Hands up: who here knows that Gary Coleman used to be on a TV show called “Diff’rent Strokes”? That’s right; Coleman, now better known as a highly respected music historian, used to be known for appearing in the long running sitcom and uttering the popular catch-phrase “Whatchu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” Since publishing the wildly influential beEThoven: Classicism and the Search for Alien Life ten years ago, his current influence in the musical sphere has eclipsed his former child-star fame. The book quickly established Coleman as one of today’s leading experts on classical composers and has been followed by three more bestselling books on musical history. Coleman is now poised to enter the realm of popular music and society by cowriting a new book with Kelis entitled Lactose Intolerance: Milkshake’s Subversion of Race and Gender Discrimination, set to be released May 5.
Kelis, famous in her own right for the critically acclaimed song Milkshake, originally contacted Coleman with the idea for the book. “Milkshake has received a lot of positive attention, first from the critics and fans, but eventually human rights activists took notice,” says Kelis, speaking from her New York home. “Sweeping the Grammys that year was another great accomplishment, but once we were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, I really had accomplished what I set out to do with this song.” Despite losing the Nobel to the United Nations and the successful Oil-For-Food programme, publishers were still in pursuit of the 28-year-old R&B singer to bring the story to print. “After all this, I really wanted to spread the word about the positive aspects of the single, and a book was a great way to keep the legacy going. Gary was just a perfect choice to work with. I don’t think I would have followed through without his support.”
Coleman says he was excited to work on the project from day one. “I’ve been looking for the right way to start writing about current music and society, and the story of Milkshake was a fantastic way to start,” said the 40-year-old writer after an advance reading in London. “So few artists have managed to so vastly change the social fabric of the industrialised world like Kelis, and Milkshake is really the classical music of its day.”
From its release, critics were quick to praise the single for its intelligent commentary on both race and gender. Most writers were unanimous in the complex beat and hooky structure which instantly drew in listeners. “There was some great production and writing involved in the song,” says Kelis, “but most people were quick to pick up that it wasn’t Milkshake quality that brought all those boys to the yard. It was the different flavours rising up against the dominance of vanilla. I feel most minorities found it quite empowering to see the lesser flavours winning over Caucasian dominance. There was an inspirational message to this song that really helped to break down racial barriers.”
Coleman agrees. “This song did more to eliminate inequalities than any government program could hope to do. Because not only did the song inspire, it showed the establishment how ridiculous it was to still have racial inequalities.” He is quick to point out that the song was empowering to women as well. “Emphasising that milk, a traditionally feminine product, could to bring all the boys to the yard, really gave the stagnating feminist movement the shot in the arm it needed.”
The song inspired massive social change in the west. Hundreds of thousands began to gather in peaceful protest demanding the end of racial and gender inequality. The result was a successful grassroots campaign, where the people of the Western world banded together for true change that couldn’t be accomplished by legislation. While incredible progress has been made (Coleman believes the song created the necessary social climate for the co-operative Democratic campaign in the United States between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton), small inequalities still remain. Kelis remains optimistic, however. “If we nearly eliminated these inequities in all of four years, with the momentum still on our side it could be within a year that, at least statistically, all races and both genders in America are the same. Maybe in ten years, it will be the world.”
The book is Coleman’s best to date, containing a great deal of insight and his trademark wit, and should introduce him to an even wider audience with its greater focus on pop culture. Where does he expect to go from here? “I’m interested into moving into other forms of media. Kelis and I plan to collaborate on a new single called ‘Gonna Get Your Bling’. It will focus more on socioeconomics and the income gap, and we hope that it will be as successful as Milkshake in evoking change.” Is it just pipe dream? “Well, maybe it will only benefit my socioecomic status,” Coleman laughs, “but one thing I have learned in this project is that change truly can be accomplished in just one song. I’m optimistic.”
