

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

Mar 28, 2024 • 24min
The Last Dinner Party: Opening for The Rolling Stones, starting out as a live act and their viral hit Nothing Matters
The Last Dinner Party have had a huge year with a viral moment on TikTok, a number-one album, and winning both BBC Radio 1's Sound Of 2024 contest and the rising star award at the BRITs. Abigail Morris and Georgia Davies of the band join guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about their big year, the origins of the band and taking a non-traditional route into the industry.

Mar 27, 2024 • 23min
Zelda Williams: On grief, directing the camp comedy Lisa Frankenstein and embracing the unusual
Zelda Williams just made her directorial debut with the film Lisa Frankenstein. She joins Tom to talk about growing up on the movie sets of her father, the late comedian and actor Robin Williams, and what motivated her to start making her own movies.

Mar 27, 2024 • 18min
Clement Virgo: Adapting Brother, directing The Wire and maturing as a filmmaker
Canadian writer and director Clement Virgo has worked on some of the most critically acclaimed television shows of the 2000s — from The Wire and The Book of Negroes to Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. But his latest project, the film Brother, feels like his most personal yet. He sits down with Tom to talk about returning to his hometown to film a story of familial love and grief, and how art reflects back your own humanity.

Mar 26, 2024 • 31min
Regina King: Playing Shirley Chisholm, almost becoming a dentist, and the meaning of success
For three decades, Regina King (One Night in Miami, If Beale Street Could Talk) has captivated audiences on screen, cementing herself as a Hollywood legend. The Oscar and four-time Emmy-winning actor and director joins Tom to talk about some of her most iconic characters and why she wanted to take on her latest role as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, in the new Netflix biopic “Shirley.”

Mar 26, 2024 • 18min
Stephen Tayo: Shooting street style in Lagos and his photography philosophy
Stephen Tayo is a documentary and fashion photographer whose work celebrates the diversity, vibrancy and rich culture of West Africa — particularly his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria. Presenting in Toronto for the first time, Stephen’s work is now on display at the Harbourfront Centre. He joins Tom to talk about his journey to becoming an acclaimed photographer and bringing snapshots from Nigeria to audiences around the world.

Mar 25, 2024 • 22min
Kelvin Redvers: Making his thriller Cold Road, the future of Indigenous film, and getting kicked off the Cannes red carpet
Kelvin Redvers’ new thriller Cold Road is something to behold — it’s straightforward in concept yet audiences are experiencing heightened heart rates and gripping on to one another while watching. Cold Road follows an Indigenous woman in Canada’s North while traveling a lonely highway in hopes of reaching her very ill mother in time to see her before she dies. Throughout the drive, she is threatened by an unknown driver as he uses his large truck to terrorize her. Kelvin joins Tom to talk about his own serious car accident that helped inform the tone of the film, how growing up in the North West Territories inspired the story, and how he felt “devastated” after being kicked off the prestigious Cannes red carpet for wearing his moccasins.

4 snips
Mar 25, 2024 • 25min
Josh Homme: Queens of The Stone Age, Taylor Hawkins, and his debt to polka
Queens of the Stone Age’s latest album, “In Times New Roman,” is their most raw and personal record to date. It chronicles a series of struggles experienced by the band’s lead singer, Josh Homme, including his public divorce and custody battle, the loss of several close friends, and his surgery to remove cancer. He tells Tom how he reflects on his spirituality after facing so many hardships, how his first guitar teacher taught him polka, and why he wanted to play “Let's Dance” by David Bowie at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert.

Mar 22, 2024 • 31min
Nelly Furtado: Getting a record deal at 20, writing her biggest hits, and her big comeback
From monster pop hits to surprise folk albums, Canada’s own Nelly Furtado has always charted her own path in music, and done it on her own timeline. After a break from the spotlight, she’s now back in the studio and laying the groundwork for a new chapter in her career. She sits down with Tom to talk about her life over the last 25 years, how working on Maneater made the speakers catch fire, and how she feels about hosting this year's Juno awards.

Mar 22, 2024 • 21min
Alexandra Streliski: Fighting cynicism, hearing her music at the Oscars, and being transformed by burnout
Alexandra Streliski was working at an ad agency when the late director Jean-Marc Valle discovered her music and started using it in his work. That gave her the push she needed to quit her job and pursue music. Now, she’s nominated for album of the year at the Juno awards. Alexandra joins Tom to talk about the significance of this nomination, the surrealness of seeing Matthew McConaughey acting with her music in the background, and what it was like to receive so much praise for her album, Inscape.

Mar 21, 2024 • 33min
Carol Burnett: Climbing the Hollywood sign, getting her first laugh, and how having fun is still a priority at 90 years old
One of the most adored comedians of all time, Carol Burnett broke up the boys club that was network television with her freewheeling variety hour The Carol Burnett Show. More than half a century later, she’s still flexing her quick wit and comedic acting skills on shows like Better Call Saul and Palm Royale. In this special interview from Los Angeles, Carol Burnett sits down with Tom in the city she grew up in, and reminisces about the hard-won lessons and chance encounters that helped her become a star.