Emperor Norton in popular culture

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Joshua Abraham Norton (ca. 1815 – January 8, 1880), also known as His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco who proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico" in 1859. Though he was generally considered insane, or at least highly eccentric, the citizens of San Francisco in the mid-to-late 19th century celebrated his presence, his humor, and his deeds. He continues to be a patron saint of the unusual, and of eccentrics, as he is mentioned as a Saint in the Principia Discordia (1970), the seminal main text of the Discordian religion.

Contents

[edit] Food

A ten-dollar note issued by "Emperor Norton I."
A ten-dollar note issued by "Emperor Norton I."
  • Ghirardelli, a chocolatier in San Francisco, used to offer a sundae called "The Emperor Norton", which has as its primary garnishes two bananas and a handful of nuts. The company also produced a 5-oz. "Emperor Norton Non-Pareils" candy.
  • The Oakland-based San Francisco Bread Company produces the "Emperor Norton Sourdough Snack Chips" in 5.5-oz. or 12-oz. bags. Varieties include original flavor and ranch. The product is marketed through deli shelves, and according to vice-president of operations Jill Schuster, it has a very loyal following around the country.
  • In North Beach, the San Francisco Brewing Company produces the "Emperor Norton Lager", a Munich-style amber lager with a distinctive malt character. The beer is always on tap and can be shipped within the state. [1]

[edit] Internet

  • The Emperor Norton Utilities is a collection of strange and amusing software of limited practical use. The name is a play on the Norton Utilities.
  • Others have tried to co-opt Norton's image for their own use: In 1999, it was reported (via a spiritual medium) that Emperor Norton had issued a new decree which, among other things, established that his Imperial Domain now extends to include the Usenet.

WHEREAS, We have been specifically resurrected for the purpose of observing and commenting on the great commotion, called by some a "flame war", now occurring in rec.skiing.alpine;

WHEREAS, such exchanges of invective and rudeness disturb the peace of mind of those who come to said association seeking relaxation and gentle conversation upon the sport of skiing;

AND WHEREAS, the ongoing and aggravating vendettas, accusations, and legal action that have been spawned by this dispute do little to resolve it and much to expand it beyond the reaches of the fair City of Seattle;

THEREFORE, We, Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico and the USENet, do decree that all participants in this ongoing confrontation (including the judge) do rebel and riot against the Emperor's good order and command that they be denied InterNet access and electrical service until they have ended their insurrection.

[edit] Literature

Cover of Ben Pfeiffer's Upcoming Novel The Body of Emperor Norton.
Cover of Ben Pfeiffer's Upcoming Novel The Body of Emperor Norton.
  • His Majesty is the subject of a fictional manuscript by Mark Twain and the source of a centuries-old puzzle for a Russian expatriate in Ben Pfeiffer's The Body of Emperor Norton (Storyteller Books, Oct. 2007). The website that details the book can be found online here.
  • The story of Emperor Norton was used by Neil Gaiman in "Three Septembers and a January", an issue of his comic book The Sandman included in the collection Fables and Reflections. Gaiman's Norton is a victim of Despair until Despair's brother, Morpheus, gives him a dream. Delirium comments that it is his insanity (his belief in his Imperial role) that keeps him "sane," commenting that "he should belong to me, but he doesn't."
  • A short story by Robert Silverberg, "The Palace at Midnight", features a post-apocalyptic California with an Empire of San Francisco. The Emperor at the time of the story is a decrepit and senile Norton the Seventh.
  • Emperor Norton, Bummer, and Lazarus make a brief appearance in Barbara Hambly's Ishmael, a novel set in the Star Trek universe. There are also references to "The Emperor of San Francisco" in the science-fiction novel The Woman Between the Worlds by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre.
  • Dianne Day's San Francisco-based "Fremont Jones" mystery series includes the novel Emperor Norton's Ghost (1998), in which a friend of the intrepid investigator claims to be communicating with the late Emperor about some unfinished business.
  • The character of "His Imperial Highness Smith" in the French Comic "Lucky Luke: L'empereur Smith" (1976), by Morris and René Goscinny, is loosely based on Norton.
  • Norton is the probable basis for the Selma Lagerlöf novel, Kejsarn av Portugallien (The Emperor of Portugallia), the story of a rural Swedish man so disturbed by his daughter's leaving home that he goes mad and declares himself the emperor of Portugallia, parading through the streets of his village wearing a long robe and a bizarre piece of headgear. The 1925 film The Tower of Lies is based on the book.
  • Emperor Norton was a "guest of honor" at the 1993 World Science Fiction Convention, held in San Francisco. He was "channeled" by a local fan.
  • Emperor Norton I is the ruler of the Bear Flag Empire (encompassing the modern-day states of California, Oregon, and Washington) in R. Talsorian Games' Castle Falkenstein series of RPGs. Originally installed as a figurehead by the leaders of the Bear Flag Revolt, he was popularly asked to remain as a beloved monarch after the assassinations of the men that had originally propped him up.
  • In Diana: Warrior Princess by Marcus Rowland (a satirical RPG with an "alternate" 20th-century setting, which also features such "historical" characters as Wild Bill Gates and Prince Albert Einstein), Emperor Norton is described as the "benign ruler of large parts of America."
  • Alistair Cooke's Letter From America featured Norton as the subject of one of its episodes.
  • Emperor Norton was one of 15 "eccentrics" featured in the book Eccentrics by Henry and Melissa Billings as part of their critical reading series The Wild Side[3].
  • Emperor Norton makes a cameo appearance in The Golden Nineties by Lisa Mason.
  • The opera of Emperor Norton is being composed and written by one of the lesser characters in the novel Factotum by Charles Bukowski.

[edit] Film

  • An actor dressed in a costume resembling Emperor Norton's regalia, accompanied by two dogs, is briefly seen leading a torchlight parade during the San Francisco sequence of the 1956 film Around the World in Eighty Days.

[edit] Music

  • Lu Watters composed a piece entitled "Emperor Norton's Hunch" Recorded on Good Time Jazz 12002 1954.
  • An opera based on Norton's life was penned by Henry Mollicone and was performed by (among other companies) the West Bay Opera company in the San Francisco peninsula in the fall of 1990.
  • An independent record label, Emperor Norton Records, memorializes his legacy through their dedication to Emperor Norton's history.
  • Emperor Norton: A New Musical premiered at San Francisco's Dark Room Theater in December 2005 and ran there for three months, consistently selling out the Dark Room. 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.
  • The song "Brilliant Mistake" by Elvis Costello includes several references to Norton.

[edit] 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 also says that the Goddess Eris / Discordia replied with Norton's name when questioned as to whether She, like Jehovah, had a Begotten Son.
  • As reported in the Principia Discordia, the Joshua Norton Cabal, a group of Discordians based in San Francisco, has as its slogan:

Everybody understands Mickey Mouse. Few understand Hermann Hesse. Only a handful understood Albert Einstein. And nobody understood Emperor Norton.

[edit] 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].

[edit] Television

  • Bonanza, an American western television show, featured an episode titled "The Emperor Norton." It first aired on February 27, 1966 as episode 225 in the seventh season. In the episode, Emperor Norton gets in trouble after calling for worker safety in the mines. As a result of his concern for the miners, his opponents attempt to have him committed. Mark Twain, and the cast of Bonanza testify on Norton's behalf at a competency hearing. Norton's suspension bridge concept is also featured. [4]
  • Broken Arrow "The Conspirators" (episode 11, aired 12/18/56).
  • Weird U.S., Vol. 3 (History Channel) DVD (2004).
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