New David Bowie Photo Book, ‘Peculiar to Mr. Bowie,’ Captures Rock Legend During His First Visit to the U.S.

A new book featuring rare photos of David Bowie, shot during his first visit to the U.S., will be released on Wednesday, November 13. Peculiar to Mr. Bowie: A Day with David Bowie in 1971 is a limited-edition, 48-page book written by veteran rock journalist and photographer John Mendelssohn and featuring pics he snapped of Bowie after meeting him at a San Francisco press junket.

Bowie was in the U.S. to promote his then-latest album, The Man Who Sold the World, and the press event took place at a Holiday Inn. Mendelssohn shot a roll of film of the fledgling rocker, and spent time chatting with him. His interview was published in Rolling Stone.

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Peculiar to Mr. Bowie includes the Rolling Stone article, as well as Mendelssohn’s reflections on Bowie. The pics captured Bowie wearing two “man-dresses” designed by London-based tailor Mr Fish. One of the outfits was the same floral-print dress David is wearing on the cover of the U.K. version of The Man Who Sold the World.

The book also includes information about the origin and influence of the man-dress written by British-Irish pop-culture journalist Paul Gorman.

Fans who pre-order the book also will receive a free souvenir bottle of a perfume called Peculiar, while supplies last. According to a description of the perfume, it’s “a refined scent, reminiscent of old London, with a hint of lavender, suitable for all persuasions.” The fragrance was created with organic Canadian floral waters.

The book can be pre-ordered now at NortonRecords.com.

More About Mendelssohn’s Bowie Interview

Mendelssohn’s interview with Bowie was published in an April 1971 issue of Rolling Stone. During the conversation, David talked about how he wanted to present himself while anticipating playing his first U.S. concerts.

“I refuse to be thought of as mediocre,” he insisted. “If I am mediocre, I’ll get out of the business. There’s enough fog around. That’s why the idea of performance-as-spectacle is so important to me.”

He also discussed his plan to incorporate mime into his performances.

“I’d like to bring mime into a traditional Western setting, to focus the attention of the audience with a very stylized, a very Japanese style of movement,” Bowie maintained.

He also shared his feelings about wanting his audiences to embrace the theatrical aspects of his performances.

“Should anyone think that these things are merely distractions or gimmicks intended to obscure the music’s shortcomings, he mustn’t come to my concerts,” Bowie declared. “He must come on my terms or not at all. My performances have got to be theatrical experiences for me as well as for the audience. I don’t want to climb out of my fantasies in order to go up onstage—I want to take them on stage with me.”

In addition, Bowie suggested that fans perhaps shouldn’t look too deeply into music for a serious message.

“What the music says may be serious, but as a medium it should not be questioned, analyzed, or taken so seriously,” he said. “I think it should be tarted up, made into a prostitute, a parody of itself. It should be the clown … The music is the mask the message wears—music is the Pierrot and I, the performer, am the message.”