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What do The Temptations, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, guitar pedals and Diet Coke have in common? For Emily Wolfe, they're four pieces of the childhood that helped shape the artist she would become. The Temptations gave her an early lesson in songwriting, passion and the power of a great hook. Are You Afraid of the Dark? opened the door to horror and the adrenaline she still chases onstage. Guitar pedals became an obsession, a creative playground and a way to keep chasing the sound in her head. And Diet Coke? That one became something much bigger than a favorite drink. Along the way, Emily talks about the unlikely combination of Motown, classic rock and emo that helped shape her sound, the first guitar pedal that changed the way she heard her instrument, the thrill of finally finding the right tone, and what it's like to create music with someone you once looked up to. Four choices. Four pieces of childhood. One room that tells Emily's story. 🚪 ENTER THE ROOM 🚪 🎵 Browse the Catalog: https://theroomwewanted.com 💬 Join The Roommate Community: https://www.patreon.com/theroomwewanted 🌐 Connect on Social:https://theroomwewanted.com/social 📧 Contact Brian & Jay: https://theroomwewanted.com/contact Produced by: Brian Colburn & Jay Sweet Theme Music: “Rewind” by Brian Colburn TRWW Logo Design: DT Carel

What do Nine Inch Nails, Goldeneye 007, X-Men Figures & Cinnamon Toast Crunch have in common? For brothers Alex and Austin Ward of Hembree, they’re four pieces of a childhood spent growing up together in Fort Scott, Kansas, surrounded by music, video games, action figures and the occasional bowl of “vacation cereal.” Nine Inch Nails takes them back to discovering the band at an impossibly young age, falling down a rabbit hole trying to find “Closer,” and eventually blasting Broken and The Fragile while playing GoldenEye for hours. They also talk about how Trent Reznor’s approach to sound, negative space and live production continues to influence the way Hembree makes music today. Then there’s GoldenEye 007, the game that turned a tiny bedroom into a summer hangout for a rotating crew of friends. Four-player split-screen, proximity mines, unwritten rules and eight kids waiting their turn all became part of the experience. For the X-Men figures, Alex and Austin revisit their childhood collection, the battle over who got which character, and why Austin willingly stepped away from Wolverine so he could be Beast instead. That childhood idea of everyone bringing a different “superpower” to the group eventually becomes an unexpected connection to the way Hembree works together as a band. And finally, there’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It wasn’t an everyday cereal in the Ward household. As they agreed, it was more of a vacation cereal, something special enough to make the case for. Their mom would even buy the knockoff version, which, according to the brothers, sometimes managed to eclipse the original. Maybe that's what makes these four choices stick. Some were shared, some were discovered on their own, and some were simply things that made being a kid a little more fun. Together, they paint a pretty good picture of where Alex and Austin came from. Four choices. Four pieces of childhood. One room that tells Alex & Austin’s story. 🚪 ENTER THE ROOM 🚪 🎵 Browse the Catalog: https://theroomwewanted.com 💬 Join The Roommate Community: https://www.patreon.com/theroomwewanted 🌐 Connect on Social:https://theroomwewanted.com/social 📧 Contact Brian & Jay: https://theroomwewanted.com/contact Produced by: Brian Colburn & Jay Sweet Theme Music: “Rewind” by Brian Colburn TRWW Logo Design: DT Carel

What do KISS, Looney Tunes, G.I. Joe & Olive Loaf have in common? For comedian and rock 'n' roll lifer Don Jamieson, quite a bit. Don takes us back to the room he wanted, starting with KISS Destroyer, the album that introduced him to a band that was more than music. KISS were rock stars, superheroes and comic book characters all rolled into one, and Don's childhood bedroom eventually became a shrine to the band. Then there's Looney Tunes, where Bugs Bunny and the gang introduced Don to a different kind of rock 'n' roll attitude, absurdity and comedy. We also get into the adult references hiding in those Saturday morning cartoons and why their humor still works decades later. For The Stuff, Don brings G.I. Joe into the room, along with memories of playing outside, and giving those action figures a life far beyond what the commercials promised. And for The Taste... well, there's olive loaf. Don explains exactly what it was, the experience of getting a slice at the butcher shop, and whether he actually liked eating it as much as he liked the idea of it. Along the way, we talk about George Carlin, Cheech & Chong, Andrew Dice Clay, the strange connection between rock and comedy, and how some of the things Don loved growing up stayed with him, while others simply remain memories of his childhood. Four choices. Four pieces of childhood. One room that tells Don Jamieson’s story. 🚪 LEARN MORE 🚪 🎵 Browse the Catalog: https://theroomwewanted.com 💬 Join The Roommate Community: https://www.patreon.com/theroomwewanted 🌐 Connect on Social:https://theroomwewanted.com/social 📧 Contact Brian & Jay: https://theroomwewanted.com/contact Produced by: Brian Colburn & Jay Sweet Theme Music: “Rewind” by Brian Colburn TRWW Logo Design: DT Carel

What do Mambo No. 5, Ace Ventura, Pokémon and Warheads have in common? For Dylan Chambers, they're four pieces of a childhood that helped shape the musician, songwriter, guitarist and producer he is today. It sounds like Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5." It looks like Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. It means Pokémon cards spread across the table. And it tastes like Warheads. What starts with an unlikely conversation about "Mambo No. 5" quickly becomes a look at the music Dylan grew up hearing, from NSYNC and The Beatles to James Brown, Elvis and the late-90s revival of big-band sounds. We explore how those influences helped shape his musical instincts, why Brian Setzer made such an impression, and the connection Dylan sees between the music that made him happy as a kid and the music he wants to make today. Then there's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and the unmistakable influence of Jim Carrey. From physical comedy to endlessly quotable moments, we talk about why that kind of humor connected with Dylan so strongly as a kid... and why some things never stop being funny. Next, we dive into Pokémon, from the first-generation games and characters to the trading cards that became a full-blown childhood obsession. There were holographic Charizards, cards getting banned at school and even Pokémon trading parties in a friend's basement. But underneath all of that was something bigger... the first real sense of community and friendship that came from sharing something you loved with other people. And finally, there's Warheads... the kind of candy that turned eating something incredibly sour into a test of toughness, especially when your friends were watching. We talk blue raspberry, Sour Patch Kids and the strange appeal of deliberately making yourself miserable for fun. When you start looking closely at the things we loved as kids, you realize they're never just music, movies, toys or candy. They're the experiences that make us laugh, the things that bring us together, and sometimes the first clues to the person we're going to become. Four choices. Four pieces of childhood. One room that tells Dylan's story. 🚪 ENTER THE ROOM 🚪 🎵 Browse the Catalog: https://theroomwewanted.com 💬 Join The Roommate Community: https://www.patreon.com/theroomwewanted 🌐 Connect on Social:https://theroomwewanted.com/social 📧 Contact Brian & Jay: https://theroomwewanted.com/contact Produced by: Brian Colburn & Jay Sweet Theme Music: “Rewind” by Brian Colburn TRWW Logo Design: DT Carel

What do Chris de Burgh, Transformers, Monopoly, Pizza & RC Cola have in common? For Jason Whissell, host of It's Not That Bad and There Can Only Be One, it sounds like Chris de Burgh's Man on the Line playing on vinyl. It looks like Transformers on the television. It means an old-school Monopoly board spread across the table. And it tastes like Lorenzo's pizza and a 750 ml glass bottle of RC Cola. What starts with a deep dive into an unexpected Chris de Burgh album quickly becomes a conversation about the music that first opened Jason's eyes to live performance, and the songs and storytelling that stayed with him long after childhood. Then the door opens to the Transformers G1 show, and the nostalgia gets serious. From Optimus Prime and Soundwave to the toys, comics, cartoons and the infamous death of its iconic leader, we explore why these robots in disguise became more than just a Saturday morning cartoon. It became Jason's first real fandom, something that still influences the movies, cartoons and video games he loves today... and something he now shares with his own son. Then there's Monopoly, a game that turned childhood friendship into marathon weekends around the kitchen table, complete with extra play money when they ran out. Nearly 40 years later, Jason and his childhood best friend still find a way to play. And finally, there's pizza and RC Cola, bringing the four pieces of Jason's childhood together around the memories of growing up in Ottawa. When you start looking closely at the things we loved as kids, you realize they're never just albums, cartoons, toys, games, food or drinks. They're memories, relationships, routines and experiences that can follow us for decades. Four choices. Four pieces of childhood. One room that tells Jason's story. 🚪 ENTER THE ROOM 🚪 🎵 Browse the Catalog: https://theroomwewanted.com 💬 Join The Roommate Community: https://www.patreon.com/theroomwewanted 🌐 Connect on Social:https://theroomwewanted.com/social 📧 Contact Brian & Jay: https://theroomwewanted.com/contact Produced by: Brian Colburn & Jay Sweet Theme Music: “Rewind” by Brian Colburn TRWW Logo Design: DT Carel

The things we loved when we were young were never just things. They were pieces of us. A record we played until we wore it out. A movie we knew every line to. A toy we couldn't wait to show our friends. A video game we refused to stop playing. And that one snack that can still take us back to another time and place. The Room We Wanted is a nostalgic podcast about the music, movies, TV shows, video games, toys, food, and obsessions that meant something to us when we were growing up, and what they mean to us now. Each episode, hosts Brian Colburn (My Weekly Mixtape) and Jay Sweet (Tunestiles) sit down with a guest to build the room they wanted to live in growing up, picking four things they couldn't imagine their lives without: The Sound, The Screen, The Stuff, and The Taste. Four choices. Four pieces of childhood. And together, they tell a much bigger story. Because we're not just asking, “Hey! Remember this?” We're asking, “Why did this matter so much?” And maybe more importantly, “Does it still matter now?” Because sometimes, the best way to understand who someone is today is to discover who they were before they became who they are. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 🚪 LEARN MORE 🚪 🎵 Browse the Catalog: https://theroomwewanted.com 💬 Join The Roommate Community: https://www.patreon.com/theroomwewanted 🌐 Connect on Social:https://theroomwewanted.com/social 📧 Contact Brian & Jay: https://theroomwewanted.com/contact Produced by: Brian Colburn & Jay Sweet Theme Music: “Rewind” by Brian Colburn TRWW Logo Design: DT Carel