Congrats on the sick part! So, where does the name Snooz come from?
Thanks man, appreciate it! It’s funny because everyone actually thinks my last name is Snoozes because of my instagram handle but actually it’s Dodd! The name Snooz came about through instagram actually. Basically before adverts started becoming super popular and annoying on instagram, this toyota advert popped up with some guy they called snoozeybaby. They tagged an account under the handle @snoozeybaby but when you clicked on it nothing popped up, so I thought why not change my handle to @snoozeybaby so that when people click on this advert they end up on my profile. So I changed it and long story short it ended up working haha. After this I wanted to change it back to my original handle which was @max_sk8s at the time or something, but then I decided to change it to @maxsnoozes because of this whole situation. Since then the name kind of stuck and people started calling me Snooz, which is now also my dj name.
How did this project come about?
Well I started working at skateland to give skate lessons about 2 and a half years ago and that’s how I originally met Rachid. From there I would always mention how hyped I was to go out and film street, but that I had no one to do it with, at least no one with a camera. I was also at this age where I was in between the old heads and the younger guys who are coming through in the skate scene, so I kind of struggled to find homies to really go out into the streets with. That’s when Rachid basically said “gaan we partje filmen dan” and my hyped ass instantly said “sowieso ik ben hypeeeeeeed” haha. That’s basically how it came about, through working at skateland and meeting Rachid there!
What was it like to film with Rachid? Feels like he is a walking encyclopedia of all Rotterdam spots.
It was a super nice experience honestly, I’m so grateful he decided to do this with me and pull out the old TRV remote control cam again. We definitely had some good laughs at the sessions but also some real battles. We definitely put some euros and beers on the line to hype each other up during sessions! I think you could definitely say Rachid knows his way around Rotterdam, which is one reason why we also filmed purely in Rotterdam for this video, since Rachid knew all the spots and because it was the most convenient for filming missions for the both of us.
During my extensive research, I have been unable to find where you’re from. So, where are you from?
Well I’m actually half English half Dutch, having grown up in multiple countries due to my dad’s international work. I grew up in Groningen actually when I was young, but moved to the UK when I was about 8. I then lived there until I was 14-15, where we ended up moving to South Africa. That’s where I spent my high school years until I moved back to the Netherlands to study at Erasmus University. Since then I’ve been living in Rotterdam with my parents having moved to Zandvoort. To keep it simple I always say I’m from the Netherlands now, sometimes even saying Rotterdam, since my mom’s side of the family was raised in Vlaardingen.
Obviously, besides skating you’re into music. Tell us something about that!
The music thing started more recently actually, I always had a passion for music, having listened to it all my life, but DJing and producing started when I moved back to the Netherlands. My parents never really had the craziest passion for music so I don’t really know where this passion came from, but ever since I moved back to the Netherlands and started going to electronic music events I felt like I wanted to get more involved. That’s where DJing came in, and since about 2 years now I’d say, I’ve been part of a music collective called Boogie House where I play the majority of my DJ sets. I’ve also got my first EP coming out next month with a good friend of mine called Tijn (also goes by Hitsko).
Did you mix the soundtrack for this part yourself?
I didn’t directly mix the soundtracks, but I did choose all the songs for the video. Rachid gave me a lot of freedom with choosing the songs as he wanted it to have a certain energy, with the VX style footage, electronic music and fast cuts. In the end I chose a more jazzy song for the intro, that I found a while ago just listening to music on the way to running some errands. The songs for Rachid’s part and the friends section were both by Drexciya, a real OG electronic music duo from Detroit. We happened to use two songs by the same artist as they just happened to fit quite well, I actually wanted to change the friends' part song, but in the end we thought they both worked well. As for the song in my second part I went for a more fast paced 4x4 rhythm which matched the footage quite well. Both Rachid and I wanted my part to be fast and get to the point as a lot of skate videos are filled with so much b-roll and rollup. As for the ending song, I guess we won’t get into that, since some other videos also used it recently…. hahaha
Then, you’re into football, looks like a Chelsea fan. Did you play football before getting into skating, as it happened with lots of other kids?
Yep spot on! I started out by only playing football until I was around 11 when I got my first skateboard. Since then I still played football quite often, but I definitely gravitated towards skateboarding more as there is just so much more freedom. I haven’t lost my touch I think but the fitness is definitely not as good as it used to be… As for watching football, I’m still a big football fan and watch basically all the Chelsea games. I would say I’m quite the diehard fan!
Do you have any special football jerseys?
Actually I do! When I was around 10 to 11, I met John Terry, the former captain of Chelsea, and he signed one of my jerseys and took a picture with me. I have it framed in my room. I have to say I was super scared to approach him and only ended up asking for an autograph once I played a game of lazer tag with him and his son for the birthday party I originally came for. Of course my parents helped me build up the courage, because I think even after the lazer tag game I was still too shy to ask.
Last one: what’s up next for you?
Well I just purchased a new camera with a really good friend of mine (Yuri) and we’re starting to go out to film again, so hopefully we will be getting another video out in the future with more of the Rotterdam boys! Besides this I’m finishing my bachelors degree right now, which should be wrapped up around the end of July. Hopefully I get to play a few more DJ gigs in the upcoming months and just keep working my job at Skateland and learning new tricks!
Let's ask Rachid some questions then! So, it’s been a while since your last video, but you’re still running the remote controlled camera from that video, right?
Coincidentally I had just bought a Panasonic GH4. This camera had a fisheye but it was not wide enough. Max and I had just filmed a few clips with the TRV. The quality was too different to use both camera clips. We decided to continue with the TVR. You know how it goes.. You always think you are done faster than you actually are.
Do you have any plans on getting a non-remote controlled camera soon?
I have already sold the GH4. It was just gathering dust.
Is it correct that your family has grown recently?
That is indeed correct. I now have a son of almost 2.5 years and a little boy of almost half a year. That's also a bit of the reason I sold that gh4. It takes quite a lot of time to make an edit like that.
What does your balance of skating, filming, working plus family life look like?
I am extra busy because of this... but the time you have left is therefore extra valuable.
Do you think working as skateboard teacher is the ultimate hack for a long skate career?
I don't necessarily think of it as a skateboarding instructor. But I do think it helps to work in a skatepark. I still skate regularly because of that.
As far as I know, you haven’t filmed a thing with Max before. How was it to work with him?
I always love helping people. For Max it was a dream to release a skate part one day. After work we started skating together more often in the skate park. That way you get to know each other well in skating. My girlfriend was pregnant with our second child at the time. So I had 8 months to realize this with Max. In the end we were able to do it all in a year. For the rest, Max always knew what he wanted to do at certain spots and was not afraid to come back more often to finish something.
I never saw him angry and it was always a nice vibe. Sometimes he was a little late when we had agreed to skate at a spot at a certain time. Then I always said: ‘’Was je weer aan het SNOOZEN’’ haha.
What’s your favourite clip from this video? And which clip has the most special backstory?
The first and last clip of the video. Both in the rain. That says enough about someone how much he wants something… Filming a videopart. The last trick of the video was not easy.. was not in 1 day.. was a struggle. but succeeded. Good job Max! Proud of you!
Lastly, what’s up next?
In my last interview of my previous film I said that I was retired and would never film again. I want to say that now too.. But I'm not going to do that haha. You never know.
But first I'm going to skate myself in the little bit of free time that I have.
Guys, thank you for this opportunity.
Cheers, Max and Rachid!