Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

The critically acclaimed new film “Nickel Boys,” based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, is largely shot from the point of view of its two main characters as they try to survive in an abusive reform school called the Nickel Academy. Director RaMell Ross sits down with Tom Power to talk about his decision to tell the story through the eyes of his two leads, how trauma is built across time and distilled across memory, and how basketball has influenced his filmmaking.

Mark Critch is a Canadian comedian and actor who spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just a month before he made his announcement to resign as leader of the Liberal Party. Mark speaks with Tom Power about landing the only year-end interview with the prime minister, plus, he looks back on some of his favourite Trudeau-era comedic moments. He also discusses the fourth and latest season of “Son of a Critch” — the hit sitcom based on his life.

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. They join Tom Power to talk about shooting the series in Iqaluit, where they both live, and how they’re changing the conversation around Inuit representation on-screen.

The Grammy-nominated electro-pop duo Sofi Tukker has been igniting dance floors around the world since their hit song “Best Friend” first blew up after being featured in an iPhone commercial. Now, they’re back with a new album, “Bread” (an acronym for “Be Really Energetic and Dance”), which is a vibrant mix of electronic music and bossa nova. Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern join Tom Power over Zoom to talk about the record and how they developed their Brazilian-inspired sound.

Jonah Yano is a Montreal-based musician who’s known for his work with artists like Mustafa, Charlotte Day Wilson and BadBadNotGood. He recently released a new double album, “Jonah Yano & The Heavy Loop,” which features a 30-minute improvised experimental noise music piece. Jonah joins Tom Power over Zoom to talk about the track and why he chose that direction for the record.

The Canadian violinist Lara St. John was a child prodigy who was only two when she started playing her instrument. But her young age also made her extremely vulnerable. When she was 14, Lara was sexually assaulted and raped by her 78-year-old instructor at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. It took more than 35 years for the school to acknowledge the abuse she suffered. Now, Lara is making a documentary to highlight sexual abuse in the classical music world. She sits down with Tom Power to talk about the project and how she’s trying to make classical music safer moving forward.  

The legendary singer Art Garfunkel made his name with Paul Simon in the celebrated folk duo Simon & Garfunkel. Now, he and his son, Art Garfunkel Jr., have released their first collaborative album, fittingly titled “Father and Son,” which reimagines some of their favourite songs. Dubbing themselves Garfunkel & Garfunkel, the father-son duo join Tom Power to discuss their collaboration. Plus, Art Sr. opens up about his recent reconciliation with Paul Simon.

The Canadian indie rock/shoegaze band Ombiigizi is a collaboration between Anishnaabe artists Adam Sturgeon (Status/Non Status) and Daniel Monkman (Zoon). Adam joins Tom Power to break down the title track off their new album, “Shame,” and what they find helpful about embracing and interacting with negative emotions.

Waxahatchee is the solo project of the American singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield. Last year, around the release of her sixth record, “Tigers Blood,” she joined Tom Power to look back on her career and music. She discusses her early days making punk music with her twin sister, how her 2020 album “Saint Cloud” became the soundtrack to the pandemic for many, and how she learned to trust her instincts and lean all the way into her Americana-inspired sound when it came to her latest record.

Sometime in her 30s, the award-winning Canadian theatre actor and writer Haley McGee started thinking about death. Was she making the best use of her time on Earth? And could being more aware of death help her live life to the fullest? Last year, Haley sat down with Tom Power to talk about her acclaimed solo show, “Age is a Feeling,” which sets out to answer those questions.

Bill T. Jones is a renowned dancer and choreographer whose work looks at race, death, mortality, grief and sexuality. In the late ‘80s, he visited clinics full of terminally ill patients — some of whom were just weeks away from passing — and created compelling dance pieces based on their movements. Last year, while he was in Toronto to give a talk at the Art Gallery of Ontario about his work with the late Keith Haring, Bill sat down with Tom Power to reflect on his incredible life in dance, the power of movement to reflect and question the world we live in, and why he sees himself as "one who has survived.”

Unlike a lot of other gold medallists at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Phil Wizard didn't grow up dreaming of becoming an Olympian. The Vancouver-based breakdancer sits down with Tom to reflect on his big win and why his personal motto is to “think like an artist, but train like an athlete.”

As a filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) is legendary for his vision, drive and propensity to risk it all. This year, he put it all on the line once again for his latest film, “Megalopolis” — a Roman epic set against the backdrop of New York City. We revisit Tom Power’s wide-ranging interview with the acclaimed auteur about why he doesn’t want “Megalopolis” to be called a passion project, how making his masterpiece “The Godfather” turned his life upside down, and why he always ends up becoming the characters in his films.

When the singer and composer Arooj Aftab released her 2021 album “Vulture Prince,” she gained fans like Barack Obama, Elvis Costello and Caroline Polachek. That album also earned her a Grammy for best global music performance. Now, Arooj is back with her fourth studio album, “Night Reign.” She joins Tom to tell us about her journey in music, her fascination with the night, and what it was like going viral before that was really a thing.

You might know Nava Mau as the breakout star of the hit Netflix series “Baby Reindeer,” for which she earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actress. That adds her to a very short list of trans actors to receive an Emmy nod. Nava joined guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about “Baby Reindeer,” how her work helping LGBTQ+ survivors of violence has made her nomination extra meaningful, and why trans representation is so important.

Sean Wang is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who released his debut feature film, “Dìdi,” earlier this year. It’s a coming-of-age story in the tradition of movies like “Stand by Me,” but told from the perspective of a young Asian American boy in Northern California. Sean talks to guest host Talia Schlanger about the film, and what he learned about himself and his immigrant mom while making it.

The Canadian actor Victor Garber (Titanic, Legally Blonde, Alias) has enjoyed an incredible career on stage and screen. Back in October, he was honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the Forest City Film Festival — but he says there’s still at least one more thing he wants to accomplish. Victor sat down with Tom Power for a career-spanning chat about his time in the successful sunshine pop group The Sugar Shoppe, his starring role as Jesus Christ in the legendary Canadian production of “Godspell,” his iconic supporting role in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” and why he hopes his big film break is yet to come.

The Canadian actor and singer Maisy Stella stars alongside Aubrey Plaza in “My Old Ass.” It’s a new coming-of-age movie about a teenager named Elliott who comes face-to-face with her 39-year-old self during a mushroom trip on her 18th birthday. Maisy joined guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about her big-screen debut, what it’s like playing someone going through a major transition, and how she manifested her role in this movie.

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. This past summer, Jovanni Sy, the director and co-writer of "Salesman in China," joined guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us more.

In the late ‘80s, Paula Abdul helped define what a pop star could be, from dance to music to performance. If you were watching music videos at that time, you would have seen her on your screen. If you weren’t around for that, you may remember her as one of the original judges on “American Idol” from 2002 to 2009. Back in September, Paula sat down with guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on how she was discovered by the Jackson family, what it was like choreographing for some of the biggest superstars in the world while she was still a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, and her philosophy as a mentor.