Q with Tom Power

When Bob the Drag Queen landed his debut book deal, his publisher asked him if he wanted to write a memoir — but he had something different in mind. The drag superstar’s new book, “Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert,” imagines the famed abolitionist in the present day as she sets out to make a hip-hop album. Bob joins Tom Power to talk about his new chapter as a New York Times bestselling author, the...

In her latest poetry collection, “Wellwater,” the Canadian poet Karen Solie takes a hard look at climate grief and economic anxiety. Her opening poem, “Basement Suite,” was inspired by short-term rentals and precarious living arrangements. But for Karen, the role of poetry isn’t about finding the answers to big questions — it's about honouring our curiosity with the hope that we can eventually fin...

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, there was no one cooler than Chloë Sevigny. After being discovered on the streets of New York, she became the ultimate It Girl. She was an in-demand model and actor known for her unique eye for fashion as well as for starring in indie films that are now considered cult classics. Last September, Chloë sat down with Tom to talk about the different phases of her car...

July Talk’s Peter Dreimanis just made his big screen debut playing a singing vampire in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” — and it all happened because of a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover song he released. Peter sits down with Tom Power to tell us the story behind his first major film role, plus, a little bit about his debut solo album under the name Peter Dreams, which he wrote while waiting for his n...

The Canadian content creator Jasmeet Raina, also known as Jus Reign, is back with Season 2 of “Late Bloomer” — his half-hour comedy series inspired by his own life as a turban-wearing Punjabi Canadian millennial. Jasmeet sits down with Tom Power to talk about the two episodes he wrote and directed this season: one that sheds light on anti-Sikh racism after the Sept. 11 attacks, and one that takes...

For her sixth studio album, “The Truth We Hold,” folk singer Amanda Rheaume dug deep into her Métis heritage by interviewing elders in communities across the country. What she learned came as a surprise, even to her. Amanda sits down with Tom Power to talk about the album and the ups and downs surrounding its release, including having to cancel a show at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

As a kid growing up in Nipissing, Ont., Christian Allaire dreamed of being part of the glamorous world that he saw in his mother’s Vogue magazines. Now, he’s the senior fashion and style writer at Vogue in New York. Christian writes about that incredible journey in his new memoir, “From the Rez to the Runway.” He sits down with Tom Power to talk about how powwow regalia and jingle dance dresses we...

The Canadian actor and comedian Mark McKinney (Superstore, The Kids in the Hall) isn't necessarily known for political comedy, but now he’s playing Prime Minister Mark Carney on “This Hour Has 22 Minutes.” Mark drops by our studio to chat with Tom Power about his portrayal of the Liberal leader and how he landed the role. If you like this conversation, check out Tom’s latest interview with “22 Min...

Pop-punk trailblazer Mark Hoppus is the bassist, co-founder and co-lead vocalist for Blink-182. In his new memoir, “Fahrenheit-182,” he shares his life story, from his parents’ divorce, to being inspired to pick up the bass guitar, to his instant connection with his Blink-182 bandmate Tom DeLonge. Mark joins Tom Power to reflect on his journey with the band, why their break-up felt like a divorce,...

The Grammy-winning Japanese jazz composer and pianist Hiromi has always challenged expectations with her music. Now, she and her group Hiromi’s Sonicwonder have released a new album, “Out There.” Hiromi joins Tom Power to talk about the record, why ramen is so important to her life and how she kind of became pen pals with the late Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson. Plus, she sets up her song “Ye...

The new sitcom “North of North” follows a young Inuk mother named Siaja who’s on a journey to reclaim her life while living in the fictional Arctic community of Ice Cove — a town where everybody knows your business. Co-creators Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril say they made the place up to represent all Inuit communities across the North. Back in January, they joined Tom Power to t...

Alan Ritchson is best known for playing Jack Reacher, an ex-military nomad who negotiates suspicious and dangerous situations. But in his new film, “Ordinary Angels,” Alan plays a father whose brawn is of little use in the face of his young daughter’s illness. Last year, the actor joined Tom Power to talk about playing a dad desperate to save his child, what it’s like to do a scene with an Oscar w...

Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, The Aviator, Tár) is one of the most respected actors of our time. She's an on-screen chameleon who transforms into whatever role she plays, taking on whatever accent is required of her — so much so that she says it’s easy to forget what she actually sounds like. Last year, Cate sat down with Tom for a thoughtful conversation about two of her most recent projects (the un...

They say never meet your heroes, but don't tell that to Brandi Carlile. The 11-time Grammy winner has teamed up with Elton John on a new album, “Who Believes in Angels?” The record’s title track is all about the realities of working with someone you admire. Earlier this year, Brandi joined Tom Power to introduce us to the song and tell us more about her collaboration with Elton.

The award-winning Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter Deepa Mehta has reshaped and redefined both Canadian and Indian cinema with her bold and groundbreaking films. Now, she’s being honoured with a career retrospective called “Through the Fire: The Films of Deepa Mehta” at TIFF in Toronto. It features screenings of 10 of her most prominent films of the past 35 years. Deepa sits down with Tom Power...

For 40 years, Dream Theater has been one of the biggest progressive rock bands in the world, if not the biggest. The driving force behind their music has been legendary drummer Mike Portnoy, but for more than a decade, he and the band were split. That all changed last year when Mike rejoined the band and they recorded their latest album, “Parasomnia.” He sits down with Tom Power to talk about reun...

For years, the Toronto painter Gordon Shadrach has been making stunning oil portraits that investigate the way Black men are represented in society. But in his new exhibit, “the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing,” Gordon unpacks his cancer diagnosis and the year of isolation that followed it. He sits down with Tom Power to tell us how illness and recovery affected him and his...

Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s harrowing new film “Warfare” takes a realistic look at a platoon of Navy SEALs on a mission gone wrong in Iraq in 2006. It’s based on Ray's experiences as a real-life Navy SEAL, and it’s dedicated to his platoon member, Elliott Miller, who lost a leg and suffered a traumatic brain injury during the mission. Ray set out to make the film to help Elliott remember what t...

Craig Mazin is the showrunner behind HBO’s hit post-apocalyptic series “The Last of Us” — but he didn’t always write TV dramas. Much of his career was spent working on big comedy film franchises like “Scary Movie” and “The Hangover.” In this conversation with guest host Garvia Bailey, Craig breaks down why it takes a smart person to write dumb comedy, plus, what you can expect from Season 2 of “Th...

At 13, Nell Smith made headlines for releasing an album of Nick Cave covers with one of her favourite bands, The Flaming Lips. After that, the promising young singer from Fernie, B.C., started working on her debut solo album, “Anxious.” But this past October, at 17, Nell’s life was tragically cut short by a car accident. Now, her record has been released posthumously. Sage McBride and Tim Newton o...

The actor Jonathan Roumie is most famous for playing the role of Jesus Christ in the smash hit TV show, “The Chosen.” He joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the show’s massive global impact, the unique pressures that come with the role, and why centuries later, there remains a great fascination with the life that Jesus lived. If you enjoy this conversation, check out Tom Power’s interview...

The singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman made her voice heard in 1988 when she performed her song “Fast Car” for 90,000 people at a Free Nelson Mandela concert at Wembley Stadium. That song was off her self-titled debut album, which went on to win three Grammys and solidify her as an important American voice. Now, 35 years later, it’s still making an impact and it’s just been re-issued on vinyl. Tracy...

Next week, the Halifax singer-songwriter Joel Plaskett celebrates his 50th birthday. As a special surprise, 22 of his musical friends have come together to make a tribute album, “Songs from the Gang.” One of those friends, Sloan’s Chris Murphy, sits down with Tom Power to talk about his cover of Joel’s classic song “I Love This Town.”

For years, Rachid Badouri has been one of Quebec's biggest comedy stars. His shows have sold millions of tickets around the world, he has a Netflix stand-up special called “Les fleurs du tapis,” and he’s also a judge on “Quel talent!” (Quebec’s version of “Canada’s Got Talent”). But now, Rachid is ready to make a name for himself in the English-speaking world. He sits down with guest host Garvia B...

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 rea...