Malas Ondas: Lime, Sand, Sex and Salsa in the Land of Conquistadors [Paperback]

Kent Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003

"Malas Ondas" (Spanish for "Bad Vibes") is an extraordinary odyssey through the south of Mexico told through the irreverent of one of America's hottest underground writers, Kent Evans. Runninhg for his life from New York, the "Twin Towers," and a disastrous relationship, this uproarious travelogue chronicles Kent's initiation into Third World society. Join him as he samples the tastes, soaks in the culture and sinks ever deeper into depravity all the while treating readers to Mexico's fabulous treasures. A brilliantly orchestrated travel memoir blending conversations, verse, E-mail updates, and lyrical prose, "Malas Ondas" tracks one man's mesmerising and hilariously masochistic descent into 21st century sin all in the cause of that timeless enigma: self-discovery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kent Evans creates a mix of humor and emotion that is served neat and with no apologies or equivocations" -- Julia Zieman, Minnesota Poet Laureate

"Kent Evans is one of the best young writers alive today." -- David Ishay, "YRB Magazine"

"Not so much a book as a rave. Absolutely astounding." -- Joyce Egginton, "NY Times" bestselling author of "From Cradle To Crave," "Day of Fury" and "Circle of Fire."

About the Author

Kent Evans is one of the top stars of the spoken word and experimental art scene having appeared in such venues as the Madison Square Garden Theatre, Academie Beaux Arts in Paris, and Nuyorican Poets Cafe in Greenwich Village. Acclaimed internationally, Kent has worked, performed and recorded with such collectives as "Augenblick," "Soulkid," "Wonderlust NYC" and most recently "Meitz" in Berlin. His writing has appeared in "Yellow Rat Bastard Magazine" as well as numerous national pop-culture and literary zines and publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: TFG Press (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972001778
• ISBN-13: 978-0972001779
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,445,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lime, sand, orgies, etc., July 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Malas Ondas: Lime, Sand, Sex and Salsa in the Land of Conquistadors (Paperback)

Malas Ondas reads like a vaguely fictionalized version of actual events, and leaves you wondering how a lone traveler in Mexico, with virtually no Spanish, could end up in these ridiculous situations. Inspirational in the sense that you too could take your meager savings and squander them in a foreign locale. Sometimes you wonder what the hell this guy is thinking even as you read it on the page.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witness this book, February 7, 2005

By 

Kevin Brink Nielsen (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Malas Ondas: Lime, Sand, Sex and Salsa in the Land of Conquistadors (Paperback)

I used to cough when I heard there was a new work of fiction that I had to read. I used to moan aloud when I heard that yet another poet was lamenting page after page in some hackneyed style. Maybe you like that stuff. Maybe I'm a hater. Maybe not, because Kent Evans has produced a work from both genres at once and I could not put Malas Ondas down once I took a sip.

Avoiding what might have been a postcard holiday with a Lonely Planet book in hand, Evans takes the road that is best traveled alone - but it is a road we all take once in a while. I dare you to peruse Malas Ondas and not see part of yourself in this young man's confessions and daredevil existentialism. I used to hate that word but after I shut the back cover I think I got it.

This is what I got by traveling alongside Evans in the story - this world is tough and sometimes we like to make it tougher on ourselves. You don't go to a raucous foreign country where you can't speak the language to give yourself a serene respite, a cutesy holiday where you can collect charming stories to regale people at formal dinner parties. You throw yourself into this blender to see what you are made of, to get stronger, to drink too much, to have sex whenever possible, to fall in love at first sight and regret it by sundown. You do this existential business so that when have a moment to look at yourself in a dirty mirror you don't scream from the inside that you lack adventure and that mysterious ether that brings us life, that proves we exist.

In Malas Ondas, there is no lifeguard, there is no placing the top back on the bottle or wishing away your favorite nightmare and I am grateful for that. Kent Evans has brought back poetic confessional to fiction writing and it's the kind of stuff you mark as 100 proof and keep on your bookshelf for good.

Kevin Brink Nielsen

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The hottest, sexiest, memoir ever!, July 18, 2003

By 

Laurence Leichman (Flushing, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Malas Ondas: Lime, Sand, Sex and Salsa in the Land of Conquistadors (Paperback)

I'm a sucker for travel memoirs, but I have to tell you that Kent's book is the baddest, funniest, and outright hottest book of its kind I've ever read. I loved this book. It is a brilliant blend of poetry and prose, memoir and guidebook. As the narrator, he is stripped down, full throttle in command, and the keenest of guides from start to finish. In the reader's eyes, Mexico will never be the same. He takes the reader to places they've never been (trust me) and into situations they couldn't imagine. And all this with a gift for language so rare in most authors that it only comes around once every ten years. And be warned: The wit is so sharp a reader runs the risk of bleeding to death before the last page. This guy is also so hilariously dangerous -- I mean all caps "FUNNY" -- you could dehydrate from peeing your pants... If you like your art clever, cutting edge, avante garde, and first-in-line-one-of-a-kind, don't miss this book. Kent Evans is one of the top draws of the spoken word on three continents and you're gonna see why... This guy has TALENT! After reading this book, I can't wait to see him perform! Go Kent!