Q with Tom Power
Q with Tom Power
CBC
Five days a week acclaimed interviewer Tom Power sits down with the artists, writers, actors and musicians who define pop culture. Whether he’s ribbing Adele, singing a boyband classic with Simu Liu, or dissecting faith with U2 frontman Bono – Tom brings the same curiosity, respect and meticulous preparation into every conversation. He also has a track record for interviewing artists on the precipice of stardom – like Lizzo and Billie Eilish — who appeared on Q well before hitting the mainstream. Hear your favourite artists as they truly are, every weekday with Tom Power.
Maya Rudolph: Loot, SNL, Bridesmaids, and her cool parents
Maya Rudolph has been a comedy staple on our screens for decades. She’s impersonated everyone from Donatella Versace to Beyoncé as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” and she’s played memorable characters in comedies like “Bridesmaids” and “Sisters.” Now, Maya is back as the divorced billionaire Molly Wells in the second season of her hit Apple TV+ show “Loot.” Maya tells Tom why she was interested in the world of the mega-rich, how she ended up on “SNL” even though her agent told her not to audition, and why she says comedy and music are cousins.
Apr 25
25 min
Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee: Jackie Shane’s fascinating story
Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee are the directors of a new documentary about the late American R&B singer Jackie Shane. Jackie was a Black trans woman who became popular in Canada after moving to Toronto in the 1960s. She released a single called “Any Other Way” that charted across the country, but in the 1970s, she became a recluse and disappeared from the public eye. Michael and Lucah join Tom to discuss their film “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” and how an unreleased song was discovered in Jackie’s house after she passed.
Apr 25
21 min
Jimbo: Clowning, Drag Race, and winning for weirdos around the world
Jimbo the Drag Clown got a taste of revenge last year. After getting eliminated from the first season of “Canada's Drag Race,” she returned to win Season 8 of “RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.” In the midst of her North American tour, Jimbo sits down with Tom to tell us about her drag beginnings, how she uses her training as a clown to take her performances to the next level, and why everything she does is for the “unseen, beautiful weirdos” who relate to her.
Apr 24
31 min
Sophie Nélisse: Irena’s Vow and what training as a gymnast gives her as an actor
The Canadian actor Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets) stars in the new film “Irena’s Vow,” which tells the story of Irena Gut, a Polish nurse during World War II. Irena becomes a German army major's housekeeper and risks her life to hide a dozen Jewish people within the major's home. Sophie joins Tom in studio to talk about the film, what it means to her, and what her training as an elite gymnast gives her as an actor.
Apr 24
18 min
Nikki Giovanni: Poetry, the birth of hip-hop, and why she genuinely wants to go to Mars
Considered one of the world’s greatest living poets, Nikki Giovanni carved out a revolutionary legacy during the civil rights era with poems that uplifted the experiences of Black Americans. Decades later, Nikki’s writing and interviews have grown increasingly personal, offering insight into her childhood, health struggles and thoughts on growing older. She shares her story in the new documentary, “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” Nikki tells Tom about being involved in the birth of hip-hop, why artists should go to space, and how she packed a club of 100 people, including guests like Morgan Freeman and Nina Simone.
Apr 23
36 min
Zarrar Kahn: How his debut film depicts the horror of living in a patriarchal society
For his debut feature film, “In Flames,” the Pakistani Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn pulls inspiration from his experience living in Karachi as a child. The film is about a mother and daughter who are trying to survive in Karachi as they deal with the challenging reality — and often horror — of living in a patriarchal society. Zarrar speaks with Tom about the film, what it was like confronting his childhood memories, and where his idea for the story originally came from.
Apr 23
17 min
Jay Baruchel: Existential dread, optimism, and why he stayed in Canada
It’s been more than two years since the series debut of “We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel),” and the Canadian actor, writer and director Jay Baruchel is still worrying about humanity’s demise. Ahead of the Season 2 premiere of the award-winning docuseries, Jay joins Tom in studio to talk about his fear of death, how a children’s bible made him cry, and where his patriotism comes from.
Apr 22
36 min
Alexandre Hamel: Why he’s out to prove that ice skating is an art
Alexandre Hamel is a French Canadian former international-level figure skater and one of the artists with Le Patin Libre (Free Skate) — the world’s first and only contemporary ice skating collective. He talks to Tom about forming the Montreal-based collective as a place for rebel skaters to explore the idea of ice skating as art, and why he wants to push the boundaries of ice skating outside of a competitive environment.
Apr 22
17 min
Noah Kahan: Stick Season, authenticity, TikTok, and lying to therapists
Noah Kahan is one of the most successful singer-songwriters in the world right now, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was writing his latest album, “Stick Season,” while isolated on a Vermont farm during the peak of the pandemic. Now, he’s considered the next big thing in music. Noah joins Tom in studio for a conversation about writing the album that would change his life, the power of tapping into his authentic self, and how he’s protected his mental health while on this crazy ride. 
Apr 19
41 min
Quick Q: Cadence Weapon on his new album Rollercoaster
In the three years since Cadence Weapon won the Polaris Music Prize, the Canadian rapper has been working on his new album, "Rollercoaster,” which comes out today. For this record, he was thinking about renegotiating our relationship with the internet and our phones. Cadence Weapon (a.k.a. Rollie Pemberton) chats with Tom about “Rollercoaster” and why he’s decided to adjust his screen time.
Apr 19
11 min
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