More Tackiness at the WMA

At least one tacky joke delivered by a major recipient at the 25th Western Magazine Awards last Friday resulted in boos and catcalls rarely heard at these sedate events, where bad and even tacky jokes are heard every year, and even welcomed, given the legendary tedium of these celebrations.

The tackiness may have been enhanced by the setting of this year’s Gala, which convened outside Vancouver in a so-called Casino Resort on the fringe of the suburban desert. The event was boycotted by several editors, sales people and at least one publisher, none of whom possessed the visas necessary for crossing the Oak Street Bridge. (Hence the lateness of this report.)

For those desperate for recreation after the strain of the ceremony, gambling vouchers (50% off, according to a reliable informant) distributed with dinner enticed the gullible into the casino, where the proprietors were able to recover the rental of the banquet hall that had been waived in order to entice the hapless magazineers into their clutches in the first place.

Those who chose not to gamble were free to plunge into the existential void just outside the front door.