"Rock and roll music - the music of freedom frightens people and unleashes all manner of conservative defense mechanisms"

This quote by Salman Rushdie speaks to the power of rock-and-roll music to challenge the status quo. It recommends that the flexibility and contumacy of rock-and-roll music can be threatening to those in power, and that they will typically respond with conservative defense mechanisms. This could include censorship, tries to control the material of the music, or perhaps attempts to discredit the genre. Rushdie's quote indicates that rock and roll music is a powerful force for social modification, and that those in power know this and will do whatever they can to avoid it from having an impact. It is a tip that music can be an effective tool for challenging the status quo which those in power will frequently do whatever they can to prevent it from having an effect.