Q with Tom Power

By CBCSociety & Culture

Favorites
579
Followers
Typical duration
24 min
per episode
If it hooks
72%
finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Q with Tom Power episodes

August 17, 2023 Phoebe Bridgers thinks we confuse sadness with intelligence + Shane Ghostkeeper's first country album
Phoebe Bridgers has found massive success — including four Grammy nominations for her 2020 album “Punisher” — thanks to her talent for writing sad-girl anthems that are both extremely specific and deeply relatable. Phoebe joins Tom for a career interview that traces her early years in Pasadena, Calif., to becoming one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of her time.
Plus, you might know Shane Ghostkeeper as part of the band Ghostkeeper, whose album “Multidimensional Culture” was just nominated for this year's Polaris Music Prize. Now, Shane’s released his debut solo country record, “Songs for My People.” Shane talks to guest host Talia Schlanger about why he felt compelled to honour his family with a country record, and he sets up his deeply personal song “Hunger Strike.”
53 min
August 16, 2023 Sarah Polley explains why laughter was key to adapting Women Talking + new music from Celeigh Cardinal
Sarah Polley’s Oscar-winning film “Women Talking” is a powerful story about three generations of women who sit down to debate their future after realizing they and their daughters have been regularly drugged and sexually assaulted by the men in their colony. Sarah tells Tom about her approach to adapting works of fiction, what it was like stepping back from the film industry after a concussion, and how she used her experience as a child actor to create the best environment possible for the children on the set of “Women Talking.”
Plus, Celeigh Cardinal is a Juno-winning singer-songwriter who’s been praised for her soulful torch songs tinged with blues and R&B. She tells guest host Talia Schlanger the story behind her new song “Over Before It Began.”
50 min
August 15, 2023 How the comedian Zarna Garg blew up her life and started over
Zarna Garg first reinvented herself as a teenager after leaving India to avoid an arranged marriage. Now, after several different transformations as a big city lawyer and a stay-at-home mom, she’s reinvented herself yet again. Zarna tells guest host Talia Schlanger about her unlikely path to comedy and the fateful night at a comedy club that launched her latest career.
33 min
August 15, 2023 Dionne Warwick on her music, social media fame and collaborating with Chance the Rapper
Legendary singer Dionne Warwick joins Tom Power to talk about her incredible life, decades-spanning music career and new-found social media fame.
19 min
August 14, 2023 Anohni’s musical inspirations and new album + the story behind Noble Oak’s latest song
Anohni, the Mercury Prize-winning singer, has never been shy about speaking up against inequality and oppression or highlighting environmental issues. Now, she’s back with her sixth album, “My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross.” Anohni talks to guest host Talia Schlanger about her new album and what makes it so personal.
Plus, in early 2020 Vancouver singer-songwriter Noble Oak had a brand-new album to tour and promote —- but then the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. His latest album, “When It Finds You,” is about finding inspiration and an unprecedented honesty when your world collapses. Noble Oak joins Talia Schlanger to introduce the song “Eveningstar” off his new album.
48 min
August 11, 2023 Richard E. Grant on his career and love of his life, Joan + New music from Loony
Oscar-nominated actor Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,""Gosford Park”) has kept a diary since he was ten-years-old. His archives cover everything from his early career as a struggling actor to caring for his late wife Joan Washington after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Richard tells guest host Talia Schlanger about his new memoir “A Pocketful of Happiness,” which chronicles their love story and how Joan – an acclaimed vocal coach for actors – was his most trusted collaborator.
Scarborough, Ontario’s Loony talks about the story behind her new single, “Old Friends.”
42 min
August 11, 2023 Why Jason Guriel wrote his new book entirely in rhyming couplets
Following the success of his critically-acclaimed debut novel, "Forgotten Work," author Jason Guriel is back with a new book called, "The Full-Moon Whaling Chronicles." Like “Forgotten Work,” “Full Moon” is set in a dystopian world many years into the future. Newfoundland has vanished, Tokyo is the new Venice and people are living in hive-like housing due to rising tides. Jason joins guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss the book’s central themes and why he decided to write it in rhyming couplets.
18 min
August 10, 2023 Remembering Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson, the string-bending guitarist and principal songwriter of The Band, has died at 80. Today, we revisit Tom’s 2019 conversation with Robbie.
41 min
August 09, 2023 “The Mother Of All Degrassi” Linda Schuyler on her memoir + Jessy Lanza’s new song
Degrassi co-creator Linda Schuyler tells guest host Talia Schlanger about her memoir, “The Mother Of All Degrassi,” which tells the story of how she went from being a Toronto high school teacher to an award-winning television producer.
Plus, on the heels of Jessy Lanza’s new album “Love Hallucination,” Jessy tells Talia the story behind her new song, “Limbo.”
47 min
August 08, 2023 Henry Czerny says the new “Mission: Impossible” movie is “gobsmacking good”
Canadian actor Henry Czerny makes his return to the “Mission: Impossible” universe in the new film “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” He reprises his role as Eugene Kittridge, the former head of the IMF who’s now CIA director. Henry talks to guest host Talia Schlanger about the film, working with Tom Cruise and why he almost said no to “Mission: Impossible” the first time around.
20 min

About Q with Tom Power

From the publisher's feed

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.