Neil Innes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil Innes
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Innes in 2009
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| Born |
Neil James Innes
9 December 1944 Danbury, Essex, England, United Kingdom
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| Died | 29 December 2019 (aged 75) Montcuq, Lot, France
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| Alma mater | Norwich School of Art Goldsmiths College |
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| Years active | 1960s–2019 |
| Spouse(s) |
Yvonne Hilton
(m. 1966) |
| Children | 3 |
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Neil James Innes (born 9 December 1944 – died 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian, and musician. He became famous with the funny music group called the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Later, he worked a lot with the famous comedy group Monty Python on their TV shows and movies. People often called him the "seventh Python" because he was so involved. He also helped create the Rutles, a band that made fun of The Beatles, and he wrote all of their songs.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Neil Innes was born in Danbury, a town in Essex, England. His dad was a soldier in the British Army. Because of his dad's job, Neil spent some of his childhood in West Germany.
He started learning piano when he was 7 years old and taught himself to play the guitar. His parents really supported his artistic interests. When he returned to the UK, he went to Thorpe Grammar School. Then, he studied fine art at the Norwich School of Art and Goldsmiths College in London. He earned his degree in Fine Art in 1966.
Music and Comedy Career
The Bonzo Dog Band
While still in college, Neil joined a band called the Bonzo Dog Dada Band. They later changed their name to the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The band was known for its funny, messy, and jazzy performances. They often played in pubs and at college events.
Neil met some of the band's founders earlier. His landlord, who was also the band's bass player, helped him officially join. Neil's musical skills were very important for the band. He was great at writing songs, arranging music, and playing many instruments.
In 1968 and 1969, Neil wrote most of the band's original songs, sometimes with bandmate Vivian Stanshall. His song "I'm the Urban Spaceman" was their only hit. It even won an Ivor Novello Award in 1968 for being the best novelty song. Another song, "Death Cab for Cutie", was featured in the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour.
During this time, Neil and the Bonzo Dog Band also appeared on a children's TV show called Do Not Adjust Your Set. This show also featured future Monty Python members like Eric Idle and Michael Palin. The show was for kids but became popular with adults too because it was so silly and strange.
After the Bonzo Dog Band broke up in 1970, Neil formed a new band called The World. They hoped to be more successful with pop and rock music, but the band didn't last long.
Working with Monty Python
In the mid-1970s, Neil Innes started working closely with the famous comedy group Monty Python. He had already worked with some of them on Do Not Adjust Your Set.
He wrote music for their albums and played a big part in their last TV series in 1974. He wrote songs like "George III" and "When Does a Dream Begin?". He also helped write sketches and played funny guitar versions of their theme song. Neil Innes was one of only two people who weren't main Python members to be credited as a writer for their TV series.
Neil also performed live with Monty Python in the UK, Canada, and the US. He sang his songs "How Sweet to Be an Idiot" and "I'm the Urban Spaceman" at their shows. He also had small acting roles in their films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979). In Holy Grail, he played a monk, a serf, and the leader of Sir Robin's minstrels. He even did the whistling for the hit song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from Life of Brian.
The Rutles and Solo Work
After Monty Python's TV show ended, Neil Innes joined Eric Idle for a new TV series called Rutland Weekend Television. This show was a comedy sketch show about a small, low-budget TV station.
One short sketch on the show led to the creation of the Rutles. The Rutles were a funny band that made fun of the Beatles. In the sketch, Neil played Ron Nasty, a character like John Lennon, and Eric Idle played Dirk McQuickly, like Paul McCartney. They sang a song that sounded just like a Beatles song.
This sketch became so popular that it led to a TV movie in 1978 called All You Need Is Cash. Neil and Eric played their Rutles characters again. Neil wrote all the songs for the movie, making them sound very similar to Beatles songs. Because his songs were so close to the originals, Neil had to go to court. He had to promise that he didn't listen to the Beatles' songs while writing the Rutles' songs. Even so, the court decided that the Beatles' music owners should get some credit and money from the Rutles' songs.
Later, a band called Oasis had a song called "Whatever" that sounded like Neil's 1973 song "How Sweet to Be an Idiot". Neil's music publisher asked Oasis to give Neil credit for their song.
After Rutland Weekend Television, Neil had his own TV show called The Innes Book of Records from 1979 to 1981. The show featured his songs and was one of the first to show music videos.
Making TV for Kids
In the 1980s, Neil Innes started working on children's TV shows. He hosted The Book Tower, a show about books. He also played the Magician in the live-action show Puddle Lane.
He wrote and voiced the characters for the cartoon series The Raggy Dolls. This show was about a group of "reject" toys from a toy factory. He also wrote music for other children's shows like The Riddlers and Tumbledown Farm. He even helped turn Monty Python's Terry Jones's book Fairy Tales into a TV show called East of the Moon.
Later Years and Reunions
When The Beatles Anthology CDs came out, there was new interest in the Rutles. A new Rutles album called Archaeology was released in 1996.
In 2002, Neil Innes performed with the remaining Monty Python members at the Concert for George. This concert was held to remember George Harrison from The Beatles.
Neil also toured the UK in 2006 with a new Bonzo Dog Band CD. In 2008, he went on tour playing mostly Rutles songs. In 2010, he formed a new comedy music group called the Idiot ... Band with other comedians and musicians.
Personal Life and Death
Neil Innes met Yvonne Catherine Hilton while he was a student in London. They got married on 3 March 1966 and had three sons: Miles, Luke, and Barney.
Neil Innes passed away from a heart attack on 29 December 2019, in France, where he had been living. Many famous entertainers, including John Cleese and Stephen Fry, shared their sadness and paid tribute to him.
Images for kids
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Innes on Dutch television, 1968
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The Rutles
See also
In Spanish: Neil Innes para niños
