Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

Celine Song's first feature film “Past Lives” was just nominated for best picture at this year's Oscars. Celine joined Tom back when the film first premiered at Sundance and talked about capturing love in an honest and ordinary way, how her own experience inspired the film's story, and what the mystery is in the heart of her film.

In the ‘90s, during a time when grunge music reigned supreme, an unlikely album went platinum: “Cracked Rear View” from Hootie & the Blowfish. Since then, Hootie’s frontman Darius Rucker has continued making music, transitioning from alt-rock to country. Darius’s latest record is called “Carolyn’s Boy.” He joins Tom to talk about the massive success of “Cracked Rear View,” what he thinks about the band’s decline in popularity, and why he still pursued country music after being told the fanbase wouldn’t listen to a Black country artist. Plus, Toronto R&B singer Liza tells Tom about making the leap from nurse to full-time songwriter and tells the story behind her new song, “In The End.”

Kim Thúy's bestselling novel “Ru” has received a Governor General's Award for Fiction, been shortlisted for the Giller Prize, and won Canada Reads. Now, “Ru” has been made into a film, which tells the story of a woman born in Saigon during the Tet Offensive, her time in a refugee camp in Malaysia, and her subsequent life in Quebec. Kim speaks with Tom about how “Ru” is based on her own life story, why she felt a responsibility to say yes when she was asked if it could be adapted for film, and how she was transported back to her childhood during the filming of “Ru.” Plus, Toronto-based singer Tafari Anthony tells Tom how a new experience with polyamory and the loss of a friend inspired his new song “Evermore” off his debut album, “When I Met Your Girlfriend.”

Last month, Canadian playwright David Yee was awarded the Siminovitch Prize, Canada’s most valuable theatre award, which is given each year to an artist whose groundbreaking work has transformed Canada’s theatre scene. David talks to Tom about why his writing career started out of necessity, his theatre company Fu-GEN, and changing the game for the next generation of Asian Canadian playwrights.

What started as a meeting about Tanya Tagaq creating the score for the new season of “True Detective” ended with her being cast in her first acting role, alongside Jodie Foster. The Polaris Prize-winning singer and artist joins Tom to share that story, how she approached making the score for the series, and what it means to her to see Inuit representation in a mainstream show.

Jake Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Jurassic World) has a new film out called “Self Reliance” that he directed, wrote, and stars in. Jake joins Tom to talk about making a weird comedy, how he never felt like a particularly talented or handsome actor so he opted to be a funny one, and how he influenced the direction of his character Nick Miller in “New Girl.” Plus, the Canadian artist LU KALA has had a huge year – millions of streams of her music, Billboard hits, and touring the world. She tells Tom about venturing into more vulnerable songwriting on her new single, “Nothing But Love.”

The latest film from director Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th, A Wrinkle in Time) is called “Origin.” It follows writer Isabel Wilkerson as she writes the bestselling book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” published in 2020. Ava tells Tom what drew her to adapt a book that seemed unadaptable, how she shot the film in under 40 days without the help of a major studio, and how she got her start in the business of filmmaking. A few years ago, Canada lost one of its greatest songwriters — Newfoundland and Labrador's Ron Hynes. Amelia Curran, a fellow Newfoundland songwriter, is now part of a new compilation record that pays tribute to Ron. Amelia talks about the skill that went into his songs, the significance of his music to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the country at large. Plus, you’ll hear her cover of one of his songs, “Dark River.”

In the late ‘60s, the visual artist June Clark fled the United States to Canada so her husband could escape the Vietnam draft. She wasn’t an artist when she settled in Toronto, but that huge change in her life kind of put her on the path to art. Since then, she’s used her work to reflect on her relationship with her homeland and what she left behind. The Art Gallery of Ontario and Toronto's Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery are now reshowing June’s striking exhibit “Unrequited Love” this year. It’s a collection of nine pieces, made over a period of decades, that incorporate the Stars and Stripes. June sits down with Tom to talk about her work and her path to becoming an artist.

The feminist punk band Sleater-Kinney was a huge part of the post-riot grrrl movement. After the sudden death of one of the member’s parents turned their lives upside down, the duo used music to get through it. Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney join Tom to talk about grief, getting by, and their new album “Little Rope.”

When a band kicks off their career with a hit single about getting stoned and watching TV, it might be surprising to see them 30 years later as one of the biggest bands on the planet. Green Day has beat those long odds. All three members — Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool — talk to Tom about the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough record “Dookie,” how they wanted to create a monumental record when writing “American Idiot,” and why they think their brand new album “Saviors” could be that next era of Green Day.

Fresh off her win of Season 4 of “Canada’s Drag Race,” Venus tells Tom about the surreal moment she won, what it means to her as a Metis person, and why she wanted to give her mom “her flowers” on the show.

Considered one of the world’s greatest living poets, Nikki Giovanni carved out a revolutionary legacy during the civil rights era with poems that uplifted the experiences of Black Americans. Decades later, Nikki’s writing and interviews have grown increasingly personal – offering insight into her childhood, health struggles and thoughts on growing older. She shares her story in the new documentary, “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” Nikki tells Tom about being involved in the birth of hip-hop, why artists should go to space, and how she packed a club of 100 people, including guests like Morgan Freeman and Nina Simone.

This week, Matty Matheson made a memorable acceptance speech at the 75th Emmys where “The Bear” swept up several awards, including best comedy series. Matty joins Tom to talk about bringing authenticity to the kitchen environment in the series, what it was like kissing his co-star Ebon Moss-Bachrach on stage, and why he thanked the hospitality industry in his speech.

From 2009 to 2018, Jasmeet Raina was known online as Jus Reign. His viral videos about being a first generation Indo-Canadian millennial amassed more than 160 million views on YouTube and more than a million fans on Facebook. But one day, with no explanation, Jasmeet decided to walk away from the spotlight. Now, he’s back with a comedy series on Crave called “Late Bloomer.” Jasmeet talks to Tom about his hiatus, representing his Punjabi Sikh culture and faith on screen, and what his relationship with the internet is like now.

If you grew up in the mid-to-late 2000s, there's a good chance you know the band Paramore. Hayley Williams has fronted the pop-punk band for 20 years. She tells Tom about the band's history, the advice she’d give her younger self and what inspired Paramore’s latest album, “This Is Why.”

Ibrahim Maalouf is no stranger to defying genre. The acclaimed trumpeter’s latest album, “Capacity to Love,” blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, classical and Arabic music to create a unique record that sees him collaborate with the likes of Gregory Porter, De La Soul and even Sharon Stone. Ibrahim talks to Tom about his life in music, escaping war-torn Lebanon, and how music became a refuge for him as a child. Plus, he opens up about why he’s so interested in pushing the boundaries of the trumpet and why he doesn’t feel bound to the traditions he was schooled in.

R.L. Stine is one of the best-selling children's authors in history, made famous by his “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street” books. For decades, he’s kept a strict writing schedule, pumping out around 2,000 words (roughly 10 pages) each morning. More than 350 books later, he’s sharing what he knows with a new book of writing advice called “There’s Something Strange About My Brain: Writing Horror for Kids.” R.L. Stine joins Tom to talk about how growing up feeling like a fearful outsider inspired him to retreat in his room and write, how he accidentally ended up writing horror books for kids, and what his best advice is for young writers.

Vanessa Morgan (Riverdale, My Babysitter’s a Vampire) stars in the new series "Wild Cards.” She tells Tom how playing high schoolers for so many years kept her young, what she remembers about her last day of shooting for the CW series “Riverdale,” and why she feels so ready to take on this new role.

Geoff McFetridge has been called “the most famous Canadian artist you’ve never heard of.” As a graphic artist and painter, he’s collaborated with directors such as Spike Jonze and Sofia Coppola, designed for brands like Nike and Apple, and created huge murals for Ottawa’s transit system. In a rare interview, Geoff tells Tom how the DIY culture of skateboarding in Calgary influenced him to get into art, how he ended up designing the Beastie Boys’ Grand Royal magazine, and how he keeps one foot in the world of art galleries, and one foot in the world of corporate design.

D.J. Demers is a hard of hearing comedian who’s performed on some of the most famous stages in comedy, such as “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Conan,” and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Now, the Canadian comedian is out with his new CBC workplace comedy, titled “One More Time,” which follows a semi-fictionalized version of himself who is a manager of a used sporting goods store and is also hard of hearing. D.J.tells Tom about writing a show based on his personal experience, why he wanted to write a sitcom steeped in Canadiana and nostalgia, and what it means to him to have people who are hard of hearing at his shows.