Nickolas Rossi has started a project some time ago, a film celebration of Elliott Smith, exploring his contributions to the music industry and his posthumous influence.
‘Heaven Adores You’, named after an Earlimart’s song dedicated to Elliott after his passing, is described as ‘an intimate and meditative look at the influence that Elliott Smith has had since his tragic passing in 2003’.
Nickolas Rossi has put together musical performances of those influenced by Elliott Smith’s music, while filming the three major cities where he lived, Portland, OR, New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA.
Last November, Nickolas did an interview, discussing his project, explaining how it all began (he posted on YouTube a tribute video he made with footage of the memorial wall on Sunset), describing his unique relationship with Elliott’s music when he was living in Portland and was employed as a counselor for at-risk, runaway and homeless youth.
You can listen to the whole interview here, it is episode #129:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bull-pit/id330619248
However, toward the end of the interview, Nickolas says the following:
‘You can find the whole story if you just read a book or go on the internet. It is a very transparent story. There is no real hidden thing in the Elliott Smith’s story. It is a very short story with a very limited cast of characters and all the things,.. all the sort of facts are there, and that there is nothing to really uncover in the traditional sense of a documentary. He was known to be dealing with depression and he dealt with some drug issues and then he died,.. and that was it.’
I am sorry to say I disagree, Elliott Smith's life, as his death, were much more complex than people want to believe it. Transparent? Nothing is muddier and more confusing than what happened to him.