Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

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.

Before her sudden death in 2023, Lisa Marie Presley was working on a memoir with the help of her eldest daughter, Riley Keough. After her passing, Riley took it upon herself to finish her mother’s project, relying on hours of audio tapes that Lisa Marie left behind. The result is the posthumous memoir “From Here to the Great Unknown,” which looks at what it was like to grow up in the whirlwind of celebrity around Elvis Presley and Graceland. Riley joins Tom Power to explain why she felt so strongly about finishing her mother’s story, plus, she reflects her own legacy as Elvis’ eldest granddaughter.

Elle Mills doesn’t want her life to be the product anymore. She was just a kid when she started posting zany videos about her life on YouTube, racking up millions of views in the process. But by 19, she was burnt out and tired of playing a character. By 24, she quit. Now, Elle has found a new love in directing. Her first short film, “Reply,” is up now on her YouTube channel (@ElleOfTheMills). She joins Tom Power to talk about the project, the real-life demands of virtual fame, and how to live a better life online.

When the Canadian chef Matty Matheson was growing up, first in Nova Scotia and later in Ontario, he liked going to punk shows, he didn’t do particularly well in school, and he didn’t think he was athletic or cool like his brothers. But once he moved to Toronto to study cooking, he discovered what he was great at. With no big plan or ambition, Matty became one of the best-known chefs and restaurateurs in the world. Not only are his restaurants packed every night, but his YouTube videos have hundreds of millions of views, he’s one of the executive producers of the Emmy-winning series “The Bear,” and he’s just released his third bestselling cookbook, “Soups, Salads, Sandwiches.” In a conversation with Tom Power recorded in front of a sold-out live audience, Matty shares his story and what he thinks you might be able to learn from it.

After rising to fame as the world’s highest-paid model in the early ‘80s, Isabella Rossellini broke away from convention with daring and experimental film roles in “Blue Velvet” and “Death Becomes Her.” In recent years, she’s continued to follow her instincts by opening up her own hobby farm and only choosing to pursue projects that challenge her, like her new film, “Conclave,” which lifts the curtain on the Vatican’s mysterious ceremony to elect a new pope. Isabella sits down with Tom Power to talk about the film, her early life growing up in Rome as the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, and how she got into the family business.

When Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” came out nearly 50 years ago, the Toronto cartoonist Paul Gilligan (Pooch Café) remembers cowering in the theatre and having recurring nightmares about the movie’s animatronic shark. He was only 10 at the time, but his fear left him with countless questions about what it means to be a man. Ahead of the film’s 50th anniversary, Paul has released a new graphic memoir, “Boy vs. Shark.” He joins Tom Power to talk about the book, what he hopes anxious kids might get out of it, and how “Jaws” transformed an entire generation’s definition of manliness.

A year ago this month, Matthew Perry suffered a fatal ketamine overdose following a lifelong struggle with addiction. The news became a big Hollywood story, but it was a deeply personal tragedy for Matthew’s family. Tonight, in the actor’s hometown of Ottawa, his family and friends will launch the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada to support people recovering from addiction. Matthew’s stepfather, the Canadian journalist Keith Morrison (Dateline NBC), joins Tom Power to reflect on his stepson’s life and the work his family is now carrying out in Matthew’s name.