#1 NIGHT SOIL MAN

Where do I start? I suppose I could start with this image of the Harland & Wolf shipyards in Belfast where the Titanic was built after it was bombed during the Blitz, but I think I'll start with the title instead.

Titles have always been tricky for me (endings, too, but more on that in a bit) in that I tend to be pretty bad at them. Titles serve at least two functions: to lure the reader in and comment on the story in some meaningful way. The best titles are those that mean one thing at the beginning and another at the end, but those are exceptionally hard to pull off. I tend to favor teaser titles, but that's probably my background in advertising talking. If I'm having a tough time with a story (either publishing it or just getting it right), I'll often change its title in order to change its luck. It's common practice in sumo wrestling and that's good enough for me. As far as I can recall, the title of the opening story in my collection has always been Night Soil Man.

Twenty years ago, I was a deck seaman in the Navy stationed in San Diego. I spent a lot of time with a skinhead sailor who lived with his girlfriend and her meth-addicted brother in Ocean Beach. We went to an outdoor show one night at one of the larger schools (either UCSD or SDSU, I can't remember which) that featured a local post-punk band called Night Soil Man. (Recently I interviewed a San Diego band for Razorcake called The Challenger Deep, who cited Drive Like Jehu and Pitchfork as influences. While doing some research I learned that half the members of Drive Like Jehu came from Pitchfork and the other half from a band called, you guessed it, Night Soil Man. They had songs like "In the House of Vivian Section" and "An Ode to Dr. Reek and Sister Lust.") I remember that night my skinhead friend, who was six-foot-five and stuttered badly, let me borrow a spare leather jacket and a handful of rings. I felt like an honorary badass. Anyway, I had no idea what "Night Soil Man" meant, but I thought it was a cool name for a band and the name stuck.

A few years later, while reading James Joyce (a common refrain you'll hear in these posts) I learned the meaning of night soil: the refuse left behind in a chamber pot. Hence, a night soil man was someone who came around and collected this waste, presumably for use as fertilizer. Since I was writing a story about a boy who shoveled shite at the Belfast Zoo, I quickly settled on Night Soil Man for a title.

During the Blitz, the zoo was bombed and it was feared that if the Germans attacked again the animals would unduly suffer or, even worse, escape. So the decision was made to put the animals. Night Soil Man is a fictional account of how that grisly work was done and what impact it had on those who had to do it.

Comments

[Mary Akers]

I seriously love this story. I think it's my favorite of the collection.

[Jim]

Thanks, Mary. It's one of my favorites as well. Once I get through with the 13 stories I may circle back around as I have plenty more to say about this one.

[Mary Akers]

Cool! I'll keep checking back. What a great idea this is. Happy anniversary Big Lonesome!