Q with Tom Power
CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand
Five days a week acclaimed interviewer Tom Power sits down with the artists, writers, actors and musicians who define pop culture. Whether he’s ribbing Adele, singing a boyband 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 and Billie Eilish — who appeared on Q well before hitting the mainstream. Hear your favourite artists as they truly are, every weekday with Tom Power.
Location:
Canada, ON
Networks:
CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand
Description:
Five days a week acclaimed interviewer Tom Power sits down with the artists, writers, actors and musicians who define pop culture. Whether he’s ribbing Adele, singing a boyband 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 and Billie Eilish — who appeared on Q well before hitting the mainstream. Hear your favourite artists as they truly are, every weekday with Tom Power.
Twitter:
@CBCRadioQ
Language:
English
Contact:
416-205-3700
Website:
http://www.cbc.ca/q/
Email:
q@cbc.ca
Listen on a live station
Episodes
Charlotte Day Wilson: Cyan Blue, choosing music over hockey, and Patti Smith
5/2/2024
The acclaimed Toronto singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson is back with her second studio album, “Cyan Blue.” She sits down with Tom to talk about the record and how she almost became a professional hockey player before she decided to pursue music instead.
Duration:00:23:32
Ari Kinarthy: On scoring his own legacy
5/2/2024
The Canadian composer Ari Kinarthy always dreamed of scoring a film, but he never expected it to be a film about his own life. The new documentary “Ari’s Theme” unfolds his remarkable story as someone living with type two spinal muscular atrophy — a rare genetic condition that progressively weakens the muscles in the body. Ari talks to Tom about the music he made for the film and why he wants it to be his legacy.
Duration:00:22:44
Emily Henry: Bringing the romance novel into the age of dating apps and TikTok
5/1/2024
Emily Henry is an internationally bestselling author credited with cracking the modern romance novel, especially for Gen Z and millennials. Three of her books, including her breakout hit “Beach Read,” are being turned into movies. But these stories aren’t your stereotypical bodice rippers. Emily joins Tom to share her recipe for the perfect love story, why she’s tired of people looking down on the romance genre, and why she still believes in love.
Duration:00:33:15
Christian Sparkes: The King Tide and the darker side of Newfoundland and Labrador
5/1/2024
In Christian Sparkes’s new psychological thriller, “The King Tide,” a young girl with mysterious powers washes ashore a remote island community in Newfoundland. But after her powers go dormant, the once peaceful community devolves into violence. Christian joins Tom to talk about the film and why he was interested in exploring the darker side of his home province.
Duration:00:17:46
Laura Ramoso: On going viral for doing impressions of her parents
4/30/2024
The Toronto-based sketch comic Laura Ramoso has amassed more than one million followers on TikTok and Instagram for her hilarious impressions of her German mom and Italian dad. Laura talks to Tom about her audition to Juilliard as a dramatic actor, how she found sketch comedy, and the joy of returning to the stage in her new one-woman show, “Frances.”
Duration:00:22:29
Hangama Amiri: Using textiles to stitch together her memories of home
4/30/2024
The textile artist Hangama Amiri is known around the world for making masterpieces out of fabric. A lot of that fabric is from a home she was forced to leave. Hangama was seven years old when the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996. Years later, after fleeing Afghanistan and settling in Canada with her family, she started stitching together her memories of home. Hangama talks to Tom about her work, the Afghan store where she buys her materials, and what home means to her these days.
Duration:00:23:11
Richard Thomas: To Kill a Mockingbird and playing John-Boy on The Waltons
4/29/2024
Richard Thomas is best known for playing John-Boy on the ‘70s drama series “The Waltons.” Now, he’s playing one of literature and film’s most beloved characters, Atticus Finch, in Aaron Sorkin’s touring production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Richard talks to Tom about taking on this much-loved role, why he thinks the story is so timeless, and why he doesn't mind if you shout out “Goodnight, John-Boy” at curtain call.
Duration:00:24:36
Justin Peck: Adapting Sufjan Stevens’s album Illinois into a Broadway musical
4/29/2024
Justin Peck is a celebrated choreographer who loves Sufjan Stevens’s music. He loves it so much that he’s collaborated with the musician twice. Their latest project is a Broadway dance musical called “Illinoise,” which is based on Sufjan’s seminal album “Illinois.” Justin joins guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us what the album means to him and how he transformed it into a theatre-dance production.
Duration:00:24:05
St. Vincent: All Born Screaming, oversharing, and working with Dave Grohl
4/26/2024
The Grammy-winning musician St. Vincent, also known as Annie Clark, is back with a new album, “All Born Screaming.” Her last album, “Daddy’s Home,” was a wild trip through the ‘70s that explored her relationship with her father after his release from prison. But with “All Born Screaming,” she says she’s ready to let the music speak for itself. St. Vincent talks to Tom about the record, working with Dave Grohl, and where she’s at in her continuing evolution.
Duration:00:22:41
Caitlin Cronenberg: Her eco-catastrophe film, photography, and her famous last name
4/26/2024
Caitlin Cronenberg established herself as a photographer, but now she’s following in the footsteps of her famous father, David Cronenberg, by directing her first feature film. “Humane” is a darkly comedic horror thriller that takes a dystopian look at eco-catastrophe — and in keeping with the family tradition, it involves a lot of blood. Caitlin joins Tom to talk about the film, her career in photography, and how she’s been addressing the elephant in the room: her last name.
Duration:00:20:54
Maya Rudolph: Loot, SNL, Bridesmaids, and her cool parents
4/25/2024
Maya Rudolph has been a comedy staple on our screens for decades. She’s impersonated everyone from Donatella Versace to Beyoncé as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” and she’s played memorable characters in comedies like “Bridesmaids” and “Sisters.” Now, Maya is back as the divorced billionaire Molly Wells in the second season of her hit Apple TV+ show “Loot.” Maya tells Tom why she was interested in the world of the mega-rich, how she ended up on “SNL” even though her agent told her not to audition, and why she says comedy and music are cousins.
Duration:00:25:32
Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee: Jackie Shane’s fascinating story
4/25/2024
Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee are the directors of a new documentary about the late American R&B singer Jackie Shane. Jackie was a Black trans woman who became popular in Canada after moving to Toronto in the 1960s. She released a single called “Any Other Way” that charted across the country, but in the 1970s, she became a recluse and disappeared from the public eye. Michael and Lucah join Tom to discuss their film “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” and how an unreleased song was discovered in Jackie’s house after she passed.
Duration:00:21:10
Jimbo: Clowning, Drag Race, and winning for weirdos around the world
4/24/2024
Jimbo the Drag Clown got a taste of revenge last year. After getting eliminated from the first season of “Canada's Drag Race,” she returned to win Season 8 of “RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.” In the midst of her North American tour, Jimbo sits down with Tom to tell us about her drag beginnings, how she uses her training as a clown to take her performances to the next level, and why everything she does is for the “unseen, beautiful weirdos” who relate to her.
Duration:00:31:42
Sophie Nélisse: Irena’s Vow and what training as a gymnast gives her as an actor
4/24/2024
The Canadian actor Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets) stars in the new film “Irena’s Vow,” which tells the story of Irena Gut, a Polish nurse during World War II. Irena becomes a German army major's housekeeper and risks her life to hide a dozen Jewish people within the major's home. Sophie joins Tom in studio to talk about the film, what it means to her, and what her training as an elite gymnast gives her as an actor.
Duration:00:18:43
Nikki Giovanni: Poetry, the birth of hip-hop, and why she genuinely wants to go to Mars
4/23/2024
Considered one of the world’s greatest living poets, Nikki Giovanni carved out a revolutionary legacy during the civil rights era with poems that uplifted the experiences of Black Americans. Decades later, Nikki’s writing and interviews have grown increasingly personal, offering insight into her childhood, health struggles and thoughts on growing older. She shares her story in the new documentary, “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” Nikki tells Tom about being involved in the birth of hip-hop, why artists should go to space, and how she packed a club of 100 people, including guests like Morgan Freeman and Nina Simone.
Duration:00:36:01
Zarrar Kahn: How his debut film depicts the horror of living in a patriarchal society
4/23/2024
For his debut feature film, “In Flames,” the Pakistani Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn pulls inspiration from his experience living in Karachi as a child. The film is about a mother and daughter who are trying to survive in Karachi as they deal with the challenging reality — and often horror — of living in a patriarchal society. Zarrar speaks with Tom about the film, what it was like confronting his childhood memories, and where his idea for the story originally came from.
Duration:00:17:37
Jay Baruchel: Existential dread, optimism, and why he stayed in Canada
4/22/2024
It’s been more than two years since the series debut of “We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel),” and the Canadian actor, writer and director Jay Baruchel is still worrying about humanity’s demise. Ahead of the Season 2 premiere of the award-winning docuseries, Jay joins Tom in studio to talk about his fear of death, how a children’s bible made him cry, and where his patriotism comes from.
Duration:00:36:46
Alexandre Hamel: Why he’s out to prove that ice skating is an art
4/22/2024
Alexandre Hamel is a French Canadian former international-level figure skater and one of the artists with Le Patin Libre (Free Skate) — the world’s first and only contemporary ice skating collective. He talks to Tom about forming the Montreal-based collective as a place for rebel skaters to explore the idea of ice skating as art, and why he wants to push the boundaries of ice skating outside of a competitive environment.
Duration:00:17:20
Noah Kahan: Stick Season, authenticity, TikTok, and lying to therapists
4/19/2024
Noah Kahan is one of the most successful singer-songwriters in the world right now, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was writing his latest album, “Stick Season,” while isolated on a Vermont farm during the peak of the pandemic. Now, he’s considered the next big thing in music. Noah joins Tom in studio for a conversation about writing the album that would change his life, the power of tapping into his authentic self, and how he’s protected his mental health while on this crazy ride.
Duration:00:42:05
Quick Q: Cadence Weapon on his new album Rollercoaster
4/19/2024
In the three years since Cadence Weapon won the Polaris Music Prize, the Canadian rapper has been working on his new album, "Rollercoaster,” which comes out today. For this record, he was thinking about renegotiating our relationship with the internet and our phones. Cadence Weapon (a.k.a. Rollie Pemberton) chats with Tom about “Rollercoaster” and why he’s decided to adjust his screen time.
Duration:00:11:30