Neil and the Monty Pythons

Neil’s association with Monty Python began when he was still with the Bonzos during their appearances with the 1960s show “Do Not Adjust Your Set,” where he collaborated with Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Eric Idle. This laid the groundwork for what would come when Monty Python formed. And he didn’t just write for them, he was often part of the act! He became an honorary Python, or as Terry Gilliam called him, “The Seventh Python.” As the Bonzos disbanded Neil was asked to join the Pythons to help with the music to some songs they had written. Neil asked what the lyrics were and Mike said “Terrys written a song about agrarian reform in the Middle Ages”!   Neil became an essential part of the Python’s First Farewell Tour of the United Kingdom performing with a piano as himself and joining in with some of the sketches.  This tour was followed by a tour of Canada playing at venues across the country -Toronto, Montreal, Ottowa, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg,  Regina, and Vancouver. .John Cleese said  “from the relaxed chaos of the Bonzos  Neil is up there with Chaplin”.  That reminded me of Neil’s brilliant portrayal of each of the Marx Brothers in one of the Innes Book of Records shows filmed about three years later.  I have a photograph of the Pythons  in an open topped bus, Neil holding high a ukulele, so I like to think he entertained them as they flew from city to city.  There is a lovely story Neil used to tell on his solo tours, of the Pythons flying over Winnipeg – a tiny spot on the map – the only city in hundreds of miles of open prairie and Graham tapping his pipe on the window pointing down at Winnipeg, and saying “why there?”

About a year after the Canadian Tour, Neil appeared with the Pythons in the show Live at Drury Lane, booked for a two week residency but quickly extended to three. They had to get to the theatre at two in the afternoon and they came home around midnight after which Neil commented that it was the only regular job he had ever had – almost a nine to five.   Terry Jones said “we would kiss the wives goodbye, work the night- shift in the theatre, get roaring drunk afterwards, roll home and do it all again the following day.”  Neil performed in some of the sketches as well as having his own spot in the show, always funny and always well received by the audience

Monty Python and The Holy Grail was filmed in 1975 during the cold and foggy month of April in the Scottish Highlands around Doune castle. He wrote songs for the film like “Camelot Song (aka Knights of the Round Table)” and the iconic “Brave Sir Robin.” As Neil remembered, it seemed as though every time something like a cow or giant rabbit was lobbed off a castle, it landed on him.

In 1976 the Monty Pythons had a three- week residency the City Centre New York.  It was a good time to take the children as we would be staying in one place, so Neil and I arrived with our family to join the Pythons with their families.

The Pythons were there to unleash their live show on a New York audience.  They were not sure what to expect but on the first night they found themselves playing to a front row of Gumbys – short trousers, sleeveless knitted jerkins over white shirts with rolled up sleeves and handkerchiefs knotted at four corners.  They had an audience who knew all the words, having by then seen Holy Grail and at least three of the first series of Monty Pythons Flying Circus.  Neil, introduced as Raymond Scum, had a ball playing Protest Song ‘I suffered for my music, now it’s your turn.’ The audiences loved it. He played ‘Short Blues’ and ‘How Sweet to be an Idiot, ‘complete with a Quacksie – a yellow plastic duck hat made from cutting the wheels off a pull-along toy.  Another day we were driven to Bronx Zoo by limousine for a photo opportunity.  The idea was to photograph the Monty Python team holding a real fully -grown Python. They did this with varying degrees of hesitancy, probably pleased to see several keepers with hook-shaped snake controllers close by.

John Cleese – a self -confessed pariah where music was concerned, said he listened every night to Neil singing ‘Idiot’ during this spell in City Centre, trying to understand what it was about Neil’s performance and the sentiment of the song that related so strongly to the audience. Probably it was that Neil loved a close rapport with the fans as much as the Pythons did. The applause was always deafening.  Mike Palin’s comment that “it was Neil’s sublime performance on ‘How Sweet To Be An Idiot’ that always brought the house down” was maybe generous but is an indication of the affection they all held for this gentle troubadour.  Neil was a major part of the Monty Python show joining in with the sketches when he wasn’t playing the piano. 

Later In 1980 Neil appeared with the Pythons at the Hollywood Bowl having finished filming ‘Life of Brian’ in the same year.  Neil loved every minute of the Hollywood show performing ‘How Sweet to be an Idiot’ again to ecstatic audiences.  Music and comedy interact beautifully.  I don’t think that any of the Pythons knew much about music but this mix of Neil with the Pythons worked. Neil didn’t play the sort of typically english uptight little ditties with predictable dum -de- da rhythms and a chuckle at the end.  He played real music- his own music and added depth feeling and humour to an already comedy -loaded performance.  

A memorable moment happened during the stage show when Neil was supposed to say just one line in answer to a question of whether he was upset about his election result as Kevin Phillip Bong.  Neil’s line should have been ‘Not at all’, but on the final night, having delivered his line, he moved to the front of the stage and sang the opening lines of ‘Climb Every Mountain’ then getting the audience to sing along with the chorus. The other Pythons collapsed in giggles and on they went. Unfortunately the result of this bit of deviation from the script was that Monty Python Productions had to pay a huge amount of money to the publishers of the song.  Neil was chastened.

One other quality that surprised and delighted the members of the Monty Python team was Neil’s way of managing to get extra drinks from recalcitrant night porters in the many hotels they stayed in.  Mike Palin called him the ‘night -porter baiter ‘and has often repeated his amazement at how Neil would wangle after-show drinks by following the poor ‘keeper of keys’ asking to look in all the cupboards, till in exasperation they would divulge the whereabouts of a couple of bottles of red wine or a few beers.   John Cleese has memories of Neil smoking Capstan cigarettes, just about the strongest you could get. John was a non -smoker, and would try one during one of the shows intervals saying It gave him an adrenaline rush to be ‘dicing with death’.

Neil also had a small part in Mike’s film ‘The Missionary’ as a singer in the Gin Palace and as the Second Herald in Terry Gilliam’s film ‘Jabberwocky’.  Mike Palin appeared in two of Neils’ projects – a hilarious cameo as a policeman in the Innes Book of Records- a total scene stealer, and a true to life portrayal as Eric Manchester, the Rutle Core Press Agent & Lawyer in the Rutle’s film ‘All You Need is Cash.’  In every part Mike has, he doesn’t just act, he becomes the character which is why he is always so funny.  ‘All you Need is Cash’ evolved from a spoof Beatle song that Neil wrote for one of the sketches for Rutland Weekend Television

After two long tours Neil was asked by Sheriden Morley how he fitted into the Python team.  “I make the tea”, Neil said

Although it was mainly the music Neil created with the Pythons  he did write a couple of sketches after John Cleese left the group  He is credited with writing The Most Awful Family in Britain sketch, the only non Python person to do so apart from Douglas Adams.