‘A fabulous account of a wonderfully borderline-insane trip.’ - Songlines *****
‘Any band that ever moaned about the freshness of the backstage towels should read this book. Chao Senior is a grey-haired presence among the Mohicans, primarily there to keep an eye on his sons. He becomes an excellent chronicler, placing us right in the thick of the action, a bone hard wooden bench for a bed and no guarantee of supper tomight.’ – Word
‘The real joy is in the detail, be it Chao Senior overheating in a polar bear costume until he loses consciousness or going so native that he gets himself tattooed as his son tuts disapprovingly. By the end you’re rooting for the cast of dysentery ridden, ceaselessly optimistic ne’er-do-wells and entranced by the madness of their undertaking.’ – Q Magazine
‘Few musicians would allow a journalist to accompany their band through one of the world’s most dangerous countries. Even fewer, one suspects, would be happy about that journalist being their father. But Manu Chao is not just any musician, and his father, Ramon, a critic for le Monde Diplomatique, is not just any journalist – so perhaps it should surprise no one that they ended up together on a legendary 1993 tour of Colombia by train, carrying not just musicians, acrobats and tattooists, but a fire-breathing dragon and an ice museum as well…For Manu’s growing army of admirers, the book provides a magical-realist insight into how his music has developed. ‘ – The Guardian
‘It was a trip we made in 1993. We went across Colombia by train to play in the countryside. At the time, I was touring a lot in South America, but when you are a rock band, you play in the big cities and you appreciate that the real border is not between one country and another, it’s between big cities and the countryside. It’s like two different countries. So, after playing so much in big cities, we wanted to go deep into the countryside, and play to the people in the heart of South America. My dad came with us. I’m so proud he’s my dad – he’s more crazy than me. He’s my professor of craziness.’ – Manu Chao
‘This book raises the spirit and engages one’s laugh at every kilometre advanced. For the reader with some knowledge of Colombia and South America, it will be unavoidable to laugh at the subtleties noted by Ramón. For the rest, the book will awake a pressing interest for the country and its people and undoubtedly will be lured into this voyage.’ – Candela
‘The grim living conditions, the injuries and illnesses, and the arguments that ended in the break-up of Mano Negra are all related – but the overriding sense is of the joy of doing something so out of the ordinary.’ – Metro
‘An enthralling look at the music, culture and politics of Columbia in the 90s.’ – Culture Critic
‘The sole objective of the journey, which is guaranteed to lose money, is to raise cultural horizons, giving the poorest people hope in the process. A really inspiring book.’ – Kevin Ramage, The Watermill
