Green Day drummer Tré Cool has three Japanese fighting fish. Their names are Doppelganger, Punchy and Dirty Sanchez. As anyone who knows anything about the subject will be aware, Japanese fighting fish should never, ever, under any circumstances, be kept in the same tank. Because if they are, they'll fight to the death.
Tré Cool's fighting fish are not in the same tank. They're in the same
bowl, a cheap, glass container roughly half the size of a football. It is filled with filthy water. Doppelganger, Punchy and Dirty Sanchez have been in there for two months. Chomping away at each other.
Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong climbs onto the bus. He wants you to know that he has played no part in this. Bassist Mike Dirnt walks onto the bus. He also wants you to know that he has played no part in this.
Tré Cool explains that the fighting fish contest is like a cockfight; only it's been going on for almost nine weeks. It's like excitement, but in slow motion. It's also a gamble; you can place a bet on who's winning, or on who is going to eventually win, only no-one on the bus will admit to having taken a punt.
Dirty Sanchez swims up to Doppelganger and takes a dirty great chunk out of his side. Doppelganger, appearing mortally tired of all this, gently floats to the surface and bobbles in his side. At this point, Doppelganger is doing a passable impression of the deadest fish in the world.
"No, no, he's not dead," says Tré Cool, rushing to the sink on the bus's left hand side. He pulls down a glass from the shelf and fills it with water. He then puts the glass next to the fish bowl, resting on a table in front of the leather sofa, and sticks his fingers into the bowl. Gently removing Doppelganger, he drops the troubled fish into the glass of water. Doppelganger is now floating entirely upside down.
Tré, the fish is dead.
"No, no, he's not dead," replies Tré Cool. He then pulls a manoeuvre that he may or may not have seen on the Discovery Channel. Placing his finger into the glass, he gently strokes the gills on both sides of the fish's body. Doppelganger resumes the position of a fish that is, however faintly, alive. Almost imperceptibly, the mouth bobs back and forth, open and closed.
"See what I did," he says. "I saved his life."
Tré, it was your fault that Doppelganger was in that mess in the first place.
"Yeah, but I still saved his life."
And here, Tré Cool looks down into the glass of water.
"Look at you, little Doppelganger; you're as good as new, aren't you?"