Shifty - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Seth Brooks Binzer better known by his stage name

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

Shifty Shellshock is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

music artist, best known as founder and front man of Crazy Town

Crazy Town

Crazy Town is a rap rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. The band is best known for their 2001 single, "Butterfly", which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart...

. He has also had a solo music career after the breakup of the band and has had many appearances in various reality television series Celebrity Rehab
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is a reality television show airing on the cable network VH1 that chronicles a group of celebrities as they are treated for alcohol and drug addiction by Dr. Drew Pinsky and his staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California. The first season premiered...

1 & 2 and Sober House
Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House
Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House, or simply Sober House, is a VH1 reality television show. It is a spin-off of Celebrity Rehab with Dr...

1 & 2.

Beginnings

A native to California, Binzer was a music fan from his childhood. His Jewish father, Rollin Binzer was a well-known artist and filmmaker. He had directed the Rolling Stones’ live movie Ladies and Gentlemen

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones is a concert movie featuring the British rock band The Rolling Stones that was first released in 1974...

. Binzer had a love for a wide genre of bands (such as The Cure

The Cure

The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...

, Cypress Hill

Cypress Hill

Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...

, LL Cool J

LL Cool J

James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...

, Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

and others. He began to discover his own personal style of music and started to record albums of his own with the Beastie Boys serving as his big inspiration.

He also spent part of his childhood in Marblehead, Massachusetts

Marblehead, Massachusetts

Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...

Crazy Town

Binzer met fellow Crazy Town front-man, Bret Mazur, in 1992; they started collaborating under the name The Brimstone Sluggers. By early 1999, they formed the group Crazy Town

Crazy Town

. In 2000 Crazy Town was signed to tour with Ozzfest

Ozzfest

Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...

, however they were forced to withdraw after only two weeks when Binzer was arrested after he threw a chair through a window while he was drunk.

The band's single, Butterfly
Butterfly (Crazy Town song)
"Butterfly" is a rap rock song by Crazy Town from their album The Gift of Game that was released in January 2001. It reached No. 1 in 15 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100.-Song information:...

, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

chart, prompting sales of their debut album, The Gift of Game
The Gift of Game
-Certifications:-Singles:-Personnel:*Bret Mazur – vocals, keyboard*Shifty Shellshock – vocals*DJ AM – turntables*James Bradley Jr. – drums*Rust Epique – guitar*Anthony Valli – guitar*Doug Miller – bass*Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar on "Darkside"...

, to exceed 1.5 million.

Their 2002 follow-up album, Darkhorse
Darkhorse
Darkhorse is Los Angeles based band Crazy Town's second album, released on November 12, 2002.The album peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 and No. 164 in the UK. It was released without any touring or promoting, Crazy Town simply floated their second album into stores...

, was a commercial failure by comparison, and the band broke up shortly after its release.

Solo career

During Crazy Town's hiatus, Binzer collaborated with producer and musician Paul Oakenfold

Paul Oakenfold

Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...

, contributing vocals to Oakenfold's hit single "Starry Eyed Surprise

Starry Eyed Surprise

"Starry Eyed Surprise" is the title of a song produced by Paul Oakenfold. It was released in July 2002 as the second single from his album Bunkka. It features vocals by Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town. It was later included on Shifty Shellshock's 2004 album "Happy Love Sick", and Oakenfold's 2007...

" . The track was for Oakenfold first solo studio album Bunkka
Bunkka
Bunkka is the title of an album by electronica artist and DJ Paul Oakenfold. It was released in 2002 under the Maverick label.It is also Oakenfold's best selling album to date, with sales exceeding 1,000,000 copies worldwide.- Track listing :...

. In an interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

magazine in the US, Binzer said that the track known as "Starry Eyed Surprise

Starry Eyed Surprise

" was created after the pair met at a Crazy Town show.
The single was a great success in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, reaching #6 on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

and #41 on the US Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

.

Binzer released his own first solo album, Happy Love Sick
Happy Love Sick
-Leftover tracks and B-sides:-Singles:...

in 2004. He released two singles from the album: "Slide Along Side

Slide Along Side

"Slide Along Side" is the title of a song recorded by Shifty Shellshock. It was released in June 2004 as the lead single from his debut album Happy Love Sick.- Track listing : UK CD #1 UK CD #2 -Chart success:...

" a pan-European hit for Shifty that reached #29 in the UK with chart success in Italy, France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. He followed it up with another release form the album, "Turning Me On", but it did not chart.

Crazy Town announced they had reformed in 2007, and performed live for the first time in five years in August 2009. Shifty and Crazy Town are currently working on a third album.

Shifty and the Big Shots

In 2010, Binzer fronted the group, Shifty and The Big Shots. They released their first single, "Save Me", on July 6, 2010. and followed it up with "City of Angels".

Personal life

In a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

, Binzer admitted to spending three months in the California Institution for Men

California Institution for Men

California Institution for Men is a male-only state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California. It is often colloquially referenced as "Chino." In turn, locals call the prison "Chino Men's" or just "Men's" to avoid confusion with the city itself...

following an attempted break and entry

Burglary

Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...

, to selling and using recreational drugs over a period of several years, as well as to struggling with drug addiction.

Addiction problems and reality shows

Celebrity Rehab 1

Following his struggle with substance abuse, Binzer was one of nine celebrities featured in the first season of VH1

VH1

VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

's Celebrity Rehab. Upon arrival at the Pasadena Recovery Centre (which was filmed as part of Celebrity Rehabs first episode), Binzer was in a sober state but brought along a couple of Red Stripe

Red Stripe

Red Stripe is a Jamaican lager beer whose logo is a bold, diagonal red stripe. It is brewed by Desnoes & Geddes Limited, originally a soft drink manufacturer incorporated on July 31, 1918, by Kingston, Jamaica natives Eugene Peter Desnoes and Thomas Hargreaves Geddes...

beers, which were quickly confiscated. Binzer told Dr. Drew Pinsky

Drew Pinsky

David Drew Pinsky , best known as Dr. Drew, is an American board-certified internist, addiction medicine specialist, and radio and television personality. He has hosted the nationally syndicated radio talk show Loveline since the show's inception in 1984. On television, he hosts the talk show Dr...

that he was motivated to achieve sobriety and admitted that cocaine

Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

would be the toughest drug for him to avoid.

Celebrity Rehab 2

He graduated from treatment with the other cast members in the summer of 2007, but subsequently appeared towards the end of Celebrity Rehab 2, following a relapse. Dr. Drew and Binzer's sponsor retrieved him from his hotel room where he had been using and brought him to the Pasadena Recovery Centre where they, along with Bob Forrest

Bob Forrest

Bob Forrest is the lead vocalist and lyricist for Los Angeles bands Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief. In September 2006 he released his first solo album, Modern Folk And Blues Wednesday. He is also a drug counselor, appearing alongside Dr...

, pleaded with him to reenter treatment immediately. Binzer agreed to reenter treatment but said he needed "an hour or two" to "chill" and "get a cup of coffee", so he could ready himself for treatment. Realizing that his subterfuge was not fooling anyone (he wanted the time to have another fix), he admitted his intentions saying, "Even though I don't like the drugs, I like 'em". As Binzer got up to leave, Dr. Drew said to Binzer's sponsor, "If he stops breathing, call the paramedics." Under the supervision of his sponsor, Binzer scored drugs, returned to the rehab facility that night in an intense state of crack cocaine induced intoxication, and smoked the remainder of his crack on the roof

Roof

A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....

. He eventually entered the facility and reentered treatment.

Sober House 1

Binzer also appeared on a follow-up show titled Sober House. However, on July 25, 2008 while shooting scenes for the show, Binzer was insulted at a club and responded by walking out on production and embarking on a heavy relapse. To the annoyance of Dr. Drew, Bob Forrest

Bob Forrest

, and several of his housemates, he treated his relapse like a game and sent everyone coded videos on his MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

about his current location. 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.

Sober House 2

On the August 30, 2009 episode of Loveline

Loveline

Loveline is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its flagship station is KROQ-FM in Los Angeles....

, Dr. Drew gave an emotional eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...

to his good friend (and Binzer's bandmate) Adam Goldstein
Adam Goldstein
Adam Michael Goldstein was an American DJ, remixer, record producer and musician better known as DJ AM. Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, co-owner of a management company called Deckstar and worked on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna and Will Smith, among others...

(better known as DJ AM), who had died two days previously from an accidental drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...

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 Seth (filmed as part of the season's second episode) and the two met, with Seth 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. Binzer later thanked Dr. Drew for his tough love

Tough love

Tough love is an expression used when someone treats another person harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run. The phrase was evidently coined by Bill Milliken when he wrote the book Tough Love in 1968 and has been used by numerous authors since then.In most uses, there must...

.

On March 27, 2011, police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance between Binzer and his girlfriend. Binzer was arrested for outstanding warrants and released later that day.

Albums

In Crazy Town

Crazy Town

1999: The Gift of Game
The Gift of Game
-Certifications:-Singles:-Personnel:*Bret Mazur – vocals, keyboard*Shifty Shellshock – vocals*DJ AM – turntables*James Bradley Jr. – drums*Rust Epique – guitar*Anthony Valli – guitar*Doug Miller – bass*Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar on "Darkside"...
2002: Darkhorse
Darkhorse
Darkhorse is Los Angeles based band Crazy Town's second album, released on November 12, 2002.The album peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 and No. 164 in the UK. It was released without any touring or promoting, Crazy Town simply floated their second album into stores...

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Album details
|-
| 2004
| align="left"| Happy Love Sick
Happy Love Sick
-Leftover tracks and B-sides:-Singles:...

UK release: July 13

US release: September 6

Label: Maverick
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...

Singles

In Crazy Town

Crazy Town

1999: "Toxic"
2000: "Darkside"
2001: "Butterfly
Butterfly (Crazy Town song)
"Butterfly" is a rap rock song by Crazy Town from their album The Gift of Game that was released in January 2001. It reached No. 1 in 15 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100.-Song information:...

"
2001: "Revolving Door"
2002: "Drowning
Drowning (Crazy Town song)
"Drowning" is the first single from Crazy Town's second album, Darkhorse, and fifth released single in total. The song was written by Crazy Town and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and No. 50 in the UK. The music video was directed by The Malloys.-Track listing: Australia...

"
2003: "Hurt You So Bad"

Solo

{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Title
!colspan="11"|Peak chart positions
|-
!ITA

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

!UK

UK Singles Chart

!SWE

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

!SWI

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

!FRA

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

!AUS

ARIA Charts

The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

!NLD

!GER

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

!NZ

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

!US

Billboard Hot 100

!US
Top 40

|-
| 2002
| Starry Eyed Surprise

Starry Eyed Surprise

(featured with Paul Oakenfold

Paul Oakenfold

)
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| 6
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| 37
|align="center"| 53
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| 19
|align="center"| 41
|align="center"| 13
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2004
| Slide Along Side

Slide Along Side

|align="center"| 11
|align="center"| 29
|align="center"| 36
|align="center"| 42
|align="center"| 45
|align="center"| 48
|align="center"| 24
|align="center"| 63
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| 38
|-
| Turning Me On
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2010
| Save Me
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
| City of Angels
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
|align="center" colspan="13"| "—" denotes a single that did not chart
|-
|}

Filmography

Binzer has appeared in two films. He had a minor role in the 1994 film Clifford
Clifford (film)
Clifford is a 1994 comedy film starring Martin Short, Charles Grodin, and Mary Steenburgen.The film was shot in 1990 and originally planned for release in the summer of 1991, but remained in limbo for several years due to Orion Pictures' bleak financial situation...

, and played the lead role in the 2004 short film Willowbee
Willowbee
Willowbee is a short film released in 2004. It was written and directed by George Kenyon. The film was premiered at the Aspen Film Festival on 6 February 2004. It was also featured at the 2005 US Comedy Arts Festival....

.

In 1995, he took part in Shark Hunters: Ultimate Tournament Series TV series.

Made a small appearance in the film Hustle & Flow starring Terence Howard as an employee in a liquor store

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.