Just when you thought the holidays were over, along comes January 8th, Elvis Presley and David Bowie's birthday. Elvis would have been 67; Bowie will be 55 this year. To celebrate these joint birthdays, I've finally done what I've threatened to do for years: made a CD compilation mix for myself called Elvis Bowie, a 74-minute long collection of nothing but alternating Elvis/Bowie songs. You can bet I'll be listening to nothing else on January 8th, this year and in years to come.

While compiling the Elvis Bowie CD, I discovered some astonishing coincidences in the lives and work of Presley and Bowie, coincidences so awe-inspiring that they can only be compared to the infamous Lincoln/Kennedy coincidences. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Elvis Presley: born January 8, 1935.
David Bowie: born January 8, 1947.

Elvis Presley: "The King."
David Bowie: "The Thin White Duke."

Elvis sang about a "Hound Dog."
Bowie sang about "Diamond Dogs.

Elvis contemplated life on the "Speedway."
Bowie contemplated the "Speed of Life."

Elvis sang, "What you need, what you need, what you need is a change of habit."
Bowie sang, "Turn and face the strange, ch-ch-changes."

Elvis can't get his girl to stop dancing in "Bossa Nova Baby."
Bowie can't convince his boyfriend he's "only dancing" with a girl in "John, I'm Only Dancing."

Elvis arrives in Las Vegas in his song, "Viva Las Vegas."
Bowie leaves London in his song, "London Bye Ta Ta."

Elvis experiences "Fun in Acapulco."
Bowie experiences "Panic in Detroit."

Elvis gets dizzy singing "Spinout."
Bowie gets dizzy singing Chuck Berry's "Round and Round."

Elvis' girlfriend has him "All Shook Up."
Bowie asks his girlfriend to "Shake It."

Bowie sings about "Joe The Lion."
Elvis sings about what to say when confronted by Joe the Lion: "Stay Away Joe."

Bowie sings, "Little wonder, little wonder, you."
Elvis sings, "That's the wonder, the wonder of you."

Elvis is a "justa hunka hunka burning love"
Bowie is "putting out a fire with gasoline."

Elvis is looking for a "Long Legged Girl (With a Short Dress On)."
Bowie "just met a girl named Blue Jean."

Bowie advises us all to "freak out in a Moonage Daydream."
Elvis advises us to "follow that dream whereever that dream may lead."

These are just a few of the astonishing Elvis/Bowie coincidences. I'm sure other Elvis/Bowie scholars could find many more. In the meantime, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Elvis Bowie Birthday!