A creative legend of 75+ years – Part 2 of 3
The dream of art
When Flemming began to consider which way to go educationally, he knew for a fact that it had to be something visual and creative.
– I wanted to be a theatre backdrop painter. Still today I believe I would have fit in nicely into that environment.
But the eye of the needle was too small for a young man at 199 cm tall.
Instead, Flemming let his hair grow, became a conscientious objector and subsequently applied for admission to the Art Academy of Aarhus. He now wanted to be a painter.
– I had a dream of becoming an artist, of expressing myself through my art. But deep down I didn’t really believe in my talent, and I kept comparing myself to my fellow students. Also, I’m an introverted person by nature which made it difficult for me to take on the pretentious and snobbish here-I-come attitude that was needed to promote yourself as an artist these days. I very well knew how to play the game. I just didn’t want to.
After leaving the Academy, it became clear that it was not as a painter that he was going to make money. But art and creativity did not leave him. For several years, Flemming taught painting and photography, and he established a small creative agency where he created posters, and vinyl covers for local Aarhus bands such as Daisy, The Dirty Dozen and Shit & Chanel. At the same time, he worked as a roadie for various bands.
A wild decision
At the age of 30, Flemming applied for his first “proper” job, as he puts it.
– For the first time I got a paycheck every month. The job involved designing T-shirts with graphic motives. And yes, it was a creative job, but then again it really wasn’t, Flemming recalls.
After five years with a “proper” job, he was ready for some changes. He needed to do something totally different.
One of the biggest changes in his life came in 1985 when his only child, Mark, was born and Fleeming could proudly write Fatherhood on his resume. Around that time, Flemming established 2R Marketing, a company that imported, marketed and distributed audio cables, loudspeakers, amplifiers and other Hi-Fi gear. With 2R Marketing Flemming built the cornerstone of what later became one of the most acknowledged Hi-Fi producers in the business, Gryphon Audio Designs. Here his creative hunger was fed by his passion for music.
– Yes, I quit my permanent job, bought a house and had a child. It was crazy, but it couldn’t be any other way. Flemming shakes his head and smiles.
The gentle giant
It was the passion for music and the search for great sound reproduction that drew Flemming. For years he had listened to music in a nerdy way. Fragmented details, separated instruments, captured tones, depths and soundscapes as only a pair of “maestro ears” can. A bit like what the 9-year-old Flemming did when he lay in his bed and listened to jazz in those warm summer nights.
Flemming had the skills to hear the difference between great sound and sublime sonic harmony, but he never knew how it became that way. At Gryphon Audio Designs, Flemming employed engineers to develop the perfect Gryphon sound profile, while he himself took the more creative responsibility to wrap the sound in unique cabinet design.
Avoiding sales and marketing activities is not an option when you own a production facility. Unlike his time at the art academy, Flemming now handled these roles very well. In fact, he did a brilliant job. Probably because he didn’t consciously choose to play the game.
– Almost the opposite. I was just myself. I didn’t try to be someone else, and the fact that I didn’t try to “play the game” was well received by our customers. The Asian press called me “The gentle giant” precisely because I wasn’t brash at all, says Flemming and continues:
– Before I traveled to e.g. Asia, I did a lot of homework; I familiarized myself with the culture, learned to handle the chopsticks, brushed up on the etiquette, to avoid making the worst mistakes.
He did this, not only with sales in mind, but because he basically is curious and eager to learn more about the culture and the people he was going to meet. For him, it was all about being a respectful guest.
Did you know that Flemming….
Was a driving force in making frisbees popular in Denmark in the 1970s – long before it became common property of cheap plastic made in China.
Nearly died during a fishing competition in Darwin (the he previously had won), Australia as he went into cardiac arrest. Luckily the doctors revived his heart, and it still beats steadily – also for Australia.
