Q with Tom Power

If you grew up in the mid-to-late 2000s, there's a good chance you know the band Paramore. Hayley Williams has fronted the pop-punk band for 20 years. She tells Tom about the band's history, the advice she’d give her younger self and what inspired Paramore’s latest album, “This Is Why.”

R.L. Stine is one of the best-selling children's authors in history, made famous by his “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street” books. For decades, he’s kept a strict writing schedule, pumping out around 2,000 words (roughly 10 pages) each morning. More than 350 books later, he’s sharing what he knows with a new book of writing advice called “There’s Something Strange About My Brain: Writing Horror for Kid...

Vanessa Morgan (Riverdale, My Babysitter’s a Vampire) stars in the new series "Wild Cards.” She tells Tom how playing high schoolers for so many years kept her young, what she remembers about her last day of shooting for the CW series “Riverdale,” and why she feels so ready to take on this new role.

Geoff McFetridge has been called “the most famous Canadian artist you’ve never heard of.” As a graphic artist and painter, he’s collaborated with directors such as Spike Jonze and Sofia Coppola, designed for brands like Nike and Apple, and created huge murals for Ottawa’s transit system. In a rare interview, Geoff tells Tom how the DIY culture of skateboarding in Calgary influenced him to get into...

D.J. Demers is a hard of hearing comedian who’s performed on some of the most famous stages in comedy, such as “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Conan,” and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Now, the Canadian comedian is out with his new CBC workplace comedy, titled “One More Time,” which follows a semi-fictionalized version of himself who is a manager of a used sporting goods store and is...

Nicole Byer has made a living talking to people and being funny. She’s so good at it that she's got multiple podcasts and TV shows, and she's now up for an Emmy nomination for hosting the amateur bake-off show “Nailed It!” Nicole tells Tom about growing up as a hyperactive kid, how she initially wanted to be a dramatic actor and how having ADHD has helped her comedy career. Plus, Season 3 of “Son...

The new Marvel miniseries “Echo” is one of the first of its kind. The story focuses on a deaf Native American character named Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo. Sydney Freeland, the series director, tells Tom about the kind of comic books she read growing up on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, the challenges of depicting action through the silent perspective of Maya, and how building a relationship wit...

Bruce Liu is one of the world’s most exciting young pianists. In 2021, he gained worldwide recognition for winning the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition, making him the only Canadian to ever do so. Now, he’s released his debut studio album, “Waves: Music by Rameau, Ravel, Alkan.” Bruce talks to Tom about this new record, and also reflects on winning the Chopin piano competition an...

Deantha Edmunds, Canada’s first Inuk professional opera singer, was just made a member of the Order of Canada. She sits down with Tom in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador to talk about her journey to classical music, what it feels like to bring Inuktitut to the world of classical music, and how finding out she was becoming a member of the Order of Canada felt like an “out of body experience.”

For decades, the visual artist Marcel Dzama has been attracting attention for everything from his root beer ink drawings of bears, bats and flapper girls enduring the Winnipeg winter of his youth, to his wild films, sculptures and installations. Now, the Brooklyn-based artist has his first major Canadian exhibition in almost a decade at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Ontario called “Ghos...

After decades stealing scenes as a supporting actor, Colman Domingo is now generating Oscar buzz for his first lead role in the Obama-backed Netflix film “Rustin.” He tells Tom about playing the underappreciated civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, what he learned about vulnerability when he was a professional clown, and why acting is a form of service to the public. Plus, Kaia Kater tells the story...

Dan Levy’s (Schitt’s Creek) debut feature film he wrote and directed is a story all about grief, aptly titled, “Good Grief.” Dan tells Tom about the self-doubt he felt creating his first feature-length film, the real-life grief that inspired him to write it, and how he went from the hilarious David Rose of “Schitt’s Creek” to his mournful character Marc in “Good Grief.”

The actor Jeffrey Wright has transformed himself into dozens of characters over the years, from Jean-Michel Basquiat in the movie about the late artist’s life, to a conflicted programmer in “Westworld,” and now a disillusioned novelist in the new movie “American Fiction.” Jeffrey sits down with Tom to talk about his personal connection to his character in the film, his journey into acting, and wha...

New York-based Canadian fashion designer Aurora James tells Tom about founding her label Brother Vellies, her memoir “Wildflower,” and the story behind creating Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s famous “tax the rich'' dress she wore at the 2021 Met Gala.

In 1991, a visit from Princess Diana to the Casey House in Toronto changed the way many in society looked at people dying of AIDS. That’s the story that inspired Nick Green to write his latest play, “Casey and Diana,” which had its premiere at the Stratford Festival. Nick tells Tom about the remarkable true story and why he felt compelled to put it on the stage.

“Sex and the City” turned 25 last year, and for the first time since the show ended, it’s back in the form of a new revival series, called “And Just Like That.” Cynthia Nixon, a.k.a. Miranda Hobbes, tells Tom about the show's legacy, how she wanted the series to evolve, and what’s changed for her character more than two decades after the original series ended.

The Rolling Stones are back with “Hackney Diamonds,” the band’s first album of original material in 18 years. In a Canadian exclusive interview, frontman Mick Jagger talks to Tom about the record, the changing music industry, and losing their drummer Charlie Watts.

New York Times bestselling YA author and champion slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo has written her first novel for adult readers, “Family Lore.” The story follows one Dominican-American family, as told through the voices of its women, as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives. Elizabeth talks to Tom about the book, how her family inspired the story, and how being a teacher influenc...

Robbie Robertson, the string-bending guitarist and principal songwriter of The Band, died at 80 earlier this year. Today, we revisit Tom’s 2019 conversation with the late Canadian musician.

Sleepy Jean is a Canadian musician who’s digging into her family history on her latest album, “Shoot Me in a Dream.” In the 1970s, her father was forced to flee his home country of Uganda and was never able to return due to political persecution. Sleepy Jean joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about channelling her father’s experience.

You probably recognize Amanda Marshall for songs like “Birmingham," “Dark Horse,” or “Everybody's Got A Story.” Amanda’s music has been inescapable on Canadian radio for more than 20 years, but during that time, she sort of … disappeared. This year, Amanda came back with her long-awaited album, “Heavy Lifting.” She tells Tom why she’s been gone so long, what it was like to have Elton John talk abo...

You might know Shane Ghostkeeper as part of the band Ghostkeeper, whose album “Multidimensional Culture” was just nominated for this year's Polaris Music Prize. Now, Shane’s released his debut solo country record, “Songs for My People.” He talks to guest host Talia Schlanger about why he felt compelled to honour his family with a country record, and he sets up his deeply personal song “Hunger Stri...

Jon Klassen is a big name in the world of children’s picture books. His bestselling works include “I Want My Hat Back” and “This Is Not My Hat.” To celebrate the release of his latest book, "The Skull" he opens up to Tom... about his early influences, when he first realized he could draw, and how he created his signature style that defined his illustration career.

It’s been 25 years since Barenaked Ladies’ hit song “One Week” came out and topped charts all over the world. Frontman Ed Robertson tells Tom the stories behind some of the song's lyrics, what he remembers about “One Week” going to No. 1 in several countries (except in the band’s home country of Canada), and how they wrote it in a four-minute freestyle session.

Buddha Stretch has left an indelible mark on hip-hop dance since “breakin'” (get it?) onto the scene decades ago. He's worked with everyone from Eric B. & Rakim to Will Smith, and pop legends like Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson. Buddha Stretch talks to Tom about his life in dance, how he approaches hip-hop from a Buddhist standpoint of balance, and what keeps him so passionate for the craft afte...