Musician and songwriter who enjoyed success with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band, the Rutles and Monty PythonAmid the anarchy of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Neil Innes, who has died unexpectedly aged 75, was a creative force, calming influence and urbane spokesman for a merry group of student satirists whose early success in the 1960s predated the world of Monty Python.
![Neil Innes obituary](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1244d3203e64071a55a2cdb4a659620d39f5767b/0_163_2512_1507/master/2512.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=485631b041329ca7bf576d2fe0ec5835)
Yet even Neil’s patience could be exhausted when working alongside Vivian Stanshall, the group’s singer, fellow composer and self-destructive comedic genius. When Vivian began reading aloud his epic saga Sir Henry at Rawlinson End one night and his speech slowed to a slurred crawl, Innes stormed off stage in a rage of frustration.