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.
- 320 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
Information
Subtopic
MusicTable of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- About the Author
- Introduction
- Chapter One: This Love of Ours
- Chapter Two: Stoned on Rock
- Neil and . . . Fame and Ambition
- Chapter Three: Love is Getting Deeper
- Chapter Four: Slaves of Freedom
- Chapter Five: Tragic Magic
- Chapter Six: Sweet to Be an Idiot
- Chapter Seven: Shangri-La
- Neil and . . . Philosophy
- Chapter Eight: Lie Down and Be Counted
- Neil and . . . Home
- Chapter Nine: Crystal Balls
- Neil and . . . Meaning
- Chapter Ten: Hey Mister
- Neil and . . . Music and Musicians
- Chapter Eleven: Protest Song
- Neil and . . . Eric
- Chapter Twelve: Here We Go Again
- Chapter Thirteen: Another Day
- Neil and . . . Body and Soul
- Chapter Fourteen: Godfrey Daniel
- Chapter Fifteen: Sitting Here
- Night
- Morning
- Acknowledgements
- Photos
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Yes, you can access Dip My Brain in Joy: A Life With Neil Innes by Yvonne Innes in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Music. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.