Emperor Norton in popular culture
Joshua Abraham Norton (February 4, 1818 – January 8, 1880), also known as Norton I or Emperor Norton, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco who in 1859 proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States" and, later, "Protector of Mexico." Though he was generally considered insane, or at least highly eccentric, the citizens of San Francisco in the mid to late nineteenth century celebrated Norton's regal presence and his deeds. He continues to be a patron saint of the unusual and of eccentrics, and he is recognized as a Saint in the "Principia Discordia" (1970 ), the main text of the Discordian religion. History. Podcast. Richard Miller's "Sparkletack" series of historical podcasts includes a celebrated 2005 episode, "Emperor Norton." Literature. Other. A pair of "Emperor Norton Awards" is made annually by Tachyon Publications and Borderlands books, for "extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason." Music. Operas, musicals and songs. 1944 Lu Watters composed a piece entitled "Emperor Norton's Hunch", originally performed and recorded by his Yerba Buena Jazz Band. 1950s Robert B. Aird, founding chairman of the neurology department of the University of California at San Francisco, composed a still -unperformed opera based on Norton's life. 1981 A one-act opera, "Emperor Norton", with music by Henry Mollicone and a libretto by John S. Bowman, received its premiere in 1981. It was performed in the fall of 1990 by the West Bay Opera company in Palo Alto, California. 1999 An opera called "Emperor Norton of the U.S.A.", with music by Jerome Rosen and a libretto by James Schevill, premiered in Davis, California, in 1999. 2003 An opera, "I, Norton", by Gino Robair, combines free and conducted improvisation with graphical and conventional scores, and has been performed by many ensembles  in North America and Europe. 2005 "Emperor Norton: A New Musical", by Kim Ohanneson with songs by Marty Axelrod, premiered at San Francisco's Dark Room Theater in December 2005 and ran there for three months, consistently selling out. A condensed and re-arranged version was presented in July 2006 at the San Francisco Theater Festival, and a revised production with many of the original cast and several new songs began a three-month run at the Shelton Theater in January 2007. 2006 "The Madness of Emperor Norton I", a song by the group The Kehoe Nation, appears on the  group's 2006 album "Devil's Acre Overture". 2007 "The Emperor", a song with lyrics by Z. Mulls and music by Ron Tintner. 2008 "Emperor Norton", a song by singer-songwriter Matthew Dinario (who records as The Short Wave Mystery) appeared on his 2008 album "Okey Dokey". 2010 The musical "Norton: America's Forgotten Emperor", with words and music by Bobby McGlynn, was performed at Denison University. 2012 2013 "Emperor Norton", song by singer-songwriter Steven Crowley. 2021 "Emperor Norton", a parody of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" by Stevonnie Ross (who records as Sunday Comes Afterwards) in their 2021 album , "I Want a Refund." Other. The independent record label, Emperor Norton Records, launched in 1996 and closed in 2004. Film. During the San Francisco sequence of the 1956 film "Around the World in Eighty Days", an actor dressed in a costume resembling Emperor Norton's regalia and accompanied by two dogs, thought to be Bummer and Lazarus, is briefly seen leading a torchlight parade. Radio. The San Francisco radio station KFOG referred to the Bay Bridge as "the Emperor Norton" during their morning traffic reports in the late 1980s [need confirmation of exact dates]. Blogs. The author of a blog  titled "Strip Mining for Whimsy" wrote under the name Joshua Norton II, Emperor of the United States, Protector of Mexico. The blog was taken down in March 2007.. LGBT. José Sarria, a drag queen and early gay activist, proclaimed himself "Her Royal Majesty, Empress of San Francisco, José I, The Widow Norton" in 1964. As the Widow Norton, Sarria established the Imperial Court System, an international network of charitable organizations. Sarria died in August 2013, at the age of 89 or 90, and is buried at the foot of Emperor Norton's grave at Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma, California. Organization  devoted solely to advancing the legacy of Emperor Norton. The Emperor Norton Trust is a nonprofit that, since 2013, has been working on a variety of fronts — original research; education; advocacy — to advance the legacy of Emperor Norton. (The Trust previously was known as The Emperor's Bridge Campaign.) Groups that hold Emperor Norton as a patron saint. Fraternal. The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, a fraternal society focused on the legacy of the Old West, holds Emperor Norton in particular regard and makes an annual pilgrimage to the Emperor's gravesite at Woodlawn cemetery, in Colma , Calif, on the Saturday closest to the Emperor's death date of January 8. Religion. In the religion of Discordianism, Emperor Norton is considered a Saint Second Class, the highest spiritual honor attainable by an actual (non-fictional) human being. The "Principia Discordia" — the sacred text of Discordianism — relates that, when the Goddess Eris / Discordia was asked whether She, like Jehovah, had a Begotten Son, She replied with Norton's name. The "Principia" notes that the Joshua Norton Cabal, a group of Discordians based in San Francisco, has as its slogan: In official practice, this phrase is never translated out  of Latin, except on certain holidays. Culture jamming. Cacophony Society. Micronation. Norton appears on the 10 Valora coin and 10 Valora paper note of the Republic of Molossia — which also has declared part of its backyard to be Norton Park.