The Bonzo Dog Band, a remarkable ensemble that emerged from the British art school scene in the 1960s, left an indelible mark on the music world with their unique blend of musical styles and surreal humor. At the heart of this extraordinary group was Neil Innes, a pivotal figure whose contributions helped shape the band’s distinctive sound and creative direction.Neil was, a multi-instrumentalist with a keen musical education and philosophical bent, joining the band in its early days, bringing with him a wealth of talent and innovative ideas. His songwriting prowess and ability to marshal the band’s diverse talents into a cohesive whole proved instrumental in the Bonzos’ evolution from their initial trad jazz and 1920s popular music style to a more contemporary rock sound.   The band’s transition to rock was perfectly timed, coinciding with the burgeoning psychedelic movement of the late 1960s. This shift in musical direction allowed the Bonzos to showcase their versatility and creative range, earning them increasing popularity among both audiences and fellow musicians. Their growing reputation led to high-profile appearances, including a memorable performance in the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour film. Neil’s contributions to the band’s discography were significant. The album “The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse” showcased a marked change in musical direction, featuring songs that skilfully blended humor with social commentary.  Neil’s’ songwriting continued to mature, reaching new heights of subtlety and depth that rivaled many ‘serious’ artists of the era. Perhaps one of Neil’s’ most notable achievements with the band was the hit single “I’m the Urban Spaceman,” which he penned. The song, produced by Paul McCartney under a pseudonym -Apollo C Vermouth – reached the Top Five in the UK charts, cementing the Bonzos’ place in British pop culture.Throughout their career, the Bonzo Dog Band remained committed to pushing musical boundaries and entertaining audiences with their unique brand of humor and creativity. Neil Innes’ contributions were central to this ethos, helping to craft an enduring legacy that continues to inspire and delight music lovers to this day.The Bonzo Dog Band’s journey, with Neil as a driving creative force, stands as a testament to the power of musical innovation and the enduring appeal of intelligent, humor-infused rock. Their influence on British comedy and music remains significant, ensuring their place in the pantheon of truly original and influential bands of the 20th century.

The following is from the book Dip My Brain In Joy

By the time Vernon introduced Neil to the Bonzos, Neil was trying to decide whether he could make it as an artist or go with the music.   Vernon and Rodney set up a meeting in a local pub and Neil’s first sighting of Viv in a Victorian frockcoat, brightly checked trousers, wearing two huge false ears and carrying a euphonium was decisive.  Whatever he did in the future, joining this group now would be a lot more fun, although as he discovered, the band at that point, did not have a lot to do with music. They rehearsed in the Royal College of Arts’ canteen. The The Bonzos would spend nucleus of the Bonzos was Neil, Viv, Rodney, Vernon, Roger and Sam with an ever-evolving cast of others joining in.   any spare time rifling through stalls in Deptford market selling vintage 78rpm shellac discs  and finding treasures with titles like ‘Hunting Tigers out in India’ and ‘The Stork Has Brought a Son and Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Mickey Mouse’. They would play these old songs but with added sound effects, costumes and a visually stimulating range of props.  There were about nine of them, wearing an assortment of old suits.  At that time Viv also wore a collar and tie, and Neil wore a hat and waistcoat with an old fob watch.  The floor around them was littered with saxophones, clarinets, tubas, a euphonium, banjos, ukuleles, guitars, doll heads, homemade robotic machines and, centre stage, a grey metal dustbin.  At any of their pub gigs the noise from the hard-drinking fans was deafening, but the Bonzos knew how to get their attention. They started with a rousing chorus of ‘Rule Britannia’ which ended with a massive explosion from inside the dustbin. Then silence, as the stunned pub-goers waited to discover if their hearing would come back.  The Bonzos now ‘had’ their audience and they launched into a mixture of songs – mainly vintage. 

All the members going hell-for-leather with their chosen instruments and Neil hitting the piano keys hard in an attempt to keep them all on track.  There was encore after encore and at the end a few of  the girlfriends went round with hats collecting donations to supplement their meagre earnings.  They were already a visual feast with Roger’s raving robots, Viv’s brilliant mime craft, Larry’s costumes, Rodney’s crazy clarinet playing, Vernon’s sepia photograph image and props of all kinds littering the stage. That was when Neil began to write songs – the first ‘The Equestian Statue’ in the days when the line ‘you feel so gay’ meant just that, as in happy.  This was followed a little while later by the one big hit that bought the band some kind of fame ‘ I’m The Urban Spaceman’. Their  break came when they  were asked to provide the musical interludes for Do Not Adjust Your Set a television programme which also  featured the fledgling Monty Python team as well as David Jason and Denise Coffey.  This was particularly important for Neil who was getting despondant after two failed US tours,  He got on so well with Mike and Terry that he was asked to write some songs for the Pythons in 1973.  By this time the Bonzos had disbanded and riding home after the very last gig Neil wrote   ‘I can clearly remember heading south down the M1 in the early hours of the morning after the Bonzo Dogs last gig.  It had been a riotous evening with all sorts of famous guests joining in, most memorably, our chief roadie Fred Munt who sang a throat ripping version of Long Tall Sally. We had all slipped into a silence of exquisite fatigue with no wit to woo us. It was the end of an era – or possibly ear ache – and I was full of conflicting thoughts, mostly sad and emotionally drained.  No one said much in the car – a gas-guzzling American Ford Galaxy. This was how far we had come in material terms. It was a special silence. Five fun years of unabashed silliness, endless travel, buying out confused managers and no holidays, had left us mentally and physically exhausted and we had all agreed it had to end while it was still arguably good.’  The Bonzos did get together after that to honour their contract with Liberty/United Artists by making one final album, which they called ‘Lets Make Up and Be Friendly’ at the newly opened Manor Studios in Oxfordshire.  Many years passed while Neil worked on television, film, and recording honing his musical skills  in the USA, Japan and the Europe. Then in 2005 Neil was asked if he could get the band together again for one last gig at the Astoria in London with performers like Stephen Fry, Ade Edmondson, Phill Jupitus and Paul Merton taking the place of Viv.  Neil was unsure it would work but it was a triumph leading to the very last last gig at KoKos in Camden Town.  For this gig Neil insisted on bringing in the Rutles so that the show was as strong musically as it was visually. What a night.  What a band.  What a legacy for all the Bonzos.