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
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 12, 2024 • 33min
The Tragically Hip: A new doc gives an inside look at the band’s rise to fame
The Tragically Hip have been called the most Canadian band in the world. Now, a new four-part documentary series called “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal” gives the most extensive look into the band ever put on screen. It’s directed by filmmaker Mike Downie, who’s the older brother of The Hip’s late frontman, Gord Downie. The series kicked off the Toronto International Film Festival in advance of its Prime Video debut next week. Mike along with band members Johnny Fay and Gord Sinclair sit down with Tom to talk about it.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 12, 2024 • 17min
Quick Q: Caity Gyorgy breaks down her approach to scatting
Caity Gyorgy is a Juno-winning jazz singer who’s originally from Calgary. Earlier this month, she released a new album, titled “Hello! How Are You?” Caity joins Tom in the Q studio to talk about the record and her love of scatting, plus, she sets up a song for us.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 11, 2024 • 38min
Oliver Jones: A Canadian jazz legend turns 90
The Canadian jazz pianist Oliver Jones turns 90 today. Tom visits Oliver at his home in Montreal to talk about his legacy in Canadian music, his relationship with his hero and role model Oscar Peterson, the time he played for Nelson Mandela, and what the secret is to continuing to play music in your 90s.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 11, 2024 • 15min
Quick Q: Enuka Okuma on her film Out Come the Wolves
In the new film “Out Come the Wolves,” all of our greatest fears about being stranded — and hunted — in the wilderness come to life. The Canadian writer, director and actor Enuka Okuma wrote the screenplay. She joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about tapping into fear to create this movie.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 10, 2024 • 25min
Yann Martel: Life of Pi and the case for being a bit less reasonable
Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel “Life of Pi” has been adapted into a Tony award-winning play that’s on stage now in Toronto. The bestselling Canadian author joins Tom to reflect on how the story came to be, his discovery about art and religion that brought him “back to life,” and why he wants to push you to be a bit less reasonable.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 10, 2024 • 22min
MJ Lenderman: Blending humour and sadness on his new album
Since releasing his critically acclaimed album “Boat Songs” in 2022, the singer-songwriter MJ Lenderman, also known as Jake Lenderman, has been getting a lot of attention. Now, he’s back with his much-anticipated fourth solo album, “Manning Fireworks.” MJ joins Tom to talk about the record and what it’s like to deal with the heightened expectations that come with success.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 9, 2024 • 25min
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. Paula sits 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.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 9, 2024 • 26min
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 who people thought a country artist should be. Now, k.d. is being inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. She sits down with 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.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 6, 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. Now, 36 years after the original “Beetlejuice,” the film’s long-awaited sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” has finally hit theatres. Tim joins 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.
%3BResize%3D(3000).jpg&w=360&h=360&output=jpg)
Sep 6, 2024 • 20min
Catherine O'Hara: Moira Rose and Delia Deetz walk into a room…
Thirty-six years ago, Catherine O'Hara stepped onto a movie set and fell in love with a production designer who would later become her future husband. The movie was a dark fantasy comedy called “Beetlejuice,” directed by a then-fledgling filmmaker named Tim Burton. After the film’s release, both she and Burton became household names. Now, a sequel called “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has just hit theatres. Catherine joins guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on how the original film changed her life, what it was like reprising her role as the eccentric Delia Deetz in the new sequel, and the similarities between Delia and her iconic “Schitt's Creek” character Moira Rose.
