IT'S A SMALL WORLD! WELL, IT WAS IN LONDON IN THE 1960'S ANYWAY. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS GENERALLY KNOWN BY DEVOTED NEIL INNES FANS, BUT THE NEWBIES MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THE SUMMARY BELOW ABOUT NEIL'S ENCOUNTERS WITH THE FAMOUS.NEIL MET THE BEATLES AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS WHEN THEY WERE RECORDING GEORGE HARRISON'S SONG "I WANT TO TELL YOU." THE BONZOS WERE IN THE BEATLES' MOVIE "MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR." THE BONZOS APPEARED ON A PRE-MONTY PYTHON SHOW CALLED "DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET," WHICH HAD MICHAEL PALIN, TERRY JONES, AND ERIC IDLE. NEIL DID SOME COMEDY WRITING AND ONE SONG ON "MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS." NEIL DID SOME MORE COMEDY WRITING AND ALL THE MUSIC "VIDEOS" ON THE TV SHOW "RUTLAND WEEKEND TELEVISION" WITH ERIC IDLE. NEIL ORIGINATED THE CONCEPT OF THE RUTLES WHEN HE SUGGESTED TO ERIC THAT HE HAD AN IDEA TO MAKE A LOW-COST "VIDEO" THAT LOOKED LIKE "A HARD DAYS' NIGHT." ERIC CREATED THE NAMES OF THE BAND MEMBERS AND THEIR ALBUMS. IN "MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, "NEIL PLAYED SEVERAL PARTS, ALMOST AS MANY AS MICHAEL PALIN. NEIL TOURED IN THE U.S. AND U.K. WITH THE PYTHONS DOING LIVE SHOWS FOR MANY YEARS. IN THE LATE 1970'S, THERE WAS A HUGE EXPECTATION TO GET THE BEATLES BACK TOGETHER. LORNE MICHAELS OF SNL ASKED ERIC IDLE TO BE HOST FOR A COUPLE OF SHOWS AND SAID TO ERIC, "WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF YOU COULD BRING THE BEATLES?" ERIC SAID, "I CAN'T BRING THE BEATLES, BUT I CAN BRING THE RUTLES." SO NEIL CAME ALONG AND SANG SHANGRI-LA ON SNL. GEORGE HARRISON OF THE BEATLES APPEARED IN THE FIRST RUTLES MOVIE "ALL YOU NEED IS CASH." GEORGE AND NEIL BECAME VERY GOOD FRIENDS. NEIL APPEARED IN GEORGE HARRISON'S "VIDEO" "CRACKERBOX PALACE (see below left)." NEIL HAS PLAYED WITH ERIC CLAPTON, STING, AND OTHER MUSICIANS AND COMEDIANS AT "THE SECRET POLICEMEN'S BALLS," A CHARITY EVENT TO RAISE MONEY FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, AN ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS CORRECT UNFAIRNESS IN PEOPLES' LIVES AND SITUATIONS." AFTER GEORGE HARRISON'S PASSING IN 2001, NEIL PARTICIPATED IN "THE CONCERT FOR GEORGE" ALONG WITH THE PYTHONS, WHOM GEORGE LOVED ALSO. NEIL'S WIFE YVONNE UPSTAGED HER HUSBAND BY MEETING THE QUEEN IN 2008 AT THE PRESENTATION OF A GARDEN FOR GEORGE HARRISON. GEORGE WAS AN AVID GARDENER. NEIL HAS HAD A DOCUMENTARY MADE ABOUT HIM, WHICH HAS TAKEN AT LEAST 4 YEARS TO BRING IT TO THE PUBLIC (2008). BUT IT DOES NOT CHRONICLE HIS CAREER. IT EXPRESSES HOW NEIL FEELS ABOUT KEEPING HIS PRIVACY WHILE PRESENTING HIS MUSIC AND ART IN ORDER TO MAKE A LIVING. IT IS A DOCUMENTARY THAT IS SET VERY MUCH IN THE PRESENT. NEIL HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS GOALS OF PRIVACY, YET HE MAKES HIMSELF ACCESSIBLE TO HIS FANS THROUGH SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS AFTER CONCERTS AND HANGING OUT WITH SOME OF HIS FANS, WHERE I BELIEVE HE FEELS COMFORTABLE, AS HE DOES NOT SEE HIMSELF AS ANY DIFFERENT THAN ANYONE ELSE.Please feel free to send a message here to correct or add any information, share any stories about Neil, share photos of and with Neil. AUTOGRAPHED ALBUMS SLIDESHOW UNAUTOGRAPHED ALBUMS SLIDESHOW