LOS ANGELES, DEC. 1 -- Rock star Axl Rose today defended his band's use of a song by Charles Manson that may earn royalties for the imprisoned mass murderer, but said he would donate his profits to charity.
"Personally I liked the lyrics and the melody of the song. Hearing it shocked me and I thought there might be other people who would like to hear it," Rose said.
"The song talks about how the girl is insane and playing a mad game," he said. "I felt it was ironic that such a song was recorded by Charles Manson, someone who should know the inner intricacies of madness."
Sources close to Guns N' Roses said members were considering removing the song, "Look at Your Game, Girl," from future copies of its new album "The Spaghetti Incident?," the Los Angeles Times reported.
Guns N' Roses has come under fire from law enforcement and victims' rights groups as well as from the head of the band's record company, David Geffen, for using the song.
Geffen Records President Ed Rosenblatt said in a statement the company "regrets more sensitivity wasn't exercised. It is certainly not our intent or desire to glorify or enrich anyone who commits heinous and violent crimes."
Geffen Records will give money to the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau, named for the late mother of actress Sharon Tate, who was murdered by Manson's followers in 1969.
Manson's publishing royalties could amount to more than $62,000 for every million albums sold, according to news reports. At least 1 million have been shipped since the album's release a week ago.
"The fact that Charles Manson would be earning money based on the fame he derived committing one of the most horrific crimes of the 20th century is unthinkable to me," David Geffen told the Times.
Geffen personally knew two of the six victims killed in an August 1969 rampage that Manson masterminded. Manson, convicted in 1971 as head of the so-called "Manson Family" for directing his youthful followers to commit murders, remains at a California maximum-security prison.