Seth Binzer, a.k.a. Shifty Shellshock of Rap/Rock Band Crazy Town (“Butterfly”), Dies at Age 49
Crazy Town broke through amid the commercial heyday of the rap-rock movement of the early 2000s, the band’s song “Butterfly” quickly becoming a global smash-hit, peaking at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and helping the band’s debut album, The Gift of Game, sell over a million copies.
“Butterfly” was everywhere on FM radio and MTV at the time, built on an instrumental sample of the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ “Pretty Little Ditty,” from 1989’s Mother’s Milk.
The novelty of “Butterfly” would prove Crazy Town’s only significant hit, with the band’s follow-up album failing to make much of a mark. During the band’s hiatus a few years later, Binzer linked up with English DJ/producer Paul Oakenfold and provided vocals on “Starry Eyed Surprise,” which scored another international hit on the charts:
Outside of his various musical projects, Binzer fought a very public battle with substance abuse, appearing on the TV series Celebrity Rehab and Sober House, a war he waged for years, even reportedly being hospitalized in 2012 after losing consciousness.
Subsequent years saw sporadic activity, with Crazy Town reforming as Crazy Town X (with a lineup change) and releasing the album The Brimstone Sluggers in 2015 and a new EP, Flirting with Disaster, in early 2024. Binzer and one of his new bandmates also got in a backstage scuffle in 2023.
Crazy Town X occasionally played gigs around the Los Angeles area and elsewhere, though their commercial peak remained the “Butterfly” era.
May Seth Binzer rest in peace.
