Q with Tom Power

k.d. lang (Constant Craving, Miss Chatelaine) has spent decades upending expectations and defying attempts to define her music. Now, as she prepares to receive the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, she looks back on her career — from award show mischief to taking big risks in the name of artistic integrity. k.d. lang tells Tom about the first time she realized her voice was something special, a cherished memory with Roy Orbison, and how she feels about potentially never making another record again.

The last couple of years have been pretty exciting for Zoon, aka Daniel Monkman. Daniel had two different albums shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and they got to tour and open for Broken Social Scene. Daniel tells Tom about playing with Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), how their new album felt like a chance to grieve the passing of their father, and the story behind their song “Dodem” from their new album “Bekka Ma'iingan.” Plus, Daniel Brooks, the renowned Canadian theater director, has died at 64. We revisit his and Tom’s conversation.

Ayo Leilani, AKA Witch Prophet, opens up about her experience with epilepsy on her latest record, “Gateway Experience.” Witch Prophet tells Tom about what it feels like to have Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and how writing about her experience helped her cope with her fear of death.

Emmy-nominated actor Sarah Goldberg stars as Sally in HBO’s dark comedy, “Barry.” Now, just as the series wraps up its fourth and final season, Sarah joins Tom Power to talk about what she’s loved about playing Sally, her incredible audition story — which includes a lovely interaction with Henry Winkler — and creating her new show, “SisterS.”

Brandee Younger pushes the boundaries of her music by blending the traditional harp sound with hip-hop, jazz, funk and classical. She’s played with everyone from Lauryn Hill, to Common, to Pharoah Sanders. Beyoncé even chose one of her tracks for her documentary “Homecoming.” Now, Brandee is paying tribute to a musician who's been a huge influence on her — the late harpist Dorothy Ashby. Brandee talks to Tom about her new album “Brand New Life,” and why she wanted to celebrate Dorothy Ashby on it. Dorothy Ashby’s influence on popular music - (1:38) The new record, “Brand New Life.” - (5:47) Why Brandee wants you to know who Dorothy is - (8:48) “Being Black in the harp world is one of the most isolating experiences I’ve ever had” - (11:05) How Brandee started playing the harp - (12:39) Plus, the Vancouver musician Modern Biology (19:29), also known as Tarun Nayar, makes music from plugging mushrooms and other organic material into synthesizers. Tarun chats with Tom about the beauty of “playing” mushrooms and tells the story behind his new song, “Turkey Tail.”

Andy Shauf is no stranger to a good love song. You can hear songs of love in his critically acclaimed albums like “The Party” and “The Neon Skyline.” But on Andy’s latest record, “Norm,” something’s…off. What at first comes off as a set of tender love songs, later reveals a much more sinister side to his songwriting. Andy tells Tom about how true crime inspired his new album, what draws him to the darker side of love, what sobriety has done for his life and his music, and why he wanted to write from the perspective of God. New album - (1:59) Being drawn to dark themes - (4:02) Randy Newman story - (6:59) Sobriety - (9:22) Writing in the perspective of God - (15:43) Growing up in Saskatchewan and the church - (18:21)

Charlotte Le Bon on her first feature film, “Falcon Lake,” why Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains was the perfect setting for this spooky coming-of-age story, and what she thinks it means to be a “real, true artist.” Plus, Kimberly Shannon Murphy (34:32) on her memoir “Glimmer,” stories from her long career as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stuntwomen, and how the adrenaline rush of stunt work hid her traumatic childhood.

Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs) on the vinyl revolution, founding Third Man Records, and why his biggest hit was never meant to become one of the most ubiquitous songs in the world. Plus, visionary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin (44:45) on the painful moment in her childhood that inspired her to become a storyteller.

New York Times bestselling author R. F. Kuang on her new novel, “Yellowface,” cultural appropriation in the publishing industry, and the toxicity of expecting authors to have an online personality. Plus, sculptor David Ruben Piqtoukun (26:38) on his exhibition “Radical Remembrance,” how sculpting is a form of storytelling, and how his residential school experience felt like an “education in forgetting.”

Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump on how Fall Out Boy came to be, their new album, “So Much (for) Stardust” and the secret to keeping a band together for more than 20 years. Writer Fatuma Adar (26:54) on the pressures of representing your entire community as a racialized artist, why everyone should have the freedom to be mediocre, and her new show, “She’s Not Special.”

Rainn Wilson on playing Dwight Schrute on "The Office," writing about how art and spirituality intersect in his new book, “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution,” and why he refuses to be cynical. Plus, choreographer Mayumi Lashbrook (26:05) on her new dance piece, “Enemy Lines,” how her grandfather’s experience of being forcibly placed into a Japanese Canadian internment camp inspired the performance, and why telling this story has lifted a sense of burden.

Eric San, a.k.a. Kid Koala, on creating his own board game to accompany his new album “Creatures of the Late Afternoon,” why he made the switch from classical music to DJing, and how trying new things means you have to accept the possibility of failure. Possesom Paul and Igor Dobrovolskiy (26:42) on co-directing the new, first-of-its-kind ballet “Pisuwin,” the Wolastoq stories and themes that inspired it, and how they got the Juno-winning artist Jeremy Dutcher to compose the ballet’s music. Jill Barber (42:02) on feeling like she lost momentum in her career during the pandemic, how creating a home for another person is often overlooked and underappreciated, and why on her new album, "Homemaker" she wanted to explore being a (you guessed it) homemaker.

Dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied on his feature film directorial debut, “Carmen,” reimagining the classic opera of the same name, and pushing for change within the institutions of dance. Plus, Kristi Lane Sinclair (36:04) tells you the story behind her song “Break” off her new album, “Super Blood Wolf Moon.”

Writer and director Nida Manzoor on her new film, “Polite Society,” how she depicts the complexities and nuance of being Muslim in her work, and the joy of showing enraged women on screen. Writers and directors Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky (22:44) on their new film, “You Can Live Forever,” how Sarah’s experience growing up in a remote Jehovah’s Witnesses community informed the film, and why it’s so important to have a film about lesbians that doesn’t end in tragedy. Garden Hill First Nation’s rising star Mattmac (35:45) on growing up in an isolated community, how music helped him cope with his blindness and his new inclusive merch line.

Eight-time Grammy winner Herb Alpert (Spanish Flea, This Guy’s In Love With You, Ladyfingers) on his successful and expansive career, founding the powerhouse record label A&M records, and his friendship with Karen Carpenter of the Carpenters (whom he signed to his label). Plus, Canadian singer-songwriter Doug Paisley (36:21) tells you the story behind his song “Wide Open Plain” from his new album, “Say What You Like.”

Glenn Howerton on starring in the new movie, “Blackberry,” how “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” came to be, and what it’s like to be in the longest-running live action television comedy in U.S. history. Plus, Grammy-winning trumpet player Terence Blanchard (24:30) on how a 1962 welterweight world championship boxing match inspired his latest work for New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, A League of Their Own) on his new novel “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” the insecurities he’s felt throughout his career, and what drives his passion for filmmaking when it feels like “the odds are stacked against you.”

New York-based Canadian fashion designer Aurora James on founding her label Brother Vellies, her new memoir “Wildflower,” and the story behind creating Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s famous “tax the rich'' dress she wore at the 2021 Met Gala. Plus, poet Ocean Vuong (35:25) on his New York Times bestselling poetry collection “Time Is a Mother,” expressing grief through art, and why he calls death “the truest thing.”

Sasha Velour on the famous lip synch that won her “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 9, her new book, “The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag,” and what drag queens are talking about with one another during a time when their livelihoods are being threatened. Plus, Juno-nominated singer-songwriter Emm Gryner on finding love during the pandemic, her fondness of Steely Dan, and the story behind her new song, “Loose Wig.”

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Kim’s Convenience) on his lifelong love of “Star Wars,” the unusual story behind how he got the role of Captain Carson Teva in “The Mandalorian,” and what the franchise needs to do better when it comes to Asian representation. Plus, Matt Berninger (26:00) on The National’s latest record, why he thought the band would never make a new album again, and their collaboration with Taylor Swift.