Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

As a visionary director and self-professed loner, Tim Burton has spent decades channelling the angst and loneliness he felt as a child into hit movies like “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” But it was his outlandish 1988 movie “Beetlejuice” that set his career into motion and proved to Hollywood that being weird was an asset, not a problem. Now, 36 years after the original “Beetlejuice,” the film’s long-awaited sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” has finally hit theatres. Tim joins guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss the new movie, how it helped him rediscover his love of filmmaking after a creative slump, and his on-again, off-again relationship with Disney.

Thirty-six years ago, Catherine O'Hara stepped onto a movie set and fell in love with a production designer who would later become her future husband. The movie was a dark fantasy comedy called “Beetlejuice,” directed by a then-fledgling filmmaker named Tim Burton. After the film’s release, both she and Burton became household names. Now, a sequel called “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has just hit theatres. Catherine joins guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on how the original film changed her life, what it was like reprising her role as the eccentric Delia Deetz in the new sequel, and the similarities between Delia and her iconic “Schitt's Creek” character Moira Rose.

Dame Evelyn Glennie is the only deaf musician to ever win a Grammy (which she’s done twice) and the first person to create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist. Her new album, “Another Noise,” is a collaboration with the Jamaican British poet Raymond Antrobus, who’s also deaf. Evelyn talks to Tom about the record, how she learned to listen with her whole body, and why it’s her life mission to teach the world to listen.

Amber-Sekowan Daniels is the creator of the new Crave series “Don't Even,” which follows two best friends in late ‘90s Winnipeg as they face uncertain futures after high school. Amber joins guest host Vivek Shraya to reminisce about the ‘90s, talk about what inspired the show, and what advice she’d give her younger self.

As a founding member of the legendary rap crew Wu-Tang Clan, RZA revolutionized hip-hop with his ear for experimentation — not to mention raw lyricism, grimy beats and countless kung-fu references. Though he didn’t initially think of himself as a composer, RZA has leaned into the title in recent years, scoring movies like Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” and Jim Jarmusch's “Ghost Dog.” He talks to Tom about his first album of orchestral music, “A Ballet Through Mud,” and gaining the confidence to call himself a composer.

Boman Martinez-Reid went viral on TikTok for his funny and pointed parodies of the Kardashians and other reality TV stars, but he always dreamed of being an actor. On his new Crave original series, “Made For TV,” he finally takes a step toward realizing that dream. Each episode sees Boman try out a new genre of reality TV (including dating, drag, cooking and even sports broadcasting) to find out which one fits him. He sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the show and what makes reality TV so memeable.

Earlier this year, the father-daughter duo Ethan and Maya Hawke teamed up for the film “Wildcat,” which follows the life of writer Flannery O'Connor while she was struggling to publish her first novel. We revisit Tom’s conversation with Ethan and Maya about their collaboration.

The Canadian band Valley has racked up more than a billion streams, a couple Juno nominations and a few viral hits on TikTok. But somewhere along the way, the band started to feel that authenticity was taking a back seat in their music. Valley’s Karah James and Rob Laska sit down with Tom to talk about tapping into their true selves for their latest record, “Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden.”

For his debut feature film, Dan Levy wrote and directed a story about grief, aptly titled “Good Grief.” We revisit Tom’s conversation with Dan about the real-life grief that inspired the film and how he pushed through the negative voice in his head.

You may know Priyanka as the winner of “Canada’s Drag Race” Season 1 or, if you grew up in Canada, you may remember her as kids show host Mark Suki on YTV’s “The Zone.” Priyanka has just released her debut full-length album, “Devastatia,” which she calls a love letter to anyone who feels like they don’t fit in. She sits down with guest host Vivek Shraya to talk about the record and learning to believe in herself.

We revisit Tom’s conversation with Grammy-winning pop superstar Dua Lipa. A few months ago, he joined her in New York to discuss her latest album, “Radical Optimism.” In this special conversation, Dua talks about shifting her sound and her mindset, music as therapy, and turning bad dates into catchy pop songs.

A woman who’s been wrongly accused of murder — and is sentenced to be executed — curses the town that did it to her. This is the story told in the play “Snow in Midsummer,” directed by Nina Lee Aquino. Nina joins guest host Vivek Shraya to tell us why she was drawn to this 13th century play and why it still resonates today.

We revisit Tom’s conversation with “Blackberry” director Matt Johnson. He talks about his path from guerilla filmmaker to Hollywood darling, why the story of Blackberry is so Canadian, and why his mission in life is to inspire young filmmakers to stay in Canada and make great films.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb is back with her latest children’s album, “That's What It's All About,” which is a collaboration with the family-friendly folk band The Hollow Trees. Lisa joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the record, how it’s inspired by her own childhood, plus, 30 years of the song that first put her on the map — “Stay (I Missed You).”

Ten years after immigrating to Canada from India, the rapper and singer Karan Aujla made history as the first Punjabi artist to ever win a Juno Award. But he was a global superstar well before then, topping the charts with his blend of Punjabi music over hip-hop and trap beats. Now, Karan has dropped his latest EP, “Four Me,” and Apple Music has named him the latest addition to its global Up Next program. Karan talks to Tom about his rise to fame, why Canada is a hub for Punjabi hip-hop, and the childhood losses that pushed him towards songwriting.

There’s a new podcast and radio show coming to CBC Books. It’s called “Bookends” and it’s hosted by Mattea Roach, the Canadian “Jeopardy!” champion who held a 23-game winning streak a few years ago. They sit down with Tom to talk about the new show and what they’re most looking forward to, plus, the correct strategy for wagering on a Daily Double.

Sheryl Crow has sold more than 50 million albums, won nine Grammy Awards, and inspired countless songwriters and artists to follow in her footsteps. Earlier this year, she released her 11th studio album, “Evolution.” Sheryl joins Tom to share her concerns around artificial intelligence and how they inspired the title track on her new album, why she uses her music to raise awareness for global issues, and the story behind her massive hit “All I Wanna Do.”

Bibi Club is the musical project of Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nic Basque, who are partners in life and music. Their first album, “Le soleil et la mer,” was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Prize. Now, they're back with a new record, “Feu de garde.” Adèle and Nic join Tom to talk about their partnership and what their band name has to do with the three kids they have running around their house. 

Tom Selleck has been on Hollywood’s A-list since bursting onto “Magnum, P.I.” in the early ‘80s. By the end of that decade, he had reached a whole new level of fame with massive box office hits like “Three Men and a Baby.” More recently, he’s become known for his role as NYPD commissioner Frank Reagan on “Blue Bloods.” Now, Tom has released a new memoir called “You Never Know.” He joins Tom Power to talk about his journey in acting, the hurdles he faced and the lessons he learned on his way to stardom.  

In 1983, in the midst of the Cold War, Arthur Miller went to China to direct a Mandarin version of his famous play “Death of a Salesman.” Despite some hurdles, the production ended up being a touchstone moment in Chinese-American cultural relations. Now, a new play called "Salesman in China" tells the story of the American playwright's incredibly high-stakes collaboration with the Chinese artist Ying Ruocheng. Jovanni Sy, the director and co-writer of "Salesman in China," joins guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us more.