Andrew Barr is a comedian and recovering addict who’s preparing to record his debut comedy special, “The 13th Hour,” in a packed Toronto comedy club this weekend. But just before that, he plans to push his body to the limit by running on a treadmill for 12-hours straight. The show is a metaphor for how addiction slowly breaks down a person’s body and isolates them from their loved ones. His hope is to raise money for the rehab centre that helped him turn it all around. Andrew joins guest host Gill Deacon to tell us more about the project, and how it’s his way of giving voice to those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.

In a chaotic world filled with uncertainty and suffering, what’s the point of giddy musical theatre? Winnipeg's Kimberley Rampersad directs the musical comedy “Anything Goes” at the Shaw Festival this season, and she makes a powerful case for the role of joyful art in hard times. Kimberley joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her journey to directing, the importance of theatre’s joyful resistance to the darkness, and how theatre allows us to have conversations with the gloves coming off.

What happens when a comedian makes a movie about climate change with survivors of the most powerful typhoon ever recorded? Seán Devlin answers that question with his surreal new film “Asog” — a Canadian-Filipino production made with zero trained actors and a guerilla crew of five people. The Vancouver-based comedian and filmmaker sits down with Tom Power to talk about his personal connection to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, and why he was so determined to make a movie with them.

The award-winning Canadian rapper Haviah Mighty is known for writing songs that tackle heavy subjects like racism, power dynamics and equality. But now, Haviah is entering a new era — one that’s focused on positivity and good vibes. She joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her new chapter and her latest single, “Lucky.”

For more than 35 years, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer has used her voice to make award-winning, critically acclaimed music — but that’s not all. She’s also been a vocal advocate for important environmental and humanitarian causes, both in this country and abroad. At the Juno Awards in Vancouver earlier this year, Sarah was honoured with the Humanitarian Award, and now she’s a recipient of a key to the city for her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Back in May, she joined Tom Power for a career-spanning conversation about her early days making music with The Saddletramps and Weeping Tile, going solo, and why she’s so passionate about protecting the land she grew up on.

In the 1980s, Rick Astley became a global superstar with hits like “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever.” But then, at age 27, he quit the business. That could have been the end of the story, but then the Rickroll meme of the mid-2000s brought him back to the world’s attention. In his memoir, “Never,” Rick opens up about his strange and incredible life. He joins Tom Power to share some of those stories.

The Montreal band Ribbon Skirt released their debut album, “Bite Down” earlier this year. Now, it’s on the Polaris Prize short list. Lead singer Tashiina Buswa joins Tom Power to tell us how the record was inspired by grief and reconnecting with her Indigeneity, how her first exposure to music was in the church, and the difference between knowing you’re free and actually feeling free. Plus, she tells the story behind her song, “Off Rez.”

K-Pop is one of the biggest musical genres around the world right now, but KPop Demon Hunters director Maggie Kang has been into it long before it was cool. Now, her movie isn’t just one of the biggest films of the summer – its music also charted near the top of the Billboard Global 200. Maggie Kang speaks with Q guest host Gill Deacon about making female characters who aren’t afraid to be goofy, what she learned from working at DreamWorks, and how the song “Golden” from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack was really hard to write.