Ian Haugland cut his hair and got a job

By: Andreas UtterströmFrom: Expressen - December 26, 2000Translation by: Louise

Ian Haugland, whose real name actually is Jan, was the drummer in EUROPE. Today he hasn't got the time to play. But he would very much like a reunion of his old band.

In the end of the 80's, he was a long-haired rock star. After the career, he worked in Arlanda [airport in Stockholm], and today he works as a radio DJ. Ian Haugland, drummer in EUROPE, has had a haircut and has become a father of three children.

There was a time when everyone hummed along to melodic hard rock quite normally and "The Final Countdown" especially. But that's a long time ago. Today EUROPE is split up.

The drummer, Ian Haugland, whose real name is Jan, is 36 years old today. The long hard rock hair is just as far away as the hard life. Today Jan Haugland has three children and says "Kiss Kiss" when he talks to the missus on the phone. He works as a radio DJ at the commercial radio station 106.7 Rockklassiker

"I miss the togetherness of the band and have mostly positive memories," he says today, nine years after the split-up.

Reunion is possible

We have talked for exactly 33 seconds when he, even before I ask, answer the question everyone is thinking of: Is a reunion possible?

"I wouldn't mind at all getting the band back together and go for it. We are all friends, so nothing stands in the way for a reunion. It's the practical issues that needs sorting."

We were tricked

When EUROPE broke through, Ian Haugland and his friends were about 20 years old. They had no idea about how the business worked, and therefore agreed to the economic terms. "Of course we were tricked. Our manager didn't make any illegal mistakes, but moral ones. But even Black Sabbath and Rolling Stones were tricked in the beginning. So we're just another number in the statistics."

It was the move to the Bahamas that made it clear. The tax authorities didn't agree with it and that resulted in the members suddenly owing millions to the government. And they still do. Ian, though, lives a normal life. He has a family and therefore such a high subsistence level that he never succeeded in earning enough money to pay back the debts.

Worked at Arlanda

When EUROPE split up in 1992, Jan Haugland made a living by working as a freelance musician. But after a few years he got tired of it. "It wasn't fun. It was starting to turn me into a bitter person. If I'd continued, I'd have ended up at a pub, drinking beers and telling everyone about my tour memories that no one wanted to hear. So I got rid of that job."

Instead he started working at Arlanda Airport, the same job he had had as a teenager before the music career started boosting.

"Getting back down to earth and having a normal job didn't make a difference to me. It depends on what kind of person you are."

For a few months he has been working as a radio DJ and is hosting a show at the commercial station 106.7 Rockklassiker.

For the moment the drumsticks are on the shelves. "But once in a while I sit down at home and get some of it beaten out of my system."

Facts about Ian Haugland

Full name: Jan Håkan "Ian" Haugland

Age: 36

Family: Wife and three children

Home: Sigtuna, Sweden

Broke through: As the drummer in EUROPE. The band released these albums: "Europe", "Wings of Tomorrow", "The Final Countdown", "Out of This World" and "Prisoners in Paradise".

After the career: Worked as a freelance musician. Then worked at Arlanda Airport where he took care of the planes, drove the water- and dump-cars.

About the life as a rock star: "You don't feel any sex pressure directly. For a while you ran around with the boxers down to your knees more than they were up."