Q with Tom Power

The Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Michael Healey (The Master Plan, The Drawer Boy) is putting a Canadian corporate drama front and centre in his new play, “Rogers v. Rogers.” The story, which feels like a Canadian version of the hit HBO show “Succession,” is about the real-life family battle for control of Rogers Communications — one of the big three telecommunications and media giants in Canada. Michael joins Tom Power to tell us why he wanted to bring this story of corporate chaos to the stage, and why he opted to make it a one-actor play, starring Tom Rooney.

Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak are a husband-and-wife duo who lead the acclaimed Montreal rock band The Dears. In the early 2000s, they put a heavy stamp on indie pop music in Canada. Now, they’re celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band with the release of a new album, “Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!” Murray and Natalia sit down with Tom Power to talk about their hopeful new record, their partnership, and that very unique time in Canadian music when they got their start.

After years playing U.S. President Donald Trump on the news parody show “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,” comedian Mark Critch has come up with a few ideas on how Canada should deal with him. He’s just released a new book, “Sorry, Not Sorry,” in which he argues that it’s time for Canadians to park their apologies and match the president’s bravado with some of our own. Mark joins Tom Power to share his unapologetic look at what makes Canada worth fighting for.

When author Dav Pilkey was in the second grade, he started drawing cartoons in his notebook. He ended up naming them “Captain Underpants” and “Dog Man.” Those two characters would end up becoming his life’s work. Together, they’ve led to nearly 40 graphic novels, two Hollywood movies and a TV series. Dav sits down with Tom Power to talk about being misunderstood as a kid with ADHD and dyslexia, how drawing gave him confidence, and why he thinks graphic novels are a great way to introduce kids to reading. 

On her seventh and latest album, “Cavale,” the award-winning Quebecois artist Cœur de pirate explores her longest and most toxic relationship — with anxiety. She sits down with Tom Power to talk about the record, the cost of fame, and how being “scared of everything” inspired her to write her first new song in two years.

Walter Mosley has been writing Easy Rawlins detective novels for more than 40 years now. The National Book Award-winning author joins Tom Power to talk about his 17th and latest book in the series, “Gray Dawn: An Easy Rawlins Mystery.” Walter opens up about his beloved character, why he says Easy’s role is to testify about Black history in America, and why this time he’s done something he almost never does: written an introductory author’s note. 

This year, musician Con O’Brien is celebrating 35 years with his band the Irish Descendants. They’re local legends in Newfoundland and Labrador, but they’re also part of a wave of modern traditional music that swept across the country in the ’90s. As the Irish Descendants embark on their annual cross-country Christmas tour, Con joins Tom Power to talk about their journey — from the 1992 cod moratorium to their interpretation of Otto Kelland’s song “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's” and beyond.

Earlier this year, violin virtuoso Joshua Bell gave a TED Talk asking the question, do we still need classical music? Joshua is performing in Canada this year and next as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Spotlight Artist. On a rare day off in his schedule, he sits down with Tom Power to make the case for why we need classical music in our lives now more than ever. He also explains why his Stradivarius violin is so special to play, aside from the multi-million dollar price tag.

For more than 20 years, Canadian ballet dancer Heather Ogden has been performing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the enduring Christmas classic “The Nutcracker.” Last December, Heather sat down with Tom Power to talk about the magic and opulence of this production at the National Ballet of Canada — and what makes the Sugar Plum Fairy’s solo so tricky. 

One night, Jenn Harper had the most vivid dream of three smiling Indigenous girls covered in colourful lip glosses. That dream, along with her newfound sobriety, led her to launch the company Cheekbone Beauty, which aims to bring positive representation of Indigenous folks into the beauty space. Lauded as a trailblazer in both sustainability and diversity, Jenn is now one of the cosmetics industry’s most influential Canadians, and her groundbreaking beauty brand is sold in Sephora locations across the country. Jenn sits down with Tom Power to talk about her long, hard road to success, why Indigenous joy is the cornerstone of her business, and why representation is at the forefront of everything she does.