Blaze Foley's lover Sybil Rosen, who is played in the film by Alia Shawkat, is Ethan Hawke's co-writer on the film.
Ethan Hawke decided to make a biopic of Blaze Foley, a musician who was little known in his lifetime, because he found it important to make a point that it is not only the lives of celebrities that are worth showing on the screen.