THE OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY OF NEIL INNES, SONGWRITING POWERHOUSE AND 'SEVENTH PYTHON', BY THE PERSON CLOSEST TO HIM
Nominated for the Chortle Comedy Awards 2025
'A lovely writer and performer. A very sweet man, much too nice for his own good...' - John Cleese
'He was a great writer and he was eccentric and he was clever without being pretentious' - Sir Michael Palin
Few individuals have had such an impact on British culture over the past fifty years as the comedy and music icon Neil Innes.
He was the songwriting powerhouse of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band. Beatles muse and collaborator. Injector of art college surrealism into 1960s TV comedy. Instigator of a revolution that led directly to Monty Python, the group he repeatedly joined on screen and stage. He was Ron Nasty, co-founder of the much-loved Rutles, the 'pre-fab four'. Accidental inventor of the phrase 'Cool Britannia'. Much-loved children's TV storyteller, thinker, maker, creator, undisputed national treasure and Britain's sweet idiot laureate.
And through it all, Neil remained one of the kindest and brightest individuals in showbusiness. Musicians, comedians and fans alike loved being around Neil. He created music and joy and art wherever he went. And the person who loved having him round more than anybody else was Yvonne. Neil and Yvonne met at Goldsmiths College in the 1960s and they went on to walk hand-in-hand through life for over fifty years, until Neil's untimely death in 2019.
This book is a heartfelt, eyewitness tale of the life of one of British culture's quiet geniuses. It is tribute to life inside the circus, with the gentlest and wisest of clowns. Yvonne Innes (Author, Narrator)
Neil Innes was an English musician and comedian. He rose to prominence as the creative genius behind Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and went on to collaborate with Monty Python and co-created the Beatles parody band the Rutles. Yvonne met Neil in the 1960s and the couple married in 1966. They had three sons and were together for over fifty years until Neil's death in 2019.
Few individuals have had such an impact on British culture over the past fifty years as the comedy and music icon Neil Innes.
He was the songwriting powerhouse of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band. Beatles muse and collaborator. Injector of art college surrealism into 1960s TV comedy. Instigator of a revolution that led directly to Monty Python, the group he repeatedly joined on screen and stage. He was co-founder of the much-loved Rutles, the 'pre-fab four'. Accidental inventor of the phrase 'Cool Britannia'. Much-loved children's TV storyteller, thinker, maker, creator, undisputed national treasure and Britain's sweet idiot laureate.
Through it all, Neil remained one of the kindest and brightest individuals in showbusiness. Everyone loved being around Neil. He created music and joy and art wherever he went. And the person who loved having him around more than anybody else was Yvonne. Neil and Yvonne met at Goldsmiths College in the 1960s and they went on to walk hand-in-hand through life for over fifty years, until Neil's untimely death in 2019.
Dip My Brain in Joy is Yvonne's heartfelt account of her life with one of British culture's quiet geniuses. It is tribute to life inside the circus, with the gentlest and wisest of clowns. Neil Innes was a beloved musician, songwriter and entertainer whose untimely death in 2019 robbed the world of one of its greatest, most unique voices Neil's audience has a wide reach across comedy (he toured and performed on stage and on film as part of Monty Python), music (as founding member of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and in his own right as a solo artist) and both (as the founding member and songwriter of arch Beatles parodists The Rutles) 2025 will see The Rutles celebrate their 50th anniversary Given the Python's reach in particular there is big foreign market opportunity with this title.
Neil never wrote his own book. With help from her diaries and notes l
