Synopsis
Get ready to meet the artists you're talking about, and the ones you'll soon love. Whatever you're into -- be it music, TV, film, visual art, theatre, or comedy -- q is there. Expect deep insight, and big surprises. Because on q, arts and entertainment get personal.
Episodes
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Robert Eggers: Why bringing Nosferatu back to the screen has been his life’s dream
20/12/2024 Duration: 20minThe director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Witch) has been fascinated and haunted by the shadowy form of Nosferatu since he was a kid. Now, he’s brought his take on “Nosferatu” back to the screen with his long-anticipated remake of the same name, which stars Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe and Bill Skarsgård. Robert joins Tom Power to discuss the film and why he wanted to bring this gothic horror tale back to life.
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Lauren Collins: From Degrassi to her new series My Dead Mom
20/12/2024 Duration: 22minThe Canadian actor Lauren Collins became famous for playing a gutsy, outspoken high school student on "Degrassi: The Next Generation.” But now as she approaches her 40s, she’s matured into roles that portray women with new kinds of problems, such as when to have a baby, how not to work so much, and what to do about the ghost of your mother who won’t shut up. Lauren sits down with Tom Power to talk about her new show, “My Dead Mom,” and how it strikes the perfect balance between anger, humour, grief and the conflicting emotions around losing a parent who drove you crazy.
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Heather Ogden: Dancing The Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy
19/12/2024 Duration: 25minFor 20 seasons, National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Heather Ogden has been performing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the enduring holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” Heather sits down with Tom Power to talk about the magic and opulence of this production — and what makes the Sugar Plum Fairy’s solo so tricky. Plus, she makes a special announcement about an upcoming National Ballet of Canada production of “Swan Lake.”
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Suki Waterhouse: Making the pivot from actor to musician
19/12/2024 Duration: 23minSuki Waterhouse is best known as a model and actor, but she’s had a quiet passion for music since she was a kid. After starring in the hit show “Daisy Jones & The Six,” which is about a band finding success in the ‘70s, she was inspired to finally pursue a career in music. Suki joins Tom Power to talk about her career pivot and her new album, “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin.”
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Lin-Manuel Miranda: How a talk with George Lucas changed his perspective on success
18/12/2024 Duration: 26minLin-Manuel Miranda changed the face of Broadway forever when he wrote the musical “Hamilton.” Now, he’s bringing his talent back to the screen with Disney’s upcoming film “Mufasa: The Lion King.” Lin joins Tom Power to talk about why we can’t get enough of “The Lion King,” how the wild success of “Hamilton” changed his life, and what he thinks about the state of Broadway today.
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Quick Q: The Sheepdogs on their 20 years as a band
18/12/2024 Duration: 14minFrom playing bars in Saskatoon to arenas around the world, the Canadian rock band The Sheepdogs have come a long way in two decades. To mark their 20th anniversary as a band, lead singer Ewan Currie joins Tom Power to talk about what it means to have longevity in rock and roll — and why the band couldn’t resist making a holiday song.
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Cher: The difficult reality behind the scenes of The Sonny & Cher Show
17/12/2024 Duration: 25minThis year, decades after re-establishing herself as a solo artist, Cher was finally recognized by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She’s also just released a new book, “Cher: The Memoir,” which is the first of a two-part autobiography that covers her start in music from 1946 to 1976. In this conversation with Tom Power, Cher tells us her story of growing up with a mother who wanted to be a star herself, how she found out she could sing, and why behind the scenes Sonny & Cher was not at all what you saw on TV.
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Remembering percussionist Zakir Hussain
17/12/2024 Duration: 27minThe acclaimed tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain has died at age 73. Last year, he was in Toronto for his show “Masters of Percussion” at Massey Hall. Just before that concert, he spoke to Tom Power about his life in music, from his most notable collaborations to the life advice he got from the late George Harrison. In tribute, we revisit that conversation.
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Michael Healey: His stage satire about the failure to build a smart city in Toronto
16/12/2024 Duration: 24minMichael Healey’s award-winning play “The Master Plan” is a biting satire about the Sidewalk Labs fiasco in Toronto, when the Google sister company attempted to build a smart city in an underdeveloped neighbourhood on the city’s waterfront. It’s based on the book “Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy” by tech reporter Josh O’Kane, and it’s now being remounted at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto. Michael joins Tom Power to talk about the play and the clash of Big Tech and municipal politics. Plus, he reflects on his life in theatre, from the success of “The Drawer Boy” to the controversy around “Proud,” his satirical play about Stephen Harper.
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D.D. Jackson and George Elliott Clarke: Can any poem be turned into music?
16/12/2024 Duration: 22minThe Canadian pianist D.D. Jackson got an unusual request during the pandemic: his old friend, Canada’s former poet laureate George Elliott Clarke, asked him to turn a poem he had written for his daughter into a song. That led to a whole project in which George sent D.D. different works by Canadian poets for D.D. to transform into music. The result of their collaboration is a new album called “Poetry Project.” D.D. and George join Tom Power to talk about the album and set up a song from it.
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Gwen Stefani: No Doubt’s early days and her new album Bouquet
13/12/2024 Duration: 31minIt’s been eight years since Gwen Stefani has released an album. Following a very public divorce, she needed some time to heal, pick up the pieces of her life and find her voice again. Now, after some time away from music, she’s back with her fifth studio album, “Bouquet.” Gwen joins Tom Power to talk about the record, her time in No Doubt, and finding real love for what she says might be the first time.
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The OBGMs: How therapy shaped their new record
13/12/2024 Duration: 27minDensil McFarlane, the lead singer of the Canadian punk rock band The OBGMs, felt like he was in a rut, so he decided to seek out therapy. That decision opened up a whole new world that he explores on his band’s new album, “Sorry, It’s Over.” Densil sits down with guest host Saroja Coelho to chat about the album and what he learned about being vulnerable in his art.
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Snotty Nose Rez Kids: Why they believe in a Red Future
12/12/2024 Duration: 29minThe hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids are back with their sixth studio album (and first on a major label), “Red Future.” Yung Trybez and Young D join Tom Power to talk about the concept of Indigenous Futurism, riding the line between serious subject matter and levity, and why they believe this record is their magnum opus.
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Jane Schoenbrun: I Saw the TV Glow and their ‘90s TV obsessions
12/12/2024 Duration: 18minThe director Jane Schoenbrun first became known for their 2021 movie “We're All Going to the World's Fair,” which tapped into a teenaged fascination with the culture of viral memes. Jane’s latest film, “I Saw the TV Glow,” follows two suburban teens who get emotionally enmeshed in a fictional ‘90s TV show called “The Pink Opaque.” The result is a moody investigation of identity, growing up and making decisions about who you want to be. “I Saw the TV Glow” was recently nominated for six Spirit Awards, including best feature and best director. We revisit Tom Power’s conversation with Jane about the film, how it relates to transness and their own experience getting intertwined in TV shows as they grew up.
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Dennis Lyxzén: When your song becomes a big hit after the band breaks up
11/12/2024 Duration: 16minIt’s been more than 25 years since the Swedish hardcore punk band Refused released their seminal album, “The Shape of Punk to Come.” Their most famous song from that album, “New Noise,” has been called a political anthem and a protest song. It’s been used in the Palme d'Or'-winning film “Triangle of Sadness” as well as in the hit show “The Bear.” Frontman Dennis Lyxzén of Refused joins Tom Power to tell us how “New Noise” became a global hit after the band had already called it quits.
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Remembering poet Nikki Giovanni
10/12/2024 Duration: 33minNikki Giovanni carved out a revolutionary legacy during the civil rights era with poems that uplifted the experiences of Black Americans. On Monday, she died at age 81, following her third cancer diagnosis. We revisit Tom Power’s conversation with the iconic poet from earlier in the year when she discussed her involvement in the birth of hip-hop, why artists should go to space, and how she packed a club full of 100 people that included guests like Morgan Freeman and Nina Simone.
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Elif Shafak: What being prosecuted for her novels taught her about freedom of expression
10/12/2024 Duration: 31minThe British-Turkish writer Elif Shafak has written over a dozen novels, many of which have been translated to nearly 60 languages. She’s often credited as being the most-read female novelist in Turkey. Elif joins Tom to talk about the importance of water in her latest novel There are Rivers in the Sky, the transformational power of literature, and what being prosecuted for her work has taught her about freedom of expression.
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Clairmont the Second: How his album full of fear, loss, and paranoia ends in triumph
10/12/2024 Duration: 20minToronto rapper Clairmont the Second talks to Tom about his experience of loss and paranoia on his brand new album “They Said it Would Rain,” and how despite the challenges he’s faced in recent years, his record ends in triumph.
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Valdy: The Canadian folk music legend reflects on his 50-year career
09/12/2024 Duration: 36minCanadian folk musician Valdy has been making music and criss-crossing the country for over 50 years. Valdy has 16 albums to his name, sold over half a million records and received the Order of Canada and two Junos. Valdy joins Tom in the Q studio to talk about his iconic 1972 hit “Rock and Roll Song,” what keeps him playing almost 200 shows per year at the age of 79 and his political and social activism.
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Patrick Nichols: What it’s like to photograph the Toronto hip-hop scene
09/12/2024 Duration: 16minPatrick Nichols has been photographing Toronto’s hip-hop artists for decades. His latest photo, “A Great Day in Toronto Hip Hop,” features 103 key players from the scene captured all in one place. It’s just been put on display in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s new exhibit, “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century.” Patrick sits down with Tom Power to talk about the photograph, trading in a turntable for a camera, and his life in photography and hip-hop.