend. He’s behind some of the most successful TV and film comedies of the last couple decades, and he helped discover the likes of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Lena Dunham. Not only that, he changed comedy forever by proving that awkwardness and insecurity could gross $100 million. But at the end of the day, Judd is really just a big nerd. Specifically, a big “Comedy Nerd,” which is the title of his new memoir. Judd sits down with Tom Power to talk about his lifelong obsession with comedy, the stand-up set he saw that changed his life, how he had to watch his former roommate Adam Sandler become famous before he did, the importance of a great mentor (in his case, the comedian Garry Shandling), and what he means when he says his early projects were “cool enough to fail.”Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 27, 2025 • 26min
Why Renée Fleming had her brain scanned while she imagined singing
It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine, but there’s an ever growing case that it might in fact be music. Over the last decade, Renée Fleming, the multi-Grammy-winning soprano, has been involved in spreading awareness about the health benefits of music. Last year, she edited a book titled “Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness.” Renée joins Tom Power to talk about the effect of music on our wellbeing, and how her own stage fright and somatic pain led to her interest in the issue. Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 27, 2025 • 23min
50 years of Rocky Horror with Patricia Quinn
She’s ready to do the time warp again! Fifty years ago, Patricia Quinn played the maid Magenta in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” She joins Tom Power to reflect on five decades of the cult classic movie, its humble beginnings as a small stage musical, and the moment she realized it had become a cultural phenomenon.Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 24, 2025 • 26min
Christian McBride almost reunited The Police
Christian McBride is a nine-time Grammy-winning bassist and composer who’s known for his prolific career across jazz and other genres. His new big band album, “Without Further Ado, Vol 1.,” nearly reunited the beloved U.K. rock band The Police. Christian joins Tom Power to share that story and more, including his time going to high school with The Roots and playing with Miles Davis as a teenager. Plus, ahead of an appearance at the Oscar Peterson centenary celebration in Toronto, Christian talks a little bit about why the Canadian pianist was so important to him.Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 24, 2025 • 26min
Skye Sweetnam’s journey from teen pop star to hard rock frontwoman
As a teenager, Canadian singer Skye Sweetnam was on track to be a major pop star. She opened for Britney Spears before she'd even put out a record. But when people stopped buying music and started downloading MP3s her dream fell apart. Skye joins Tom Power to tell us how she picked up the pieces and built something better as the frontwoman of the hard rock band Sumo Cyco, which has just released a new album, “Neon Void.”Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 23, 2025 • 40min
Steve Martin and Alison Brown on their love of the banjo
You might know Steve Martin as a comedy legend, but he’s also a serious musician. If you know his early comedy albums, like “A Wild and Crazy Guy,” you might even be familiar with his banjo playing. In recent years, he’s gotten a lot more serious about the banjo, joining bluegrass bands and releasing music. Now, he’s teamed up with Alison Brown — one of the best banjo players alive — on a new album, “Safe, Sensible And Sane.” Steve and Alison join Tom Power to talk about the record, how they both found their way back to the banjo and what makes their musical collaboration so special.Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
Oct 22, 2025 • 45min
Superstar producer Greg Wells on his hitmaking career
Greg Wells is a Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and mix engineer who was recently made a Member of the Order of Canada. He sits down with Tom Power to talk about his early days playing in k.d. lang’s band, producing and writing hits for artists like Adele, John Legend, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, and Taylor Swift, and why he’s spent the last few years converting an old church in rural Newfoundland into a community music hub.Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!
