

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 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.

Mar 20, 2024 • 26min
Évelyne Brochu: French Girl, what she learned from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and working with Denis Villeneuve
Évelyne Brochu is a French-Canadian actor who has starred in films and television shows both in and out of her home province of Quebec. Her new film “French Girl” is a romantic comedy that features both Hollywood and Quebecois film stars. Évelyne tells Tom why she sees the film as a love letter to Quebec, what it was like being a fan of, to working alongside Zach Braff, and how The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air helped her learn English.

Mar 20, 2024 • 24min
Emma Portner: How her latest choreography in Islands is subverting ballet gender norms
Celebrated dancer and choreographer Emma Portner is gearing up for the North American premiere of her latest work, “Islands,” where she subverts gender expectations: the ballet performance features two women jumping, partnering, and lifting one other. Emma tells Tom about her “backwards” dance career, the limitations of a tutu, and what makes her passionate about evolving the art of ballet.

Mar 19, 2024 • 22min
Justine Triet: Anatomy of a Fall, a marriage on trial, and the future of French cinema
Acclaimed French director Justine Triet joins Tom to discuss her latest film, “Anatomy of a Fall,” which just won an Oscar for best original screenplay. Set against the backdrop of a courtroom, the film puts the intimate details of a marriage on trial when a woman is charged with the murder of her husband after he falls to his death in their home.

Mar 19, 2024 • 17min
Fawzia Mirza: The Queen of My Dreams, Bollywood, and why loving herself makes her a better filmmaker
Fawzia Mirza is lawyer turned filmmaker who pulls a lot of inspiration from her experiences as a queer, Pakistani Muslim who grew up in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Fawzia tells guest host Talia Schlanger how growing up watching Bollywood films inspired her debut feature film, “The Queen of My Dreams.”

Mar 18, 2024 • 52min
How Es Devlin creates concert spectacles on stage + DJ Karaba on how giving up on one dream can open the door to another
When Es Devlin was growing up and going to concerts, and looked at the stage, she saw an opportunity for improvement. It’s that very aspiration to make concerts look better that’s lef her to a groundbreaking career in set design, working with the likes of Adele, Beyoncé, and The Rolling Stones. Ed joins Tom to talk about the music that inspired her artistic direction, how experiencing art is multi-sensory, and what it was like designing the set for the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show. Plus, DJ Karaba walked away from her lifelong dream at the height of her success —she was a backup dancer for artists like Drake, Selena Gomez, and Camilla Cabello. Now, DJ Karaba is pursuing a new dream, making music of her own. DJ Karaba tells Tom about her new Juno nominated song Mad Mess, how her experience as a dancer helps her create dance music, and how she found the courage to start anew in her creative career.

Mar 15, 2024 • 18min
Michael Keaton: Knox Goes Away, getting Al Pacino to star in his film, and what Mister Rogers was really like
From Batman to Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton has played iconic roles for four decades. He talks to Tom about directing his new film, “Knox Goes Away,” what he’s learned from working with directors Tim Burton and Steven Soderbergh, and what it was like working on Mister Rogers Neighborhood early in his career.

Mar 15, 2024 • 23min
Cody Lightning: From being a child actor in Smoke Signals to making a spinoff mockumentary about it
25 years after playing “little Victor” in the cult classic 1998 film Smoke Signals, Cody Lightning is all grown up and back with his mockumentary, “Hey Viktor!” which follows a fictionalized version of himself trying to make Smoke Signals 2. Cody joins Tom from Edmonton, Alberta where the movie was shot to talk about making gritty Indigenous comedy, how his idea for the film began as a joke, and how he looks back on growing up as a child actor.

Mar 14, 2024 • 30min
Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan: Merry and Pippin, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and their decades-long friendship
Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan are a creative duo like few others. Their bond formed on the set of “The Lord of the Rings” as two Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, whose on-screen chemistry closely mirrored their real-life friendship. Now, Billy and Dominic are playing another iconic duo in a new production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” They drop by to chat with Tom about the play and their decades-long friendship.