Q with Tom Power

The comedian Taylor Tomlinson grew up in a religious household, so her very first stand-up performances were on the Christian comedy circuit. But after she got fired from a church gig because of a joke she told, she started branching out her comedy. Now, she’s one of the biggest comics in the world, the host of “After Midnight” on CBS, and she’s just released her latest comedy special, “Have it All.” Taylor joins Tom Power to talk about her early stand-up days and what it’s like being the only woman currently working in late-night television.

Ryan Ofei is a Canadian artist who grew up singing in the church, but due to feeling like an outsider, he abandoned his passion for Christian music in favour of R&B. After a near-death experience made him re-evaluate his life and values, Ryan found his way back to writing about his relationship with God, and since then has gone on to win a Grammy for his work. He joins Tom Power to talk about his debut album, “Restore,” and why he wants to make Christian music a little bit more accessible.

The comedian Fortune Feimster is back with a new Netflix comedy special, “Crushing It,” which debuts today. In this conversation with Tom Power, Fortune tells us how she discovered her passion for comedy, how Chelsea Handler gave her her first big break in Hollywood, and what she thinks about being described as a “joyful” comedian.

The Quebec singer-songwriter Klô Pelgag has gone through some big changes since being shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2021. She wrote her latest album, “Abracadabra,” after becoming a mother for the first time, which completely changed her relationship to music and the world. Klô joins Tom Power to discuss how she’s rediscovering herself as an artist. Plus, she sets up a song called “Lettre à une jeune poète” and talks about the challenges of being a francophone musician in Canada.

John Adams (Nixon In China, Doctor Atomic) is a Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer who’s one of the biggest living names in the world of opera and classical music. He’s helped give opera a more contemporary lens by steering his work toward big political events in modern history. His latest opera, “Girls of the Golden West,” looks at the California Gold Rush, and it was recently nominated for two Grammys. John joins Tom Power to discuss his decades-long career in music, his Pulitzer Prize-winning composition inspired by 9/11, and what role he thinks classical music can play when it comes to telling contemporary stories.

The actor Allan Louis has stepped into the role of Henry Higgins in the beloved Broadway musical “My Fair Lady,” which is on now at the Shaw Festival in Ontario. Allan took over the role from another actor earlier this fall. He joins Tom Power to talk about his transition from understudy to leading man, and how the character of Henry Higgins changes when a Black actor takes on the role.

The Mohawk artist Shelley Niro was inspired to professionally pursue art after seeing prints of Norval Morrisseau's work on the wall at her dentist’s office. Now, she has two prestigious Canadian contemporary art awards under her belt (the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts and the Scotiabank Photography Award) and she’s celebrating her first major career retrospective, “500 Year Itch,” at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Shelley joins Tom Power to talk about the show, how her work uses pop culture and satire to puncture stereotypes about Indigenous people, and how she developed her unique sense of humour.

Jeremie Albino is one of the most soulful voices in Canada right now. He grew up in Scarborough, Ont., but spent many years in rural parts of Ontario and Quebec, where he focused on his dual passions for farming and music. While he still has a green thumb, music kind of won out in the end. His new album, “Our Time in the Sun,” was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who brought in some of Nashville’s best musicians to help out. Jeremie sits down with Tom Power to talk about the record and to set up his song “So Many Ways To Say I Love You.”

The American fashion designer Anna Sui helped create and define the styles that we now associate with ‘90s fashion. Widely regarded as a visionary and a trailblazer, Anna is known for her incredibly thoughtful yet whimsical designs that draw inspiration anywhere from Pre-Raphaelite art to Agatha Christie novels to coral reefs. She joins Tom Power to discuss some of her career highlights from that golden era, her lasting influence on the ‘90s aesthetic, and her new collaboration with Fluevog Shoes.

Three years after the release of her acclaimed debut album, “Anything Can’t Happen,” the Canadian singer-songwriter Dorothea Paas has returned with a brand new record, “Think of Mist.” She sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to set up a song from the album.

For the last two decades, the artist and author Oliver Jeffers has created children’s books, such as “How to Catch a Star” and his latest book “Where to Hide a Star,” that have become staples in homes around the world. Oliver joins Tom Power to talk about his new book and how growing up amid the conflict in Northern Ireland gave him his life's mission to change the stories we tell.

When you read about a global climate summit in the news, you probably don't see a lot about Jenga. But at this year’s UN Biodiversity Conference (also known as COP16), the Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong unveiled a provocative large-scale art installation called “Biodiversity Jenga,” which really got people thinking about climate change. Some of Benjamin’s past work includes giant skulls made of electronic waste and a massive structure made of drinking straws. His work is accessible, whimsical and in-your-face. Benjamin talks to Tom Power about his latest installation, his “clickbait approach” to activist art, and why he believes art is a key player in the survival of our planet.

More than 20 years ago, Paris Hilton started building an entertainment empire that went hand in hand with her reputation for being a ditzy blonde heiress. But that wasn’t her true self — it was a character she played in public as a trauma response. Now, she’s dropped the character and is showing the public the real her. In this conversation with guest host Talia Schlanger, Paris opens up about her mental health struggle and the abuse she faced at a boarding school for troubled teens. Plus, she talks about making her return to music with her new album, “Infinite Icon,” and reuniting with Nicole Richie to celebrate 20 years of “The Simple Life.”

Tokyo Police Club started as a high school band in an Ontario suburb, but it didn’t take long for them to become Canadian indie rock darlings. Now, after nearly 20 years together, Tokyo Police Club is calling it quits. Dave Monks and Graham Wright from the band sit down with Tom Power to tell us how they’re feeling as they head into their final shows this week.

The actor Henry Winkler spent 11 seasons playing The Fonz on “Happy Days,” and for much of that time, he was struggling with an undiagnosed learning disability. He only realized he had dyslexia at age 31, when his stepson was diagnosed. Now, Henry is a prolific children’s author who’s helping kids who have trouble with literacy. He joins Tom Power to talk about the latest book in his “Detective Duck” series, the shame he felt as an actor who struggled with reading, and what happens when you admit you need help.

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the director Payal Kapadia won the prestigious Grand Prix award for her debut narrative feature, “All We Imagine as Light.” It’s one of the buzziest films of the year and the first Indian film in 30 years to compete at Cannes. The story centres around three women who are each living and working in Mumbai. Though they’re all financially independent, they’re not free from the expectations of what it means to be women in a patriarchal society. Payal joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about making a film that celebrates female friendship, how she addressed some of her own biases against women in the film, and how she feels about it not being selected to represent India at the next Oscars.

Malcolm Washington knows a thing or two about legacy. As the youngest son of Denzel and Pauletta Washington, he grew up in a movie-making family of actors, directors and producers. Now, Malcolm is entering the family business with his debut feature film, “The Piano Lesson,” which is an adaptation of the revered August Wilson play of the same name. It’s about what we pass on from one generation to another and the legacy we leave. Malcolm sits down with Tom Power to discuss his directorial debut, how he personally connected with the story’s themes of legacy, and what it’s like to carve out your own path when your father is a truly legendary actor.

Whether you call it naan, roti, lavash or tortilla, flatbread represents our cultures and traditions, showing us how food can unite us across borders. It's for that reason that the Canadian artist Sameer Farooq believes that flatbread belongs in a museum. His latest project, “Flatbread Library,” is a large-scale sculpture that indexes flatbread from different regions, sourced from bakeries around Toronto. Sameer sits down with Tom Power to tell us how a trip to Pakistan sparked the idea for the project, why bakers are the best sculptors, and how “Flatbread Library” challenges what we typically see in museums.

As a cinematographer, director and producer, Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, The Addams Family, Get Shorty) has done a lot in the world of film and TV. Last month, he released his second memoir, “Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time,” which is full of candid stories from his blockbuster career. Barry joins Tom Power to share some of those Hollywood stories, including the unique challenges of directing Michael Jackson on “Men In Black II” and the time he fired Donald Trump off of a Macy’s commercial. Plus, he tells us why he became a Canadian permanent resident in 2016.

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a Haida artist who’s considered the father of Haida manga — a distinct style that combines the traditional art of his culture with contemporary Japanese comic book storytelling. His work explores themes of cultural identity, environmentalism and colonialism, while making it accessible in the graphic novel form. Michael sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss Haida manga and his new exhibit, “Diaries After a Flood,” which is on now at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Toronto.

People don’t think Graham Isador is losing his sight. They think he’s an asshole.Short Sighted is an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds.Written and hosted by master storyteller Graham Isador, the show’s mini episodes are an intimate and irreverent look at accessibility and its personal impacts.Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human.More episodes of Personally are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/6dEWdP7z

Leon Bridges is back with his fourth studio album, “Leon.” It’s a moving collection of 13 songs that take a look at the place that shaped him as a person and as an artist: his home of Fort Worth, Texas. Leon joins Tom Power to reflect on his supersonic rise to fame after the release of his debut album, his evolving relationship with his faith and how that shows up in his music, and why Fort Worth is such a meaningful place to him.

Graham Isador is a Canadian writer and playwright who’s living with a degenerative eye disease called keratoconus, which means he’s losing his sight. But since there’s no obvious sign of it, people don’t always believe him. His new project, “Short Sighted,” started as a one-man play and is now a five-part podcast series that explains what it’s really like for him to lose his vision. Graham joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the project and what he’s learned about himself along the way.

It's not uncommon for big musical artists to take a break in between albums, but it is uncommon for them to use that break to go to Harvard Divinity School. That's exactly what Maggie Rogers did a few years ago at the height of her success. She sits down with Tom Power to talk about that decision, how she applied her theological studies to her work as a singer-songwriter, and how trusting her instincts and prioritizing fun on her latest album, “Don’t Forget Me,” changed her approach to songwriting.

As one of Bono and Ali Hewson’s four children, Eve Hewson (The Perfect Couple, Flora and Son, The Knick) might be as close to Irish royalty as you can get. But she’s also managed to carve out her own path in acting. While she has a few high-profile Hollywood films in the works, it’s the Irish stories, like the Emmy-nominated black comedy series “Bad Sisters,” that she holds closest to her heart. Eve talks to Tom Power about where that Irish pride comes from and what drew her to her latest role in “Bad Sisters,” which is back for Season 2.

Samuel D. Hunter is the award-winning playwright and screenwriter behind “The Whale.” His latest play, “A Case for the Existence of God,” is about an unlikely friendship between two men who have one thing in common: they’re single fathers of young daughters. Samuel was inspired to write the play after he adopted his own daughter and realized that as a parent he no longer had "the luxury of being cynical.” He joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the play, and why he puts so much of himself in his work.

Mike Burkett, also known as Fat Mike, is the lead singer and bassist of NOFX, which is not only one of the most influential and successful punk bands of all time, but also one of the longest-serving. They’ve been together for 41 years, but just last month, it all came to an end when they wrapped up the last few shows on their final tour. In this chat with guest host Talia Schlanger, Mike opens up about how it feels to say goodbye, what he regrets, and what he calls his “desperate need for validation.”

The Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Logan Staats has had one heck of a month. He performed alongside Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal and Allison Russell at a Robbie Robertson tribute concert in Los Angeles, and then he took part in the inaugural Reverie Indigenous Music Residency presented by CBC and the SOCAN Foundation. Ahead of a special performance at Massey Hall in Toronto, Logan sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to tell the story behind his new song “Deadman” off his latest record.

Anna Marie Tendler is a multidisciplinary artist known for her evocative self-portraits that explore grief and isolation. In 2021, following her high-profile divorce with comedian John Mulaney, Anna checked herself into a psychiatric facility, seeking treatment for self-harm and suicidal ideation. She details that experience in her new memoir, “Men Have Called Her Crazy,” which is her reintroduction to the world as an artist on her own terms. Anna joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about her mental health journey, how photography kept her grounded and why she chose to leave her ex-husband out of the book.

Before he started working on his new album, the rapper Tristan Grant (also known as Wolf Castle) suffered a concussion following a skateboarding accident. The long recovery process got him thinking about his life and the man he wants to be. Tristan sits down with Tom Power to talk about that personal growth journey and how it impacted his latest record, “Waiting for the Dawn.”

What’s our individual responsibility when we see atrocities happening in our world? That question is the central premise of the new film “Small Things Like These,” which sheds light on Ireland’s infamous Magdalene laundries. Set in a small Irish town in 1985, the film stars Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five girls who discovers that the local convent in his community is forcing the young women in their care to live under inhumane conditions. Cillian joins Tom Power to talk about the film, why he didn't want to portray his character as a hero, and what life has been like for him after winning an Oscar for “Oppenheimer” earlier this year.

Before making her name as a singer-songwriter, Jennifer Castle worked at a restaurant in Toronto with celebrity chef and restaurateur Matty Matheson. Now, nearly 20 years later, Matty is an executive producer and actor on the hit series “The Bear” and Jennifer has a song featured in Season 3. She joins Tom Power to talk about waiting tables in her 20s, reuniting with her old friend, and her new song, “Blowing Kisses.”

The Oscar-winning British film director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Shame) is renowned for his cinematic portrayals of difficult realities. His latest film, “Blitz,” is a war drama that follows George, a young Black boy living in London during the Blitz — Germany’s bombing campaign against the U.K. during the Second World War. Steve joins Tom Power to talk about the film and why he thinks this story matters in 2024.

Naomi Snieckus and Matt Baram are a married Canadian comedy duo who have teamed up to create a new stage show called “Big Stuff.” It’s part storytelling, part duo stand-up and part improvised — but most importantly, it’s a personal reflection on the treasured keepsakes and unresolved emotions that are left behind when we lose someone we love. Naomi and Matt join Tom Power to tell us more about the show and what inspired it.

For decades, the Canadian visual artist Marcel Dzama has been attracting attention for his drawings, films, sculptures and installations. Earlier this year, Tom Power spoke with the Brooklyn-based artist about his new solo show, “Ghosts of Canoe Lake,” which opened at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Ontario. Now, the exhibit is making its way to Marcel’s hometown of Winnipeg at the gallery where he got his first big break, the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art. In this conversation, Marcel talks about his work, his newfound appreciation for Canadian artist Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, and how losing his earliest work in a fire allowed him to feel more freedom as an artist.

Back in April, the award-winning Canadian writer Ian Williams was named this year’s Massey lecturer. Since 1961, the Massey Lectures have invited distinguished writers, thinkers and scholars to present their ideas in a five-part lecture series across Canada. In this conversation with Tom Power, Ian tells us how to have better conversations with one another,  why it’s important to have difficult conversations even at the risk of offending people, and how listening can be a courageous thing to do.

Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket) is an award-winning filmmaker whose work often explores the lives of people living on the fringes. His latest film, “Anora,” follows a sex worker who quits her job after a whirlwind romance with a Russian billionaire, but soon realizes her fairytale ending isn’t all she’d hoped. Sean joins Tom Power to tell us why this story spoke to him, how a Canadian sex worker’s memoir helped shape the film, and what it felt like to win the prestigious Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival — a dream he’s had forever.

The Juno-winning Canadian jazz singer and pianist Laila Biali is back with a new album, “Wintersongs,” which was inspired by some time she spent in Banff. She says the album brings her back to her roots as a classical pianist — a path that was cut short after a car accident changed her life at 15. Laila sits down with Tom Power to talk about the record, how it blends different sides of herself, and a difficult new challenge she’s facing in both her life and music.

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 Canadian acting legend Saul Rubinek has returned to the stage to explore one of theatre’s most controversial characters: Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s comedy “The Merchant of Venice.” Saul stars as a fictionalized version of himself in Canadian Stage’s new production of “Playing Shylock,” which takes a poignant yet comedic look at cancel culture, representation and anti-Semitism. But for Saul, it’s about more than that — it’s about keeping an audience “off balance.” He sits down with Tom Power to talk about the play, and how “Q” actually ended up influencing the production.

When the award-winning author Jason Reynolds was visiting a juvenile detention centre, he asked what kind of books young boys checked out the most. The answer really surprised him: romance novels. Jason realized that young men have a real hunger to learn about love, sensitivity and intimacy. That sparked the idea for his latest book, "Twenty-Four Seconds from Now,” which follows a Black teen boy who’s about to have sex with his girlfriend for the first time. Jason joins Tom Power to talk about the book and how he’s writing the stories he wishes he had growing up.

One of the most famous tenors in the world, Andrea Bocelli, is celebrating three decades in music. In addition to a concert film and a new album called “Duets,” he’s the subject of a new documentary about his life, “Because I Believe.” It traces his journey from a rural farming village in Tuscany to sold-out stadium concerts with tens of thousands of fans. Andrea joins Tom Power to discuss his journey, including how Luciano Pavarotti helped launch his career, his special friendship with Celine Dion, and which singers he looks up to the most.

After signing a major recording contract at age 12, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque shot to the top of the pop charts with hits like “Leave (Get Out)” and “Too Little, Too Late.” She was on track to become one of the biggest pop singers of the 2000s — and then she seemingly disappeared overnight. In this interview with Tom Power, JoJo opens up about the betrayals she endured as a child star, the label issues that derailed her promising career, and why she’s telling her story now in a new memoir called “Over the Influence.”

The Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter and producer k-os is kind of like the Forrest Gump of popular music — he’s been everywhere. On the 20th anniversary of his smash hit album “Joyful Rebellion,” k-os sits down with Tom Power to share some wild stories from his life and career, like the time he hung out with Prince and how he has Shaquille O'Neal to thank for his first hit in the U.S.

A few years ago, the musician Tia Wood moved to Los Angeles from her home of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta. Though she comes from a musical family (her mom is in a drum group, her sister is a Juno winner, and her dad is a founder of the award-winning group Northern Cree), Tia has managed to find her own sound. Now, she’s the first Indigenous woman to be signed to Sony Music Canada, and she’s just released her debut EP, “Pretty Red Bird.” She sits down with Tom Power to set up a song from the record.

When the Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Lindsay Ell moved from Calgary to Nashville, she found success, but she didn’t feel like she was being her authentic self. So she took a risk, left her record label and started getting more personal in her music, opening up about her experience as a victim of sexual assault and her recovery from an eating disorder. Now, she’s released her new EP, “love myself,” which exudes joy and self-acceptance. Lindsay sits down with Tom Power to talk about her journey, from getting discovered by Randy Bachman as a teenager to breaking the boundaries of country music and finding her authentic voice.

The Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara Quin have been in the public eye for more than 25 years, during which they’ve released 10 studio albums and sold more than a million records. But for nearly 15 years, they’ve been quietly grappling with an elaborate catfishing scheme that’s changed their lives, careers and relationships. Now, they’ve decided to go public about it in a new documentary, “Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara,” which explores fandom, parasocial relationships and celebrity. Tegan and Sara join Tom Power to share their story.

A few years ago, the Canadian musician Brendan McLeod and his band The Fugitives wrote a collection of songs inspired by the real-life experiences of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War. Now, The Fugitives are getting ready to perform those songs in a new stage show, “Ridge,” at the Firehall Hall Arts Centre in Vancouver. Brendan joins Tom Power to talk about the project and the significance of Canada's sacrifice at Vimy Ridge.

The actor, writer and comedian Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Obvious Child) isn’t afraid to bare it all in projects that are vulnerable, frank and touching. In her whimsical new book of essays, “Lifeform,” Jenny writes about meeting her husband and having her first child during the pandemic. Jenny joins Tom Power to talk about the book and her thoughts on motherhood. Plus, she reads one of her essays for us.

William Stanford Davis is a veteran actor who waited 40 years until his dream of becoming a series regular finally became a reality. He’s the breakout star of the hit sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” on which he plays the school’s enigmatic janitor Mr. Johnson. William joins Tom Power to share how he landed the role at 70, what his story can tell us about persistence, and how he managed to keep the faith for decades while waiting for his big break.