People

ARE GRANDSONS WORKS OF ART?

Whence cometh BECK? An interesting insight to the singer's idiosyncrasies--the inadvisable suits, the inexplicable videos, the impenetrable lyrics--is hanging on the walls of New York City's Thread Waxing Space gallery in an exhibition called "Playing with Matches." Beck's grandfather Al Hansen was a member of Fluxus, a loosely knit group of conceptual artists who engaged in happenings, mostly in the '60s, but who still work today. At the launch of the exhibition in Santa Monica, Calif., in May and in New York City last week, Beck's brother Channing Hansen performed Elegy for the Fluxus Dead, a piece originated by his grandfather, which entailed his reading a list of names and then wrapping his head in masking tape. Al's work--including the female torsos made of cigarette butts (like Suitcase Venus, above left), lighters or Hershey wrappers--is owned by such big shots as Jasper Johns and Claes Oldenburg. The late artist may develop a younger group of fans now that he's sharing wall space with his famous grandson. Sure, Beck's artworks (that's OK Jet, above right) don't hold up against Al's. But then Al's videos won't hit MTV anytime soon.

HACKING AT THE GRAY LADY

More than one person has tried to take down the New York Times and lost. But last week a group of hackers calling themselves HFG--Hacking for Girlies--shut down the Times's website for nine hours. People trying to access the Times's Web page got instead a mixture of messages of support for imprisoned hacker Kevin Mitnick, nude pictures and some vituperation about CAROLYN MEINEL, a 50-year-old New Mexican who wrote The Happy Hacker, a book about the methods criminal hackers use, in which she compares them to terrorists. Meinel says every Internet-access provider she has used has been attacked, but she was surprised at the latest action. "Frankly, I didn't expect them to hack the New York Times," she says. "Now they'll go to prison."

NEW DAY, NEW DEITY TO OFFEND

It's almost as if MADONNA can't leave the stage until someone has been offended. Her appearance on the MTV Awards as Shiva, a Hindu god, who then transmogrified into a different, more booty-shaking type of avatar altogether, vexed some Hindus. The World Vaishnava Association said her makeup, reminiscent of Hindu facial markings that indicate purity and devotion, did not go too well with her diaphanous top and suggestive dancing. Luckily, Hindus don't believe in fatwas. And besides, other Hindu groups were more complimentary, saying her pronunciation of chants was improving and she should be commended for her interest in and promotion of the "enlightened life." Oddly, there was no protest from the BBC about her appropriating its pronunciation for her new accent.

JUST AS WELL HE DIDN'T GROW UP TO BE A ROCK STAR

Prince Edward's Crown and Country, a TV series on things great and British, debuts this week on PBS. We noticed the prince has a few things in common with another independent filmmaker.

ED WOOD --Often wore angora --Joined the U.S. Marine Corps at 17 --Was thought of as a drag queen, but wasn't --Directed, wrote and starred in Glen or Glenda --People think his life is more interesting than his movies

EDWARD --Sometimes wears ermine --Joined the Royal Marines at 22 --Could be a King, but probably won't --Produced, wrote and stars in Crown and Country --Ditto