Q with Tom Power - podcast cover

Q with Tom Power

Five days a week, Tom Power brings you candid conversations with some of the most exciting artists of our time. The conversation is informal, playful and allows musicians, writers, actors and filmmakers to explore their art and the contexts that have shaped them throughout their career.


Whether he’s ribbing Adele, singing a boy band classic with Simu Liu, or dissecting faith with U2 frontman Bono, Tom brings the same curiosity, respect and meticulous preparation into every conversation. 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.


Q covers arts and culture in all its forms, including music, movies, film, cinema, TV, comedy, painting, photography, theatre, Broadway, fashion, dance, opera, documentaries, books, fiction, memoirs and so much more. Tom gives each and every artist the space to tell their story in their own words. 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.


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).


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 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, 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 and Hans Zimmer.

Episodes

Tom Rooney: The esteemed Canadian actor on what it takes to play a dog

Tom Rooney is one of Canada’s most beloved stage actors. Over the last three decades, he’s taken on some of theatre’s most memorable roles, from Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet” to Henry Higgins in “My Fair Lady.” But Tom has also played a big part in contemporary Canadian theatre, which is where we find him now. Currently, he’s playing Majnoun in Mirvish’s remount of “Fifteen Dogs,” based on the Giller Prize-winning book of the same name by André Alexis. The story follows a group of dogs who are giv...

Feb 05, 202525 min

Terry O’Reilly: How he became Canada’s king of advertising

The CBC radio show and podcast “Under the Influence” just launched its 20th season. Show host and creator Terry O'Reilly joins Tom Power for a career chat about his early days as an ad man, his experience working with some of the biggest brands and celebrities of our time, and how he pitched a show about advertising to a network with no advertising.

Feb 05, 202529 min

Ins Choi: The Kim’s Convenience creator on his unlikely life in the arts

The Canadian actor and playwright Ins Choi is best known as the creator of “Kim’s Convenience,” which started as a play in 2011 before it became a hit sitcom in 2016. This month, “Kim’s Convenience” is back at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company where it was first professionally staged in 2012. Ins sits down with Tom Power to talk about the ups and downs of adapting “Kim’s Convenience” for TV, the role that faith has played in his life, and what it’s like stepping into the part of Appa in this ...

Feb 04, 202549 min

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 h...

Feb 03, 202523 min

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.

Feb 03, 202522 min

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 ...

Jan 31, 202515 min

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, an...

Jan 30, 202525 min

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.

Jan 30, 202524 min

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 mil...

Jan 29, 202524 min

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 v...

Jan 29, 202519 min

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.

Jan 28, 202525 min

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.

Jan 28, 202523 min

Tom Green: Why the comedian says he's glad he got testicular cancer at 28

The Canadian comedy legend Tom Green has had an incredible career, from “The Tom Green Show” to “Freddy Got Fingered” to his many stand-up tours. Last year, he was honoured with the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award from the Banff World Media Festival. Tom Power caught up with him live on stage in Banff for a special career-spanning conversation about his journey in comedy, the terrifying cancer diagnosis that changed his perspective on work and ambition, and why he's back in Canada to stay.

Jan 27, 202539 min

Quick Q: Maddie Jay’s life-changing encounter with a travelling fiddler

After playing bass and singing on tour for the likes of Lorde and Remi Wolf, Maddie Jay is finally going out on her own with her new album, “I Can Change Your Mind.” The Los Angeles-based Canadian musician sits down with Tom Power to talk about her journey in music, the surprising lesson she learned from playing with some of the world’s biggest artists, and how a visiting fiddle player to her small B.C. town taught her how to be creative.

Jan 27, 202515 min

Adrien Brody: What The Brutalist adds to the conversation around immigration

At 29, Adrien Brody became the youngest person to win best actor at the Oscars for his role as a Holocaust survivor in 2002's “The Pianist.” Now, he’s received his second best actor nomination for “The Brutalist,” portraying a fictional Jewish Hungarian architect who emigrates to the United States in an effort to rebuild his life. Adrien joins Tom Power to discuss his critically acclaimed performance, how “The Brutalist” gave him a new perspective on his family’s own immigration story, and the p...

Jan 24, 202524 min

Measha Brueggergosman-Lee: Collaborating with Margaret Atwood to create Zombie Blizzard

Two heavyweights of Canadian culture, acclaimed soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee and literary giant Margaret Atwood, have come together for an exciting new collaboration. On her new album, “Zombie Blizzard,” Measha sings musical interpretations of seven Atwood poems. She joins Tom Power to talk about the project and what she thinks it might be able to tell you about the future.

Jan 24, 202521 min

Marianne Jean-Baptiste: Her angry, unpleasant and totally compelling character in Hard Truths

The British actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste first worked with director Mike Leigh on his 1996 breakthrough “Secrets & Lies,” which earned her an Oscar nomination. Now, she’s reunited with him for his new comedy-drama, “Hard Truths.” In the film, Marianne gives an explosive performance as Pansy, a woman consumed by rage and depression, who regularly lashes out at family and strangers. Marianne joins Tom Power to talk about Mike’s unique directing process and what it took to build this character....

Jan 23, 202525 min

Tim Heidecker: After becoming a dad, the comedian is now leaning into sincerity

Tim Heidecker became known for playing bizarre or surreal characters in his breakout sketch comedy show “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” But now that he’s a dad in his late 40s, the comedian has decided to put aside the characters and lean into sincerity instead. His new folk album, “Slipping Away,” reflects on the grim state of the world, aging, fatherhood and the waning of creativity. Tim talks to guest host Saroja Coelho about the record, subverting his fans’ expectations, and what ins...

Jan 23, 202525 min

Lucy Liu: Presence, experimental films, and how she got discovered on the subway

When Steven Soderbergh asked Lucy Liu to star in his new film “Presence,” saying yes was a no-brainer. The movie tells a haunted house story with a twist in that it unfolds from the point-of-view of the ghost. Lucy joins Tom Power from New York to talk about her experience working on “Presence,” how it differed from her previous work on big projects like “Charlie's Angels” and “Kill Bill,” and how she ended up in show business after being discovered on the subway.

Jan 22, 202525 min

Adam Solway: How his new doc is helping residential school survivors find healing

A new documentary called “New Blood” chronicles the 10-year journey of the “New Blood Dance Show” — a high school theatre production based on the residential school experience of former Siksika Nation Chief Vincent Yellow Old Woman. Peter Gabriel signed on as an executive producer of the documentary and even allowed his music to be used in it for free. “New Blood” director Adam Solway joins Tom Power from Calgary to tell us how the film is sparking long overdue conversations about the intergener...

Jan 22, 202522 min

The Weather Station: How her new album reflects on humanhood and climate change

The Canadian singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman, a.k.a. The Weather Station, is known for making music that confronts climate change and the damage we’ve inflicted on our planet. Just a few days ago, Tamara released her new album, “Humanhood,” which chronicles a difficult mental health period in her life when she felt like she had lost her sense of self. She sits down with Tom Power to discuss the record and why she turns to music to make it through tough times.

Jan 21, 202524 min

Clarence Maclin: From 15 years in Sing Sing to starring in a movie about it

Clarence Maclin spent 15 years as an inmate in Sing Sing Correctional Facility, one of America’s most notorious prisons. Now, he plays himself opposite Colman Domingo and Paul Raci in “Sing Sing,” a new film based on his experience in prison and the transformative theatre program that changed his life. Last year, around the film’s release, Clarence joined Tom to share what it was like stepping back into a prison uniform, how acting helped him find his voice and his purpose, and how he hopes the ...

Jan 21, 202521 min

Keith Urban: Australian pub rock, Nashville culture shock & his curling curiosity

With four Grammys, 25 No. 1 songs and more than 10 billion streams, Keith Urban has solidified his position as one of the world's biggest names in country music. On his latest album, “High,” the Australian country superstar gets more reflective than ever, exploring themes like generational trauma and what it means to be alive. Ahead of his cross-Canada tour this year, Keith sits down with Tom Power to talk about his new record, why his unique blend of pop and country music took so long to catch ...

Jan 20, 202537 min

Quick Q: Lioness Kaur on breaking into the Canadian hip-hop scene

Lioness Kaur is a Canadian rapper who’s just released her debut album, "The Lion with Emerald Eyes." She sits down with Tom Power to talk about the challenge and triumph of breaking into the Canadian hip-hop scene as a young Punjabi Sikh woman, and how she found support from the likes of Drake and Lloyd Banks. Plus, she sets up her new song “Black Sheep.”

Jan 20, 202513 min

Pamela Anderson: Entering a new chapter of her career with The Last Showgirl

For decades, Pamela Anderson has been recognized as a pop culture icon, but she says she hasn’t recognized herself until now. Earlier this month, she earned her first Golden Globe nomination for her role as a fading Las Vegas showgirl in Gia Coppola’s new film, “The Last Showgirl.” Her critically acclaimed performance marks a new chapter of her career as a serious dramatic actor and bonafide artist. Pamela joins Tom Power to talk about the film — and why she says it’s never too late to start ove...

Jan 17, 202525 min

Tim Fehlbaum: A new film dramatizes the live coverage of the 1972 Munich crisis

At the Munich Olympics on Sept. 5, 1972, the Palestinian militant organization Black September stormed the Olympic Village, where they immediately killed two Israeli athletes and took nine more hostage. Ultimately, all of the Israeli hostages lost their lives. As the crisis unfolded in real-time, the story was being broadcast live on television by ABC Sports. Now, the Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum has made a new film, “September 5,” which follows the small ABC crew that led the live coverage while...

Jan 17, 202526 min

Paul Gross & Martha Burns: The real-life acting couple takes on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

After nearly 40 years of marriage, the Canadian actors Paul Gross and Martha Burns say they’re still learning new things about each other. Currently, they’re co-starring as one of theatre’s most dysfunctional married couples, George and Martha, in a new production of Edward Albee’s “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at Canadian Stage. Paul and Martha sit down with Tom Power to tell us what it’s like playing this famously toxic couple, and what they’re still learning about each other after all the...

Jan 16, 202526 min

Eve: Her new memoir, Ruff Ryders & hip-hop's double standard

At the height of her fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Eve seemed to have it all: stadium tours, a clothing line, and collaborations with the likes of Prince, Missy Elliott and Gwen Stefani. But in her new memoir, “Who’s That Girl?,” she tells the story of what was actually going on behind the scenes. Eve joins Tom Power to talk about some of the major highlights of her career, the negative side effects of fame, and the hip-hop industry’s double standard.

Jan 16, 202525 min

Taylor Kitsch: American Primeval, Friday Night Lights & acting as “service”

For 20 years, the Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch has been disappearing into his roles, whether it be a high school football player in “Friday Night Lights” or a loner frontiersman in his latest series “American Primeval.” He joins Tom Power to talk about the intense preparation he does for his roles, why he thinks of acting as service, and his thoughts about appearing in the upcoming “Friday Night Lights” reboot.

Jan 15, 202530 min