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I figured I would start a series dealing with "what if" type scenarios regarding various artists, bands, or albums.

The first scenario will be........

What if John Lennon had never been murdered? Would he have found success in the bizarre musical decade known as the 80's? Could he have even fit in musically during the era? Alot of his solo material dealt with Yoko and alot of introspection about his childhood. Some of it very self indulgent. His anti war and anti religious stance would have been very dated as well. If Lennon were to succeed in the 80's, it would have likely required not only a change in musical direction, but an image makeover as well.

Lennon surviving into the 80's opens up an even bigger can of worms than solo material: What about The Beatles? Had a reunion happened in say 1985, other than cash grab purposes, could the band have been relevant?

Or would Lennon have pulled an Axl type disappearance instead of going forward?

NEW YORK - He was the chain-smoking, Jack Daniels-drinking guitarist for one of the most explosive bands in history. But in his memoir 'Slash,' out Oct. 30 via HarperEntertainment, the former Guns N' Roses member wants to set the record straight.

Fans can take note: riots, overdoses and controversies all make appearances. There are also surprises, from how Saul Hudson was dubbed Slash, to what it was like living with mercurial singer Axl Rose in their rehearsal space.

Just don't bother asking Slash, now sober and playing guitar in Velvet Revolver, if the original Guns will get back together, because he insists it won't happen. Ever.

BILLBOARD: IN THE BOOK, YOU MENTION THAT YOU FELT ROCK BIOGRAPHIES WERE 'INACCURATE AND FULL OF S---.' HOW DID YOUGO ABOUT SETTING THE TONE TO AVOID THIS?

SLASH: I've been approached about doing a book for probably all the wrong reasons so many times, I couldn't validate it in my own mind. For one, it seemed very self-indulgent, very self-centered and very final -- and I have no plans of retiring. Finally, I started to realize all this Guns hype that goes on, all this bull--- that surrounds that band, it's inaccurate, and most isn't even inaccurate, it's just made up. I got fed up with it. (The book will) answer a lot of these questions. I just figured, 'Be as honest as possible.'

BILLBOARD: DRUGS AND DRINKING ARE A BIG PART OF THE STORY. HOW DID IT FEEL TO SEE THIS DOWN ON PAPER?

SLASH: A lot of that stuff I came back and cut out because I didn't want it to be one of those books that basically bragged about how hardcore (we were), blah, blah, blah. Especially nowadays, (because) a lot of musicians and rock bands have this badge they wear that says that they can party really hard, and I hate that. But I probably talk more about that than I actually talk about music. The music was sort of a natural thing you don't have to talk about, but chemical abuse was sort of every living, breathing moment.

BILLBOARD: A HUGE PART OF THE BOOK IS GUNS AS YOU'RE TOURING AND THE TARDINESS OF AXL ROSE. WAS THERE EVER ANY EXPLANATION OF WHAT WAS BEHIND THAT?

SLASH: There's no mention of that in the book at all because it's not my place. In other words, if there was some sort of history that was common knowledge, it would be different. Because there was no real logic behind any of it, the only thing I could do was sort of put the facts there the way I saw it. There could be a lot of stuff that I don't know about that goes on even behind the scenes, behind the scenes, behind the scenes.

BILLBOARD: THERE'S TWO YEARS OF FOOTAGE FROM THE 'USE YOUR ILLUSION' TOUR. ANY CHANCE A FILM WILL BE MADE?

SLASH: I know right now there's no rhyme or reason behind the business really that is the Guns N' Roses original lineup or as close to the original lineup as we ended up with. All that stuff is in such a topsy-turvy state, and there's really no relationship -- a healthy, positive relationship, at least -- between myself and Axl. (So) I really don't have any idea as to how any of that stuff will see the light of day. The situation will hopefully be rectified at one point.

BILLBOARD: ARE YOU WRITING NEW MATERIAL FOR VELVET REVOLVER? ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO ADD DATES TO THE CURRENT ITINERARY?

SLASH: We have Japan and Australia booked for November and December, and then I think we'll probably be heading to Europe at the beginning of the year. We're going until the end of next summer for sure. We just got started touring, so as a group I can't say that we're actively working on the new record, but I've got my little recording apparatus on my guitar in my room, and that's what I do during the days off on the tour. That's where I start putting ideas down.

BILLBOARD: FINALLY, (AXL ROSE'S GUNS PROJECT) 'CHINESE DEMOCRACY.' WILL IT EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY?

SLASH: Everybody asks me that. I didn't mention that in the book because it's on Axl's watch. It'll get done, and it'll come out when he feels comfortable with putting it out. And Axl works in a different time zone than I do. So what may seem like a long time to other people is a tick of the clock to him. It'll come out though. It will.

© 2007 Billboard

Humans could marry robots within the century. And consummate those vows.

"My forecast is that around 2050, the state of Massachusetts will be the first jurisdiction to legalize marriages with robots," artificial intelligence researcher David Levy at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands told LiveScience. Levy recently completed his Ph.D. work on the subject of human-robot relationships, covering many of the privileges and practices that generally come with marriage as well as outside of it.

At first, sex with robots might be considered geeky, "but once you have a story like 'I had sex with a robot, and it was great!' appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I'd expect many people to jump on the bandwagon," Levy said.

The idea of romance between humanity and our artistic and/or mechanical creations dates back to ancient times, with the Greek myth of the sculptor Pygmalion falling in love with the ivory statue he made named Galatea, to which the goddess Venus eventually granted life.

This notion persists in modern times. Not only has science fiction explored this idea, but 40 years ago, scientists noticed that students at times became unusually attracted to ELIZA, a computer program designed to ask questions and mimic a psychotherapist.

"There's a trend of robots becoming more human-like in appearance and coming more in contact with humans," Levy said. "At first robots were used impersonally, in factories where they helped build automobiles, for instance. Then they were used in offices to deliver mail, or to show visitors around museums, or in homes as vacuum cleaners, such as with the Roomba. Now you have robot toys, like Sony's Aibo robot dog, or Tickle Me Elmos, or digital pets like Tamagotchis."

In his thesis, "Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners," Levy conjectures that robots will become so human-like in appearance, function and personality that many people will fall in love with them, have sex with them and even marry them.

"It may sound a little weird, but it isn't," Levy said. "Love and sex with robots are inevitable."

Sex with robots in 5 years
Levy argues that psychologists have identified roughly a dozen basic reasons why people fall in love, "and almost all of them could apply to human-robot relationships. For instance, one thing that prompts people to fall in love are similarities in personality and knowledge, and all of this is programmable. Another reason people are more likely to fall in love is if they know the other person likes them, and that's programmable too."

In 2006, Henrik Christensen, founder of the European Robotics Research Network, predicted that people will be having sex with robots within five years, and Levy thinks that's quite likely. There are companies that already sell realistic sex dolls, "and it's just a matter of adding some electronics to them to add some vibration," he said, or endowing the robots with a few audio responses. "That's fairly primitive in terms of robotics, but the technology is already there."

As software becomes more advanced and the relationship between humans and robots becomes more personal, marriage could result. "One hundred years ago, interracial marriage and same-sex marriages were illegal in the United States. Interracial marriage has been legal now for 50 years, and same-sex marriage is legal in some parts of the states," Levy said. "There has been this trend in marriage where each partner gets to make their own choice of who they want to be with."

"The question is not if this will happen, but when," Levy said. "I am convinced the answer is much earlier than you think."

When and where it'll happen
Levy predicts Massachusetts will be the first jurisdiction to legalize human-robot marriage. "Massachusetts is more liberal than most other jurisdictions in the United States and has been at the forefront of same-sex marriage," Levy said. "There's also a lot of high-tech research there at places like MIT."

Although roboticist Ronald Arkin at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta does not think human-robot marriages will be legal anywhere by 2050, "anything's possible. And just because it's not legal doesn't mean people won't try it," he told LiveScience.

"Humans are very unusual creatures," Arkin said. "If you ask me if every human will want to marry a robot, my answer is probably not. But will there be a subset of people? There are people ready right now to marry sex toys."

The main benefit of human-robot marriage could be to make people who otherwise could not get married happier, "people who find it hard to form relationships, because they are extremely shy, or have psychological problems, or are just plain ugly or have unpleasant personalities," Levy said. "Of course, such people who completely give up the idea of forming relationships with other people are going to be few and far between, but they will be out there."

Ethical questions
The possibility of sex with robots could prove a mixed bag for humanity. For instance, robot sex could provide an outlet for criminal sexual urges. "If you have pedophiles and you let them use a robotic child, will that reduce the incidence of them abusing real children, or will it increase it?" Arkin asked. "I don't think anyone has the answers for that yet '” that's where future research needs to be done."

Keeping a robot for sex could reduce human prostitution and the problems that come with it. However, "in a marriage or other relationship, one partner could be jealous or consider it infidelity if the other used a robot," Levy said. "But who knows, maybe some other relationships could welcome a robot. Instead of a woman saying, 'Darling, not tonight, I have a headache,' you could get 'Darling, I have a headache, why not use your robot?' "

Arkin noted that "if we allow robots to become a part of everyday life and bond with them, we'll have to ask questions about what's going to happen to our social fabric. How will they change humanity and civilization? I don't have any answers, but I think it's something we need to study. There's a real potential for intimacy here, where humans become psychologically and emotionally attached to these devices in ways we wouldn't to a vibrator."

Levy is currently writing a paper on the ethical treatment of robots. When it comes to sex and love with robots, "the ethical issues on how to treat them are something we'll have to consider very seriously, and they're very complicated issues," Levy said.

Levy successfully defended his thesis Oct. 11.
© 2007 LiveScience.com