The first time I heard Tyler, The Creator’s music was at Governor’s Ball in 2014. He was on lineup that year and I remember being excited to see both him and Earl Sweatshirt. My excitement for Tyler wasn't rooted in knowing the lyrics to every song or thinking “ bae goals” during his set. It was rooted in seeing the mind behind those tweets I so enjoyed. I only saw a glimpse of how he worked that day, and it was cool to witness. 

Thanks to his VICELAND show Nuts + Bolts I was able to see more. The show follows Tyler as he stays true to the second part of his stage name and learns how to create stuff. Throughout the 6-episode season he meets with people within the industry of what he's trying to create in an attempt to understand the ins and outs. 

While meeting these people and trying out different things may have been eye-opening for Tyler, as a viewer the most interesting aspects of Nuts + Bolts for me are his interactions, and seeing how Tyler works with his fascination and imagination to create something tangible. 

In terms of interactions, his commentary is important. His commentary is his interaction with the audience. It let us know that he’s not really a fan of water or the dark, in addition to a number of other things. Sometimes his commentary is just a place for emotion. At times he’s hype, other times slightly hesitant and inquisitive. His commentary also simply reminds us that Tyler is Tyler. 

His conversations with the people he's learning from remind us of this as well. In the fourth episode of Nuts + Bolts titled “Breakfast” he asks Professor Andrew F. Smith, “What came first: the waffle or the waffle-maker?” Later on in the episode he asks the COO of Crown Maple if he's read the Facebook of a tree to make sure it's ok. What's great is that Tyler isn't worried about being prim and proper when talking to these people, he's unapologetically himself. 

Tyler’s actions show that too. For example, in his episode about floating he claims to have to shown up to the sleep-deprivation chamber drunk. In the episode Tyler and Neil deGrasse Tyson hug and fall into their seats while doing so,and continue their conversation about floating as if nothing happened--it was awesome to watch. 

If you couldn’t tell by now watching Nuts and Bolts helped me learn some cool things, but the coolest thing was learning about Tyler (and Jasper) and laughing out loud. This is a definitely a show for the people who are a fan of the person and the music. You can watch the full season of  
Nuts + Bolts below.