The Beatles Song "Back in the USSR" Connects Hispanic and Ex-Soviet Artists
When Darin Reyes, a 21-year-old graphic designer and artist in Los Angeles, learned that Carter Sexton in Valley Village, California was going to do a show celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America, he chose to do a record sleeve project on their 1968 song "Back in the USSR."
A Beatles fan since high school, Darin loves their music for being timeless and always sounding fresh. "Back in the USSR" was especially intriguing to him since it was a parody about something that never happened: the Beatles did not perform in the USSR while they were together because they were perceived to be too western."'Back in the USSR' is a very interesting song," says Darin. "While the Beach Boys were singing about California girls, the Beatles turned the idea around and sang about a country most westerners wouldn't dream of singing about." Darin approached the puzzle posed by the parody by combining his skills in graphic design and art. His use of the Red October font and 1960s European style of graphic design made a reference to the context and time period of the song. "On the other side, from an artistic perspective, 'Back in the USSR' is a very visual song," says Darin. "It refers to an airplane travel from one location to another. In that way, it expresses communication, which is the essence of art."
Source: Huffington Post
