Richard Moore is definitely on the bad side of the Eagles.
First, he ran a YouTube ad attacking rival Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue which used an unauthorized snippet of "Life in the Fast Lane."
He had to pull the video after the manager of the Eagles learned about it.
Now, Perdue's spokesman, David Kochman, tells Dome that they recently received in the mail two $4,000 checks—the maximum donation allowed under state law.
The donors? Don Henley and his wife, Sharon.
"I think his decision to contribute may be a reflection on how he felt about Moore's video," Kochman said.
Henley is a generous Democratic donor. According to a Washington Post article from earlier this month, he's given more than $686,000 to candidates since 1978.
Richard Moore has pulled a YouTube campaign ad.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate had posted an ad attacking Beverly Perdue over a bridge in New Bern that he claimed was a boondoggle.
About a minute into the ad, "Life in the Fast Lane" by the Eagles played briefly over shots of congestion in Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle.
Prompted by a reader question, Dome called some entertainment lawyers to ask about copyright, online video and campaign ads. Word made its way to Irving Azoff, the manager of the Eagles, who told one of Dome's contacts that the song was definitely not approved.
Moore's campaign said they would rework the ad to take out the song.
"We certainly don't want to get crossways with Eagles," wrote Deputy Campaign Manager Julie White in an e-mail to Dome.
Moore is not the first North Carolina politician to get in hot water with the Eagles. Don Henley was so upset by a bill on copyright sponsored by U.S. Rep. Howard Coble that he wrote the 2000 song "Inside Job" attacking it.
Coble later helped repeal the measure.