TributeAlbums.com recently hooked up with QUIET RIOT guitarist Alex Grossi to discuss his participation on the forthcoming tribute to GUNS N' ROSES, Chinese Hypocrisy. The following is a brief excerpt from the interview:

TributeAlbums.com: Jon Bon Jovi and Ritchie Sambora are often credited with kicking off the popularity of rock artists re-creating their hits in acoustic form with their performance of 'Livin' On A Prayer' and 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' during the 1989 MTV Music Video Awards. Why do you think acoustic versions of otherwise fully produced songs have become so popular?

Alex Grossi: "I think in a lot of cases, certain songs may be too 'rock' for your average listener, making them acoustic can get them to a wider audience. Look at how many rock bands had their biggest, and sometimes ONLY hit, with an acoustic song. How many soccer moms do you think were pissed when they heard the REST of that Mr. Big record?? LOL!"

TributeAlbums.com: Paul Stanley of KISS once said "If a song doesn't sound good on an acoustic guitar, it's just a crappy song." Your acoustic version of Guns N' Roses' 'November Rain' shows that the song itself is quite solid. Taking a song like 'November Rain' that has such full instrumentation, and stripping it down to an acoustic version cannot be a simple task. How did you approach the arrangement?

Alex Grossi: "I based what we did off a demo that has been floating around forever of GN'R doing it from the pre-Appetite days. Just a couple guitars and a vocal... Straight and to the point."

TributeAlbums.com: Did you have any difficulty scaling the song down?

Alex Grossi: "It was all pretty easy. A good song plays itself. Zoli is one of the best new singers out there. He came in and nailed it in a couple hours."

TributeAlbums.com: 'November Rain' is one of the longest songs ever recorded by Guns N' Roses, coming in at 8 minutes 57 seconds. Your acoustic arrangement on Chinese Hypocrisy comes in at about 6 minutes and 19 seconds. What was left out and how did you decide what to skip?

Alex Grossi: "We skipped one of the solos, and didn't do the outro. It just seemed to work better at that length."

TributeAlbums.com: Slash's guitar solo in 'November Rain' is ranked Number 6 on Guitar World Magazine's "The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos." How does your solo differ from his and how did you arrive at it's sound?

Alex Grossi: "The main difference is that it's not Slash! (or even close!). I just wanted to do a short, cleaner tone solo. I ended up just using a LINE 6 POD for it."

TributeAlbums.com: Now that you are working with Dizzy Reed in HOOKERS N' BLOW, have you gotten any feedback from the GNR camp about your version of 'November Rain'?

Alex Grossi: "Not yet, but I look forward to playing for Diz and seeing what he thinks...."

To read the entire interview go to this location.

For more information on Chinese Hypocrisy click here.