John Nee
John Nee is an Irish storyteller, writer, performer and musician who is more commonly known by his stage name Little John Nee.Biography
Nee was born in Glasgow in 1959 but returned to his parents home in Oldtown, Letterkenny, County Donegal at the age of twelve. He was educated at St Eunan's College in the town until he was expelled. He currently lives in County Galway.
Nee was given his stage name by his father who was a Little Richard fan. He founded the first punk band in County Donegal in 1976. They were known as Joe Petrol and the Petrol Bombs. He also spent some time as a labourer on the building sites in London where he began performing at Dalston Junction Alternative Cabaret at The Crown&Castle. He later moved to Dublin and began performing Charlie Chaplin on Grafton Street. In 1986 he took up position in a caravan in Barna.
Nee has made appearances in films such as Neil Jordan's High Spirits. He played the Toupee man in An Everlasting Piece. He was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for his performance in The Derry Boat. Nee also played the part of Postie in TG4 silent comedy Fear an Phoist. He has appeared at Electric Picnic, Galway Arts Festival and the Earagail Arts Festival. In August 2007, Nee announced his obsession with the ukulele while on RTÉ Radio 1 presenter Dave Fanning's show, Drivetime with Dave. He played a tune which he recorded with his band while in Letterkenny. In 2010, in a Barabbas Theatre production called "The Singing Irish Clown," Nee portrayed Johnny Patterson, the 19th century clown discovered by Pablo Fanque, the British circus proprietor referenced in The Beatles' Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
