Q with Tom Power

CBC•www.cbc.ca

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.

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Episodes

Quick Q: How Fawn Parker’s poetry explores the complexity of grief

Fawn Parker is a Canadian writer whose novel “What We Both Know” was longlisted for the Giller Prize in 2022. Now, her debut poetry collection, “Soft Inheritance,” has won The Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize at this year’s New Brunswick Book Awards. It follows her mother's journey with cancer, from her mastectomy to her chemotherapy to her death in 2019. Fawn joins Tom to talk about the collection and reads a poem from it, titled “Woof.”

Jul 05, 2024•13 min

William Stanford Davis: His 40-year path to Abbott Elementary

William Stanford Davis is a veteran actor who waited 40 years until his dream of becoming a series regular finally became a reality. He’s the breakout star of the hit sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” on which he plays the school’s enigmatic janitor Mr. Johnson. William joins Tom to share how he landed the role at 70, what his story can tell us about persistence, and how he managed to keep the faith for decades while waiting for his big break.

Jul 04, 2024•25 min

Old Man Luedecke: His banjo-free album & lessons from scallop fishing

Old Man Luedecke is one of Canada's most beloved folk musicians. The two-time Juno winner became known for playing the banjo, but on his latest album, “She Told Me Where to Go,” he puts the banjo away. Old Man Luedecke talks to Tom about his decision to trade the five-string for the six-string, how it changed his approach to making music, and what working on a scallop boat during the pandemic taught him about his life choices.

Jul 04, 2024•20 min

Green Day: Dookie, American Idiot, and why their album Saviors is the best they’ve ever recorded

When a band kicks off their career with a hit single about getting stoned and watching TV, it might be surprising to see them 30 years later as one of the biggest bands on the planet. Green Day has beat those long odds. All three members — Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool — talk to Tom about the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough record “Dookie,” how they wanted to create a monumental record when writing “American Idiot,” and why they think their latest album “Saviors” could be ...

Jul 03, 2024•31 min

Kapwani Kiwanga: Combining history and art at the Venice Biennale

Visual artist Kapwani Kiwanga represents Canada at this year’s Venice Biennale, the Olympics of visual art. Her installation, “Trinket,” uses seven million conteria — small glass beads from Venice — to not only shimmer, but to interrogate a deep history of labour, cultural exchange and class dynamics. She joins guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss how she uses small beads to tell a big story and the motivation behind her Biennale artwork.

Jul 03, 2024•16 min

June Squibb: On starring in her first leading film role at 94

The Oscar-nominated actor June Squibb is living her dream at 94 years young. Decades into her career as a character actor, June is now enjoying her first leading role in the action-comedy movie “Thelma.” She joins guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on the passage of time, the benefits of being an older actor, and why sometimes you need to have a little patience to reap the rewards of your hard work.

Jul 02, 2024•24 min

Alexandra Stréliski: Fighting cynicism, burnout & hearing her music at the Oscars

The Montreal pianist Alexandra Stréliski was working at an ad agency when the late director Jean-Marc Vallée discovered her music and started using it in his work. That gave her the push she needed to quit her job and pursue music full-time. This year, Alexandra was nominated for album of the year at the Junos. Just before that, she joined Tom to talk about the nomination and chasing her dreams.

Jul 02, 2024•22 min

Carol Burnett: Climbing the Hollywood sign, getting her first laugh & having fun at 90

Carol Burnett is one of the most adored comedians of all time. In 1967, she broke up the boys club that was network television with her freewheeling variety hour, “The Carol Burnett Show.” Now, 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 sits down with Tom to reminisce about the hard-won lessons and chance encounters that helped her become a star....

Jul 01, 2024•34 min

Meghan Fandrich: Devastating wildfires, moving forward after tragedy & healing through poetry

When a wildfire ripped through Lytton, B.C., in June 2021, the town burnt almost entirely to the ground. Meghan Fandrich lost her small business, the Klowa Art Café, and turned to writing poetry for the first time in her life to help her cope with the loss. The result is her first collection of poetry, “Burning Sage: Poems from the Lytton Fire.” She joins Tom to talk about it and read a poem from the collection.

Jul 01, 2024•16 min

Sam Smith: Gloria, self-love & why queer joy can feel radical

Last summer, Sam Smith joined Tom to talk about the release of their latest album, “Gloria.” Since then, the singer-songwriter has announced the re-release of their debut album, “In the Lonely Hour,” which earned them four Grammys when it came out a decade ago. We revisit Tom’s 2023 chat with Sam about their start in music, learning to centre joy in their life, and the highs and lows of finding their identity.

Jun 28, 2024•35 min

Quick Q: Jennifer Castle shares how her song got featured on Season 3 of The Bear

Before making her name as a singer-songwriter, Jennifer Castle worked at a restaurant in Toronto with celebrity chef and restaurateur Matty Matheson. Now, nearly 20 years later, Matty is an executive producer and actor on the hit series “The Bear” and Jennifer has a song featured in the new season. She joins Tom to set up the song, titled “Blowing Kisses.”

Jun 27, 2024•15 min

Karan Aujla: How he overcame tragedy to become a history-making global superstar

Ten years after immigrating to Canada from India, the rapper and singer Karan Aujla made history as the first Punjabi artist to ever win a Juno Award. But he was a global superstar well before then, topping the charts with his blend of Punjabi music over hip-hop and trap beats. Now, Karan is the latest Global Apple Music Up Next Artist, which makes him the first Punjabi artist to join the initiative geared towards identifying, showcasing and elevating rising talent. Karan talks to Tom about why ...

Jun 26, 2024•32 min

Jodie Comer: The Bikeriders, accent training, and her path to acting

Jodie Comer is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor who you may know as the assassin Villanelle on the show “Killing Eve.” Though she’s been acting since childhood, Jodie treats every role with the intense work ethic of someone who’s still gunning for their big break. In her new film, “The Bikeriders,” she stars opposite Austin Butler, Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon as a woman who married into a biker gang. The film was inspired by an actual Midwestern motorcycle club that started in the ‘60s. Jo...

Jun 26, 2024•22 min

Brendan Healy: The Inheritance, learning from the past, and how to stage an epic 7-hour play

The Canadian director Brendan Healy has taken on an epic project: a new production of Matthew López's seven-hour play “The Inheritance,” which has been called the most important play of the 21st century. Brendan sits down with Tom to tell us how the play represents a conversation between generations of gay men, what happens when you don't learn about the past, and how that conversation played out in real life at rehearsals.

Jun 26, 2024•26 min

Jamie Fine: Her new EP, starting fresh as a solo artist, and blowing up in South Africa

The Canadian musician Jamie Fine first found success with the duo Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine after they won the singing competition show “The Launch” in 2018. But after realizing something wasn’t sitting right with her, Jamie decided to start fresh with a solo career. Now, she’s released her sophomore EP, “if this is it.” Jamie sits down with Tom to share some hard-earned wisdom from her journey in music, why she wishes it took longer for her to have found success, and how she became a superstar ...

Jun 25, 2024•34 min

E.R. Fightmaster: Grey’s Anatomy fame and their new EP

You might know E.R. Fightmaster from their groundbreaking role as Dr. Kai Bartley on “Grey's Anatomy” or you may be familiar with their music. Earlier this month, the actor and musician released their second EP, “Bloodshed Baby” under their stage name Fightmaster. E.R. joins Tom to set up a song off the record and shares what it was like being cast as the first non-binary doctor on “Grey's Anatomy.”

Jun 25, 2024•16 min

Gracie Abrams: The Secret of Us, overcoming stage fright, and working with Taylor Swift

Last year was a big one for Gracie Abrams. The singer-songwriter released her debut album, got nominated for best new artist at the Grammys, and opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour. Now, she’s released her sophomore album, “The Secret of Us,” which she co-wrote with her best friend. Gracie joins Tom in studio to talk about the record, getting over her fear of performing, and what it’s like working with Taylor.

Jun 24, 2024•33 min

Quick Q: Dominique Fils-Aimé on releasing her first song in French

The Montreal singer-songwriter Dominique Fils-Aimé is back with a new single, “Moi je t'aime.” It’s the Juno-winning artist’s first song in French, despite French being her first language. Dominique joins Tom to set up the track and explain what singing in French gives her as an artist.

Jun 24, 2024•12 min

Dr. Shirley Cheechoo: Why overcoming the residential school legacy is the job of warriors

Dr. Shirley Cheechoo is one of Canada’s most prominent voices in Indigenous film and theatre. At this year’s annual Weengushk International Film Festival, Dr. Cheechoo is giving back to her community with a special event called Blanket of Stars: A Tribute to Resilience, which is dedicated to Canada’s residential school survivors — or as she calls them, residential school warriors. Dr. Cheechoo joins Tom to talk about her life on stage and screen, and what art can and can’t do when it comes to he...

Jun 21, 2024•38 min

Remembering Donald Sutherland

The legendary Canadian actor Donald Sutherland has died at age 88. Over the course of his six-decade career, he was in more than 150 films and TV series, and more recently he was honoured with his very own Canadian stamp. Today, we revisit Tom’s conversation with Donald about his stamp, his early days as an actor, and why he didn’t want dual Canadian and American citizenship.

Jun 20, 2024•19 min

Lily Gladstone: Life post-Killers of the Flower Moon & her new film Fancy Dance

Lily Gladstone is having an incredible year. She was nominated for an Oscar for her starring role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and she became the first Indigenous actor to win a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award. In her latest film, “Fancy Dance,” Lily brings another Indigenous character to screen. She joins Tom to talk about her post-“Killers of the Flower Moon” fame, the importance of preserving endangered Indigenou...

Jun 20, 2024•23 min

Elisapie: How translating pop and rock hits into Inuktitut helped her heal

Elisapie was jogging and listening to ABBA when she got the idea for her latest project, “Inuktitut.” It’s a 10-track covers album of classic pop and rock hits that each represent a special childhood memory for the Inuk singer-songwriter. What makes the album unique is that each song is translated into Inuktitut. Elisapie joins Tom to talk about the project and how reclaiming some of her most painful childhood memories through song started her on a healing journey.

Jun 20, 2024•26 min

Paul Scheer: Joyful Recollections of Trauma, the cycle of abuse, and how improv saved his life

The comedian Paul Scheer has had roles on some of the biggest sitcoms ever, including “30 Rock,” “Parks and Recreation” and “The League.” He also co-hosts one of the most popular podcasts in the world, “How Did This Get Made,” which takes on the worst movies of all time. But in his new memoir, “Joyful Recollections of Trauma,” Paul writes about the abuse he and his mom suffered at the hands of his stepfather. He joins Tom to share how he escaped the cycle of abuse, why pain often leads to humour...

Jun 19, 2024•32 min

Quick Q: Weyni Mengesha on updating A Streetcar Named Desire for 2024

Weyni Mengesha is an award-winning Canadian theatre maker and the artistic director of Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company. Five years ago, she reworked Tennessee Williams’s historic play “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which was a resounding hit for Canadian theatre. Now, Soulpepper has remounted the production. Weyni joins Tom to talk about the changes she made to “A Streetcar Named Desire,” its legacy, and why it still matters today.

Jun 19, 2024•15 min

Chappell Roan: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, perseverance, and the freedom of drag

When she was just 17, Chappell Roan signed her first record deal with a major label and moved to Los Angeles. But when the deal fell through, she returned home to Missouri where she began soul searching and trying to figure out her next steps. Chappell talks to Tom about being discovered on YouTube, how she responded when she was dropped from her record label in 2020, and what inspired her critically acclaimed debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

Jun 18, 2024•20 min

Miles Greenberg: Working with flesh, Marina Abramović, and his physical journey in art

The Canadian artist Miles Greenberg says flesh is his medium. He’s no stranger to pushing his body to the extreme for his art. Some of the things Miles has done include standing on a plinth dripping in fake blood, embracing a stranger while naked and blind, and walking on a conveyor belt all day. For his latest work, “Respawn,” he wrestles and stabs versions of himself in front of a live audience for nine hours straight — and if you’re asking why, Miles has a very good answer. He sits down with ...

Jun 18, 2024•26 min

Dallas Smith: His switch from rock to country, his old band Default, and why he hasn’t moved to Nashville

Dallas Smith was the lead singer of the Canadian band Default, which had a big hit called “Wasting My Time.” But after a long, lonely time on the road, Dallas decided to make a career change that took him from rock stardom to country music dominance. He sits down with Tom to talk about the risk that comes with that decision, why he stayed in British Columbia instead of moving to Nashville, and how you actually pronounce the name of his old band.

Jun 17, 2024•24 min

Katori Hall: Telling Tina Turner’s story in The Tina Turner Musical

When the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall was approached to write a musical about Tina Turner, she got to fly to Switzerland to spend some one-on-one time with Tina herself. Katori joins Tom to discuss the concerns the late music icon had about the way her story would be told, what they learned they have in common, and why it’s important to look at our favourite musicians and artists as people — not as myths.

Jun 17, 2024•26 min

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Stretching into dramatic work, therapy with her mom, and her new film Tuesday

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep) is best known for her quick wit, physical comedy and — when it comes to her character Elaine Benes — her dance moves. But in her new film, “Tuesday,” the Emmy-winning actor flexes her dramatic chops. Julia joins Tom to discuss the film, why she’s more comfortable talking about death these days, and what happens to your comedy when you get mentally healthy.

Jun 14, 2024•25 min

Walter Scott: Why he’s saying goodbye to Wendy, his most famous creation

How do you step away from your most famous creation? Mohawk artist Walter Scott is about to find out. More than a decade after creating his beloved “Wendy” series of graphic novels, Walter is taking a long hiatus from his cartoon alter-ego. He joins Tom to tell us how he came up with Wendy — a neurotic young party girl who’s trying to make it as an artist — and why his latest book, “The Wendy Award,” is going to be her final adventure for now.

Jun 14, 2024•24 min

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