While the Bonzos were together, they had done a children's television series Do Not Adjust Your Set with people like Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and David Jason. The Bonzos went to the USA and returned to find most of the team had formed Monty Python with John Cleese and Graham Chapman.
"Eric Idle asked me to help on an album and then I sort of got seconded to them doing tours, movies and bits and pieces."
It was Idle again who asked him to work on his own television show Rutland Weekend Television. "The premise was that the smallest county would have the lowest budget for television so everything had to be a cheap joke. That's what BBC2 really liked about it."
At the end of the first series they held a party in a hospitality suite. "The 'suits' came to that and I heard one suit say to another,' Do you know, the whole series cost less than one Lulu show.'"
Out of it came a parody on The Beatles' Hard Days Night which led to a full-length television show, All You Need Is Cash which featured The Rutles looking horribly like the Beatles.
The film achieved cult status - it is still available on DVD - and The Rutles still appear live occasionally, most recently at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall at the end of last year.
"It's a hobby really, something we do when we can fit in with everyone else. In a way it's a chance to get out on the road and have a bit of a swank - and the harmonies are getting better. The audience know all the words and they throw tea bags at us - and we throw them back."
Some have favourably compared the Rutles film with the spoof rockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap by Christopher Guest. Innes is a fan of the Spinal Tap movie. "I think Christopher Guest is a genius, especially in his later movies. In some ways, I wish Eric Idle had a bit of Christopher Guest in him. There was always too much of Eric, actually."
His current tour is not exactly a one man show, he has bass player Tom Fry and drummer JJ Jones with him. "Between us we span three generations, Tom is only 25, JJ is about 40 and I am 60 now. I like being 60 - you don't have to take any crap from younger people like prime ministers."
* NEIL INNES is at the Pacific Road Arts Centre, Birkenhead, 8pm, March 5.
