Q with Tom Power

What do you think you know about Yoko Ono? That she broke up the Beatles? That she was just there, always in the background? David Sheff wants to set the record straight with his new biography, “Yoko.” He was the last journalist to interview John Lennon and Yoko before John’s murder in 1980, and after that tragedy, he stayed close with the Japanese artist. David joins Tom Power to share Yoko’s real story, her impact on modern art, and why he thinks instead of blaming her for breaking up the Beatles, we should be thanking her for keeping the Beatles together longer.

The new film “The Ballad of Wallis Island” tells the story of Charles, an eccentric lottery winner who uses his money to hold a private concert on the remote Welsh island where he lives. The band he hires is his favourite group of all time: the fictional folk rock duo McGwyer Mortimer. The only problem is they haven’t spoken in years — and the concert is just for Charles. British poet and comedian Tim Key stars as Charles and co-wrote the movie, which is based on a short film he made in 2007. He joins Tom Power to talk about the project and why it took 18 years to turn his short into a feature. Plus, he reveals how he persuaded Hollywood A-lister Carey Mulligan to get on board. If you like this conversation, listen to Tom’s interview with director Bong Joon Ho on “Mickey 17.”

In Karen Chapman's debut feature film, “Village Keeper,” a grieving single mother who’s grappling with violence in her past learns how to put herself first. Karen sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the stigmas and stereotypes she aimed to challenge with this film, how she made “Village Keeper” in only 12 days while eight months pregnant, and why she feels that what happens behind the camera shows up on screen. If you’re looking for more conversations with Canadian filmmakers, check out guest host Talia Schlanger’s interview with “Morningside” director Ron Dias.

When Anoushka Shankar was in Goa two years ago, she wrote down four words: “Three chapters, three geographies.” That note has been the inspiration for a trilogy of mini-albums. With the release of the latest and final album, “Chapter III: We Return To Light,” the acclaimed sitar player sits down with Tom Power to tell us what was driving her creatively, how she wants to change perceptions of her instrument, and how she navigates her career in the shadow cast by her famous father, Ravi Shankar.

For the past 30 years, on the last Sunday of every month, Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto has hosted the Nubian Comedy Revue — one of the top showcases for Black and racialized comedians in Canada. Over the years, the show has been blessed by numerous appearances by top talent like Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and Russell Peters. Comedian Kenny Robinson has been producing the show since founding it back in the ‘90s. Now, a new documentary, “People of Comedy,” is celebrating the show’s 30-year history. Kenny sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the Nubian Show’s legacy, how Canadian comedy is defined by our multiculturalism, and what sets Canadian comics apart from American comics. If you enjoy this conversation, you might also like Tom Power’s interviews with comedians Sugar Sammy or Hassan Phills.

Mike Hadreas, better known as Perfume Genius, has been making music since 2010, when he released his debut album, “Learning.” Since then, he’s become known for writing vulnerable songs that still feel incredibly powerful and danceable. While the cliché is that artists make their best work when they’re struggling — or even under the influence of drugs or alcohol — that was not the case at all for Perfume Genius. He joins Tom Power to chat about his new album, “Glory,” which he says feels like a “culmination” of everything he’s learned in the years since he got sober and started making music. If you enjoy this conversation, check out Tom’s 2023 interview with singer-songwriter Sam Smith on their album, “Gloria.”

Though the influential punk band Hüsker Dü has long been disbanded, its co-founder Bob Mould has never stopped making music. Back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Hüsker Dü cut a path for countless indie bands to follow, like Nirvana, Pixies and Green Day. But before all that, Bob was — as he describes it — a precocious kid growing up in a small farming town near the Canadian border. On the heels of releasing his 15th solo album, “Here We Go Crazy,” Bob joins guest host Garvia Bailey to look back on his life in music. He tells us about his childhood years, how Montreal helped shape him as an artist, and how a Ramones show changed everything for him. In case you missed it, you might also enjoy Tom Power’s conversation with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, or his interview with Green Day from 2024.

Mitch Wood is a Toronto-based actor and content creator who’s gone viral for his impressions of people in the theatre industry. He sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about navigating his newfound internet fame, plus, his one-man show “My Impression of a Show,” which heads to London, England next week. If you like this conversation, check out Tom Power’s interview with sketch comic Laura Ramoso, who went viral for impersonating her parents.

Britta Johnson is a Canadian composer and playwright whose award-winning musical “Life After” follows a 16-year-old girl grappling with the death of her father. Loosely inspired by her own experiences, the show originally debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2016, but later this month, it will return to Toronto at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. Britta sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the massive success of “Life After” and what it means to bring the show back to the city where it all began. If you enjoy this conversation, check out Tom Power’s chat with playwright Katori Hall on “The Tina Turner Musical.”

Canadian horror actors Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan are the co-hosts of the CBC series “Ghosting,” which just began its second season. In each episode, Luke, Matthew and a celebrity guest test their tolerance for the paranormal by spending time inside a Canadian place with an eerie legacy. Along the way, they decide whether or not it’s truly haunted. Luke and Matthew sit down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the new season of the show and some of their ghostly encounters. If you’re looking for more conversations about the paranormal, check out Tom’s interview with musician Brittany Howard, who says she used to practice music in a haunted house.