Background: Rene Noel Theophile Girard (; French: [ZiRaR]; 25 December 1923 - 4 November 2015) was a French historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science whose work belongs to the tradition of anthropological philosophy. Girard was the author of nearly thirty books, with his writings spanning many academic domains.
Context: In Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, Girard discusses for the first time Christianity and the Bible. The Gospels ostensibly present themselves as a typical mythical account, with a victim-god lynched by a unanimous crowd, an event that is then commemorated by Christians through ritual sacrifice -- a material re-presentation in this case -- in the Eucharist. The parallel is perfect except for one detail: the truth of the innocence of the victim is proclaimed by the text and the writer. The mythical account is usually built on the lie of the guilt of the victim in as much as it is an account of the event seen from the viewpoint of the anonymous lynchers. This ignorance is indispensable to the efficacy of the sacrificial violence.  The evangelical "good news" clearly affirms the innocence of the victim, thus becoming, by attacking ignorance, the germ of the destruction of the sacrificial order on which rests the equilibrium of societies. Already the Old Testament shows this turning inside-out of the mythic accounts with regard to the innocence of the victims (Abel, Joseph, Job...), and the Hebrews were conscious of the uniqueness of their religious tradition. With the Gospels, it is with full clarity that are unveiled these "things hidden since the foundation of the world" (Matthew 13:35), the foundation of social order on murder, described in all its repulsive ugliness in the account of the Passion.  This revelation is even clearer because the text is a work on desire and violence, from the serpent setting alight the desire of Eve in paradise to the prodigious strength of the mimetism that brings about the denial of Peter during the Passion (Mark 14: 66-72; Luke 22:54-62). Girard reinterprets certain biblical expressions in light of his theories; for instance, he sees "scandal" (skandalon, literally, a "snare", or an "impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall") as signifying mimetic rivalry, for example Peter's denial of Jesus. No one escapes responsibility, neither the envious nor the envied: "Woe to the man through whom scandal comes" (Matthew 18:7).
Question: Did Rene work on biblical text?
Answer: In Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, Girard discusses for the first time Christianity and the Bible.

Background: The Living End are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1994. Since 2002 the line up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals) and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after the release of their double A-sided single, "Second Solution" / "Prisoner of Society", which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart. They have released six studio albums and two reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart: self-titled album (12 October 1998) and State of Emergency (4 February 2006).
Context: In February 2002, The Living End's line up changed as Demsey left and was replaced on drums in April by Andy Strachan (ex-Pollyanna). Dempsey wanted to spend more time with his family, and had a dislike of heavy touring; in August that year he joined Fez Perez, and later joined a punk, folk rock group, The Currency. The Living End developed a side project, The Longnecks, to test out Strachan and new material for their third album, Modern ARTillery, without attracting wide public attention. The name is a reference to longneck beer bottles. The Longnecks name was re-used by the band to try out potential material for later albums. They have also played under other names: Glen Waverley & The Mentones, The Dovetones, Roller Toasters, Doncaster & The Dandenongs and Redwings; at various venues in regional Victoria.  In mid-2002 The Living End recorded four tracks, including "One Said to the Other", which were released as an EP in January the following year and reached the top 20 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Two of its tracks were re-recorded in Los Angeles with Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Jebediah) producing, together with new material for Modern ARTillery, which appeared on 28 October 2003. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, top 50 in New Zealand, and top 40 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums Chart. "Who's Gonna Save Us?" was issued a month earlier, as the lead single, which reached top 40 in Australia, top 30 in New Zealand and on Billboard's Alternative Songs Chart. They followed with heavy touring (including Big Day Out) promoting their releases.  On 27 September 2004 the band released a compilation album, From Here on In: The Singles 1997-2004, early versions included a bonus disc, Under the Covers, which had six cover versions of other artist's tracks. The CD featured two new tracks: "I Can't Give You What I Haven't Got" and "Bringing It All Back Home". They also issued a compilation DVD, From Here on In: The DVD 1997-2004, which collated their music video clips and live performances of the groups at festivals: Splendour in the Grass and Big Day Out in Sydney, and from Summer Sonic in Japan. The DVD also documented the band's history by interviews and home footage.
Question: What was involved with this side project?
Answer:
to test out Strachan and new material for their third album, Modern ARTillery, without attracting wide public attention.