Ian Haugland has been the long time drummer for the band, Europe, after taking over for Tony Reno in 1984. During Europe’s hiatus in the 90’s, Mr. Haugland continued pounding the skins with many talented musicians, including Yngwie Malmsteen and Glenn Hughes, and can he heard on many albums such as the 1998 Ozzy tribute Ozzified. Ian Haugland has a nonstop love for music; when he is not on tour he is at 106.7 Rockklassiker in Stockholm playing Classic Rock for the masses.
The Swedish-based rock band, Europe, has been making music for well over 30 years now and seems to have no plans on stopping, as Ian has referred to them as a steam roller getting up to speed. You can see them on tour here in the US supporting their current album War of Kings. Go to http://www.europetheband.com/tourdates.html for more details.
Ace Sims with RockRevolt Magazine talks with Ian Haugland of Europe
RR: Ian, how you doing, sir?
Ian: I am fine, man; how are you?
RR: I am doing good, sir, thank you. You guys are getting ready to come back to the states and do a couple more months of touring, right?
Ian: Yeah that’s right. We were there early 2015, and it was great fun, so we’re coming back. We’re heading to California and Florida – you know, the nice warm places. You know, the warm places we miss here in Sweden. You know, it’s cold and snowy here all the time.
RR: Before you get to those places, you’re going to come see us in the Midwest. We are going to be seeing you in Lawrence, Kansas, on January 27th, so you have to come get cold here first…
Ian: Well, alright. We’re used to that, so we will be okay.
RR: My cold is probably warm to you. So, Europe just completed a massive 2015 world tour in support of War of Kings.
Ian: Yes, that’s right; it was a really busy year for Europe. I can’t actually remember when we had this much touring before. It’s probably been since the early 90’s or something; it’s been great. It feels like it’s really taking off now. We’re really pleased about it
RR: Yeah it did not look like you took any time off; you guys went out and saw the world.
Ian: We recorded the War of Kings album, and it was really well received by both the fans and the media, so I guess that laid the foundation for the year for us. So, we took our chance and just rocked out. Hopefully we will be as busy this year. I know after we come to you guys in the States, we’re going to head over to the festivals in Europe. Later in the summer, we’re going to start recording the next Europe album. So, yeah, it’s going to be a busy year I think
RR: So you guys are looking into the future, to just keep rocking away?
Ian: Definitely, we are like a steam roller. We are up to speed now; there is nothing stopping us. We are just going to go on.
RR: You guys have been around for 30-plus years, so obviously you all still love what you are doing…
Ian: Absolutely, I would say we enjoy it so much more these days than we did in the 80’s. In the 80’s, everything happened so fast. It was like jumping on a runaway train; we did not have time to digest anything, or everything was so intense. These days everything is more enjoyable – going on tour and appreciating being able to get out there and do what we love to do, just playing rock and roll. Yeah, I would have to say we enjoy it more now.
RR: So, what do you think the difference is between the whirlwind of the 80’s to the more relaxed state of today?
Ian: We are a little bit older now and a little bit more experienced. We have done all the partying and all that stuff. I mean back in the 80’s, it was like 75% partying and 25% music. These days, it’s the other way around. That’s one of the main differences.
RR: Hey, the good thing is you guys get to do both the early party days and now the days of focusing more on the music. Actually, that says a lot for your staying power.
Ian: Definitely, and I think it is amazing that we still have an audience that loves Europe’s songs, both the old songs and the new songs. We go out to these festivals, and we see this whole new audience: teenagers standing down by the barriers singing along to the old songs from the 80’s as well as the new songs. I think that is just a fantastic feeling when you see a new generation of fans clinging on to Europe’s music; it’s really amazing.
RR: I am sure that makes you guys feel great and lets you guys know that you should keep on with what you’re doing…
Ian: Exactly, I think today we have a lot more sense of respect towards our own music. In the 80’s, you know, it was just happening. These days it’s been 30 years since The Final Countdown was released, and still today people are singing and chanting along and going fucking crazy when we play The Final Countdown. I think that is just totally amazing.
RR: And of course the Geico commercial didn’t hurt
Ian: Oh man that was a wild trip. That happened when we toured the States in 2015. They approached us to see if we wanted to do that commercial, and we were like, yeah, let’s try something different. We had never done any commercials before. After we did that commercial, The Final Countdown just skyrocketed again and became number 1 on iTunes downloads. So, yeah, that was amazing
RR: It’s a great commercial, and with the world tour the timing of it was just right.
Ian: It was amazing. All of it: the production team and everything. We went to Universal City, and they had a studio there, and the crew – there had to be like 100 people. It was like stepping into like a major movie set. I had never seen that many people; it must have cost a fortune to record that 30 seconds of that commercial. It was a wild thing to take part in, and it was a great experience, I have to say.
RR: Now aside from touring and the music, what does Ian like to do in his down time? Any hobbies?
Ian: You know, I work as a radio DJ in Stockholm at a classic rock radio station. I have my own show every weekday between 10 and 2. I get to just sit there and talk about all this great music; it’s not like being at work. It’s like an extension of my teenage years. I play all this great music – Metallica, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Clash – everything, you know? Like I said it’s an extension of my boyhood. I am living a life that I do not have to take any down time from. I never take a vacation because I don’t need to. I just love everything that I am doing
RR: Man that’s awesome; hell being a radio DJ is my dream, something I have always wanted to do.
Ian: Yeah, man, I pinch my arm every morning when I wake up and say, is this really true? I play in a great band Europe, and at the same time I am working as a radio DJ playing the music that I love. I have to be one of the luckiest guys in the world!!
RR: Man, that’s great; it is always a great thing when people get to love what they do. Man, that is just awesome. Now on a somber note, any thoughts on the passing of Lemmy?
Ian: Man, it’s weird. I would have thought 20 years ago, when will Lemmy pass? and still when it happened it was like a shock to me. I mean, Lemmy as a character, as a Rock and Roll icon, he was, I would say, the essential rock and roller. In my opinion, I think that Lemmy will be remembered in a great respect. Lemmy lived his life as a rock and roller 100% all the way till the end. It was a shocker when Lemmy passed. I had met him a couple of times, and every time I met him, he seemed to me that he was always a gentleman. He had such a respect for all other musicians. Lemmy had the greatest respect in the business, and he deserved it.
RR: And if you look bac,k the Motorhead’s, the Europe’s, and all these other bands, in some way, paved the way for today’s metal and rock. You guys are a part of a foundation.
Ian: It amazes me; I will have members of bands, not sure if you know Meshuggah – their drummer is a technical monster. He is crazy, if you listen to what he is doing. I meet him at a festival, and he came up to me and said, “Hey, Ian, if it was not for your drum solo in 1984 when I saw you in my home town, I would have not started playing drums myself. It was because of that drum solo I decided to play drums. Thank you for paving the way.” I mean, I was like, I just felt unreal. I mean, he is obviously more technical and more skilled than I am today, but still I meant something to him at that point in time. It’s things like that, that are really heartwarming. It gives you the sense that you are doing something right
RR: Man, Ian, I really appreciate all your time, and I cannot wait to see you in a couple of weeks. You guys have safe travels getting over here.
