"Literate people are never bored." - Amir Prizant
Amir was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 7, 1976, joining older sisters Ayelet and Yael. He spent the first almost two years of his life in New York City, enjoying the suburban comforts of life on Staten Island. In 1978, the Prizant family relocated to the sunny San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, CA.
More to come...
Blessings to you. I've lost three siblings and feel your pain. Life is never fair and people who've been fortunate not to go to a funeral home until later in life have no clue what this is about.
ReplyDeleteI really would love to know more about Amir from you.
ReplyDeleteI learned today that my childhood friend Amir Prizant passed away more than a decade ago. I have done many online searches for him over the years, and figured he was just not someone who wanted to be found. Maybe he chose not to be on social media. Maybe he was living abroad. I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteSince the recent LA fires, I have been going through old family photos and preserving everything as digital records. I came across a photo of Amir (which I would be happy to share, but I don't see a way to post it here). The photo is in my bedroom, in Granada Hills, CA, around 1984, and it brought back so many memories.
I may have met Amir at a summer camp one year, but I don’t really know where we met. We became great friends. Amir was always my creative friend. I did things with Amir that I would never have done with anyone else. (1/ )
For example, we worked for weeks on a digital newsletter of sorts. We used my mom’s Apple II era computer and the original Print Shop software and wrote the “ALAP Times, Fun with Adam and Amir” (Adam Lieberthal & Amir Prizant). We did a number of these and then watched as the dot matrix printer slowly published our greatest works, recounting our fun times together.
ReplyDeleteAmir was all about creation in one form or another. Over at his place in Chatsworth, we would make puppet shows with his dolls. Amir had what I remember as being a legit, Jim Henson issued Kermit The Frog. We would get into those shows as if those puppets were our good friends and we would make them talk and laugh and we had so much fun in that creative space.
Amir introduced me to an entire world of recorded music. We would listen to his records for hours. King Crimson, Gentle Giant, The Outlaws, Yes, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and early Genesis were just some of the bands that I listen to a lot, and every time, I think about Amir and his passion for music and the fact that he was the one who introduced me to them. (2/ )
For better or worse, I had my first positive recreational drug experiences with Amir. We would get high in his bedroom and laugh our asses off. We were on the same page. We shared the same experiences. We were really in sync. We laughed and laughed and didn’t even think about it. After eventually crashing out, I fondly remember waking up to a giant breakfast! Amir’s mom would make this spread that I had never seen! My family never did anything like this. We had eggs and toast and all the fun stuff for breakfast! Amir had a special affinity for muenster cheese. I had never even heard of muster cheese, and I thought it was so funny, just the name alone! Amir would fold his muenster cheese carefully over and it would break apart and he would relish in the flavor of each little broken piece. I still love muenster cheese and I will buy packs of slices and break one off, bit by bit, bite by small bite, and watch the cheese crease eventually break apart at the seam, just like Amir did and I think of him every time. Muenster cheese on an egg scramble? Yes please. Oh, you have Muenster cheese for my sandwich? Yes please! And every time through my entire life since probably age 8, it’s Amir who is in my mind.
ReplyDeleteAmir was one of those friends that I didn’t hold onto long enough. For whatever reason, we drifted apart. I saw him twice since the golden years, I don’t know which event came first. Once was at Disneyland. I was there with my family, and I looked over my shoulder and there is Amir, sitting on a bench, somewhere between Main Street, and Tomorrow Land, with another friend. I walk up to him; he tells me they are tripping on acid! At Disneyland!
Haha so classic! I wished at the time, while still happy to be at the happiest place, that I was with them and not my relatively boring family. Not being in that mental state at the time, and being with my very straight parents, I left Amir and his buddy there, turned my back and walked off. I always regretted not ditching my folks that day!
The second time I saw him was at Tower Records in Northridge. I worked there for a few summers during college. I worked in the classical room. I went there one day, a year later after my stint as an employee, and there was my friend Amir, with his name badge and everything, working where else, in the classical room! We really were soul brothers. I wish that I had nourished our relationship more. Maybe I felt threatened by his other close friendships. He was so personable and easy to get along with. Maybe I didn’t feel like I could compete. That’s my own racket. But after reading all these beautiful comments, I really wish more than ever that I didn't let was turned out to be much too much time go by.
This one goes out to the one I love. This one goes out to the one I left behind.
This one goes out to my friend Amir. Rest in Peace, my brother. You were the brightest light in my young life. Thank you for your kindness and creativity. And I love you. Always have. Always will. (3/3)