Shifty Shellshock Explained

Background:person
Shifty Shellshock
Birth Name:Seth Brooks Binzer
Birth Date:23 August 1974
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years Active:1992–2024
Past Member Of:Crazy Town

Seth Brooks Binzer (August 23, 1974 – June 24, 2024), better known by his stage name Shifty Shellshock,[1] was an American rapper and singer-songwriter who cofounded the rap rock band Crazy Town, known for their hit song "Butterfly". He later had a solo career as well. Binzer struggled with addiction throughout his career and appeared on the reality television series Celebrity Rehab and Sober House.

Music career

Crazy Town

See main article: Crazy Town.

Binzer met fellow Crazy Town frontman Bret Mazur in 1992; they started collaborating under the name The Brimstone Sluggers. By early 1999, they formed the group Crazy Town.[2] In 2000, Crazy Town was signed to tour with Ozzfest. They were kicked out after two weeks when Binzer was arrested for throwing a chair through a window while drunk.[2] [3]

The band's single, "Butterfly", was a global hit. It peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and in several other countries including Austria, Denmark, and Norway. The success of the single prompted sales of their debut album, The Gift of Game, to exceed 1.5 million.[4]

Their 2002 follow-up album, Darkhorse,[5] was a commercial failure by comparison, and the band broke up shortly after its release.[6]

Crazy Town announced they had reformed in 2007,[7] and performed live for the first time in five years in August 2009.[8] They released their third album, The Brimstone Sluggers, in 2015.[9]

Solo career and the Big Shots

During Crazy Town's hiatus, Binzer collaborated with British producer and musician Paul Oakenfold, contributing vocals to Oakenfold's hit single "Starry Eyed Surprise". The track was for Oakenfold's first solo studio album Bunkka. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in the US, Binzer said that the track was created after the pair met at a Crazy Town show.[10] The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the UK Singles Chart.

Binzer released his only solo album, Happy Love Sick, in 2004. The first single from the album, "Slide Along Side", charted in several European countries, including number 29 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 11 in Italy.[11]

In July 2010, Binzer's new group, Shifty and the Big Shots, released their first single, "Save Me".[12]

Personal life

Binzer was born in Los Angeles on August 23, 1974; his father, Rollin Binzer, worked as an artist and documentary film director, and his mother, Leslie Brooks, worked as a model and script proofreader.[13] [14] He grew up primarily in Los Angeles with the exception of a brief period in Marblehead, Massachusetts.[13] He began writing rhymes and rap songs by the age of 12.

In a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone, Binzer admitted to spending three months in the California Institution for Men following an attempted burglary, to selling and using recreational drugs over a period of several years, as well as to struggling with drug addiction.[15]

Binzer married Melissa Clark in 2002. They had a son named Halo. In 2011, Clark filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Binzer dated Tracy Shelor[16] in 2008. They had a son named Gage.[13]

Binzer began a relationship with British model Jasmine Lennard in 2010. On March 27, 2011, police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance between the pair. Binzer was arrested for outstanding warrants and released later that day. In a video interview with TMZ.com, Binzer stated the disturbance was simply a noise complaint, and that the outstanding warrant was for counter-assaulting a security guard who was using unnecessary force when trying to throw him out of a club.[17] Lennard and Binzer announced their engagement in 2012. Binzer was arrested in February 2012 for battery and cocaine possession, and sentenced to three years' probation; his relationship with Lennard ended shortly thereafter.[18] Binzer and Lennard had a son named Phoenix.[13] In 2013, Lennard asked a California court for exclusive custody of their son, claiming Binzer smoked crack in front of him and once left a crack pipe in his room.[19]

In 2022, Binzer was dating actress Soleil Moon Frye when he was arrested for DUI in Los Angeles.[20]

Addiction problems and reality shows

Following his struggle with substance abuse, Binzer was one of nine celebrities featured in the first season of VH1's Celebrity Rehab.[21] Binzer graduated from treatment with the other cast members in the summer of 2007. His sobriety was short-lived and subsequently he appeared briefly towards the end of Celebrity Rehab 2, where Dr. Drew and Binzer's sponsor retrieved him from his hotel room where he had been using drugs and brought him to the Pasadena Recovery Center.[22]

Binzer also appeared on a follow-up show titled Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House. In July 2008, while shooting scenes for the show, Binzer walked out on production and into a heavy relapse after feeling insulted at a club.[23] William Smith, an employee of Dr. Drew, eventually sought out Binzer at a motel and brought him back to the rehab facility. An embarrassed Binzer pledged to Smith and Dr. Drew that the binge he embarked on was his last. On the show's final episode, Binzer is shown in the preliminary stages of being signed to a record producer for a new song, and resolves to stay sober.[24] On the August 30, 2009, episode of Loveline, Dr. Drew gave an emotional eulogy to his good friend and Binzer's former bandmate DJ AM, who had died two days previously from an accidental drug overdose shortly after breaking 11 years of sobriety. During the tribute, Dr. Drew mentioned that Binzer's problems with addiction continued after Sober House 1, eventually leading Binzer to take part in Sober House 2. When filming for Sober House 2 began, Dr. Drew got a "distress call" from Binzer and the two met, with Binzer revealing to Drew that his thirst for drugs was still very much active, and that he needed more help. Dr. Drew reluctantly allowed him to take part in the show and firmly stated that it would be the last time Drew gave him treatment. Dr. Drew voiced his hope that Goldstein's death would inspire Binzer to remain sober.[25]

Health issues and death

On March 29, 2012, Binzer was admitted to a hospital after losing consciousness. He awakened from the coma and was later released from the hospital.[26]

Binzer was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on June 24, 2024, at the age of 49,[27] [28] from an accidental drug overdose, according to Binzer's representative.[29]

Discography

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum
ITA
[30] 		UK
[31] 		SWE
[32] 		SWI
[33] 		FRA
[34] 		AUS
[35] [36] 		NLD
[37] 		GER
[38] 		NZ
[39] 		US
[40] 		US
Top 40
2002"Starry Eyed Surprise"
(Paul Oakenfold featuring Shifty Shellshock)		—6———3741—194113Happy Love Sick
2004"Slide Along Side"1129 364245482463——38
"Turning Me On"———————————

As Shifty & the Big Shots

Others

Filmography

Binzer had a minor role in the 1994 film Clifford, and played the lead role in the 2004 short film Willowbee.[1] He also appeared in the 2016 film Dead 7.[43]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shifty Shellshock . February 27, 2008 . . June 11, 2010 . January 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110113115551/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/celebrity-rehab/profile/shifty-shellshock.aspx . live .
  2. Edwards . Gavin . Q&A: Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town . . March 15, 2001 . 864 . 35.
  3. Web site: Johnson . Tina . June 13, 2006 . Crazy Town Leaves Ozzfest After Arrest . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090217192105/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1427579/20000713/crazy_town.jhtml . February 17, 2009 . June 11, 2010 . MTV.
  4. News on Crazy Town, Nelly, NY Metropolis Fest . Jeckell . Barry . January 10, 2002 . . May 28, 2014 . November 26, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201126050648/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/77197/billboard-bits-crazy-town-nelly-ny-metropolis-fest . live .
  5. Web site: Crazy Town Take On All Comers With Darkhorse . Wiederhorn . Joe . September 23, 2002 . . December 11, 2012 . February 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210212213231/http://www.mtv.com/news/1457740/crazy-town-take-on-all-comers-with-darkhorse/ . dead .
  6. Web site: Where Ya Been?: City High Drop Out, Crazy Town Stop The Insanity . Kaufman . Gil . February 8, 2007 . . December 11, 2012 . April 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210428020752/http://www.mtv.com/news/1551815/where-ya-been-city-high-drop-out-crazy-town-stop-the-insanity/ . dead .
  7. Web site: Harris . Chris . Kris Kross, Crazy Town, EMF, Extreme And More Unmemorable Reunions, In Our Year-End Top 10s − Music, Celebrity, Artist News . . December 5, 2007 . May 28, 2014 . June 7, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190607204212/http://www.mtv.com/news/1575877/kris-kross-crazy-town-emf-extreme-and-more-unmemorable-reunions-in-our-year-end-top-10s/ . dead .
  8. Web site: Celebrity Studded Red Carpet Event . August 25, 2009 . . May 28, 2014 . May 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529051940/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/celebrity-studded-red-carpet-event-62045737.html . live .
  9. Web site: Crazy Town: The Brimstone Sluggers . . October 2, 2015.
  10. Web site: Bychawski . Adam . Oakenfold's Cray 'Starry-Eyed' Sensation . . July 26, 2001 . October 28, 2015 . March 3, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203801/http://www.nme.com/news/paul-oakenfold/8721 . live .
  11. Web site: Shifty – Slide Along Side . lescharts.com .
  12. Web site: Save Me by Shifty and The Big Shots . . June 30, 2010.
  13. News: Seth Binzer, Crazy Town's Lead Singer, 'Shifty Shellshock,' Dies at 49. Ruberg. Sara. Sanders. Hank. June 25, 2024. The New York Times. limited. June 25, 2024. June 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240625202213/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/arts/music/shifty-shellshock-dead-crazy-town.html. live.
  14. Web site: Motwane . Alea . Shifty Shellshock, Crazy Town Lead Singer, Dead at 49 . . June 29, 2024 . en . June 25, 2024 . Born on Aug. 23, 1974, Binzer was raised in Southern California by his parents Leslie Brooks and Rollin Binzer. ... By the age of 12, he started writing rhymes and rap songs, marking the beginning of his musical journey..
  15. Keeps . David . U are now Entering Crazy Town . August 2, 2001 . . March 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190317120704/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u-are-now-entering-crazy-town-46206/ . live.
  16. Web site: Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock who sang 'Butterfly' dies aged 49 . Mouriquand . David . June 26, 2024 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20240625170051/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/crazy-town-singer-shifty-shellshock-141328443.html . June 25, 2024 . live.
  17. Web site: Shifty Shellshock Arrested on Outstanding Warrants . March 7, 2011 . . May 22, 2011 . May 28, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110528175359/http://www.tmz.com/2011/03/27/shifty-shellshock-arrested-dui-crazy-town-celebrity-rehab-seth-binzer/ . live .
  18. Web site: Crazy Town's Shifty Shellshock Sentenced to Three Years Probation for Cocaine Possession . Amy . Sciarretto . August 1, 2012 . . October 3, 2015 . October 4, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151004022030/http://noisecreep.com/shifty-shellshock-sentenced/ . live .
  19. Web site: Baby's Mama asks for full custody . . November 23, 2013 . January 7, 2017 . February 16, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170216221107/http://www.tmz.com/2013/11/21/shifty-shellshock-crazytown-smoke-crack-in-kids-rooom/ . live .
  20. Soleil Moon Frye's Boyfriend Shifty Shellshock Arrested For DUI. OK! Staff. OK! News. July 6, 2022. February 15, 2024. January 5, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240105212313/https://okmagazine.com/p/soleil-moon-frye-boyfriend-shifty-shellshock-arrested-dui/. live.
  21. Web site: Dr. Drew's Celeb Rehabbers -– How Clean Are They Now? . Patten . Dominic . December 1, 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20210619200404/https://www.thewrap.com/celeb-rehab-what-are-they-doing-now-22941/ . June 19, 2021 . live.
  22. Web site: Seth Binzer, Crazy Town Frontman and 'Butterfly' Singer Who Went by Shifty Shellshock, Dies at 49 . Dickey . Josh . June 25, 2024 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20240625130541/https://www.thewrap.com/seth-binzer-shifty-shellshock-crazy-town-butterfly-singer-dead-dies-obit/ . June 25, 2024 . live.
  23. Web site: Shifty Shellshock Falls Off "Sober Living" Wagon . July 28, 2008 . . June 11, 2010.
  24. March 12, 2009 . Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House: Season one, episode eight . Television episode . United States . .
  25. March 18, 2010 . Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House: Season two, episode two . Television episode . United States . .
  26. Web site: Crazy Town Singer Shifty Shellshock Apologizes For Drug Addiction, Arrest . August 3, 2012 . inquisitr.com . November 26, 2012 . February 26, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130226143249/http://www.inquisitr.com/291905/crazy-town-singer-shifty-shellshock-apologizes-for-drug-addiction-arrest/ . live .
  27. Web site: Seth Binzer . County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner . June 25, 2024 . June 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240625133422/https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2024-10084 . live .
  28. Web site: Shifty Shellshock, Crazy Town Frontman and 'Butterfly' Singer, Dies at 49 . Shafer . Ellise . June 25, 2024 . . June 25, 2024 . June 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240625144749/https://variety.com/2024/music/global/shifty-shellshock-dead-crazy-town-frontman-butterfly-singer-1236047633/ . live .
  29. Shifty Shellshock, Frontman of Crazy Town, Dead at 49 . Paul . Larisha . June 25, 2024 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626210205/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/shifty-shellshock-crazy-town-dead-obituary-1235046223/ . June 26, 2024 . live.
  30. Web site: Shifty . italiancharts.com . October 28, 2015 . December 22, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222103440/http://italiancharts.com/search.asp?search=shifty&cat=s . live .
  31. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 496.
  32. Web site: Shifty . swedishcharts.com . October 28, 2015 . December 23, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151223002356/http://swedishcharts.com/search.asp?cat=s&search=shifty . live .
  33. Web site: Shifty . swisscharts.com . October 28, 2015 . December 22, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222115136/http://swisscharts.com/search.asp?search=shifty&cat=s . live .
  34. Web site: Shifty . lescharts.com . October 28, 2015 . December 22, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222211321/http://lescharts.com/search.asp?search=shifty&cat=s . live .
  35. Web site: Shifty . australian-charts.com . October 28, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151223015507/http://australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=Shifty&cat=s . December 23, 2015.
  36. Web site: Oakenfold – Starry Eyed Surprise (song) . australian-charts.com . October 28, 2015 . April 18, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160418164439/http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Oakenfold&titel=Starry+Eyed+Surprise&cat=s . live .
  37. http://dutchcharts.nl Dutch Charts
  38. Web site: Shifty . musicline.de . October 28, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151223063957/http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/shifty . December 23, 2015 . dead.
  39. Web site: Seth "Shifty Shellshock" Binzer . charts.nz . October 28, 2015 . February 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220221115215/https://charts.nz/showperson.asp?name=Seth+%22Shifty+Shellshock%22+Binzer . live .
  40. http://www.allmusic.com/ Allmusic
  41. News: È morto a 49 anni Shifty Shellshock, il frontman dei Crazy Town . Corriere della Sera . June 25, 2024 . it-IT.
  42. Web site: Seth Binzer Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More... . AllMusic . en.
  43. Web site: Yamato . Jen . On the Set of 'Dead 7,' the All Boy-Band Zombie Western. . September 22, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221127134349/https://www.thedailybeast.com/on-the-set-of-dead-7-the-all-boy-band-zombie-western . November 27, 2022.

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