Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

After more than 20 years in the music business, country superstar Miranda Lambert is coming home. Her new record, “Postcards from Texas,” is a love letter to the state she grew up in. She joins Tom to talk about the album, her musical homecoming, and why losing the reality singing competition show “Nashville Star” was a blessing in disguise.

T. Thomason is a singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia who has a lot to say about how the music industry treats trans artists. Now, he’s opening up with a new single called “True” off his forthcoming album, “Tenderness.” T. sits down with Tom to talk about the song, and how it’s opened up new conversations and made him feel empowered.

Kathryn Hahn got her start in film playing memorable supporting roles in comedies like “Anchorman,” “Step Brothers” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Now, she stars in the new Marvel series “Agatha All Along,” which sees her reprise her role as the powerful witch Agatha Harkness from “WandaVision.” Kathryn sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger in the Q studio to talk about that role and her hilarious life as a performer.

Twenty-five years after playing Little Victor in the 1998 coming-of-age drama “Smoke Signals,” Cody Lightning is all grown up and back with his directorial debut. It's a mockumentary, titled “Hey, Viktor!,” which follows a fictionalized version of himself trying to make a sequel to the cult classic film he acted in as a child. Cody joins Tom from Edmonton to talk about his gritty new Indigenous comedy, how his idea for the film began as a running joke with his friends, and how he looks back on his time as a child actor.

Kate Hudson was raised by Hollywood royalty: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. When she was growing up, they told her that if she wanted to be an actor it had to be because of something deep inside her — not just for fame and fortune. Her latest role is in Max Minghella’s “Shell,” which is all about the extreme measures actors will take to stay young. Kate sits down with Tom for a conversation about that film, her Hollywood upbringing, her Oscar-nominated role in “Almost Famous,” and why these days she's making music.

The Canadian twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn went from playing in the super successful band Courage My Love to moving in an entirely different direction as Softcult. They sit down with Tom to set up a song from their latest EP, “Heaven.”

What’s the cost of being cool? Back in the ‘90s and early ‘00s there was no one cooler than Chloë Sevigny, the ultimate It Girl. She was an in-demand model and actor who was known for her unique eye for fashion as well as for starring in indie films that are now considered cult classics. Chloë sits down with Tom to talk about that time in her life and how being cool affected her career, plus her latest film, "Bonjour Tristesse,” which just had its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. 

Matthew Rankin is a Canadian director whose new film “Universal Language” has just been selected as Canada's pick for best international feature film at the 2025 Oscars. It’s set in an alternate version of Winnipeg where Canada’s two official languages are French and Farsi, not English. Matthew drops by the Q studio to chat with Tom about his vision for this film that he directed and starred in.

The Tragically Hip have been called the most Canadian band in the world. Now, a new four-part documentary series called “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal” gives the most extensive look into the band ever put on screen. It’s directed by filmmaker Mike Downie, who’s the older brother of The Hip’s late frontman, Gord Downie. The series kicked off the Toronto International Film Festival in advance of its Prime Video debut next week. Mike along with band members Johnny Fay and Gord Sinclair sit down with Tom to talk about it.

Caity Gyorgy is a Juno-winning jazz singer who’s originally from Calgary. Earlier this month, she released a new album, titled “Hello! How Are You?” Caity joins Tom in the Q studio to talk about the record and her love of scatting, plus, she sets up a song for us.

The Canadian jazz pianist Oliver Jones turns 90 today. Tom visits Oliver at his home in Montreal to talk about his legacy in Canadian music, his relationship with his hero and role model Oscar Peterson, the time he played for Nelson Mandela, and what the secret is to continuing to play music in your 90s. 

In the new film “Out Come the Wolves,” all of our greatest fears about being stranded — and hunted — in the wilderness come to life. The Canadian writer, director and actor Enuka Okuma wrote the screenplay. She joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about tapping into fear to create this movie.

Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel “Life of Pi” has been adapted into a Tony award-winning play that’s on stage now in Toronto. The bestselling Canadian author joins Tom to reflect on how the story came to be, his discovery about art and religion that brought him “back to life,” and why he wants to push you to be a bit less reasonable.

Since releasing his critically acclaimed album “Boat Songs” in 2022, the singer-songwriter MJ Lenderman, also known as Jake Lenderman, has been getting a lot of attention. Now, he’s back with his much-anticipated fourth solo album, “Manning Fireworks.” MJ joins Tom to talk about the record and what it’s like to deal with the heightened expectations that come with success.

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. Paula sits 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.

Though she’s been called Canada’s original cowboy punk, k.d. lang has had a long and complex relationship with country music. When she got her start as a singer in Edmonton, she didn’t fit the mold of who people thought a country artist should be. Now, k.d. is being inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. She sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on her history with the genre, from her early days channelling Patsy Cline to her thoughts on country music today.

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.