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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Dec 30, 2024 • 33min
Victor Garber: Why there’s still one thing left on his acting bucket list
The Canadian actor Victor Garber (Titanic, Legally Blonde, Alias) has enjoyed an incredible career on stage and screen. Back in October, he was honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the Forest City Film Festival — but he says there’s still at least one more thing he wants to accomplish. Victor sat down with Tom Power for a career-spanning chat about his time in the successful sunshine pop group The Sugar Shoppe, his starring role as Jesus Christ in the legendary Canadian production of “Godspell,” his iconic supporting role in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” and why he hopes his big film break is yet to come.
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Dec 30, 2024 • 19min
Maisy Stella: My Old Ass and giving advice to your younger self
The Canadian actor and singer Maisy Stella stars alongside Aubrey Plaza in “My Old Ass.” It’s a new coming-of-age movie about a teenager named Elliott who comes face-to-face with her 39-year-old self during a mushroom trip on her 18th birthday. Maisy joined guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about her big-screen debut, what it’s like playing someone going through a major transition, and how she manifested her role in this movie.
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Dec 27, 2024 • 26min
Jovanni Sy: Revisiting Arthur Miller’s Chinese staging of Death of a Salesman
In 1983, in the midst of the Cold War, Arthur Miller went to China to direct a Mandarin version of his famous play “Death of a Salesman.” Despite some hurdles, the production ended up being a touchstone moment in Chinese-American cultural relations. Now, a new play called "Salesman in China" tells the story of the American playwright's incredibly high-stakes collaboration with the Chinese artist Ying Ruocheng. This past summer, Jovanni Sy, the director and co-writer of "Salesman in China," joined guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us more.
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Dec 27, 2024 • 24min
Paula Abdul: Music video history, Janet Jackson & American Idol
In the late ‘80s, Paula Abdul helped define what a pop star could be, from dance to music to performance. If you were watching music videos at that time, you would have seen her on your screen. If you weren’t around for that, you may remember her as one of the original judges on “American Idol” from 2002 to 2009. Back in September, Paula sat down with guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on how she was discovered by the Jackson family, what it was like choreographing for some of the biggest superstars in the world while she was still a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, and her philosophy as a mentor.
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Dec 26, 2024 • 23min
Cillian Murphy: Small Things Like These and his life post-Oscar win
What’s our individual responsibility when we see atrocities happening in our world? That question is the central premise of the film “Small Things Like These,” which sheds light on Ireland’s infamous Magdalene laundries. Set in a small Irish town in 1985, the film stars Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five girls who discovers that the local convent in his community is forcing the young women in their care to live under inhumane conditions. We revisit Cillian’s conversation with Tom Power about the film, why he didn't want to portray his character as a hero, and what life has been like for him after winning an Oscar for “Oppenheimer” earlier this year.
Dec 26, 2024 • 22min
Hangama Amiri: Using textiles to stitch together her memories of home
The textile artist Hangama Amiri is known around the world for making masterpieces out of fabric. A lot of that fabric is from a home she was forced to leave. Hangama was seven years old when the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996. Years later, after fleeing Afghanistan and settling in Canada with her family, she started stitching together her memories of home. We revisit Hangama’s conversation with Tom Power about her work, the Afghan store where she buys her materials, and what home means to her these days.
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Dec 25, 2024 • 32min
k-os: The 20th anniversary of his iconic album Joyful Rebellion
The Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter and producer k-os is kind of like the Forrest Gump of popular music — he’s been everywhere. Earlier this year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his smash hit album “Joyful Rebellion,” k-os sat down with Tom Power to share some wild stories from his life and career, like the time he hung out with Prince.
Dec 25, 2024 • 21min
Brenda Lee: The story behind her smash hit Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Last year, Brenda Lee’s iconic holiday song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” turned 65. We revisit Tom Power’s conversation with Brenda about the song, how she was just 13 when she recorded it, and how the movie “Home Alone” changed its popularity.
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Dec 24, 2024 • 21min
Tim Burton: Making Beetlejuice’s long-awaited sequel
As a visionary director and self-professed loner, Tim Burton has spent decades channelling the angst and loneliness he felt as a child into hit movies like “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” But it was his outlandish 1988 movie “Beetlejuice” that set his career into motion and proved to Hollywood that being weird was an asset, not a problem. This year, 36 years after the original “Beetlejuice,” the film’s long-awaited sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” has finally hit theatres. Tim joined guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss the new movie, how it helped him rediscover his love of filmmaking after a creative slump, and his on-again, off-again relationship with Disney.
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Dec 24, 2024 • 25min
k.d. lang: How she broke the mold of country music
Though she’s been called Canada’s original cowboy punk, k.d. lang has had a long and complex relationship with country music. When she got her start as a singer in Edmonton, she didn’t fit the mold of what people thought a country artist should be. Earlier this year, k.d. was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. She joined guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on her history with the genre, from her early days channelling Patsy Cline to her thoughts on country music today.
