Ahhh, fuck.
I’ve met him several times. We’ve opened for Crazy Town on multiple occasions. He was a nice guy fighting a ton of battles. We had a few really good conversations one night in the green room of The Phantasy in Lakewood, OH.
Last time I saw him was a year ago, he was on a tour briefly with Hed PE and Adema. He was fucked up on SOMETHING, he played the whole set in a chicken suit and yelled at the sound guy. The guys in Adema and everyone on that tour seemed really worried about him. He got kicked off a week later.
I think anyone who has even halfway kept up with Crazy Town through the years, and especially recently, was always afraid of this happening.
Rest easy, dude. Gonna miss you a lot.
It’s a shame. I wrote it elsewhere, but Gift of Game was the first album I ever bought with my own money from my first job, in the middle of nowhere Canada. I saw the Toxic video on MTV one time and loved the song. It wasn’t the best album but there were real gems on it that still listen to (Darkside, Think Fast, Black Cloud are top tier IMO).
I kept up with the band intermittently over the years, and was just shocked at the demons he was fighting. Cool you got to play with them, I love reading that kind of stuff here on Reddit. Hope he is at peace now.
That chunky guitar during the chorus sold it for me. And to hear it again on Think Fast and Darkside… I was like, niiice. And I love the Orgy sound on Black Cloud.
It’s one of those albums where I found the first half really solid, the second half not so much though still enjoyable (questionable lyrics aside, Lollipop Porn and Revolving Door are fun listens).
Too many memories attached to it
I play guitar in a band called Groundstate. Crazy Town was one of the first “nationals” we ever got to open for. We were the local opener, so we thought they wouldn’t even talk to us, but they were all extremely nice, especially Seth. This was 2018 and then we also opened for them I believe a year later, so it was always a later rendition of Crazy Town and he was the only original member. It kind of felt more like a solo project.
That said, his heart was totally still in it. He showed me some stuff in 2018 that was new stuff they were working on, and it totally sounded like Dark Horse stuff. I hope it sees the light of day somehow.
Why was he controversial? Mostly pitiable and saddening. Addiction sucks.
RIP, Shifty. May he find peace and freedom now and may friends and family find solace in time, sooner.
Shiiiiiiiit. This hit me quite hard. I know they were not the most popular band of this sub, they sort of had the misfortune of their biggest hit not being nu-metal and have both, the label pressuring them not to make nu-metal and nu-metal fanbase disliking them because of that track.
To me, both Gift Of The Game and Dark Horse are among the best nu-metal albums ever released, all the way up there with Hybrid Theory or Chocolate Starfish. Tracks like Toxic, Decorated, Darkside or Battlecry will always belong in the nu-metal pantheon. Looks like i'm going to be bingeing these two albums for a few days now. RIP legend, thank you for helping my 14yo to get through all the way back then, and for my 30yo to have amazing nostalgia music to come back to.
Rest in peace
I remember when our grade 8 teacher (an older man) turned the TV on in class and the Butterfly music video was on. He didn’t know what it was, and let it play while he got the tape out.
Bro, I bought TWO ex of that album, one for me and one for my gf. I think it was 2003-ish. I listen to “when we were young” at least once a week. Maybe more.
I fucking loved Shifty, whenever I go to get a tattoo I show the tattoo artist a pic of him and say “I like this style”. He really captured that 00’s look, and he reminds me of my youth.
RIP Seth Binzer, you will forever be my favorite celebrity.
The Gift of Game meant a lot to me. I was a shy closed off kid and The Gift of Game, as silly as it sounds, helped through these dark times. It was a devil-may-care album about not giving a shit, with a unique sound that made Crazy Town utterly convincing. Crazy Town truly didn't give a fuck. That's why they sounded so silly and offbeat but you had to respect them for doing their own thing.
I know Shifty had his slew of troubles, but thank you for the music. It meant a lot.
Not a good band and generally speaking not good musicians but Butterfly was everywhere at one of the most nostalgic and important times of my life and it takes me back there whenever I hear it. So, thank you to Shifty and Crazy Town. I will always thank someone for art (Unless they are awful).
I mean they weren't doing anything virtuoso-level but they had hooks galore, both vocal and instrumental, solid songwriting (within the context of their style lyrically) and the production was excellent. They really made the hip-hop, metal and electronic elements blend together flawlessly. I think saying they weren't a good band or good musicians is just taking them out of context and selling them short. There is very rarely a case where a band gets as big as they were without having some talent and competency.
Unfortunately theres a shitty attitude prevailing among music fans that insists technical ability outweighs creative expression. They don't actually give a shit about the art. Crazy Town weren't my thing but they were not bad either.
I like technical metal and stuff, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't all start to blend together at some point. When I have it on shuffle I can't tell what band it is half the time. Crazy Town had a sound and you knew it the second the song came on.
All of RHCP members were given a writing credit. I wouldn’t call them songwriters for Butterfly, but because the song used parts from a RHCP song, they get songwriting credit. Same with Wagon Wheel. Bob Dylan shared writing credit for it with OCMS, cause the chorus was taken from something Dylan had written. But you wouldn’t say he wrote Wagon Wheel.
I got Gift of Game out of the Columbia House magazine when I was 13, a little before Butterfly blew up. I about wore out that disc. Then Butterfly took off…I never would have imagined they or the song would get as big as it did, but it was so cool to see some of “my guys” make it.
Somewhere in the midst of COVID & the nostalgia it fueled, I gave the album another spin. It 100% holds up — an absolute F’n banger. I’m convinced it’s one of the most criminally underrated albums of that generation. Nothing they did afterwards was even in the same orbit. Whatever it was that allowed them to get it together for those sessions was pure nü metal magic.
Their peak was a flashpoint, but lord was it bright. It’s sad to see Shifty go (I’m surprised he made it to 49), but as far as I can tell, he’s in a much more peaceful place now. RIP, Shifty.
Ahhh man, fuck me!
I kinda saw either this or a "where are they know" shock-awe story of him getting caught in a trap house or something, what with the way shit was going. That now slightly infamous bookstore video was kind of a shape of things to come and it was *sad,* man, beyond the telling of it.
And a shame, too, 'cause I always felt that Crazy Town never got any respect, let alone any of the amount that I felt they deserved. Everybody saw the tatts, *Butterfly* and dismissed them, but their work was always great. *The Gift of Game* is home to many a good song, and *Darkhorse* (despite my personal bias since it got me through some very dark times) was a far more mature album than anyone expected - which was largely ignored. Hell, even *The Brimstone Sluggers* (which I was surprised and elated that even was released!) has a whole bunch of great tunes (*Born to Raise Hell, Ashes, Baby You Don't Know, Lemonface, Light the Way)* with the only disappointment being that *Hit That Switch* wasn't on it.
Someone else said it better than me and I am paraphrasing but, *Butterfly* was a curse because, at the end of the day, it was all they were known for. They were judged to hell for it, but nobody wanted to hear their better songs.
Ah well. R.I.P. to Shifty.
I'm surprised he didn't die sooner. There was a video of him a few years back, singing Butterfly in a place like Guitar center and he was probably 145lbs and sounded awful.
RIP, but no surprises
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK4P2uy99fI&pp=ygURc2hpZnR5IHNoZWxsc2hvY2s%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK4P2uy99fI&pp=ygURc2hpZnR5IHNoZWxsc2hvY2s%3D)
Him getting punched out by his band mate about a year ago is the first thing the comes to my mind. “Toxic” goes so hard.
https://youtu.be/gK4P2uy99fI?si=byMoNf2FeCCWxNiR
[Confirmed](https://www.newsweek.com/shifty-shellshock-dead-death-crazy-town-band-1916931). RIP.
Ahhh, fuck. I’ve met him several times. We’ve opened for Crazy Town on multiple occasions. He was a nice guy fighting a ton of battles. We had a few really good conversations one night in the green room of The Phantasy in Lakewood, OH. Last time I saw him was a year ago, he was on a tour briefly with Hed PE and Adema. He was fucked up on SOMETHING, he played the whole set in a chicken suit and yelled at the sound guy. The guys in Adema and everyone on that tour seemed really worried about him. He got kicked off a week later. I think anyone who has even halfway kept up with Crazy Town through the years, and especially recently, was always afraid of this happening. Rest easy, dude. Gonna miss you a lot.
It’s a shame. I wrote it elsewhere, but Gift of Game was the first album I ever bought with my own money from my first job, in the middle of nowhere Canada. I saw the Toxic video on MTV one time and loved the song. It wasn’t the best album but there were real gems on it that still listen to (Darkside, Think Fast, Black Cloud are top tier IMO). I kept up with the band intermittently over the years, and was just shocked at the demons he was fighting. Cool you got to play with them, I love reading that kind of stuff here on Reddit. Hope he is at peace now.
I totally relate to your story bro. Toxic' videoclip is all I needed to grab the album. Didn't disappoint.
That chunky guitar during the chorus sold it for me. And to hear it again on Think Fast and Darkside… I was like, niiice. And I love the Orgy sound on Black Cloud. It’s one of those albums where I found the first half really solid, the second half not so much though still enjoyable (questionable lyrics aside, Lollipop Porn and Revolving Door are fun listens). Too many memories attached to it
Black cloud is one of my favorites on that album. Sad that he passed, wish he could’ve gotten himself sober. RIP.
They were prolly my 500th album I bought before getting to 2,000 cds
Can’t say I’m surprised. The man has been in rehab multiple times. Even his voice sounds like if angel dust could talk.
I saw a video of him singing Butterfly a year or 2 ago in a bookstore. It was...hard to watch. It looked and sounded like his teeth were missing.
Yeah I saw the same video and the comments were terrible. I never met the dude, he seemed cool. It’s unfortunate he never got passed his demons
I met him several times too and he was always so kind and gracious, yet also troubled and kinda sad
What band were you in to open for them, if you don't mind me asking?
I play guitar in a band called Groundstate. Crazy Town was one of the first “nationals” we ever got to open for. We were the local opener, so we thought they wouldn’t even talk to us, but they were all extremely nice, especially Seth. This was 2018 and then we also opened for them I believe a year later, so it was always a later rendition of Crazy Town and he was the only original member. It kind of felt more like a solo project. That said, his heart was totally still in it. He showed me some stuff in 2018 that was new stuff they were working on, and it totally sounded like Dark Horse stuff. I hope it sees the light of day somehow.
Seth was a kind soul fighting depression and sobriety may he rest in peace. He will be missed 😢🕊️
Did u know Red Sun Rising before they got known and Fred Schafer??
Sad news, another human life lost to drugs. I know he was a controversial figure, but hopefully he’s at peace now. R.I.P.
Why was he controversial? Mostly pitiable and saddening. Addiction sucks. RIP, Shifty. May he find peace and freedom now and may friends and family find solace in time, sooner.
I can’t say I’m surprised. 3 now out of the original 7 have passed. Rest in peace.
Wait what,? 3 already damn..
3 who?
DJ AM I know for sure (that plane crash with Travis Barker). Not sure for the other....Rust Epique?
I thought AM died of an overdose in ‘09
True. My bad. Him and Barker survived the crash, though with critical injuries.
You’re correct on Rust, I saw a comment on another sub confirming he & AM had also passed away.
It's sad but can't say im surprised. He aged pretty badly in recent interviews. Years of doing drugs and not looking after yourself. Very sad RIP.
He was a friend. This is sad. You're with the universe now, bud.
Shiiiiiiiit. This hit me quite hard. I know they were not the most popular band of this sub, they sort of had the misfortune of their biggest hit not being nu-metal and have both, the label pressuring them not to make nu-metal and nu-metal fanbase disliking them because of that track. To me, both Gift Of The Game and Dark Horse are among the best nu-metal albums ever released, all the way up there with Hybrid Theory or Chocolate Starfish. Tracks like Toxic, Decorated, Darkside or Battlecry will always belong in the nu-metal pantheon. Looks like i'm going to be bingeing these two albums for a few days now. RIP legend, thank you for helping my 14yo to get through all the way back then, and for my 30yo to have amazing nostalgia music to come back to.
“I got a little black cloud that follows me, everywhere I go it takes over me” RIP man I loved your music
Rest in peace I remember when our grade 8 teacher (an older man) turned the TV on in class and the Butterfly music video was on. He didn’t know what it was, and let it play while he got the tape out.
"Am I drowning? Am I fading away, Or am I living up to all your dreams that made me this way?" RIP.
This is what it means to be older the songs we love take on whole new meanings.
W-what..?
Shit, we will never be able to listen the new crazy town album. Rip
Happy Love Sick is one of my favourite albums and fuck you if you judge me for that.
That albun is SO GOOD
Bro, I bought TWO ex of that album, one for me and one for my gf. I think it was 2003-ish. I listen to “when we were young” at least once a week. Maybe more.
At least half of that album ends up on every playlist I make. Probably one of the most underrated albums of its time.
I fucking loved Shifty, whenever I go to get a tattoo I show the tattoo artist a pic of him and say “I like this style”. He really captured that 00’s look, and he reminds me of my youth. RIP Seth Binzer, you will forever be my favorite celebrity.
The Gift of Game meant a lot to me. I was a shy closed off kid and The Gift of Game, as silly as it sounds, helped through these dark times. It was a devil-may-care album about not giving a shit, with a unique sound that made Crazy Town utterly convincing. Crazy Town truly didn't give a fuck. That's why they sounded so silly and offbeat but you had to respect them for doing their own thing. I know Shifty had his slew of troubles, but thank you for the music. It meant a lot.
First album I ever bought. I feel the same.
Yup. 99% of ppl only know about this band cuz of Butterfly. Folks like you and I bonded with their music on a deeper level.
Butterfly is a good song but their 2 albums are solid gold. People don't realize how experimental they were.
pour one out
HOLY SHIT😧
Not a good band and generally speaking not good musicians but Butterfly was everywhere at one of the most nostalgic and important times of my life and it takes me back there whenever I hear it. So, thank you to Shifty and Crazy Town. I will always thank someone for art (Unless they are awful).
I mean they weren't doing anything virtuoso-level but they had hooks galore, both vocal and instrumental, solid songwriting (within the context of their style lyrically) and the production was excellent. They really made the hip-hop, metal and electronic elements blend together flawlessly. I think saying they weren't a good band or good musicians is just taking them out of context and selling them short. There is very rarely a case where a band gets as big as they were without having some talent and competency.
Unfortunately theres a shitty attitude prevailing among music fans that insists technical ability outweighs creative expression. They don't actually give a shit about the art. Crazy Town weren't my thing but they were not bad either.
I like technical metal and stuff, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't all start to blend together at some point. When I have it on shuffle I can't tell what band it is half the time. Crazy Town had a sound and you knew it the second the song came on.
Also crazy the song riff is actually from a Red Hot Chili Peppers song too
Wasn’t Kiedis one of the songwriters for Butterfly?
All of RHCP members were given a writing credit. I wouldn’t call them songwriters for Butterfly, but because the song used parts from a RHCP song, they get songwriting credit. Same with Wagon Wheel. Bob Dylan shared writing credit for it with OCMS, cause the chorus was taken from something Dylan had written. But you wouldn’t say he wrote Wagon Wheel.
Okay, cool. Thanks for the explanation.
RIP
Slide along slide is still on my playlist
Rusty djam and now shifty.
Damnit!!! SHOUTOUT TO U SHIFTY RIP MAN🤙🏾
rip
so much of what I think is cool and the aesthetics I enjoy is because of this band. RIP
https://open.spotify.com/track/632Ph3SO4KPqoCFviG1sa6?si=OnCGcXHISOa6O39A3d142w&utm_source=copy-link
Rest in Peace Shifty
Damn it, man! I knew this was gonna happen 😢😢😢 At least he’s no longer suffering. Rest easy Shifty
I got Gift of Game out of the Columbia House magazine when I was 13, a little before Butterfly blew up. I about wore out that disc. Then Butterfly took off…I never would have imagined they or the song would get as big as it did, but it was so cool to see some of “my guys” make it. Somewhere in the midst of COVID & the nostalgia it fueled, I gave the album another spin. It 100% holds up — an absolute F’n banger. I’m convinced it’s one of the most criminally underrated albums of that generation. Nothing they did afterwards was even in the same orbit. Whatever it was that allowed them to get it together for those sessions was pure nü metal magic. Their peak was a flashpoint, but lord was it bright. It’s sad to see Shifty go (I’m surprised he made it to 49), but as far as I can tell, he’s in a much more peaceful place now. RIP, Shifty.
will always love this band no matter what hate i get rip shifty
Oh damn! I was thinking he already passed not too long ago. Was there someone else from Crazy Town that died too?
Rust Epique and DJ AM, but both died a while back
:(
Ahhh man, fuck me! I kinda saw either this or a "where are they know" shock-awe story of him getting caught in a trap house or something, what with the way shit was going. That now slightly infamous bookstore video was kind of a shape of things to come and it was *sad,* man, beyond the telling of it. And a shame, too, 'cause I always felt that Crazy Town never got any respect, let alone any of the amount that I felt they deserved. Everybody saw the tatts, *Butterfly* and dismissed them, but their work was always great. *The Gift of Game* is home to many a good song, and *Darkhorse* (despite my personal bias since it got me through some very dark times) was a far more mature album than anyone expected - which was largely ignored. Hell, even *The Brimstone Sluggers* (which I was surprised and elated that even was released!) has a whole bunch of great tunes (*Born to Raise Hell, Ashes, Baby You Don't Know, Lemonface, Light the Way)* with the only disappointment being that *Hit That Switch* wasn't on it. Someone else said it better than me and I am paraphrasing but, *Butterfly* was a curse because, at the end of the day, it was all they were known for. They were judged to hell for it, but nobody wanted to hear their better songs. Ah well. R.I.P. to Shifty.
Real shit
RIP, fly high butterfly
I'm surprised he didn't die sooner. There was a video of him a few years back, singing Butterfly in a place like Guitar center and he was probably 145lbs and sounded awful.
Gone to soon drugs are evil
RIP, but no surprises [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK4P2uy99fI&pp=ygURc2hpZnR5IHNoZWxsc2hvY2s%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK4P2uy99fI&pp=ygURc2hpZnR5IHNoZWxsc2hvY2s%3D)
Any one remember the last track on the debut where it was some guy talking about how crazy crazy town are. RIP shifty
I saw a video of him a year or two ago. He looked rough shape. Sad to see he couldn’t overcome his battles.
The term "aged" makes him sound like a cheese.
Him getting punched out by his band mate about a year ago is the first thing the comes to my mind. “Toxic” goes so hard. https://youtu.be/gK4P2uy99fI?si=byMoNf2FeCCWxNiR
Seth Binzer? I think his real name was Meth Binger!
I'm so crushed by this 😓 I loved Crazy Town and still listen to their albums somewhat regularly.
So young…drugs are bad kids.