Alzheimer’s with Rock & Roll
All Home Care Matters was honored to welcome Renee Schyjer as a guest to the show to share her story and book “It’s Not a Rumour: A Rock & Roll Journey Through Life and Alzheimer’s.”
Renaissance woman, truth-seeker, and storyteller, Renee Schyjer is devoted to sharing the life and legacy of her husband, 80’s Power Pop legend Freddy Moore, diagnosed almost a decade ago with early-onset Alzheimer’s. For years, Freddy was center stage, a prolific singer/songwriter/musician who sold out iconic Los Angeles clubs and opened for headlining bands like The Police, The Knack, and The Motels.
Renee and Freddy first met in 1981 when he and the band moved to LA. Their friendship shifted to romance a decade later, and in 2005, the couple married.
A steadfast fixture in his life for over forty years, Renee noticed Freddy’s failing memory long before receiving his devastating diagnosis in late 2014.
Armed with their love story that spans decades and Freddy’s memoir, It’s Not A Rumour: A Rock & Roll Journey Through Life and Alzheimer’s, Renee is reaching out to music lovers and families impacted by this disease. By telling untold stories of their lives “before and after,” she hopes to provide support, healing, and connection while driving awareness and research for this disruptive and heartbreaking disease.
About Frederick Moore:
Frederick Moore rocked and rolled his way through life as “Rick,” “Skogie,” and “Freddy,” almost becoming famous. He has been compared to Rick Nielson and Robin Zander of Cheap Trick and a “blend, musically, of Frank Zappa and Paul McCartney.”
Known as Rick by family and friends, Freddy was Moore’s flamboyant “feline” on-stage alter ego when he was the leader of the 1980s band, The Kats/The Nu Kats. Moore’s bands performed at legendary Los Angeles clubs, including Whiskey a Go-Go, The Troubadour, and Starwood, and headlined alongside some of the biggest bands of the time. Moore is most recognized for the song and accompanying music video, It’s Not A Rumour, which he co-wrote with then-wife Demi Moore and recorded with The Nu Kats. (Not sure if we want this in here…included just in case.)
Growing up in Minneapolis, Freddy spent his childhood obsessively teaching himself guitar and writing songs. His career spanned decades writing the lyrics to 1,000 original songs, forming multiple bands, and even starring in a few film roles. Though receiving multiple recording contracts, Moore refused them all, not wanting to relinquish the rights to his work. Instead, he recorded under his label, General Records.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Freddy switched professional gears, entering the world of computer programming, where he excelled until he began experiencing undiagnosed early-onset Alzheimer’s.
In 2014, Freddy received an official diagnosis, years after his wife, Renee, noticed his slow decline. He passed away peacefully on August 25, 2022, in Los Angeles. Renee was by his side.
About the book:
It’s Not A Rumour: A Rock & Roll Journey Through Life and Alzheimer’s is an unorthodox, hysterical story of survival and making it big in music and life without ever making a dime.
The book is also about receiving an earth-shattering Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treating memory loss through writing, music, diet, exercise, and natural supplements.
Written by Frederick Moore and freelance writer Shannon Guyton, the memoir was prompted by Moore’s wife, Renee, as a way for Freddy to hold onto his memories and share them with the world.
It’s Not A Rumour was released on September 19, 2021, six years after Moore’s official diagnosis at age 60. The book is a tribute to Moore’s colorful life and musical legacy, his and Renee’s enduring love story, and their fight against Alzheimer’s.