# Shifty Shellshock
**Shifty Shellshock** was the stage name of **Seth Brooks Binzer** (born 1974 in Los Angeles; died June 24, 2024, in Los Angeles), an American singer, rapper, and songwriter who co-founded and fronted the rap-rock band [Crazy Town](https://www.edgepedia.org/crazy-town), best known for the 2000 hit "Butterfly."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shifty-shellshock-mn0001800877) He was also known outside the band for "Starry Eyed Surprise," his collaboration with the British DJ and producer [Paul Oakenfold](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-oakenfold), and for appearing on the VH1 reality series *Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew* and *Sober House*.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Born 1974 in Los Angeles; died June 24, 2024, at his Los Angeles home, aged 49[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shifty-shellshock-mn0001800877) |
| Cause of death | Accidental overdose from the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, certified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner on September 24, 2024[3](https://ca.billboard.com/music/rock/crazy-town-singer-shifty-shellshock-binzer-cause-of-death-revealed-accidental-overdose-fentanyl-1235783676/) |
| Band | Co-founded Crazy Town in 1995 with Bret "Epic" Mazur; co-vocalist and co-founder[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography) |
| Signature hit | "Butterfly" (2000), built on a sample of the Red Hot Chili Peppers instrumental "Pretty Little Ditty," topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks[5](https://stereogum.com/2199223/the-number-ones-crazy-towns-butterfly/columns/the-number-ones) |
| Albums | *The Gift of Game* (1999), *Darkhorse* (2002), *The Brimstone Sluggers* (2015); solo album *Happy Love Sick* (2004)[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography) • [2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/) |
| Reality television | Appeared on *Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew* and *Sober House* between 2008 and 2010[6](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-25/shifty-shellshock-dead-seth-binzer-crazy-town) |
## Early life and formation of Crazy Town
Binzer was born to Leslie Brooks, a former model, and Rollin Binzer, a director and producer who helmed the concert film *Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones*.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/) Before music, he was a skateboarder with a few Levi's commercials to his credit, and he appeared in the film *Clifford* (1994).[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/crazy-town) • [8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2002/RR-2002-11-01.pdf)
He met Bret "Epic" Mazur, a music producer and promoter, in the early 1990s, and the two began writing together under the name the Brimstone Sluggers.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/crazy-town) Both struggled with drug addiction, and at one point the two were in separate rehabilitation centers, where they exchanged letters agreeing to commit fully to a band once released.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography) Crazy Town formed in Los Angeles in 1995, combining hip-hop vocalists with a full rock instrumental lineup; members over the years included Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, Rust Epique, Kraig Tyler, James Bradley Jr., and others.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography)
## "Butterfly" and commercial peak
Crazy Town's debut album, *The Gift of Game*, produced by Josh Abraham, was released in November 1999 on Columbia.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/) "Butterfly," its third single, was written by Binzer as a love song to a girlfriend and built on a sample of "Pretty Little Ditty," an instrumental from the [Red Hot Chili Peppers](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-hot-chili-peppers)' 1989 album *[Mother's Milk](https://www.edgepedia.org/mothers-milk-album)*.[9](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/crazy-town-story-behind-butterfly) Released in October 2000, the single reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2001 and stayed there for two weeks, helped by MTV's Cancun Spring Break coverage.[5](https://stereogum.com/2199223/the-number-ones-crazy-towns-butterfly/columns/the-number-ones) • [9](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/crazy-town-story-behind-butterfly) It was the only song of the late-1990s rap-rock wave ever to top the Hot 100, and Crazy Town's only entry on that chart.[5](https://stereogum.com/2199223/the-number-ones-crazy-towns-butterfly/columns/the-number-ones) The album sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.[6](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-25/shifty-shellshock-dead-seth-binzer-crazy-town)
The band toured in support of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose members had cleared the sample and invited them on the road.[10](https://obits.dallasnews.com/news/shifty-shellshock-1974-2024-crazy-town-lead-singer) • [9](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/crazy-town-story-behind-butterfly) Binzer's own account of the period was candid about addiction: during the band's first Ozzfest run in 2000 he was sent home after two weeks following an arrest, and he told *Rolling Stone* in 2001 that the band had "a lot to prove because of [Butterfly](https://www.edgepedia.org/butterfly-crazy-town-song)" and did not want to be known only for that song.[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/crazy-town) • [9](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/crazy-town-story-behind-butterfly)
## Later career
The 2002 follow-up album *Darkhorse*, produced by Howard Benson, failed to match the debut's success, and the band broke up in 2003.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography) Binzer then went solo, releasing *Happy Love Sick* in July 2004; the album included "Starry Eyed Surprise," his collaboration with Paul Oakenfold that had appeared on Oakenfold's 2002 album *Bunkka* and became his biggest song outside the group.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/)
Between 2008 and 2010 he was open about his struggle with addiction on the VH1 reality series *Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew* and *Sober House*, appearing on multiple seasons of each.[6](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-25/shifty-shellshock-dead-seth-binzer-crazy-town) • [2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/) He also acted in the film *Dead 7* (2016).[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/)
Binzer and Mazur reunited, and Crazy Town released its third album, *The Brimstone Sluggers*, in August 2015, taking its title from the duo's original name.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography) Mazur left the group in 2017, and Binzer continued recording under the name Crazy Town X, releasing the four-track EP *Flirting With Disaster* in March 2024, his final release.[11](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-28/shifty-shellshock-crazy-town-cause-of-death-overdose-manager) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography)
## Death
Binzer was found dead at his Los Angeles home on June 24, 2024, at the age of 49.[6](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-25/shifty-shellshock-dead-seth-binzer-crazy-town) On September 24, 2024, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner certified that he died from the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, with the manner of death ruled accidental.[3](https://ca.billboard.com/music/rock/crazy-town-singer-shifty-shellshock-binzer-cause-of-death-revealed-accidental-overdose-fentanyl-1235783676/) His manager, Howie Hubberman, said Binzer had wanted to get help for his addiction before he died.[11](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-28/shifty-shellshock-crazy-town-cause-of-death-overdose-manager) His death followed those of earlier Crazy Town members Rust Epique, in 2004, and [DJ AM](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-am), who died of an accidental overdose in 2009.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/25/seth-binzer-frontman-of-us-band-crazy-town-dies-aged-49)
## References
1. [Shifty Shellshock — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shifty-shellshock-mn0001800877)
2. [Shifty Shellshock, Singer of Crazy Town's "Butterfly," Dies at 49, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/news/shifty-shellshock-singer-of-crazy-town-butterfly-dies-at-49/)
3. [Crazy Town Singer Shifty Shellshock's Official Cause of Death Revealed, Billboard Canada](https://ca.billboard.com/music/rock/crazy-town-singer-shifty-shellshock-binzer-cause-of-death-revealed-accidental-overdose-fentanyl-1235783676/)
4. [Crazy Town — Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crazy-town-p383978/biography)
5. [The Number Ones: Crazy Town's "Butterfly," Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2199223/the-number-ones-crazy-towns-butterfly/columns/the-number-ones)
6. [Shifty Shellshock, lead singer of rap-rock band Crazy Town, dies at 49, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-25/shifty-shellshock-dead-seth-binzer-crazy-town)
7. [Crazy Town, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/crazy-town)
8. [Alternative Action, Radio & Records, November 1, 2002](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2002/RR-2002-11-01.pdf)
9. [How a Red Hot Chili Peppers instrumental turned Crazy Town into a one-hit wonder, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/crazy-town-story-behind-butterfly)
10. [Shifty Shellshock (1974–2024), Crazy Town lead singer, Legacy.com](https://obits.dallasnews.com/news/shifty-shellshock-1974-2024-crazy-town-lead-singer)
11. [Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock died of accidental overdose, manager says, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-28/shifty-shellshock-crazy-town-cause-of-death-overdose-manager)
12. [Seth Binzer, frontman of US band Crazy Town, dies aged 49, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/25/seth-binzer-frontman-of-us-band-crazy-town-dies-aged-49)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Hard rock and glam metal › Hard rock lead vocalists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license