'Some called him the seventh Python, but I prefer to think of him as the first Neil Innes.' - Michael Palin
'The Rutles sort of liberated me from the Beatles in a way. It was the only thing I saw of those Beatles television shows. It was actually the best, funniest and most scathing. But at the same time, it was done with the most love.' - George Harrison
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 loving 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 a Bonzo Dog Band gig 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.