Dip My Brain in Joy: A Life with Neil Innes The Official Biography

Neil Innes, often called the seventh Python, is better known as the first Neil Innes according to Michael Palin. Few individuals have had such a profound impact on British culture in the last fifty years as this comedy and music icon.

He was the songwriting powerhouse of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, a muse and collaborator of the Beatles, and an injector of art college surrealism into 1960s TV comedy. Neil was also an instigator of a revolution that directly led to Monty Python, a group he frequently joined on screen and stage.

As Ron Nasty, he co-founded the beloved Rutles, often referred to as the 'pre-fab four', and accidentally coined the phrase 'Cool Britannia'. Neil was not only a much-loved children's TV storyteller, but also a thinker, maker, creator, and undisputed national treasure.

He was lovingly known as Britain's sweet idiot laureate, remaining one of the kindest and brightest individuals in show business throughout his career. Neil and Yvonne, who met at Goldsmiths College in the 1960s, walked hand-in-hand through life for over fifty years until Neil's untimely passing in 2019.

This book serves as a heartfelt, eyewitness account of the life of one of British culture's quiet geniuses. It pays tribute to the life of a gentle and wise clown inside the circus.