By Doreena Carter

Rusty Anderson, Paul McCartney’s lead guitarist of 17 years, came to share his experience navigating the music industry.

Riverside City College Coil School for the Arts Concert Hall was home to an intimate conversation between him and many aspiring musicians Feb. 22.

“Magical, positive, emotional, bonded, fantastical and all that stuff,” is how Anderson described his separation from the real world to the music world.

He reminisced about his life touring with McCartney: playing sold out shows, performing at the Super Bowl, and drawing in crowds of over 200,000 people.

He switched from talking about the music world, to his personal life that consists of everyday tasks like doing his taxes and spending time with his family. His adolescent stories engaged most of the audience.      Anderson’s lecture felt like a mellow soundcheck. Later he revealed to the crowd that he is a shy and introverted person when he’s not performing, which is unexpected from a person who has worked with legends such as Elton John and The Ramones.

He only started to loosen up on stage while performing his original song, “Effortless.”

Anderson compared music interaction to a sexual subconscious of magical timing.

“There’s nothing like it because it really is a communication instead of with words it’s with tone and with expression of instrument,” Anderson said.

Anderson deserves his fair share of recognition as a very talented guitarist. The lecture overall was inspirational to fellow musicians. 

He even shared that McCartney will be releasing a new album this year and that they are experimenting with different sounds.