Keith Urban hails from New Zealand, but he is a famous name in the United States, Australia, and other countries around the world thanks to his talent for music, particularly in the genre of country music, as well as his guitar playing, his good looks, and, of course, his tattoos.  He is usually pretty secretive about his ink, not talking about them too much or too openly, however you can catch him sometimes spilling the meanings behind the artwork on his body. Keith isn’t one of those guys that gets tattoos simply for the sake of getting tattoos.  Instead, he makes sure that every tattoo is symbolic to him in some way or another.  Whether it is a reminder to be strong or a symbol of his life experiences, each piece of art has meaning behind it and there is a reason it is there. Symbolic Birds Keith says his first tattoo was a gift to himself on his 24 th birthday.  He decided to get a tattoo of an eagle on his right shoulder blade because he was in America at the time and he felt very free, being single and working on his musical career. Another tattoo that features a bird is seen prominently down the inside of Keith’s left forearm.  As you can imagine, it is especially visible when he is rocking out on his guitar.  This tattoo is of a phoenix, the mythological creature with which Keith can relate.  Keith says he loves the symbolism behind the story of the phoenix, which burns in fire after being defeated by its challenges yet later manages to rise again from the ashes, stronger than ever before.  Keith says he has had his own challenges in life, and he feels that what does not kill you just makes you stronger.  It is a lesson he can be reminded of every time he gazes down at his arm. Love Tattoos Keith doesn’t only have tattoos of birds.  He also has a very sentimental tattoo that is located on his right bicep.  This tattoo features the name Nicole in a banner, along with hearts, and he refers to it lovingly as his “Nicole” tattoo in reference to wife, actress Nicole Kidman. A second tattoo in honor of Nicole is featured on his right wrist.  It is a Celtic band with the initials “NMK,” for Nicole Mary Kidman.  And it is no surprise that he would dedicate ink to his wife, as he has stated that she was the one that helped him get through some very difficult and tough times in his life.  This Celtic tattoo was used to cover up another tattoo that was there which he had gotten while in a relationship with Niki Taylor (she had also gotten a matching one).  That old tattoo was simply the Latin phrase, “Omni Vincit Amor,” which translates to “Love Conquers All,” but he wanted to get rid of it because he had moved on from Niki and was now married to Nicole.

Brad Pitt is one of Hollywood’s leading men, famous for his large repertoire of films and his immense talent in acting.  Though he most often appears clean looking, he does have several tattoos hiding under those nice clothes.  It may be hard to get him to talk about the meaning behind his tattoos, but there are many photos of the artwork he has had inked onto his torso and arms, so he cannot deny that they are there. Though Brad Pitt has had temporary tattoos drawn on his body for certain movie roles, he does indeed have some very real tattoos of his own that he has acquired over the last few years.  It is clear that Angelina Jolie has gotten many tattoos on her body over the years, and it seems that Brad has also developed an interest in tattoo art thanks to his relationship with her. The Meanings Behind the Strangeness Some of Brad Pitt’s tattoos are pretty straightforward in terms of their meaning, especially if you know anything about his personal life and interests. Brad has a fairly simple tattoo written onto his left forearm, closer to his elbow.  In black lettering are the words “Absurdites de l’existence,” a French phrase translating to “absurdities of life,” or perhaps simply “life is absurd.”  Considering everything Brad Pitt has been through and has been exposed to, as well as the various characters he has had to play, this phrase probably means a lot to him and perhaps he wanted to always remind himself to live life to the fullest and not take it too seriously. Next to his “Absurdites de l’existence” tattoo is an outline drawing of Otzi, also known as the Iceman.  In 1991, archaeologists found and identified a frozen body in an Italian glacier.  They figured that the man was probably around 5,300 years old, making him the oldest human mummy ever found in Europe.  Perhaps Brad chose to locate this tattoo next to the “life is absurd” tattoo because Otzi was such a strange and interesting find, unlike any other that had come before it, proving that life is most certainly unpredictable. In a very romantic gesture, Brad tattooed Angelina Jolie’s birthday on his stomach.  It is written in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia, the country from which she adopted her first child.  Her birthday is June 4, 1975, and the tattoo is written in numbers, 6-4-1975. Brad also has a large tattoo on his lower back.  It is a map of the levee system in New Orleans, though it looks like a bunch of lines without meaning spanning across his back.  The reason for the tattoo is the connection that he feels towards the city and the people.  After Hurricane Katrina destroyed the levees and the city, Brad and Angelina bought a home there and have been very active in helping to rebuild the city.  So it is no surprise that he would get a tattoo on his body that symbolizes a place that is so important to him and his family and so close to his heart.

Babyshambles and The Libertines are two popular British rock bands that are fronted by singer/songwriter Pete Doherty.  The rocker is known for his many talents in both music and acting, in addition to modeling, painting, and writing, but he is also known for having many tattoos on his arms and torso, some of which are more easily distinguishable than others.  The rock star has battled drug addition, legal battles, and lost love, and his body is the battleground upon which all of that plays out, as evidenced by his various scars and tattoos, some of which have clear symbolism behind them while others just seem somewhat strange. A Series of Random Tattoos Some of Pete Doherty’s tattoos are easily seen and identified, while there are others that are certainly there but far too small to be able to make out exactly what they are supposed to be or what they are meant to say. Pete Doherty loves to tattoo meaningful words, names, and phrases all over his body.  Most of these tattoos are quite small, but if you look closely enough, you will be able to read them and perhaps be able to get a hint as to their meaning.  He does have a prominent neck tattoo of his son’s name, Estile, but some will say it is actually spelled out differently, as “Astile.”  On the right side of Pete’s chest are the words “Baby Shambles,” in tribute to his musical project.  And on his left forearm, Pete had the phrase “Up the morning” inked. But Pete Doherty’s tattoos aren’t just words and phrases; some artwork certainly adorns his body, too.  A heart with a bow going through it was tattooed onto his left shoulder, which apparently also featured the letter “K” in reference to Kate Moss, his ex-girlfriend.  In addition, a mermaid can be found spanning most of the length of his right forearm, and a skull and crossbones is found on the inside of his left forearm. A Tattoo on His Behind In 2009, Pete Doherty went in for yet another tattoo, but this time he wanted it to be strategically placed on his behind.  He wanted the word “Wasteland” tattooed there, both as a tribute to the title of his favorite poem by writer T.S. Eliot and as a reference to his solo album entitled “Grace/Wastelands.” However, despite Pete having acquired so many tattoos on various parts of his body through the years, apparently he could not seem to withstand the pain of the needle on his rear, so he stopped the tattoo artist about halfway through the procedure.  As a result, he now has a tattoo that reads “Waste” on his butt. Removing a Piece of the Past After his split with Kate Moss, Pete started seeing photos surface of her with other men, and he simply could not stand it, so he decided that the tattoo on his shoulder of the heart and bow would be removed using laser treatment.  In this way, he would finally be letting go of all ties he once had to Kate and fully move on from her.