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
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Feb 3, 2025 • 23min
Gavin Rossdale: Bush’s early days & what he thinks when he hears Glycerine
For a time in the ‘90s, there was no band on earth bigger than Bush. Their debut album, “Sixteen Stone,” had singles that were in heavy rotation on MuchMusic, MTV and every rock radio station. That record also turned singer Gavin Rossdale into a star. Ahead of Bush’s cross-Canada tour this spring, Gavin joins Tom Power to look back on the band’s early days, what it was like breaking out of Britain when they didn’t sound like the Britpop bands of the time, and what goes through his mind when he hears “Glycerine.”
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Feb 3, 2025 • 22min
Mikey Madison: Anora and her strikingly nuanced portrayal of sex work
Mikey Madison is up for an Oscar for her role in Sean Baker’s Palme d'Or-winning film “Anora.” The story follows a sex worker from Brooklyn who meets and marries the son of a Russian oligarch. But their fairytale romance is threatened after news of their shotgun wedding reaches his parents in Russia. A few months ago, Mikey sat down with Tom Power to talk about her deep research and preparation for the role, why she feels protective of her character, and how the film changed her life.
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Jan 31, 2025 • 25min
Amrit Kaur: How acting exacerbated her insecurities — until a teacher set her straight
The Canadian actor Amrit Kaur is one of the breakout stars of Mindy Kaling’s HBO Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” She joins Tom Power to talk about getting into acting for all the wrong reasons, being inspired by her character Bela, and how acting eventually helped her overcome her self-loathing.
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Jan 31, 2025 • 15min
Quick Q: Sechile Sedare on forming their brother-sister musical duo
When you were growing up, did you get along with your sibling? Did your parents want you to get along better than you did? When Leela and Jay Gilday were growing up in Northwest Territories, their dad wanted them to sing together more, but it wasn’t until decades later that they did. Leela and Jay both have distinguished music careers on their own, but more recently, they’ve come together as the contemporary roots duo Sechile Sedare (“my younger brother, my older sister” in Dene). They join Tom Power to talk about their collaboration. Plus, they set up their new single, “Hold On.”
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Jan 30, 2025 • 25min
Sook-Yin Lee: Why she adapted her ex’s memoir about paying for sex
In Sook-Yin Lee’s new film, “Paying For It,” a couple whose romantic attraction is waning decide to open up their relationship. While Sonny explores dating, her introverted boyfriend, Chester, opts to hire sex workers. The story is based on Sook-Yin’s real-life former relationship with Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown, who released a bestselling graphic memoir of the same name in 2011. It reflects on intimacy, connection, the rights of sex workers, the boundaries we put around relationships, and Toronto in the ‘90s. Sook-Yin joins Tom Power to talk about the movie and what she learned in the process of making it. Plus, she discusses her early work as a MuchMusic VJ, and how she struggled to deal with the slow cultural shift from alternative music to boy bands.
Jan 30, 2025 • 24min
Denis Villeneuve: His vision for Dune 2 and how the film reflects real-world issues
Denis Villeneuve’s massive sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” is up for best picture at the Oscars this year. Last year, around the film’s Canadian premiere, the Quebecois filmmaker joined Tom Power to discuss his vision for the second installment, the challenges of shooting in the intense heat of the desert, and how politics and religion in Quebec play into the film more than you might think.
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Jan 29, 2025 • 24min
Fernanda Torres: Why the film I’m Still Here still resonates today
The Brazilian film “I’m Still Here” looks at one of the darkest chapters in Brazil’s modern history. It tells the true story of Eunice Paiva, whose husband was apprehended, tortured and executed by the military in 1971. The film’s star, Brazilian actor Fernanda Torres, is nominated for best actor at the Oscars for her performance. She joins Tom Power to talk about the responsibility of telling a real person’s story, and how she hopes the film will correct false narratives about Brazil’s past military dictatorship.
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Jan 29, 2025 • 19min
Jaylene Tyme: Raising awareness of the Sixties Scoop on Canada's Drag Race
Jaylene Tyme is a Vancouver drag legend, a community leader, and a proud two-spirit Indigenous trans woman. She recently competed on Season 5 of “Canada’s Drag Race,” where she not only won the title of Miss Congeniality, but also used her platform to send powerful messages about truth and reconciliation, missing and murdered Indigenous women, and her experience as a survivor of the Sixties Scoop. Jaylene joins Tom Power to talk about fusing her art with advocacy, and how it led to a worldwide viral moment.
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Jan 28, 2025 • 25min
Sugar Sammy: Why he says it’s a comedian’s job to cross the line
The Montreal comedian Sugar Sammy refers to himself as an “equal opportunity offender.” As a comic, he says the only thing worse than outrage is silence. Ahead of his 20-city Canadian tour, Sammy sits down with Tom Power to tell us what’s on his mind, why our changing world is a goldmine for new material, and how offensive jokes can actually unify us. Plus, he reveals the four components he believes define a successful stand-up comedian.
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Jan 28, 2025 • 23min
Lita Fontaine: Celebrating Indigenous women with her new art exhibit
Lita Fontaine is a Winnipeg-based artist who has a new exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq. It’s called “Winyan” (the Dakota word for “woman”) and it celebrates the role and influence of Indigenous women in their families, communities and cultures. Lita joins Tom Power to talk about her life and work, why the walls of her new exhibit are painted pink, and why she wanted to celebrate femininity, resistance and resilience with this collection.
