Lazzara’s tattoos fit his loose, lived-in style. Some look rough; many point back to family, music or books he read on tour. In interviews, the Taking Back Sunday singer has shown both polished work and smaller tattoos he gave himself.
What stands out about Adam Lazzara’s tattoos is that he tells the stories behind them. His magnolia recalls summers with his grandmother, and an anchor is for his grandfather. On his ankle, there is a Tom Petty reference, a Harry Potter piece and a few rough tattoos he did himself.
Lazzara is a familiar face in the musician tattoo scene, but the collection comes across as personal rather than carefully plotted.
The magnolia on his left forearm is about his grandmother
The magnolia on Lazzara’s left forearm keeps a family memory close. He was born in Alabama; after his family moved away, he still spent summers there with his grandmother. He remembers climbing magnolia trees as a child.
That makes the flower specific to his childhood, not just a symbol chosen for its looks. Lazzara has said he thinks of his grandmother and those summers when he sees it. He has described the tattoo as a way to keep that part of his childhood close.
On his forearm, the flower’s softer lines sit beside anchors, banners and darker work.
His right arm has an anchor for his grandfather
Lazzara has an anchor on his right arm for his grandfather. His family worked as shipbuilders, so the familiar design points to a particular family history.
An anchor is a familiar tattoo, but Lazzara’s reason for choosing it is specific. It points to his grandfather and the family’s work. The image can suggest holding fast or a place to return to, but that symbolism sits alongside the family connection.
In live photos, the anchor blends into a larger sleeve, and some lines are hard to make out. The tattoo-tour footage gives a clearer view: Lazzara turns his arms toward the camera and walks through the designs.
The Tom Petty tattoo came from an early music memory
Some of the tattoos around Lazzara’s ankle look rougher, and he has said he did a few himself. One references Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Petty was the first band he remembers recording from the radio, tying the tattoo to an early memory of finding music.
It comes from a different place than the magnolia and anchor. This isn’t a family tribute or a carefully planned sleeve; it marks the first thrill of hearing music that stayed with him.
Lazzara has been open about doing some tattoos himself. Their uneven lines show he chose to make them first and worry about the finish later.
He has a Harry Potter piece from a very fast reading binge
One of the better-known ankle tattoo stories is the Harry Potter piece. Lazzara got it after reading all seven books in about eight weeks on tour. He got caught up in the series and kept a reference from it on his skin.
He has linked the design to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It’s also the piece he jokes redeems some of the rougher work around it. There’s affection in the story, though he tells it without much solemnity. He knows an ankle full of homemade ideas is an odd collection and seems content to leave it that way.
The tattoo is a reminder that not every piece marks a heavy moment. Some came from books or music Lazzara had with him during long stretches on tour.
The rest of his sleeves connect the personal pieces
Lazzara’s arms are the part of his collection many fans recognise first. They’re packed with colour, lettering and larger pieces, but the family tattoos give the sleeves a centre. Once he has explained the magnolia and anchor, the rest of the artwork fills the space around those memories.
His tattoos have changed over the years too. Taking Back Sunday has been around for more than two decades. The sleeves look accumulated, not designed in one sitting: pieces have been added and carried forward through different periods of his life.
The tattoo tour shows more than a list of designs can. It brings together the polished work, jokes, family tributes and the less successful ideas that stayed. There isn’t one theme tying every piece together. What links them is that Lazzara wanted to keep each one around.
Watch Adam Lazzara’s tattoo tour
In this Loudwire installment of The Needle and the Damage Done, Lazzara explains the tattoos himself: