Q with Tom Power

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Neko Case has written her first memoir, titled “The Harder I Fight The More I Love You.” It traces her upbringing in the Pacific Northwest to moving to Canada and starting her career as a professional musician. Neko sits down with Tom Power to look back on her life, how music (specifically Canadian music) gave her a home, and why she wanted to write honestly about the challenges faced by musicians today.

For his first headline tour from Ontario to Atlantic Canada, the Juno-winning singer-songwriter Aysanabee is shining a light on local First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists in each of the small communities he’s visiting. Aysanabee joins Tom Power to talk about his call out for openers. Plus, he plays us his new single, “Edge Of The Earth.”

When the filmmaker and animator Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) decided to adapt Peter Brown’s kids’ book “The Wild Robot” for the screen, he threw a lot of modern animation conventions out the window. Chris decided to use hand-painted images instead of CGI and he centered the story on motherhood when mothers are mostly absent in kids’ movies. Now, “The Wild Robot” is nominated for three Oscars. Chris joins guest host Gill Deacon to tell us more about the film and how he made it.

There’s a new production in Toronto that explores the very first musical instrument: the voice. “The Wolf in the Voice” features three singers, including the acclaimed Canadian soprano, dancer and performer Neema Bickersteth. She joins Tom Power to talk about the show, how it investigates the relationship between singing and the human voice, and the joy — and deep anxieties — faced by professional singers.

After decades stealing scenes as a supporting actor, Colman Domingo generated Oscar buzz for his first lead role in the Obama-backed Netflix film “Rustin.” In this conversation with Tom Power from a little while back, Colman talks about the weight of playing the civil rights leader Bayard Rustin (advisor to Martin Luther King Jr.), what he learned about vulnerability when he was a professional clown, and why acting is a form of service to the public.

When Darcy Michael started a TikTok channel with his husband Jeremy Baer, he was a retired stand-up comedian who had spent nearly 20 years trying to find an audience. After Darcy and Jer (as they’re known online) started posting candid videos together from their home in British Columbia, millions of fans across the internet found them. Now, in two new streaming specials — “No Refunds” and “Happily Ever Laughter” — Darcy and Jer open up about living out their love story in public. The two sit down with Tom Power to talk about those films, and how going viral changes a relationship. 

Bob Geldof is a musician, activist and one of the organizers of Live Aid, the massive 1985 benefit concert that raised millions for famine relief in Ethiopia. Some of the biggest artists and bands of all time came together for that concert — but how did Bob convince them all to give up their time for free on the same day? Ahead of the Toronto opening of “Just For One Day,” a new jukebox musical about Live Aid, Bob sits down with Tom Power to share some of the stories from behind the scenes of Live Aid, including how he got Queen to participate and why David Bowie insisted on the use of some CBC footage as the one condition of him playing.

Jully Black is a powerhouse singer-songwriter from Toronto who’s often called Canada's queen of R&B soul. Now, she’s embarking on her first cross-country tour in almost 17 years. Jully sits down with Tom Power to tell us how singing in church at age six put her on her artistic path, why she feels speaking out is always the right thing to do, and how this upcoming tour celebrates connection, resilience and joy.

West Coast glam rocker Art d'Ecco joins Tom Power to set up the title track off his new album, “Serene Demon.” The song is an epic seven-and-a-half minute play about existentialism in four acts.

Rufus Wainwright is a difficult artist to categorize at the best of times. As a musician, he’s recorded pop songs, folk music, operas and stage musicals. But his new album, “Dream Requiem,” is a little different, even for him. It’s a religious work inspired by a range of subjects, including a poem by Lord Byron, the music of Giuseppe Verdi, and his beloved late dog Puccini. He also managed to recruit Meryl Streep to narrate the project. Rufus joins Tom Power over Zoom to talk about the different influences behind “Dream Requiem,” his upbringing in Quebec, and how this project really mourns the death of the American Dream.

The Toronto singer-songwriter and actor Lia Pappas-Kemps (best known for her role as Jane in “Anne with an E”) recently released her debut EP, “Gleam.” She calls the record a fragmented love letter to her teenage years, which isn’t surprising seeing as she wrote it all between the ages of 16 and 19. Lia joins Tom Power to discuss the EP and she introduces us to a track called “Switchblade.”

Tom Rooney is one of Canada’s most beloved stage actors. Over the last three decades, he’s taken on some of theatre’s most memorable roles, from Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet” to Henry Higgins in “My Fair Lady.” But Tom has also played a big part in contemporary Canadian theatre, which is where we find him now. Currently, he’s playing Majnoun in Mirvish’s remount of “Fifteen Dogs,” based on the Giller Prize-winning book of the same name by André Alexis. The story follows a group of dogs who are given the gift of human consciousness and language. Tom drops by the “Q” studio to talk about his life in acting, his love of the craft, and what it takes to play a dog.

The CBC radio show and podcast “Under the Influence” just launched its 20th season. Show host and creator Terry O'Reilly joins Tom Power for a career chat about his early days as an ad man, his experience working with some of the biggest brands and celebrities of our time, and how he pitched a show about advertising to a network with no advertising.

The Canadian actor and playwright Ins Choi is best known as the creator of “Kim’s Convenience,” which started as a play in 2011 before it became a hit sitcom in 2016. This month, “Kim’s Convenience” is back at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company where it was first professionally staged in 2012. Ins sits down with Tom Power to talk about the ups and downs of adapting “Kim’s Convenience” for TV, the role that faith has played in his life, and what it’s like stepping into the part of Appa in this latest production.

For a time in the ‘90s, there was no band on earth bigger than Bush. Their debut album, “Sixteen Stone,” had singles that were in heavy rotation on MuchMusic, MTV and every rock radio station. That record also turned singer Gavin Rossdale into a star. Ahead of Bush’s cross-Canada tour this spring, Gavin joins Tom Power to look back on the band’s early days, what it was like breaking out of Britain when they didn’t sound like the Britpop bands of the time, and what goes through his mind when he hears “Glycerine.”

Mikey Madison is up for an Oscar for her role in Sean Baker’s Palme d'Or-winning film “Anora.” The story follows a sex worker from Brooklyn who meets and marries the son of a Russian oligarch. But their fairytale romance is threatened after news of their shotgun wedding reaches his parents in Russia. A few months ago, Mikey sat down with Tom Power to talk about her deep research and preparation for the role, why she feels protective of her character, and how the film changed her life.

The Canadian actor Amrit Kaur is one of the breakout stars of Mindy Kaling’s HBO Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” She joins Tom Power to talk about getting into acting for all the wrong reasons, being inspired by her character Bela, and how acting eventually helped her overcome her self-loathing.

When you were growing up, did you get along with your sibling? Did your parents want you to get along better than you did? When Leela and Jay Gilday were growing up in Northwest Territories, their dad wanted them to sing together more, but it wasn’t until decades later that they did. Leela and Jay both have distinguished music careers on their own, but more recently, they’ve come together as the contemporary roots duo Sechile Sedare (“my younger brother, my older sister” in Dene). They join Tom Power to talk about their collaboration. Plus, they set up their new single, “Hold On.”

In Sook-Yin Lee’s new film, “Paying For It,” a couple whose romantic attraction is waning decide to open up their relationship. While Sonny explores dating, her introverted boyfriend, Chester, opts to hire sex workers. The story is based on Sook-Yin’s real-life former relationship with Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown, who released a bestselling graphic memoir of the same name in 2011. It reflects on intimacy, connection, the rights of sex workers, the boundaries we put around relationships, and Toronto in the ‘90s. Sook-Yin joins Tom Power to talk about the movie and what she learned in the process of making it. Plus, she discusses her early work as a MuchMusic VJ, and how she struggled to deal with the slow cultural shift from alternative music to boy bands.

Denis Villeneuve’s massive sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” is up for best picture at the Oscars this year. Last year, around the film’s Canadian premiere, the Quebecois filmmaker joined Tom Power to discuss his vision for the second installment, the challenges of shooting in the intense heat of the desert, and how politics and religion in Quebec play into the film more than you might think.

The Brazilian film “I’m Still Here” looks at one of the darkest chapters in Brazil’s modern history. It tells the true story of Eunice Paiva, whose husband was apprehended, tortured and executed by the military in 1971. The film’s star, Brazilian actor Fernanda Torres, is nominated for best actor at the Oscars for her performance. She joins Tom Power to talk about the responsibility of telling a real person’s story, and how she hopes the film will correct false narratives about Brazil’s past military dictatorship.

Jaylene Tyme is a Vancouver drag legend, a community leader, and a proud two-spirit Indigenous trans woman. She recently competed on Season 5 of “Canada’s Drag Race,” where she not only won the title of Miss Congeniality, but also used her platform to send powerful messages about truth and reconciliation, missing and murdered Indigenous women, and her experience as a survivor of the Sixties Scoop. Jaylene joins Tom Power to talk about fusing her art with advocacy, and how it led to a worldwide viral moment.

The Montreal comedian Sugar Sammy refers to himself as an “equal opportunity offender.” As a comic, he says the only thing worse than outrage is silence. Ahead of his 20-city Canadian tour, Sammy sits down with Tom Power to tell us what’s on his mind, why our changing world is a goldmine for new material, and how offensive jokes can actually unify us. Plus, he reveals the four components he believes define a successful stand-up comedian.

Lita Fontaine is a Winnipeg-based artist who has a new exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq. It’s called “Winyan” (the Dakota word for “woman”) and it celebrates the role and influence of Indigenous women in their families, communities and cultures. Lita joins Tom Power to talk about her life and work, why the walls of her new exhibit are painted pink, and why she wanted to celebrate femininity, resistance and resilience with this collection.

The Canadian comedy legend Tom Green has had an incredible career, from “The Tom Green Show” to “Freddy Got Fingered” to his many stand-up tours. Last year, he was honoured with the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award from the Banff World Media Festival. Tom Power caught up with him live on stage in Banff for a special career-spanning conversation about his journey in comedy, the terrifying cancer diagnosis that changed his perspective on work and ambition, and why he's back in Canada to stay.

After playing bass and singing on tour for the likes of Lorde and Remi Wolf, Maddie Jay is finally going out on her own with her new album, “I Can Change Your Mind.” The Los Angeles-based Canadian musician sits down with Tom Power to talk about her journey in music, the surprising lesson she learned from playing with some of the world’s biggest artists, and how a visiting fiddle player to her small B.C. town taught her how to be creative.

At 29, Adrien Brody became the youngest person to win best actor at the Oscars for his role as a Holocaust survivor in 2002's “The Pianist.” Now, he’s received his second best actor nomination for “The Brutalist,” portraying a fictional Jewish Hungarian architect who emigrates to the United States in an effort to rebuild his life. Adrien joins Tom Power to discuss his critically acclaimed performance, how “The Brutalist” gave him a new perspective on his family’s own immigration story, and the parallels between his two Oscar-nominated roles.

Two heavyweights of Canadian culture, acclaimed soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee and literary giant Margaret Atwood, have come together for an exciting new collaboration. On her new album, “Zombie Blizzard,” Measha sings musical interpretations of seven Atwood poems. She joins Tom Power to talk about the project and what she thinks it might be able to tell you about the future.

The British actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste first worked with director Mike Leigh on his 1996 breakthrough “Secrets & Lies,” which earned her an Oscar nomination. Now, she’s reunited with him for his new comedy-drama, “Hard Truths.” In the film, Marianne gives an explosive performance as Pansy, a woman consumed by rage and depression, who regularly lashes out at family and strangers. Marianne joins Tom Power to talk about Mike’s unique directing process and what it took to build this character. Plus, she looks back on her long career on the stage.

Tim Heidecker became known for playing bizarre or surreal characters in his breakout sketch comedy show “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” But now that he’s a dad in his late 40s, the comedian has decided to put aside the characters and lean into sincerity instead. His new folk album, “Slipping Away,” reflects on the grim state of the world, aging, fatherhood and the waning of creativity. Tim talks to guest host Saroja Coelho about the record, subverting his fans’ expectations, and what inspired him to get so earnest and reflective in his music.

When Steven Soderbergh asked Lucy Liu to star in his new film “Presence,” saying yes was a no-brainer. The movie tells a haunted house story with a twist in that it unfolds from the point-of-view of the ghost. Lucy joins Tom Power from New York to talk about her experience working on “Presence,” how it differed from her previous work on big projects like “Charlie's Angels” and “Kill Bill,” and how she ended up in show business after being discovered on the subway.

A new documentary called “New Blood” chronicles the 10-year journey of the “New Blood Dance Show” — a high school theatre production based on the residential school experience of former Siksika Nation Chief Vincent Yellow Old Woman. Peter Gabriel signed on as an executive producer of the documentary and even allowed his music to be used in it for free. “New Blood” director Adam Solway joins Tom Power from Calgary to tell us how the film is sparking long overdue conversations about the intergenerational impact of the residential school system, and why he hopes the project will serve as a form of healing.

The Canadian singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman, a.k.a. The Weather Station, is known for making music that confronts climate change and the damage we’ve inflicted on our planet. Just a few days ago, Tamara released her new album, “Humanhood,” which chronicles a difficult mental health period in her life when she felt like she had lost her sense of self. She sits down with Tom Power to discuss the record and why she turns to music to make it through tough times.

Clarence Maclin spent 15 years as an inmate in Sing Sing Correctional Facility, one of America’s most notorious prisons. Now, he plays himself opposite Colman Domingo and Paul Raci in “Sing Sing,” a new film based on his experience in prison and the transformative theatre program that changed his life. Last year, around the film’s release, Clarence joined Tom to share what it was like stepping back into a prison uniform, how acting helped him find his voice and his purpose, and how he hopes the film will change what you think you know about prisoners.

With four Grammys, 25 No. 1 songs and more than 10 billion streams, Keith Urban has solidified his position as one of the world's biggest names in country music. On his latest album, “High,” the Australian country superstar gets more reflective than ever, exploring themes like generational trauma and what it means to be alive. Ahead of his cross-Canada tour this year, Keith sits down with Tom Power to talk about his new record, why his unique blend of pop and country music took so long to catch on, and his curiosity about curling.

Lioness Kaur is a Canadian rapper who’s just released her debut album, "The Lion with Emerald Eyes." She sits down with Tom Power to talk about the challenge and triumph of breaking into the Canadian hip-hop scene as a young Punjabi Sikh woman, and how she found support from the likes of Drake and Lloyd Banks. Plus, she sets up her new song “Black Sheep.”

For decades, Pamela Anderson has been recognized as a pop culture icon, but she says she hasn’t recognized herself until now. Earlier this month, she earned her first Golden Globe nomination for her role as a fading Las Vegas showgirl in Gia Coppola’s new film, “The Last Showgirl.” Her critically acclaimed performance marks a new chapter of her career as a serious dramatic actor and bonafide artist. Pamela joins Tom Power to talk about the film — and why she says it’s never too late to start over.

At the Munich Olympics on Sept. 5, 1972, the Palestinian militant organization Black September stormed the Olympic Village, where they immediately killed two Israeli athletes and took nine more hostage. Ultimately, all of the Israeli hostages lost their lives. As the crisis unfolded in real-time, the story was being broadcast live on television by ABC Sports. Now, the Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum has made a new film, “September 5,” which follows the small ABC crew that led the live coverage while close to a billion people watched from around the globe. Tim sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss the film and the questions it opens up about how the media covers a crisis.

After nearly 40 years of marriage, the Canadian actors Paul Gross and Martha Burns say they’re still learning new things about each other. Currently, they’re co-starring as one of theatre’s most dysfunctional married couples, George and Martha, in a new production of Edward Albee’s “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at Canadian Stage. Paul and Martha sit down with Tom Power to tell us what it’s like playing this famously toxic couple, and what they’re still learning about each other after all these decades.

At the height of her fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Eve seemed to have it all: stadium tours, a clothing line, and collaborations with the likes of Prince, Missy Elliott and Gwen Stefani. But in her new memoir, “Who’s That Girl?,” she tells the story of what was actually going on behind the scenes. Eve joins Tom Power to talk about some of the major highlights of her career, the negative side effects of fame, and the hip-hop industry’s double standard.

For 20 years, the Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch has been disappearing into his roles, whether it be a high school football player in “Friday Night Lights” or a loner frontiersman in his latest series “American Primeval.” He joins Tom Power to talk about the intense preparation he does for his roles, why he thinks of acting as service, and his thoughts about appearing in the upcoming “Friday Night Lights” reboot.

Bear Witness of The Halluci Nation joins guest host Talia Schlanger to set up the group’s first new single of 2025, “Babylon.” The track pays tribute to Ottawa’s Babylon night club, which hosted the groundbreaking electric powwow parties that kickstarted their career.

If you’ve ever thought it was too late for you to try something new, you should listen to Sindhu Vee. She’s one of the most talked-about comics in the U.K. right now, but just a few years ago, she was an investment banker who was trying to figure out what to do with her life after having kids. Sindhu joins Tom Power to tell us how she got her start in comedy without ever having seen a live stand-up show, the strange similarities between investment banking and what she does now, and what attracted her to her new series, “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh.”

The comedian, actor and poet ALOK joins guest host Saroja Coelho to talk about their new standup special, “Biology,” and their experience making a cameo appearance on the Peabody-winning show “Sort Of.”Plus, Holly Cole is a Juno-winning Canadian jazz singer who’s been making music since the early 1990s. Now, she’s back with her 13th studio album, “Dark Moon.” Holly joins Tom Power to talk about the record, how it embraces spontaneity, and the childhood memory that launched her lifelong fascination with the moon.

At the Golden Globes earlier this month, Brady Corbet’s sprawling historical epic “The Brutalist” took home best drama, best director and best actor for Adrien Brody, who stars as the fictional Jewish Hungarian architect László Tóth. Brady sits down with Tom Power to reflect on the critical acclaim for his latest film, his transition from acting to directing, and why it’s easier to tell historical dramas when the work is fiction.

The Canadian actor Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle) has spent a good chunk of time playing detectives. Now, he stars in the new police procedural “Saint-Pierre,” which is set on St-Pierre-Miquelon, the French island just off the coast of Newfoundland. Allan drops by to chat with Tom Power about the show’s unique location and why he’s drawn to detective-type roles.

The Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof risked everything to make his new political thriller, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” He had already been arrested, sentenced and imprisoned in Iran for making films that authorities found to be "propaganda against the system,” so he had to shoot his latest film entirely in secret. Mohammad sits down with Tom Power to explain how he managed to direct the film far away from the set, and why the critical success of “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” has been bittersweet.

José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço is a Toronto-based writer and filmmaker whose debut film, “Young Werther,” reimagines Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s classic novella “The Sorrows of Young Werther” as a modern-day rom-com. José sits down with Tom Power to talk about the film and why he thinks this 18th-century German tragedy is a universal story that we can still learn from today.

The critically acclaimed new film “Nickel Boys,” based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, is largely shot from the point of view of its two main characters as they try to survive in an abusive reform school called the Nickel Academy. Director RaMell Ross sits down with Tom Power to talk about his decision to tell the story through the eyes of his two leads, how trauma is built across time and distilled across memory, and how basketball has influenced his filmmaking.

Mark Critch is a Canadian comedian and actor who spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just a month before he made his announcement to resign as leader of the Liberal Party. Mark speaks with Tom Power about landing the only year-end interview with the prime minister, plus, he looks back on some of his favourite Trudeau-era comedic moments. He also discusses the fourth and latest season of “Son of a Critch” — the hit sitcom based on his life.