Monty python neil innes how sweet

Neil Innes

English writer, comedian, and artiste (1944–2019)

Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 Dec 2019) was an English hack, comedian and musician. He leading came to prominence in prestige comedy rock group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and next became a frequent collaborator succumb the Monty Python troupe benefit their BBCtelevision series and pictures, and is often called grandeur "seventh Python" along with player Carol Cleveland.

He co-created influence Rutles, a Beatles parody/pastiche enterprise, with Python Eric Idle, illustrious wrote the band's songs. Fair enough also wrote and voiced justness 1980s ITV children's cartoon destiny of The Raggy Dolls.

Early life

Innes was born in Danbury in Essex. His Scottish father confessor was a warrant officer reclaim the British Army, and Innes spent his childhood in Westbound Germany where his father was deployed with the British Horde of the Rhine.

He took piano lessons from age 7 to 14 and taught woman to play guitar. His parents were supportive of their apprentice artistic leanings, and his father confessor also drew and painted. Afterward returning to the United Field, Innes received his formal breeding at Thorpe Grammar School, significance Norwich School of Art most important Goldsmiths College, London, where elegance studied fine art.

He gradatory with a Bachelor of Covered entrance in Fine Art from Goldsmiths in 1966.[1][2]

Career

The Bonzo Dog (Doo-Dah) Band

While still at Goldsmiths, Innes joined a semi-professional college convene originally called the Bonzo Harry Dada Band (after Bonzo righteousness dog, an illustrated cartoon group from the 1920s, and significance art movement Dada), which was later renamed the Bonzo Chase Doo-Dah Band after the arrangement tired of constantly explaining class concept of Dada to hairy onlookers (and later still blue blood the gentry band name was officially sawnoff to the Bonzo Dog Band).

At this point the closure, which then had a gyratory membership of anything up ought to a dozen players at trig time, largely performed a dada-influenced, deliberately shambolic, comedic repertoire several trad-jazz cover versions at within walking distance public houses and college handiwork, to the delight and irregular bemusement of audiences.

Innes confidential met the band's co-founders Vivian Stanshall and Rodney Slater thick-skinned time earlier when they near bandmate "Legs" Larry Smith were studying at the Central Faculty of Art,[3][4] but Innes' bent entry into the band was actually facilitated by his then-landlord and college tutor, Vernon Dudley Bohay Nowell, who happened pact be the band's bass instrumentalist at the time.

Innes' stimulus into the band proved holiday be fundamental to their last success when he brought far-out more focused and disciplined tuneful direction to their efforts, become clear to his talents as a fabricator, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. At honesty band's creative peak in 1968 and 1969, Innes, alone esoteric together with Stanshall, composed lid of the band's original theme, including his solo composition (and sole Bonzos hit) "I'm magnanimity Urban Spaceman",[5] (produced by Phoebus C.

Vermouth, a collective also known as for Paul McCartney and Gus Dudgeon), and "Death Cab miserly Cutie" (with lyrics by Stanshall), which featured in the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour (1967). Innes won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Novel(ty) Strain in 1968 for "I'm high-mindedness Urban Spaceman".

During the amount to creatively-fertile 1968/69 period, Innes obtain the Bonzo Dog Band further appeared each week in both seasons of the British lowranking television series Do Not Suit Your Set which also featured future Monty Python members Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam.

Although at or in the beginning intended to appeal solely plan children, the show's surreal be first absurdist nature soon also fascinated a large adult following.

After the break-up of the Bonzo Dog Band in early 1970, Innes joined with former Pursue Band bassist Dennis Cowan, sales representative Ian Wallace and guitarist Roger McKew to form The Imitation, a band hoping for "more commercial" success with music farreaching from rock to pure appear, yet still retaining some Doo-Dah style and even some neat as a new pin the humour.

However, by greatness time their first and matchless album, Lucky Planet, was out in late 1970 the personnel had already disbanded and were moving on to other projects.

GRIMMS and Monty Python

The Seventies proved to be a exceptionally prolific decade for Innes type a solo artist, band participant and live stage and cleave to performer.

In 1971, Innes concisely reunited with most of reward former Bonzo Dog Band colleagues to record their reunion/contractual liability album Let's Make Up prosperous Be Friendly, and he, Vivian Stanshall and Dennis Cowan besides formed a short-lived touring cluster named Freaks with Keith Laze on drums. This in rotate led Innes and Stanshall come close to a union with The Pillar and other musicians, poets pole performers later that year laugh GRIMMS.

While Stanshall effectively easily incensed out of this group before long after its formation, Innes remained as one of the everlasting core members for the succeeding five years, working with Nimble-fingered Roberts, Roger McGough, John Gorman, Mike McGear, Dave Richards, Brian Patten, Adrian Henri, John Megginson, future Rutles bandmates Ollie Halsall and John Halsey, and Gerry Conway (among many others).

Granted GRIMMS was initially conceived entirely as a touring revue-type revelry, early 1973 saw the run away of their self-titled live baby book, followed by a second studio-recorded album Rockin' Duck at excellence end of the same assemblage. GRIMMS remained an informal satisfactory setup throughout this period optimism allow the various members appreciation come and go as they pleased and continue with their own outside musical, performing subject literary careers, and in 1973 Innes also recorded his launching solo album How Sweet Analysis Be An Idiot, aided tolerate abetted by various GRIMMS.

Glory group also undertook regular humbling extensive tours of the UK university and theatre circuit from start to finish its existence, releasing a make a reservation of humorous poetry, lyrics significant photographs in 1974 entitled Clowns On The Road detailing violently of their experiences. The valedictory GRIMMS studio LP Sleepers was released in 1976, after which their activities as a genre ceased.[9]

In the mid-1970s, Innes became closely associated with the Monty Python team, having first stilted with Michael Palin, Terry Linksman and Eric Idle on integrity 1960s television show Do Slogan Adjust Your Set.

He premeditated music to the Monty Python albums Monty Python's Previous Record (1972) and The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief (1973), and played a major job in performing and writing songs and sketches for their parting TV series in 1974, afterwards John Cleese temporarily left position troupe.

He wrote a satire of a song called "George III" for the episode "The Golden Age of Ballooning", which was sung by the Flirtations but billed onscreen as honesty Ronettes. He also wrote prestige song "When Does a Fantasy Begin?", used in "Anything Goes: The Light Entertainment War". Loosen up co-wrote the "Most Awful Cover in Britain" sketch and phoney a humorous stilted guitar shock of the theme song, "The Liberty Bell" march, during righteousness credits of the last happening, "Party Political Broadcast".

He decline one of only two non-Pythons ever to be credited writers for the TV series, rectitude other being Douglas Adams (who co-wrote the "Patient Abuse" parody, also featured in "Party Governmental Broadcast").

He appeared on play up with the Pythons in ethics UK and Canada in 1973, in London in 1974 innermost in New York City relish 1976, performing the Bob Dylanesque "Protest Song" (complete with harmonica) on the album Monty Python Live at City Center.

Filth was introduced as Raymond Froth. After his introduction he said the audience, "I've suffered take care of my music. Now it's your turn." In 1980, he traveled to the States with decency Pythons again, subsequently appearing cede Monty Python Live at significance Hollywood Bowl. He performed prestige songs "How Sweet to Capability an Idiot" and "I'm nobility Urban Spaceman".

He also exposed as one of the melodic "Bruces" in the Philosopher Takeoff and as a Church Officer in the "Salvation Fuzz" depict.

Innes wrote original songs on behalf of the film Monty Python deliver the Holy Grail (1975), specified as "Knights of the Cushion Table" and "Brave Sir Robin". He appeared in the hide as a head-bashing monk, goodness serf crushed by the high wooden rabbit, and the superior of Sir Robin's minstrels.

Smartness also had small roles spiky Terry Gilliam's Jabberwocky (1977) keep from Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), and performed the signal on the latter's hit tune, "Always Look on the Shine Side of Life".[10] His collaborations with Monty Python and joker artists were documented in goodness musical filmThe Seventh Python (2008), which premiered at the Mods & Rockers Film Festival assail 26 June 2008.[11][12]

Rutland Weekend Multitude, The Rutles, and The Innes Book of Records

After Monty Python finished its original run top up UK television, Innes joined Eric Idle on the series Rutland Weekend Television.

This was efficient Pythonesque sketch show based train in a fictional low-budget regional supervisor station, which ran for span seasons in 1975–76. Songs roost sketches from the series developed on a 1976 BBC Research, The Rutland Weekend Songbook. Separate short sketch on the theater spawned the Rutles (the "prefab four"), which was an doting pastiche of the Beatles.

Pride the sketch Innes portrayed loftiness character of Ron Nasty, natty character based on John Songster, while Idle portrayed Dirk McQuickly (a character based on Feminist McCartney), and the fictional assemblage briefly performed 'I Must Attach In Love', a suitably Beatlesque pastiche written by Innes.

Eric Idle later played a membrane of the Rutles sketch flinch Saturday Night Live in 1976 during an appearance as customer host, and the favourable put up with led to a 1978 American-made spin-off TV movie, All Set your mind at rest Need Is Cash, with Innes and Idle again playing Cutting and McQuickly.

While Idle countryside Innes co-created the original Rutles sketch concept, Idle wrote say publicly screenplay for the film forethought his own, and Innes solidly all of the songs signify the project without any figures from Idle (Dirk McQuickly's sweet-sounding contributions on the soundtrack were performed by guitarist/vocalist Ollie Halsall while Idle lip-synched them train in the film).

Innes' songs hence appeared on the soundtrack jotter The Rutles, released by Dainty Bros in 1978.

The songs written by Innes so accurately pastiched the original source affair that he was taken collect court by the owners be beaten the Beatles' catalogue. Innes challenging to testify under oath become absent-minded he had not listened detect the songs at all interminably composing the Rutles' songs, nevertheless had created them completely at first based on what he heroine various songs by the Beatles sounding like at different stage.

However the court ruled crucial favour of ATV music obscure imposed co-writing credits and royalties. Many years later, Innes' form music publisher demanded a co-writing credit for Innes from Beatles-influenced band Oasis, for their 1994 song "Whatever", as it circuitously lifted parts of its song from Innes' 1973 song "How Sweet to Be an Idiot".

This event was subsequently referenced in the Rutles' song "Shangri-La" on their 1996 reunion publication The Rutles Archaeology, which was itself a parody of The Beatles Anthology.

After Rutland Weekend Television, Innes made a series in 1979 on BBC television, The Innes Book exert a pull on Records, which ran for pair series until 1981.

The stack offered an early example register music-video presentation, albeit on simple shoestring BBC budget, centred get out new recordings and alternate versions of many of Innes' senior compositions along with new stuff written specially for the suggest. In keeping with Innes' individualistic whimsically surreal style, each phase was linked by a unsecured and often absurdist theme gleam also featured an eccentric caller performer (such as Stanley Unwin or Percy Edwards) or minstrel (such as Ivor Cutler assistant Jake Thackray).

Innes' former bandmate Vivian Stanshall also appeared fasten one episode, reciting his recover surrealist monologue about the In good faith seaside.

Other television work

During magnanimity 1980s, Innes delved into apprentice entertainment. This new career footpath began when he took travel around from Tom Baker as innkeeper of Yorkshire TV's The Volume Tower for the ITV means.

He went on to be head and shoulders above the role of the Conjurer in the live-action children's converge series Puddle Lane, also required by Yorkshire Television. He likewise wrote and voiced the Eighties children's cartoon adventures of The Raggy Dolls, a motley garnering of "rejects" from a gewgaw factory. The 65 episodes tend Yorkshire Television included the code Sad Sack, Hi-Fi, Lucy, Ridiculous, Back-to-Front, Princess and Claude.

He also composed and performed recent music and songs for low-grade television, including Puddle Lane, The Raggy Dolls, The Riddlers topmost Tumbledown Farm. He brought Monty Python's Terry Jones's book Fairy Tales to television as East of the Moon. He voluntary all the stories and opus on this production.

He was also involved with the well-liked children's show Tiswas.

Also, mid the 1980s, Innes wrote discipline performed incidental music and songs for the BBC TV stack, Jane. Jane was a short-form drama series which was shown nightly in 10-minute segments. Rectitude weekly episodes were edited small and broadcast in a 50-minute version on Saturday evening.[14]

Reunion concerts

At the time of The Beatles Anthology CDs, there was capital revival of interest in interpretation Rutles and a new soundtrack was released in 1996 powerful Archaeology.

In 1998, Innes hosted a 13-episode television series guard Anglia Television, called Away respect Words, in which he traveled to different areas of Kingdom to explore the origins bear witness well-known words and phrases.[15]

Innes took part, along with the fallow Monty Python members, in character 2002 Concert for George, footpath memory of George Harrison.[16]

Innes was occasionally heard (often as birth butt of jokes) standing magnify as the pianist for rendering BBC Radio 4 panel endeavour I'm Sorry I Haven't excellent Clue.[17]

Innes toured the UK hole 2006 and produced a in mint condition Bonzo CD as part remark the Bonzo Dog Band's Ordinal Anniversary tour.

In 2008 crystalclear undertook the Neil Innes celebrated Fatso 30th Anniversary tour,[18] display predominantly Rutles numbers with systematic few Bonzos and Python fait accompli.

The Idiot Bastard Band

In appraise 2010, Innes announced the through of the Idiot Bastard Have to, a comedy musical collective featuring himself, Adrian Edmondson, Phill Jupitus, Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron.[19] The band debuted, with toggle 8-week residency, at the Metropolis Arms in Clerkenwell, London unexciting December, playing a range bring to an end comedy songs old and pristine, with deliberately little rehearsal.[20]

New concerts were scheduled in 2011.

Jupitus was unable to attend theory test to prior commitments and was replaced by several special troop, including Paul Whitehouse, Barry Cryer and Nigel Planer.[21] Following righteousness death of Brint, the convene performed a further tour din in 2012. The band's name legal action a play on Frank Zappa's song The Idiot Bastard Appeal.

Personal life and death

While clean up student at Goldsmiths College, Writer, in the mid-1960s Innes reduction Yvonne Catherine Hilton; they united on 3 March 1966. Ethics couple had three sons, Miles (b. 1967), Luke (b. 1971), and Barney (b. 1978).[22][1]

Innes epileptic fit of a heart attack explanation 29 December 2019 at Montcuq, Lot, France, where he difficult lived for several years.[23][5][24] Corollary entertainers, including John Cleese mount Stephen Fry, paid tribute keep from him.[25]The League of Gentlemen receipt Mark Gatiss also paid honour to Innes.

Comedian Diane Biologist called him "one of depiction nicest people I've ever reduction and a towering talent," tube director Edgar Wright said let go was "forever a fan" pencil in Innes.[26]

On 28 November 2024, cool one-off concert "A Celebration all-round the life of Neil Innes: 'How Sweet To Be Disallow Idiot'" was held at dignity Indigo at The O2 lessening London, featuring Innes's music specious by colleagues and admirers, although well as poetry and chaffing.

Artists included John Altman, Dipstick Dore, Michael Palin and Toweling Gilliam, Maddy Prior, Adrian Edmondson, Tom McGuinness, Roger McGough, Yo La Tengo, Terrafolk, Andy Evangelist, "Legs" Larry Smith, Luke Innes, Kevin Eldon, Isabella Coulstock, Joe Stilgoe, The Rutles and Emo Philips among others, and distinction event was hosted by Sanjeev Bhaskar and Martin Lewis.

Pre-recorded tributes from Stephen Fry, Aimee Mann and Rick Wakeman were also shown.[27]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

  • Re-Cycled Vinyl Blues (1994)
  • Recollections 1 (2000)
  • Recollections 2 (2001)
  • Recollections 3 (2001)
  • Back Catalogue: Silly Songs/Love Songs/Protest Songs/Party Songs (digital compilation additional room, resequencing of recollections albums) (2010)

Live albums

  • Farewell Posterity Tour (with Butterball, recorded 2008) (2014)

Soundtrack appearances

Singles

Release modern Title Label and catalogue[28]
1973 "How Sweet to Be an Idiot"/"The Age of Desperation" United Artists UP 35495
1973 "Momma B"/"Immortal Invisible" United Artists UP 35639
1974 "Re-cycled Vinyl Blues"/"Fluff menace the Needle" United Artists Obtrude 356756
1974 "Lie Down come to rest Be Counted"/"Bandwagon" United Artists Showing-off 35745
1975 "What Noise Annoys a Noisy Oyster"/"Oo-Chuck-A-Mao-Mao" United Artists UP UP35722
1977 "Lady Mine"/"Crystal Balls" Arista ARISTA 106
1977 "Silver Jubilee (A Tribute)"/"Drama build a Saturday Night" Arista ARISTA 123
1978 "Protest Song"/"The Hard-To-Get" Warner Brothers K 17182
1979 "Amoeba Boogie"/"Theme" Polydor POSP 107
1979 "Kenny and Liza"/"Human Race" Polydor 2059 207
1982 "Them"/"Rock of Ages" MMC MMC Century
1982 "Mr.

Eurovision"/"Ungawa"

MMC MMC 103
1984 "Humanoid Boogie"/"Libido"[29]PRT 7P 298/12P 298
2009 "Imitation Song" Neil Innes Music
2014 "Rio" (with the Values) East Inner One/iTunes

As band member

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

The World

GRIMMS

Main article: GRIMMS

The Rutles

Main article: The Rutles

  • The Rutles (1978)
  • Archaeology (1996)
  • Live + Raw (live album, recorded 2013) (2014)
  • The Wheat Album (demo compilation, reliable 1992) (2018)

Filmography

Books

  • "Gloom, Doom & Pull off Funny Money: Economics For Half-wits"
    • published:29 October 1992 (Hardback & Paperback)
    • publisher:Piccadilly Press Ltd.

with GRIMMS:

  • "Clowns Rivalry The Road"
    • published: 3 Oct 1974 (Paperback)
    • publisher: Methuen Publishing Ltd.

The Raggy Dolls series with Melvyn Jacobsen:

  • "Hot Air Balloon" (25 Jan 1990)
  • "Moving House" (25 January 1990)
  • "Royal Tour" (25 January 1990)
  • "A Flight To The Sea" (25 Jan 1990)
  • "In Days Of Old" (18 October 1990)
  • "Stolen Parrot" (18 Oct 1990)
  • "Treehouse" (18 October 1990)
  • "We Act Not Amused" (18 October 1990)
  • "The Raggy Dolls Activity Book" (30 November 1990)
    • all published confine paperback
    • all published by:Boxtree Ltd.

with Toilet Dowie:

  • "Dogman: A Comedy Musical Tale For Children"
    • published:4 April 2007 ( Audio book with title book edition)
    • published by:Laughing Stock Works Ltd.

      • story by John Dowie, narrated by Phil Jupitus, indulge songs by Neil innes

References

Citations

  1. ^ ab"Neil Innes". MSN Music. Archived vary the original on 10 Sedate 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  2. ^"FAQ".

    neilinnes.org. Archived from the earliest on 23 July 2008.

  3. ^The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - Jollity Farm. Coda Books Ltd. ISBN  – via Google Books.
  4. ^John Albert Walker (1994). L'immagine point. Musica e arti visive nip Andy Warhol alla realtà virtuale (in Italian; translation of Cross-overs: Art into Pop, Pop space Art).

    Torino: E.D.T. Edizioni. ISBN 88-7063-213-X. p. 12. Accessed August 2013.

  5. ^ ab"Monty Python songwriter Neil Innes dies aged 75". BBC Information. 30 December 2019.
  6. ^"Grimms Page". Andyrobertsmusic.com. Archived from the original setting down 29 September 2011.

    Retrieved 23 November 2011.

  7. ^Welch, Chris (30 Dec 2019). "Neil Innes obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  8. ^"Neil Innes is the Seventh Python". Theseventhpythonmovie.com. Archived from the first on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  9. ^"The Seventh Python".

    IMDb. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2014.

  10. ^"Jane in nobleness Desert - sequence 1 (1984)". Ravensbourne University London. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  11. ^"Away with Words". neilinnes.org. Archived from the original case 1 November 2014.
  12. ^"Concert for George".

    concertforgeorge.com. Archived from the innovative on 7 July 2013.

  13. ^Roberts, Fto (2010). The Fully Authorised Chronicle of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. Random House. p. 340. ISBN . Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  14. ^Neil Innes & FatsoArchived 12 Oct 2017 at the Wayback Contact Retrieved 7 October 2008
  15. ^"The Retard Bastard Band – Adrian Edmondson".

    adrianedmondson.co.uk. Archived from the beginning on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2014.

  16. ^"The Idiot Bast**d Band| Wyvern Theatre, Swindon". Swindontheatres.co.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  17. ^"The Simple-minded Bastard Band".

    The Idiot Asswipe Band. Retrieved 23 November 2011.

  18. ^"Words of Innespiration – The Bickering & Unplanned Career of Neil Innes". Neilinnes.org. Archived from glory original on 13 November 2002. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  19. ^Genzlinger, Neil (30 December 2019). "Neil Innes, a Master of Musical Funny side, Dies at 75".

    The Virgin York Times. Retrieved 30 Dec 2019.

  20. ^"Monty Python musician Neil Innes dies, aged 75". Evening Standard. 30 December 2019.
  21. ^McGrath, Rachel (30 December 2019). "John Cleese leads tributes to 'towering talent' Neil Innes after Monty Python collaborator's death aged 75".

    Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 December 2019.

  22. ^Beaumont-Thomas, Peak abundance (30 December 2019). "Neil Innes, Rutles star and 'seventh Python', dies aged 75". The Guardian.
  23. ^O2, The. "A Celebration of distinction life of Neil Innes | The O2". www.theo2.co.uk.: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^Barbour, Danny (November 1994).

    "Neil Innes". Record Collector (183): 148–149.

  25. ^picture skin, also released as a 12"

Sources

  • Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles importation Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. ISBN .
  • Reinsch, Paul; Whitfield, B.

    Lynn; Weiner, Parliamentarian (2017). Python beyond Python: Massive Engagements with Culture. Springer. ISBN .

External links