We interviewed the person with the Rose Tattoo in the Dropkick Murphys music video

Butch Myers talks about his rose tattoo and the Dropkick Murphys music video

Most tattoos have meaning and are special to those that adorn their body with the ancient art form. This is especially true for "Butch" Myers, who not only has a rose tattoo but was also featured in the music video for the song of the same name by the Dropkick Murphys.

"Rose Tattoo" was the first single released off the band's eighth studio album, "Signed and Sealed in Blood" in November of 2012. The song found new life a year later with added vocals from Bruce Springsteen to help raise money in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.

The rose tattoo also appears on the arm of Ken Casey, the bassist and singer of the Dropkick Murphys as a memorial to his grandfather.

"He taught me most things that make me who I am today," Casey told NPR in 2013. "He was a big union guy in Boston. It's in a visible place for me, and I look down and I see it a lot. He was such an inspiring man that it inspires me. Oftentimes, I just catch it out of the corner of my eye, and it literally changes my mood when I think of him and what a strong individual he was."

The official music video for "Rose Tattoo" was released in 2012, and along with Casey's tattoo, it features the artwork that Butch got as well. We tracked him down to ask him some questions about being immortalized in the video.

Note: This interview is originally from 2019.

What made you decide to get the tattoo?

Butch: My tattoo artist Freddie Wadsworth, owner of Silver Shamrock in Lock Haven, is a huge fan and had heard about the new "Rose Tattoo" song and heard that anyone getting a Dropkick Murphys rose tattoo could be chosen to be in the new album artwork and asked if I'd be interested in getting a tattoo.

Freddie got ahold of me one day and filled me in and asked if I wanted an awesome Dropkick Murphys tattoo and, of course, the answer was yes. He said we didn't have very much time before the deadline so we did it in two sittings. The first was all the linework and some shading so we could meet the deadline for the submission, and then the second was a few weeks later to add some color.

I saw the design but had no idea it would take up most of my back. I wouldn't change a thing. I think it turned out perfect. It's a mash-up of the "Rose Tattoo" and the eagle and bagpipes. That was the first band tattoo I had gotten.

Do you have any other band tattoos?

Butch: The only other band tattoo I have now is a Metallica star for my friend that passed away last year.

When did you become a fan of Dropkick Murphys?

Butch: I've been a fan of the band for a long time. I remember listening to "The Gang's All Here" in high school and collecting various albums over the years.

Other than "Rose Tattoo," do you have any other favorite songs by the band?

Butch: One of my favorite albums is "Sing Loud, Sing Proud!" Most of those songs just hit me as good old-fashioned drinking songs, and I love the twist Dropkick Murphys gives a couple of the traditional Irish songs. "Rocky Road to Dublin" and "Wild Rover" are a few of my all-time favorite traditional Irish songs, and to hear them filtered through DKM is just amazing. I also love the "Spicy McHaggis Jig"—it's just a great song.

What's the best thing that came out of being in the music video?

Butch: My children love the fact that I have the Dropkick Murphys tattoo, and they love seeing it in the video. My son was only 5 when the song came out, but he loved it so much he would sit and watch the video and sing along —"I've got your name written here, In a rose tattoo."

Related: Our favorite DWC-inspired tattoos