Nick wrote:

(Steven Rockwell) wrote in message . com...
"Robert Musicant" wrote in message .net...
"Nick" wrote in message
m...
Mike Murray wrote in message
. ..
On 6 Sep 2003 01:02:04 -0700, (Steven Rockwell) wrote:
In a lot of ways, the person I would most associate Bobby Fischer with
is Ty Cobb.

Excellent analogy.

Or Richard Wagner?

Nick,
A much closer analogy. The personality disturbance, though not identical
from a formal diagnostic point of view, is quite similar.
Bob

The reason I picked Ty Cobb over Wagner is the media and how it feeds
Fischer's ego and how he feeds their insatiable need for that next story.
Wagner might be a closer fit psychologically, but he didn't have all the
media attention on his achievements in his lifetime like Cobb and Fischer,
nor could Wagner use the media to get his vile racism/persecution complexes
out.

It's not simple to compare the media culture in Germany during Richard Wagner's
life (1813-1883) with the media cultures in the United States during Ty Cobb's
life (1886-1961) and Bobby Fischer's life (1943-present). Yet Richard Wagner
did become quite a famous musician within his own lifetime.

If celebrity is the focus of comparison, then Bobby Fischer might be compared
in *some ways* to Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974), who was much more famous.

1) Both Lindbergh and Fischer reached their peaks of achievement in technical
fields (aviation and chess, respectively) at relatively young ages.

2) Both Lindbergh and Fischer soon became weary of the media's attentions and
and demands. Each man sought to protect his privacy by becoming reclusive.

3) Both Lindbergh and Fischer were known to be extremely obstinate, and their
quite 'difficult personalities' evidently contributed much to alienating
some of their friends or family members.

4) Evidently, both Lindbergh and Fischer have expressed admiration of Hitler.

"(Hitler was) undoubtedly a great man who has done much for the German
people....Hitler has accomplished results (good in addition to bad) which
could hardly have been accomplished without some fanaticism."
--Charles Lindbergh (23 January 1937: letter to Harry Davison)

5) Reportedly, both Lindbergh and Fischer have been quite racially conscious.

snip

You not kidding here, Nicky boy. Both of the 'above' mentioned, surely
qualify the 'C' word. Being applied equitably to them both, I'd
comfortably surmise. Actually, on re-reading your 'input', I'd seriously
like to impose the appelation 'c' on 'Adolph' too.

Mick..