Dan [Fisher-Eustance] and I were kindly asked by Free to catch up with our pal Diggs English. Diggs happens to be East Sussex’s most mischievous and nimble-footed export. On the drive over to his house, Dan and I were gleefully anticipating being on the other end of a skate interview. Especially with someone we’ve watched grow from a minuscule, pad-covered ripper doing 540s in the bowl, into a cheeky chap with a well-crafted style and a distinct vision of how and what he wants to skate.
-Albie Edmonds

Photography by Rafal Wojnowski

Albie Edmonds: All right. How’s it going?

Diggs English: What?

Albie: How are you feeling this morning?

Diggs: I’m pretty good. How are you guys?

Dan/Albie: All good.

Albie: Okay, Dan you wanna kick things off?

Dan Fisher- Eustance: Yeah, sure. So, I remember the first time I saw you at the Level, maybe you were six? Already doing kickflips off the quarterpipe. What age did you start skating?

Diggs: I started skating when I was five, but I would just push around the house, and then I think I probably went to skateparks when I was like six, and then to the Level maybe when I was seven, but we used to go really early because it was scary.

Dan: Scary?

Diggs: Yeah, well, you guys, bro. The big dogs are scary.

Ollie to backside wallride, Redhill

Albie: I remember being scared of the Level.

Diggs: You’re still scared of it.

[Everyone laughs]

Albie: First question and you’re outing me already… I am still scared of the Level.

Dan: We were all scared of the Level.

Albie: I mean, when it was wooden, it was actually really gnarly. There were needles on the floor and stuff. My parents were not hyped on me going there.

Dan: Yeah, I think I went there once.

Diggs: I never got to go.

Dan: Good.

Diggs: It looked kind of fun.

Dan: It was fun as a skatepark.

Diggs: But it was cracky. It’s still quite cracky. When did the new one get built?

Dan: 2013.

Diggs: When I was three.

Ollie into the bank, London

Dan: So now at 15, how is it going on Converse trips with people like Louie Lopez?

Diggs: It’s insane. It’s so sick, and all the Converse dudes are so nice. I’m so lucky to be able to have those opportunities. And I couldn’t ask for anything better. It’s so good. Super stoked to be out there. Exactly what I want, hell yeah, haha.

Dan: Do you get starstruck?

Diggs: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I definitely sometimes get kind of nervous. But, I mean, I don’t know, it’s hard not to.

Dan: Yeah, of course. It’s Louie Lopez.

Albie: Your dad, Ben, defies all skate dad stereotypes. He’s easy going, not pushy, and he actually skates and kills it. Am I right in thinking he started skating again when you did?

Diggs: Yeah, he used to skate when he was maybe my age, and then quit because apparently he was too busy. I don’t know, whatever his excuses were. He said he could ollie bins when he was my age, I don’t believe it. Nah I’m just kidding. Yeah, he started again when I started, and it’s nice, because we’ve just been skating together since I was five. Yeah, I remember his first board. He had a Nyjah Element board.

Dan: Nice.

Albie: Obviously you’ve got this part coming out soon with Cons. How have you found the process of filming that?

Diggs: Yeah, it’s been fun. It’s also been pretty hard at times, like balancing filming with school, my dad’s got work and just like normal kid shit as well. It’s hard to balance it all out, but I don’t know, it’s been hard, but also good, and it’s worth it because I’m really happy with how the part’s looking.

One-foot, London

Albie: And Harrison [Woolgar] is editing it? (Editor’s note: The editing was ultimately done by Chris Emery.)

Diggs: Hell yeah. That villain.

Dan: Yeah, top villain haha. Okay, so Will at Free mentioned to me about how interesting the spots you choose to skate are. Is that something you actively look for? Or do you think that just growing up skating in Sussex, where there are certainly less conventionally perfect spots, has made you open your eyes to more?

Diggs: Hmm, I definitely don’t want to skate spots that I don’t think look cool, but it’s probably a mixture, because obviously Sussex has some interesting spots, and like not really the classic ones. So yeah, I also like to skate kind of weird stuff. I don’t really skate big transitions, but then I don’t really skate big rails and hubbas. So finding the right spot for me is sometimes quite hard. So, a lot of the ones aren’t as seen because they’re not like the famous ones that everyone would skate.

Dan: Because no one wants to skate them? Haha.

Albie: Are you doing Google Maps spot hunting sometimes as well?

Diggs: Yeah, I’m on Google Earth, and then also Al (Hodgson) has his spot map, which is good. There are a few decent London ones as well…

Albie: You mentioned you got Al’s spot map for Sussex, when I looked at it I thought wow, this is like a treasure map. And then you actually look at some of the spots… When you get to the treasure, it’s just like a pit, with spikes at the bottom.

[Everyone laughs]

Ollie to frontside wallride, London

Diggs: Yeah. I mean, I think there’s some really good shit on th...

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